Bella Roma!

We arrived in Rome on Friday in the early afternoon and decided our first stop would be the Colosseum. It was raining so we decided to go ahead and do the tour - plus it doesn't cost much more than the entry fee. The only question was if the boys could sit through it all..

This gladiator really freaked out Piper. He screamed and even when the man smiled at him (after he grimaced and poked him w/his sword) he wouldn't go anywhere near him.

Kevin keeping Piper contained during the tour.

In this arch you can see some of the original details of the Colosseum. Simply amazing.

The boys were a little restless, but they did manage to make it through the tour guide's spiel. Then we spent a little while walking around the Colosseum and taking some pictures.

Love my wide angle lens!

The Roman Forum across the way...

More wide angle shots.

A rare family picture - thanks Karm!

And my favorites, some night shots of the Colosseum.

and the Arch of Constantine.

Final view of the Colosseum.

The next day it was still raining, so we decided not to head to Pompeii as we had originally planned, but to stay closer and see some catacombs and nearby ruins of Ostia, Rome's port city.

On our way down the Via Appia Attica to the catacombs.

Piper chilling inside the Church of San Sebastian before we went into the catacombs.

Interior of the church of San Sebastian.

Saint Sebastian's tomb in the church. He was originally buried in the catacombs and moved here after the church was built in the 4th century.

A couple pictures inside the catacombs (it was very dark and we weren't supposed to take pictures, so this is the best we have).

After the catacombs, we headed out to the sea to the port town of Ostia.

These ruins are often referred to as a second Pompeii as the town was abandoned in the 9th century AD and basically was recently excavated. There are virtually no crowds here and the ruins depict an ancient Roman town complete with an arena and lavish mosaics in the Roman baths, seen below:

What is left of a large temple area.

Arena

One of the arena entries

Boys running down the main road through the ruins.

We really enjoyed going to Ostia, and since it's just about 20 minutes out of Rome, if you have an extra day in Rome I would highly recommend it. It was peaceful and you are able to walk in amongst the ruins just about anywhere you want. It really gives you a feeling for what a Roman era town would have looked like. We also had the best pizza we have ever had in our lives in a little restaurant in Ostia. It's always a good sign when the locals are pouring in and out of the place and no one speaks any English. I think I'd go back just for the pizza!

In the afternoon, we headed back into Rome to enjoy the late afternoon and evening since the skies were clearing.

We walked from our B&B down to the Tiber River.

The Castel Sant'Angelo.

View along the Tiber River.

St. Peter's Basilica.

Getting a drink from a fountain near the basilica.

After a long day of sight seeing, the boys were tired, so we walked most of the way back to the B&B and met up with Eric and Karmen for dinner. They spent the day seeing the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's, and tons of other top Roman sights. We enjoyed our second time in Rome as a family. I think it is a place where you can go back again and again and still see many new places!

Next up - the trip home via the long-cut along the Med. Sea and Pisa!