No 27 – A Colossal Clean?

Can anyone visit Rome without seeing the Colosseum? Pip was not as keen as Sailor Boy, as he had heard how cruel the Romans had been, especially to Christians and animals. So after some discussion, the boys went their separate ways. While Sailor Boy took the tour to one of the most famous monuments in the world, Pip travelled across town to see other significant landmarks. Each wished the other luck for their journeys through the anarchic Roman traffic.

Arriving at the Colosseum, Sailor Boy’s first impression was of an awe inspiring building, but on closer inspection he could see that the marble was severely blackened in parts. It appeared badly in need of conservation cleaning. Why do they just leave it to rot and waste away, he wondered? And what do they do with all the entrance fees? One section seemed to have a distinct lean. Despite the thousands of tourists and guides milling around, this iconic building was clearly neglected.

Still he was on a tour and he followed the group inside to see where the gladiators had lived and fought. He marvelled at the frescos depicting the fighting gladiators who lived brutal lives. They trained all year for one event when they would live or die.

Sailor Boy learnt that the Colosseum spectacles were advertised on billboards and were usually held twice a year for several days – unless it was a special occasion when they could continue for 100 days. The normal program was quite straightforward. The morning contests were billed as man vs animal, followed by beheadings of criminals before lunch. When the guide started speaking about what they did to the wild African animals even before the shows, Sailor Boy understood why Pip didn’t want to come. Pip may even have felt a little nervous.

The afternoon program consisted of the gladiatorial battles of man vs man. Even in those days there were food and drink stalls and souvenir shops selling gladiatorial figurines.

Like most Roman endeavours, the Colosseum had been very well organised. With 50,000 seats to fill, spectators had tickets and entered through numbered arches to specific areas. Sailor Boy could see the remains of complex passageways under the ground level where props and machinery were used to turn the arena into a jungle or once, a pool of water to stage a mock sea battle.

Here animals had been held captive and tortured to enrage them before events. At times thousands of wild animals had been killed on a single day. Many animal skeletons and artefacts had been uncovered in excavations and were on display in the Colosseum museum.

While the Ancient Greeks had revered intellect and athletic displays, the Romans had revelled in blood sports. On reflection, Sailor Boy realised that he preferred the athletic celebrations and theatre of the Greeks, where crowds had been entertained by dramatic plays of tragedies and comedies, interpreting the grand events of life. Coincidently before the boys were to leave Rome, the Italian Ministry of Culture announced that conservation and cleaning program on the Colosseum was to begin later in the year. Fingers crossed.

No. 26 – All Roads Lead to…

Civitavecchia is the closest port to the city of Rome. After disembarking from the ship Pip and Sailor Boy took a bus to the city, which turned out to be a rather long ride. When they finally arrived at their small but ‘well located’ hotel, Sailor Boy threw himself on the bed. “It’s crazy, this city is enormous. How long did that take, three hours?” The entire morning had gone. All these roads just lead to… more cars!

Already they had witnessed an accident when a police motorcyclist collided with a car. The Roman traffic was fast and furious. Cars zoomed around corners and drivers frequently blew their horns to squeeze through narrow streets that had been built for chariots. They didn’t even stop at the pedestrian crossings. Traffic lights seemed to mean very little, or as one guide derisively said, “They think they’re Christmas lights!”

Looking out from the hotel window, the small lane below seemed just as chaotic as the nearby main road, Via Nazionale. They watched workers at the tiny local supermarket unload boxes of supplies onto the road inches from the parked cars.

“Well, we’re here now, aren’t we, so let’s take it easy” said Pip sensibly. “What about lunch?”

After a stroll around the neighbourhood they found a gloriously colourful café with several local customers inside. A good sign. Soon cappuccinos and deliciously toasted focaccia sandwiches revived them and Sailor Boy was able to study the guide book.

Like most travelling companions, the boys had similar interests, but occasionally different ideas on what they wanted to do.

As author and traveler Mark Twain once said, “There ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them, than to travel with ’em.” Usually a compromise could be reached.

First was a visit to the Forum, an enormous site, which had been the epicentre of the Roman Empire. This was where Julius Caesar was murdered in 44BC. Here lay the marble and stone remains of temples, the Roman Senate, military quarters and living areas, such as the house of the Vestal Virgins.

Rising behind the Forum is the Palatine Hill. This was the home of the Roman Emperors and was the location of the world’s first grand palace.

The first ‘themed’ dinner parties had been held here in banqueting rooms where panelled walls of rare green and purple marble were inlaid with gemstones. Many rooms had underfloor heating, and the Romans invented bath houses, spa rooms and massage therapy. It was so famous, the word ‘palace’ itself is derived from “palatine”.

Here also had been the first botanical and zoological gardens and evidence remains of the emperors’ love for architecture and art.

The nearby house of Livia, wife of the Emperor Claudius, exists today as a museum with an exquisite collection of frescos, marble busts and statues. Some of the mosaics look surprisingly contemporary and the surrounding partial walls and gardens created many evocative spaces.

Rome was defeated and sacked by the Visigoths in 410, an event signifying the end of the classical period and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Even though so little now remains, combined with the heady stories of drama and excess, it had been a thrilling afternoon.