Rome (Pt.1) – Easter Break in Italy Pt. 3

I arrived in Rome via the train sometime around noon. I was tired from generally traveling, as well as my general lack of sleep, so without a specific destination in mind, I simply wandered around the train station. Almost immediately, an ancient looking structure caught my attention and I wandered towards it.

I made my way inside the Baths of Diocletian museum, which had an impressive display of ancient Roman artifacts inside.

In the garden outside the museum

In the garden outside the museum

Some old armor

Some old armor

 

A classic arm-less statue

A classic arm-less statue

 

A Roman poem

A Roman poem

And the translation

And the translation

Quite the poetry!

How I feel when I stub my toe

How I feel when I stub my toe

After spending a fair amount of time in the museum, I just walked around outside, taking some photos of some old buildings, which were what originally drew me into the direction of the museum.
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By that time, it was already getting late. I spent the remaining part of the evening looking for a good place for me to sleep, but I failed to find anything that seemed suitable. I eventually returned to the main station, where I laid down on a bench with hopes of sleeping through the night. I did manage to get a few hours of sleep, but my slumber was interrupted by employees of the train station. Apparently, they didn’t like people sleeping in the train station overnight, and they were kicking everyone out, like they did every night. Some other people who produced tickets showing that they were catching really early trains were permitted to remain, but since I had no such thing to offer, I was kicked out of the station along with the others who also failed to provide a suitable explanation.

Half delirious from my increasing lack of sleep as I wandered in the predawn darkness, I started roaming around Rome.

Some random street

Some random street

I wandered around for a while, and I stumbled across this statue.

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I am not sure where exactly it is – I tried doing some research, but I couldn’t quite find out who it was. Some more walking, and I ended up above the Piazza del Popolo.

The Piazza del Popolo

The Piazza del Popolo

This used to be the location of the norther gates to the city, and public executions used to take place here, up until 1826. While walking down the stairs, I also encountered what I believe to be my favorite street art that I have seen yet.

The Holy Godzilla

The Holy Godzilla

 

An Egyptian obelisk in the center of the Piazza del Popolo

An Egyptian obelisk in the center of the Piazza del Popolo

 

The Fontana del Nettuno at Piazza Navona

The Fontana del Nettuno at Piazza Navona

 

Some intense art from a museum I went into near Piazza Navona

Some intense art from a museum I went into near Piazza Navona

 

Some ruins – a common sight in Rome

Some ruins – a common sight in Rome

 

The Pantheon, a church that was previously a temple

The Pantheon, a church that was previously a temple

 

The hole in the Pantheon's roof

The hole in the Pantheon’s roof

 

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain

This is a pretty famous fountain in Rome, and the world. With it’s polished white stone and crystal clear water, it is obviously well maintained. It was also packed with tourists, and getting a photo without tons of people took a little effort, as you can still see them at the bottom of the photo. After that, I wandered around some more and made my way to the Altar of the Fatherland.

From the side

From the side

 

More in front of the altar

More in front of the altar

The Altar of the Fatherland is dedicated to Victor Emmanuel, which was the first king of a united Italy. After checking that out for a minute, I continued walking around and I started making my way to the Colosseum.

A map showing the height of the Roman Empire's control

A map showing the height of the Roman Empire’s control

 

And the Colosseum itself!

And the Colosseum itself!

I didn’t have time to go in that day (I think they weren’t permitting any more guests that day), but I did go in the following day, which I will cover in my next post.

The Arch of Constantine

The Arch of Constantine

This Arch, like most arches, serves as a memorial to a victory in a battle. In this case, Constantine I beat Maxentius (another Roman Emperor) at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, which took place in 312AD.

Me in front of the Colosseum

Me in front of the Colosseum

Since the sun was creeping towards the horizon, I spent a while scouting out a place where I could sleep for the night. Very conveniently, there is a park right next to the Colosseum, so I simply chilled in the park for a while until nightfall. Once darkness enveloped the park, I went over to a secluded corner of the park, unrolled my cardboard and laid down for the evening with the world’s most amazing nightlight in front of me.

Sweet dreams, Rome!

Sweet dreams, Rome!

Undisturbed, I actually got a pretty decent, and much-needed, night of sleep. Ready for another day in Rome, I set out, but I will cover the next 2 days in my next post!

2 thoughts on “Rome (Pt.1) – Easter Break in Italy Pt. 3

  1. So great to see all your photos of Rome! I loved visiting Rome a few years ago…. Interesting how the light looks different in April than it did in January when I visited. But just so amazing, how the ancient and modern sit side by side.

    • That was one of the things I loved about Rome too – you could see a modern building, something from one hundred years ago, and something from the middle ages all lined up next to each other.

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