The Colosseum

100 Places to See Before You Die! 

The Colosseum

Rome, Italy

The Colosseum (proper spelling for this structure, although some will identify it by the English spelling as "Coliseum" or the modern day Italian spelling of "Colosseo") in Rome hosted the most lavish, and the most gory, spectacles of the Roman Empire.  Massive crowds numbering more than 50,000 would be enthralled by the slaughtering of animals, dramas, battle reenactments, executions, and of course gladiatorial contests.  Certainly no structure offers greater proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.

 

The Colosseum was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and completed by his son Titus in 80 AD and was named for the nearby "colossal" statue of Nero.  It was the largest building in the Roman Empire, measuring 144 feet high and covering an area over six acres.  It was in use for nearly 500 years.

I think most people have an idea of what took place in the Colosseum based on movies like Gladiator and shows like Spartacus, but I doubt many have a grasp of the SCALE of cruelty that existed.  Battles between gladiators were fine, although not what we would view as acceptable today, in that they were fights between two or more professional swordsmen for honor and possible freedom.  More common however were "battles" between gladiators and condemned prisoners or slaves, and the slaughtering of wild animals.  About 11,000 animals, mostly from Africa, were killed in the Colosseum during the first 100 days celebrating its opening alone. 

The Romans really had a "one-up" mentality with regard to staging battles and reenactments.  They even held naval battles by flooding the arena floor with water.  That would be tricky for an arena to do TODAY!  One fascinating bit of ingenuity involved a system of 32 elevator shafts and trapdoors utilizing ropes and pulleys from underground tunnels, called hypogeum, that kept the action constant by replenishing the arena with new combatants as fights ended.

Don't do this!  Leaving with a "souvenir" of the actual Colosseum is illegal, and back in the day would have earned you a spot in the action on the arena floor.  To be fair, I "removed" the piece and Nel is simply retrieving it for me.  I'm not proud of this so do as I say and not as I do.

The fights ceased in 523 AD for good, well after the rise of Christianity.  Once it fell into disuse, the Colosseum was used as a quarry of sorts, its marble and stone harvested to build palaces and churches.  Over the years, earthquakes, barbarians, the environment, and even popes have all contributed to the decay.  The little pockmarks that are all over the travertine are from metal-hungry Lombards gouging into the stone in the 9th century to extract the lead used to fasten the rocks together.  The huge, majestic façade we see today is just what's left after centuries of plunder.

Notice all the holes mentioned above?

A visit to the Colosseum means a visit to Rome, and quite frankly, there's lots to see and do in Rome.  The Colosseum is the most recognizable structure, but you could spend days walking around the city visiting some of the most fascinating historical sites anywhere.  Rome was one of the few European cities that managed to escape WWII relatively unscathed.  The Vatican (which will be featured in this blog series a couple of times) warrants at least an entire day. 

Crowds and lines outside can be long, especially during the summer.  This was taken in October when it is relatively a slow season.

While it's flanked by the Roman Forum and the Arch of Constantine, there are still major modern roads directly circling the Colosseum.  You can take a cab right to the entrance or take the Metro and get off at the "Colosseo" stop.  You can view and photograph the massive structure easily and freely from the outside.  However, my advice would be since you've probably traveled a long way just commit the time and money to go in.  Crowds can be an issue, especially in the summer.  You can get in the long lines and purchase a ticket or you can buy your way in with a tour group and then either ditch them once inside or follow the tour.  It's interesting to view, but to me it's even more interesting to imagine what it was like and to reflect on the fact that you're possibly standing on a piece of soil that has seen more death than anywhere on earth. 

Once inside the crowds aren't as much of an issue - it's a big place.  They do make it hard to take good pictures though.

I would recommend committing a full day to this "ancient Rome" area which includes the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Capitoline Hill, and much more.  When everything starts to close you can easily walk to the Trevi Fountain, take it in for a bit, and then hike up to the Spanish Steps and watch the sun set over the city.  The Steps are nicer at night anyway.

Watch out for these guys!

One bonus tip:  When you're visiting the Colosseum, you will see guys dressed up like Roman soldiers and gladiators offering to take pictures with you.  If you want to, great, go ahead, but be prepared to pay.  These guys will try to get in a picture with you and then demand 20 euros or something ridiculous like that.  Once you've taken the picture you're kind of stuck.  They can be very aggressive and they're usually big guys with swords!

