rome, day 2: daytime fun at the colosseum and more

I woke up early Saturday morning and decided to hit the Colosseum first thing. I didn't know what time it opened, but figured I should get there as early as possible. I got there around 8:10 and waited 20 minutes for the door to open. This turned out to be a great idea, as the crowds started showing up right after I got there, and I happened to be the second guy in the door, which meant that I was able to get a few decent photos before the place was filled with people.



A typical hallway inside:








The weather was great, and that allowed for some nice photos. If you ever decide to go to the Colosseum, be sure you've got a wide angle lens with you. Trying to get it all into a non-wide angle lens is not possible.

Being inside the Colosseum and then having better lighting than the day before also allowed me to get some additional photos of Constantine's Arch:





It's amazing how well something that's almost 1700 years old has stood up...and it's not all pock-marked like the Colosseum, which started to be the target of scavengers looking for stone and bricks as it fell into disuse.

After I spent a couple hours at the Colosseum and around the area, I got on the metro and headed over to the Vatican. My purpose was just to get photos of the exterior of St. Peter's Basilica, since the weather was nice and since I was wearing shorts (not allowed inside St. Peter's). It turned out to be the perfect day to go.

The hallway with massive columns that you pass through if you enter the square from the side:


Your first view of the basilica as you exit the hallway:


The basilica:




Looking back toward the hallway:


Close-up shot of some of the statues that line the top of the hallway:


A few random people photos from the square:






I think this lady has the craziest hair color(s) I've ever seen:


Angel statue:


After I was done in the Vatican, I walked over to the Tevere (Tiber) River, which is just a few blocks from the Vatican. There are some great bridges across the river, and with the weather being so nice, it was a very pleasant place to be.







My next stop was the Castel Sant'Angelo, which has been an imperial mausoleum, a fort and a papal residence over the course of its existence. There's not a ton to see inside (there is some art, some nice frescoes in the papal residence, etc.), but it is great for the views of the city it offers.

The front of the structure:


A couple views from the top:




There was a small cafe inside, so I stopped for a quick meal of penne all'arabbiata. Decent stuff, but probably not as good as I could have gotten outside. I'll be pretty excited when I get home and don't have to pay $15 for a small plate of pasta and a bottle of water. Anyway, after this, I decided to head back to the hotel and take a nap. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.