Vacation Reviews
ยท
Visited
the
SPANISH STEPS.
This spectacular staircase and the square in which it is located, Piazza di
Spagna, take their name from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See - the Vatican - which has occupied a
historic palace in the square since the 17th century. Perfect for sitting
and lounging on and for photographing from all angles, the steps have always
attracted a lively crowd. In mid-April and early May they are gloriously
blanketed with huge azaleas in bloom. In the square, at the foot of the
steps, is the Fontana della
Barcaccia (Old Boat Fountain) by Pietro Bernini (Gian Lorenzo's
father). Piazza di Spagna, junction of Via Condotti, Via
del
Babuino, and Via Due Macelli.
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Visited
the
COLOSSEUM.
Massive and majestic, this ruin is ancient
Rome's hallmark monument, inaugurated in AD 80 with a
program of games and shows that lasted 100 days. Before the imperial box,
gladiators would salute the emperor and cry, "Ave,
imperator, morituri te salutant" ("Hail, emperor, men soon to die
salute thee"). The Colosseum could hold more than 50,000 spectators; it was
faced with marble, decorated with stuccos, and had an ingenious system of
awnings to provide shade. Built in just eight years, it takes its name from
a colossal, 118-ft statue of Nero that stood nearby.
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Visited
the
FONTANA
DI TREVI (Trevi Fountain). Tucked
away on a small piazza off Via del Tritone, the 18th-century Baroque
fountain is a glorious fantasy of mythical sea creatures amidst cascades of
splashing waters. It was featured in the 1954 film
Three Coins in the Fountain
and, of course, was the scene of Anita Ekberg's aquatic frolic in Fellini's
La Dolce Vita. The fountain
is the world's most magnificent wishing well: legend has it that you can
ensure your return to Rome by tossing a coin
into the fountain.
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