Diary Rome

Diary Rome
Arrived on Easter Saturday at Hotel Cicerone after being met at airport by a driver with a sign. Settled into lovely room. No sign of gypsies in lobby as I had read on trip advisor. Have been stressing a bit about bag stealers.
Met our Globus tour director as we came out of breakfast. Gave him our details and will meet group at 5:15pm. Off to Vatican about 11am. Found an English tour that avoids long lines. All given ear piece. Guide was the first tall Italian man. Good looking and funny. Should have given him a tip but we all gave back audio before Sistine Chapel and he didn't come in there. He was very humorous and explained about costs and tipping in Rome on walk to the place to pay to get in. Pizza no more than 7 euro. Taxi to airport 40 euro and check for a 1 on taxi counter. If a 2 the charge is being doubled. He told us lots of funny stories about Pope and Michel D'Angelo who "came from the other Parish" as he put it.
Local Tour Guide Stefano took us around Colloseum and Forum. Lots of interesting information. Cypress tres came from Iran and live for thousands of year so symbol of long life. Palantine hill was first settled. Then conquered other 6 hills. Valleys between were markets. Flavian Amphitheatre is official name of colloseum. At entrance was a collosal statue of emperor Nero as a god. Desigh copied from Greek semi circle theatres which have great acoustics. Doubled to make oval terrible acoustics. River through centre and one side rock other sand. The sandy side fell down more in earthquake 600 years ago. Originally amphitheatre was filled with water for naval battles but not big enough so built wall room dividers and covered in wood then sand to absorb the blood.
Ladies looking for short term employment eg 20 minutes sat in top rows. Next down were commoners then middle class then rich then Caesar sat centre of oval. Animals etc entered from one end.
Rosary beads are made by Nuns out of pressed roses to keep smell a long time. We bought some at Easter ceremony on St Peter's Square and they be blessed by the Pope during the ceremony.
3 guides have warned us about gypsies now. 13 obelisks from Egypt are in Rome. One in Vatican. Swiss guards are all descendants of original guards from Switzerland who a Pope used to replaced Spanish guards he didn't trust. Swiss were best body guards. Now have to be a descendant between 18 and 25 years old and Catholic.
Sx obelis but 13 left.
Spanis Steps lead up to Holy Trinity Church. John keats came here to get well in warmth but it was Feb and cold and he died. Spanish Embassy in Spanish piazza so named steps. Trevi fountain is huge for the small square. Rome is known as city o water all fountains water comes from the ancient aquaducts. City of fountains because they are all built to show off the water. Toss a coin by standing backwards. 1 coin right hand over left shoulder. Come back to rome is 1 coin.
Hadrien was the architect Emperor he got lots of architects to work and design the Pantheon. Indcluding oldest biggest dome. Has a hole in centre or it would collapse. Famous Italians are buried there including Raphael.
Piazza navonna used to be horse track. We saw all the gypsies who were selling knock-off bags and sunglasses running away with their wares when the police came along. Saw horse police wearing swords and spurs when walking around.
Last day in Rome we had a fascinating tour of the Church of Saint Paul. Or San Paolo. Huge and all stone. MArble. Alabaster and the most precious hardest dark red stone columns from Egypt.
We visited the catacombs before leaving Rome. These are tunnels underground going down 25 metres all dug into relatively soft volcanic rock along the Appian Way outside the city for Christian burials. Narrow single file the guide had a torch but the parts tourists see do have lighting although all the empty rooms with emptied graves holes in walls are dark. The bodies were removed and reburied elsewhere a few years ago because tourists took bones as souvenirs. Marble slabs with names and messages.