Roma - Amongst The Ruins

Our final day in Rome was so busy that I've had to divide it into two posts.  Let's start with Thursday morning.

After Wednesday's rain, we awoke to blue skies and dazzling sunshine. After yet another delicious hotel breakfast we headed across town, distracted as ever by the ancient fountains, the tiny independent shops, the fabulous piazzas and tantalising alleyways.

Our first stop was the Largo di Torre Argentina, possibly the most important excavation site in the city. Argent is Latin for silver and the title translates as Silver Tower Square as it was where the silver/gold merchants (ie, the moneymen) plied their trade. 

Also within the area was the Curia of Pompey, where Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March (15th March) in 44 BCE by disgruntled members of the senate after he'd declared himself a dictator. On being appointed Caesar, his adopted son Augustus demanded the area be paved over believing it to be inhabited by evil spirits.

After Italian unification, in 1909 it was decided to reconstruct part of Rome, demolishing the zone of Torre Argentina. However, during the demolition work in 1927, the colossal head and arms of a marble statue were discovered. The archaeological investigation brought to light the presence of a holy area, dating to the Republican era, with four temples and part of Pompey's Curia.

I loved this image so much I bought a printed tote bag from the onsite gift shop! 

The Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is located within the Largo di Torre Argentina. Founded in 1993 and housing around 350 cats, the shelter operates as a no-kill shelter under Italian law, which also includes the cats’ rights to live free and safe and institutionalisation of cat caretakers. 

These are the steps where Caesar met his grisly end and the second murder site we've visited in as many months (see my Tenerife post HERE). I'll be getting a reputation! 

And here's El Duce opening the site in 1929, his dictatorship didn't end well either....

I'd love a Microlino! 

The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Doric column adorned with a detailed spiral relief, dedicated to the emperor and his military campaigns during the Barbarian Wars and stands as a testament to his reign from 161 to 180 CE. The frieze, approximately 367 feet long, spirals upward twenty-one times, depicting the emperor’s campaigns against the Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. Its construction began after his death in 180 CE and was completed around 193 CE.

The boys treated themselves in the official FC Roma store. No nylon footie shirts and dodgy bobble hats in here, instead there was a tempting array of pure merino wool roll necks, organic cotton tops, vintage style watches and retro Scooter helmets in the team colours. 

This was the uber posh shopping district....I wouldn't have minded the Missoni maxi but it was €1800 but a bargain compared to the €5000 Gucci raincoat! The stalls in the piazza were full of antiquarian books and prints but luckily for my wallet, they didn't open until later. 

Next stop were the iconic Spanish Steps. A little German girl came over and asked where I was from and we ended up chatting with her and her family for ages, they were from Berlin and absolutely lovely and, of course, their fluency in English, even the eight year old's, put us to shame.

How not to take a selfie!!

Situated at the right foot of the Spanish Steps the Keats-Shelley House is a museum dedicated to the British Romantic poets, who were spellbound by the Eternal City.

26, Piazza di Spagna is most famous for being the final dwelling place of John Keats, who died here in 1821, aged just 25, and to this day Keats’s bedroom is preserved as a shrine to his tragic story and extraordinary talent.

Displayed through a chain of beautiful rooms, the collection contains a great many treasures and curiosities associated with the lives and works of the Romantic poets, as well as one of the finest libraries of Romantic literature in the world; now numbering more than 8,000 volumes.

Jon's already nicked my new bag! 

That the actual writing slope on which Mary Shelley penned Frankenstein!

It was so warm that we had to take our coats off!

We joined the Italian office workers and exceptionally glamorous shop assistants for an al fresco lunch in a bustling piazza.

The portions were huge, the boys struggled to finish their chicken and red cabbage coleslaw stuffed flatbreads and were full of admiration for me demolishing this ginormous pizza! 

Tempted though we were to order a second pint of Italian IPA, we needed to cross the Tiber where we'd got tickets for another attraction...

Stay tuned for the grand finale!