The Colosseum in Rome

On April 30, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy4 Comments

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, is one of those iconic locations that anyone who visits the city must take the time to explore. Because of its popularity, be prepared for long lines and you will likely have tour guides offer to let you jump to the front of the line if you are willing to pay for a tour, which isn’t actually a bad idea. Another good idea is to buy the bundled ticket that includes the Roman Forum as well, which is equally fascinating. There have been many movies that have attempted to recreate what it must have been like to have gone to one of the performances at the Colosseum with all of the animals, gladiators, and other performers. Visions of those elaborate shows, called munera, must have been truly amazing and in many ways was a predecessor to the modern Walt Disney World theme parks.

View of the Colosseum from the Roman Forum

One of the amazing features of the Colosseum is the two-story structure called the hypogeum that was underneath a wooden floor that was covered by sand. It is a series of tunnels and cages that housed all of the animals and gladiators that would be brought up to the floor of the arena so that the crowd didn’t get a glimpse of them until the performance began. Obviously, these performances were often bloody battles between the gladiators as well as animal hunts that featured exotic creatures such as rhinos, giraffes, elephants, and of course lions. It must have been truly exciting and almost magical for the people of first century AD that attended these elaborate performances.

Hypogeum at the Center of the Amphitheatre

Even with the paintings depicting the many different performances that also included battle reenactments, dramas based on the mythology of the time, and even mock sea battles, it is still hard to truly comprehend the sophistication of these shows. With audiences as large as 80,000 and averaging around 65,000 people, there was more than just the thousands of animals, gladiators, and performers needed to amaze the crowds. Hundreds of talented artists created props and sceneries with intricate details to add to the overall ambiance of the massive exhibitions.

An Appreciation for the Size of the Colosseum

Today, the Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is a unique landmark in the heart of Rome that is often the subject of paintings by local artists. In this world with all of our skyscrapers and other modern buildings, it is often taken for granted how much creativity and ingenuity it must have taken to build such an arena during the period in which it was created. There are many fascinating things to see in a city that is so rich with history and art, but the Colosseum is definitely one sight that must be seen. It can be viewed in as few as a couple of hours, but you will probably want to spend more time if you want to truly understand and comprehend its historical significance.

The Vatican Museums in Vatican City

On July 21, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy15 Comments

When traveling to Rome, one of the highlights is taking the time to visit Vatican City and specifically the Vatican Museums. Throughout history, the Popes have collected artistic treasures from throughout the world. The majority of the artwork that the church has collected is not on display, but what is on display is overwhelming and can’t be taken in during a single visit to the museums or even to just one of the museums. We were on a tour of Vatican City and our guide asked us whether we wanted to focus on the paintings or on the sculptures since there wouldn’t be time to see both. We decided upon the sculptures, but we really wish we could have had enough time to see both.

There are 54 galleries spread out inside of the museums and even 4 museums dedicated to the various sculptures. With over 50,000 pieces of art and approximately 20,000 of them on display, the total area of the museums is daunting. Included in the galleries is the final stop on any tour to the museums, which is the Sistine Chapel. You often get very limited time inside of the Sistine Chapel, but we were fortunate to be able to stay as long as we wanted, which was truly a memory that we will never forget. Photography is not allowed, although some people were sneaking photos, but we chose to obey the rules and not take any photos ourselves.

The very first piece of art collected and put on display at the museums over 500 years ago is the Laocoön and his Sons, which truly is an amazing marble sculpture with incredible details. It was put on display one month after its discovery in 1506 at a vineyard in Rome. There were so many interesting pieces of art that we couldn’t come close to describing them all here, but one other statue that we found fascinating was of a man with a child on his shoulder with such lifelike eyes. One thing that is hard not to notice is that many of the statues have been “censored” by the church through the addition of fig leaves, which we think is a shame since it modifies the original sculpture.

Like many other large museums, to truly appreciate all of the artwork you would need to visit many times and spend more time truly enjoying each piece of art. At a certain point, when you are walking past masterpiece after masterpiece, the mind starts to tune out and you stop absorbing the beauty that is in front of you. No visit to Vatican City would be complete without visiting the museums, especially to see the spectacular Sistine Chapel.

Each Pope Proudly Takes Credit for Their Additions

Luxurious Stay in Rome

On May 12, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy5 Comments

Since our trip to Italy was the last of our six-month stay in Europe, we decided to treat ourselves to a little bit of luxury while we were in Rome. We stayed at the Lifestyle Suites Rome, which has suites that overlook Piazza Navona. Our room was absolutely beautiful with Swarovski chandeliers. It was also located close to all of the attractions and there were plenty of wonderful restaurants within walking distance.

Every evening we were treated to turn down service and slippers placed next to our comfortable, king-size bed. We also received sweets, fresh fruit, and cheese when we ordered a bottle of wine for our room. On our last night, we were given a pastry with frosting and chocolate shavings that was quite delicious. Every morning we were able to order a fresh cooked breakfast or choose from items on the buffet. Since there are only eight suites in the hotel, there was never a crowd and we felt like we were being personally pampered.

Probably our favorite feature of our suite, which was the Tempesta Suite, was the hot tub for two with waterfall and chromotherapy. After a long day of visiting all of the tourist sites that Rome has to offer, it was very relaxing to put on some soothing music using the remote controls and enjoy a glass of wine while soaking our tired muscles. With the wonderful views of the piazza, all of the amenities, and the gracious staff, it would have been easy to sleep in and stay in our room all day, but there is just too much to see in Rome to indulge ourselves that way.

We don’t often treat ourselves to such extravagant surroundings when travelling since you don’t normally spend too much time in the hotel room, but this was well worth the expense. Whenever we return to Rome, we will definitely come back to the Lifestyle Suites Rome, it was one of the best hotel experiences that we have ever enjoyed. We tended to stay at the hotel group that we have loyalty points with during our time in Europe, but we were glad that we decided to select something different for our time in Rome.