Colosseum and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

What most tourists to Rome don't realise before they get here is that there's actually only half of the Colisseum left. Thus, it has a huge disappointment factor. Nevertheless, although Romebuddy isn't strictly a tourist guide to Rome, we thought we'd break our own rules and rough out a page or two on the Colossium, seeing as how it's supposed to be one of the seven wonders of the world, or something like that, and it's practically in my back yard.

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Thing is, what can we say about it that hasn't already been said a thousand times before? Well, we'll try. First up, the Colosseum is big. Really big! Matter of fact, it's pretty much the biggest thing in Rome, which, considering it's nearly two thousand years old and still standing, is quite something.

What's more, they built it on marshland, so it remains a mystery to archaeologists how it still stands up at all, let alone how or why the builders ever decided that building such a huge thing on marshland could be a good idea in the first place. There's still a heck of a lot of excavation and historical research work being done by archaeologists in and around the Coliseum and the nearby Rome Forum. Sometimes you can watch them work.

Though nearly half of it is now missing, it still forms a complete circle (actually it's an ellipse, even cleverer architecture), but half of the outer layer and the top two storeys of the remaining inner layer at the back are missing, as is most of the interior structure, and much of what remains has had to be shored up with rather tacky-looking modern brickwork. But don't worry, it's still kind of awe-inspiring, and worth a visit.

As to 'visiting', you can't actually 'do' much at the Colosseum. Like the ruins of the Roman Imperial Forum nearby, all you can really do is just kind of stand and gape at all that decaying stonework and quietly consider how the mighty are fallen, and yet, what excellent architects and builders they must have been anyway. That's about it.

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The fountain was designed to show off the acqueduct of the Acqua Vergine built by Marco Vipsiano Agrippa in 19 b.C. to supply water to the thermal baths which he built close to the Pantheon. The water was named Vergin after the legend telling of a young girl who showed the original spring to a group of thirsty Roman soldiers. The first fountain to take the waters of the Acqua Vergine was built in 1453 for pope Nicholas V, designed by Giovan Battista Alberti in the spot called "of the Trejo" and through the years it took the name of Trevi. The fountain marked an important turn point for the town which for centuries had to use water taken from the Tiber river. Three centuries later pope Clement XII decided to substitute the old fountain and instigated a competition amongst the best sculptors of his time to come up with something better. His aim was that to supply Rome with as much drinking water as possible and at the same time to give to the city a grandiose work of art. Among the sketches was chosen that of the Roman Nicol? Salvi. The construction of the fountain lasted 23 years and it forms the east wing of the Poli Palace. It was modelled on the ancient arch of triumph crowned by the coat of arms of Clement XII. The figure of Ocean (Neptune) dominates proceeding, supported by tritons to either side; the one on the left struggling to control his horse represents a stormy sea, his partner on the right, blowing into a counch shell, symbolises the ocean in repose. The statues in niches either side of Neptune are allegories of Health and Abundance, overseen by figures on the pediment who represent the four seasons. Another romantic rite is linked to the small fountain to the left side, called "small fountain of the lovers".

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