1997 Cadillac DeVille

Random vehicle blog…………………tonight the wheel has selected…

1997 Cadillac DeVille

OK, so definitely not an exciting one tonight but that's how the "random" part of the random selector program works.  My parents had owned basically this exact car (but maroon) for years.  I had always enjoyed driving it around when I had the chance so when this pearl white one came across at an auction I was attending and no one seemed to be jumping at it I snatched it up.  It didn't cost that much - it had about 76K miles and they had gotten pretty cheap by this time.

The cavernous trunk is one reason the DeVille makes a great highway car.  You could easily fit three bodies back there - five if you cut them up (I'm guesstimating - I swear).  They also glide across the road as smooth as silk.  You won't win any road races with these things, but that's not what you get one for.

The interior on this one was starting to show some wear, which is the real downfall of Cadillac's.  It's an American made car, which unfortunately means that it just won't wear as well as a BMW or a Mercedes.  That's why the resale on these things is so low.  People don't expect this car to still be on the road at 200K miles.  I like the DeVille OK and certainly think it's a good car for the money, but that's probably more due to how little they cost than how good of a car they are.  I don't think I had this one very long, but I can't remember selling it.

The Golden Gate Bridge

100 Places to See Before You Die! 

The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California

Perhaps no structure has been "destroyed" more in movie history than the Golden Gate Bridge.  It seems like every time something bad happens to the earth, this iconic San Francisco landmark meets a tragic and spectacular end of some kind.  It's probably because of (and possibly has added to) the fact that the bridge is certainly the most recognizable of its kind in the world.

When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 4,200 feet.  Now ranking 9th (and falling), it is still the most iconic and the face of San Francisco.  Engineer Joseph Strauss first envisioned the project in the early 20's, but architect Irving Morrow is credited with playing the major role, particularly in selecting the Art Deco features and the distinctive orange-vermillion color (officially called "International Orange"), chosen to harmonize with the natural landscape and to stand out in the fog which regularly engulfs the northern California coast.  Construction began in 1933 and the bridge was completed in 1937 at a cost of $36.7 million.  It would cost well over $1 billion today.

The view from Lincoln Park Golf Course

 

More suicides are committed at the Golden Gate Bridge than anywhere else in the world…by far!  The pedestrian deck is about 245 feet above the water and jumpers reach around 75mph in the four seconds they fall before striking the bay.  Most die on impact while just about anyone surviving the initial fall will drown in the extremely cold Pacific.  A staggering number of statistics are kept regarding bridge suicides.  The mortality rate of those attempting the jump is over 98% and only 26 people are known to have survived the jump.  They even have signs up along the walkway now saying things like "Crisis Counseling Available" and "There is hope, make the call". 

Prisoners on Alcatraz had a nice view of the GGB!

  

As far as seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, it's viewable from most areas in the northern part of San Francisco.  There are people that rent bicycles and ride across, and you can certainly walk across if you like.  I've crossed it in a vehicle and cruised under and around it in a boat.  It's nice to be able to say you've crossed it, perhaps on a trip to Sausalito or the beautiful Muir Woods, but you don't have to in order to experience the beauty of the structure and its surroundings.  San Francisco is a striking visual city, and there are a countless number of beautiful photo op locations to shoot the bridge from.  Perhaps the best reason to see the Golden Gate Bride "before you die" is that it's located in San Francisco, a great city to visit with a number of things to see and do making for a great vacation.

2005 Chevrolet SSR

I haven't been blogging much lately but I'd like to get back to making myself write more frequently so I'm going to attempt to increase my blogging output.  The other day I wrote a short piece on the Leaning Tower of Pisa that I've cataloged under "100 Places To See Before You Die".  I'll add some more of those from time to time and I'll start doing some other travel reviews and occasionally write something completely random, but the easiest "series" for me to fall back on when I have nothing else to write about are my "Random Vehicle Blogs" about cars I've had in the past.  They may not be that interesting but I can rattle them off in a few minutes and not feel like I skipped, so here goes….. 

Random vehicle blog…………………today the wheel has selected…

                        2005 Chevrolet SSR

This SSR turned out to be a very fun truck…or car…or convertible…or, whatever.  Defining the SSR is difficult.  If I had to label it I would call it a convertible sports car with a very large trunk.  Nothing wrong with that, right?  While I thought these were interesting when they first came out, I certainly wasn't looking for one when I bought it.  My girlfriend at the time had asked me if I got the chance to pick up some kind of interesting convertible because she had agreed to drive in some parade or something.  Never one to pass up a "reason" to buy a car, I tried to pick up a sweet little Maserati but the deal didn't work out so I bought this SSR as my back-up plan.

