Visiting the Colosseum and Castel Sant'Angelo

In the past week, Tom and I had the opportunity to visit two major Roman landmarks:  the Colosseum and Castel Sant'Angelo.  Even though I've described it as a major landmark, I wouldn't be surprised if many of you have never heard of Castel Sant'Angelo.  In fact, I'm not sure I even saw it during my week here in college.  Of the two, the Colosseum is definitely much more hyped.  Practically every t-shirt, calendar, or coffee mug you see in Roman tourist shops has the Colosseum plastered all over it, and I imagine that most people (including Americans) could identify it in a lineup.  It might as well be the official symbol of the city. On the other hand, you'd be hard pressed to find anything at all featuring Castel Sant'Angelo, and It wouldn't surprise me if even most Italians (outside of Rome) couldn't tell you much about it.  Both landmarks are great, of course, but personally, I think the Colosseum is a bit overrated and that Castel Sant'Angelo is completely underrated.  However, you can be your own judge of that after reading this post.

Inside the Colosseum

So, first, the Colosseum:  Last Friday we had the opportunity to visit this spot on one of the "walk and talks" I've mentioned earlier.  Of course, we've already seen the Colosseum many times from the outside during our trip in Rome, but this was our first trip in.  Normally I try to steer clear of the Colosseum area.  It's just so ridiculously touristy.  Sometimes I think if I see one more guy in costume pretending to be an ancient statue I'm going to scream (yeah, that's a sentence I never thought I'd write).  But, really, you can't come to Rome and not go inside the Colosseum, and learning about the history is actually quite interesting.

The Colosseum was completed around the year 80 AD (surprisingly it only took about ten years to build!) and was used in ancient times for public executions of criminals, beast hunts, and gladiator fights.  In that sense it was sort of like the town theater and sports arena all rolled into one (well, plus the whole executing criminals thing...).  As we learned on our walk and talk, one interesting controversy is apparently whether the Colosseum was ever actually purposely flooded in order to stage mock navel battles.  (It seems pretty unlikely to me, but some think that this was actually done!)

Substructures of the Colosseum

In any case, the Colosseum was used for these or similar purposes for a few hundred years and then private groups and families began taking over the space (which was used as housing and shops).  Sometime around the 1400s (although this is a very general estimate), the building fell into general disrepair and people stripped the Colosseum of its stone and iron clamps to be sold and re-purposed. Because of this, many of the support walls now look a bit like swiss cheese (although they assure us that it's all very structurally sound!).  In the 1600s and 1700s, the Church took over the Colosseum, and it was subsequently restored.  Now it's possibly the most popular tourist destination in all of Rome!

It's at times like these that I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the American Academy community, because we essentially got a "back door pass" to view parts of the Colosseum that are difficult for the general public to view. First, we got to see the substructure of the Colosseum (the area where staging happened prior to any event).  That was really neat because you got a sense of the "performance" aspect of the venue. This lower level was where humans and animals performers (if you use that term broadly) waited to make an entrance.  Unfortunately, I've never seen the movie "Gladiator," but I've heard that there are scenes in that movie where animals suddenly appear out of trap doors.  That may have seemed like Hollywood flourish, but apparently it's all true!  You can still see the holes from the pulley system in the basement today!

View From the Top!!!

Then (and this was my favorite part), we were allowed to go up to the very top floor of the Colosseum- and an area in which the general public is usually not allowed.  We were the only group up there, and I can't even describe how amazing it was to be able to look down at the entire Colosseum. The view out to the surrounding parts of Rome wasn't bad either!  In ancient times, it was the lowest classes who sat up here (basically, these were the nosebleed seats), but if it were up to me, I'd have wanted to sit up there no matter what class I was in. The view was just incredible (and, really, who wants to watch public killings anyway?).  So, yes, we had a fantastic time and I have to admit that I do love the Colosseum.

Castel Sant'Angelo from the Bridge

(you can peek out of those windows once you're inside!)

But is it the absolute best thing in all of Rome?  Probably not.

What's better?  Well, in my opinion, Castel Sant'Angelo, for one.  Tom and I visited this spot on our own last Sunday.  It's not too far from the Academy- it's just on the other side of the Tiber from the Vatican, about a 25 minute walk.  The name "Castel" might be misleading to those of us thinking of castles as places where Disney princesses live, though, because this place was previously used by the Vatican as a fortress, starting around the 14th century.  (Tom says that the word castel actually derives from the Latin word for "military fort," so maybe we need to add some cannons to that giant pink palace in DisneyWorld.)  Actually, Castel Sant'Angelo was even connected to St. Peter's by a raised corridor that ran through the city, so that the Pope could make an escape if necessary.

Walking Around Castel Sant'Angelo

However, the building actually had a earlier purpose:  It was commissioned by Hadrian (an emperor of Rome during the 2nd Century AD) to be his Mausoleum (which is essentially a monument and a tomb).  The idea, of course, was that the building would serve as the eternal resting place for Hadrian and his many descendants, but obviously that plan didn't quite work out (although the bodies did presumably remain there for many centuries).

Now the building serves as a museum and a super amazing space to explore, with breathtaking views of the city.  I was initially a bit reluctant to go because I didn't know how interesting it would be (or if it was worth the entry fee), but now I'm already looking forward to my next visit.  We were entertained for hours just walking around and inside the structure and peering out of various windows and cannon holes on all of the different levels.  It brought me back to a time in my childhood when I was obsessed with finding secret passageways in the basement of my Grandma's Lutheran church (okay, maybe that was more just one day, but it felt like a long time in the life of a 7 year old).  The museum part of the building was also very interesting, and was filled with lots of beautiful art, including official portraits of past popes.

View From One of the Windows

It appeared that it was possible to do an audio tour of the building, and I think I'll do that next time.  Although it was great just exploring, I'm sure there's much more to learn.  There were just too many occasions where we said "huh, I wonder what that is?" and, unfortunately, there weren't otherwise many signs to explain things.  But, I have a feeling we'll have many future opportunities when showing guests around town!

Speaking of out of town guests, I'm excited to report that I'm actually heading to Gothenburg, Sweden tomorrow to visit my freshman year roommate, Kat (who is now a Swedish resident!).  Packing duties call, but I can't wait to share my Swedish adventures with you all in my next entry.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

---------------
Tues. Oct 16:  Fall is in the air.  Dinner is still served outside but we all wear coats!  Highs in the 60s, lows in the 50s (but it feels quite chilly after sundown!)