It was basically a new truck, only having about 5K miles on it.  I was told the SSR was a hit at the parade and it was certainly a hit around the house afterward.  I can't say I could justify a NEED for one of these, but it sure was fun.  The power hard top was very cool and the thing was fast too!  GM produced just north of 24,000 SSRs from 2003 to 2006 - below expectations and the sole cause for the trucks demise.  The early models had the 5.3 VORTEC engines which weren't incredibly fast.  Mine had the 6.0 liter engine out of the Corvette which boosted horsepower to around 390.

 

I didn't keep the SSR for too long, maybe 6 months, but it was a favorite of just about everyone I knew while I had it.  I especially remember loving it as a golf vehicle.  The rear bed locked solid just like a carpeted trunk and the hardtop didn't take up any extra space when it was down.  The silver was OK, but some of the brighter colors are more fitting for this unique ride.  Our neighbors across the street have a red one which looks great.  I could see getting another one of these someday if the price was right, but I think the $$ for these is heading north as their limited production numbers and quirky uniqueness have caught the eyes of collectors.

     

Leaning Tower of Pisa

100 Places to See Before You Die!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Branelle on the "Field of Miracles"

Italy's most famous building, the precarious structure known as the "Leaning Tower"  is actually the bell tower for the Pisa Cathedral which sits next to it in the Campo dei Mirocoli (meaning "Field of Miracles").  It was obviously never intended to lean, but the Pisans learned almost immediately when they started construction in 1173 that you just can't stack that much heavy marble on top of shifting subsoil and keep it straight.  After the first three levels were completed, construction stopped for nearly 100 years before Giovanni di Simone oversaw the addition of four more levels in 1272.  He built the sections with an intentional curve in an effort to correct the lean, giving the tower its banana shape - which is very clear when you see it in person.  Work stopped again until 1372 when the belfry was added to complete the tower at about 167 feet in height.

Just do it - everybody does!

Over the years many stabilization projects have been attempted with little success.  In 1934 Benito Mussolini organized an effort that involved pouring concrete into the foundations that actually made the tower lean even more.  The tower goes through stages of being open and closed to the public depending on current attempts to stabilize it and other factors.  It was closed from 1990 untill 1997 but is currently back open for visitors to climb - albeit in limited numbers.  The current lean is about 15 feet out of plumb.

The curvature shows up much more in person, as does the amount of lean - it really does look like it's going over any minute!

It is said that in 1590, Galileo used the tower to demonstrate his theory of gravity by dropping wooden balls of different sizes off the side.  The tower almost met its end during WWII when it was strapped with dynamite by the US Army because a German sniper had taken up a post inside.  The story is that the Americans decided at the last minute to just leave it and go around rather than destroy such a historic structure, especially since the Italian people had joined the allies after the overthrow of Mussolini.

A visit to the leaning tower involves heading to the western coast of Italy and the town of Pisa.  Quite frankly, other than a stop to see the tower, I wouldn't recommend spending too much time in Pisa.  It's not terrible, but there are much better cities in Italy to sight see in, such as Florence just down the road.  Visitor parking for the "Field of Miracles" is about a 15 minute walk through what I would call "sketchy" neighborhoods.  Don't worry though, you won't be alone as busloads of tourists are constantly walking the same path.  When you near the wall that outlines the site you will start to see rows of stalls selling fantastic kitschy souvenirs - much of it leaning.  Resist the temptation to shop until after you've toured the piazza.

 

The entire site is fairly open so crowds aren't a huge problem, but if you have any ideas about actually climbing the tower you'd better purchase tickets ahead of time, especially in the summer.  Take the time to check out the other buildings in the Piazza del Duomo:  The Baptistry, the Duomo, and the Cemetery.  Take all the silly pictures you want.  Don't be shy.  You think you'll feel like an idiot pretending to hold up the leaning tower or push it over or…whatever you can think of, but trust me, EVERYBODY does it.  When you're through gazing at the immense marble mistake(?), hit the souvenir shops.  They sell everything you can think of that leans (we went with salt and pepper shakers) and a lot of things that are of questionable taste - but hilarious!

Don't miss the souvenir shops - you couldn't if you wanted to.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa makes just about every list of "things to see", or "wonders of the world".  It has to be one of the most recognizable structures on the planet.  It's not the prettiest site in the world, but it's one of those things that you'll be glad you saw.