Roarke & Edens Italian Honeymoom

We visited the Colosseum today with a tour of the underground where the gladiators waited to fight. The picture above is the hallway leading to the staircase that brought them into the arena. The underground is a series of tunnels and rooms where prisoners (involuntary gladiators), animals and hundreds of people worked to create the “shows” for the Roman elite. The arched areas below were animal cages. This is an elevator that has been reconstructed. It was used to move “sets” between shows. This corridor runs the length of the Colosseum underground and was used to move people and animals between shows. This is the staircase leading to the entrance to the arena of the Colosseum. It is dark and small. The opening to the arena is a suddenly bright, glaring experience.  A view of the arena. The underground was covered with wood flooring that was covered in sand. The stomping noises of the crowd would have been overwhelming when hearing it from below. Surrounding the Colosseum are ruin...

We LOVED our tour of Pompeii today! Two hours didn’t feel like enough time to fully explore all of it. Pompeii was a thriving metropolis of 170 acres with running water throughout the city and hundreds of shops and homes. It was buried by boulders and mud after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 72 AD.  The preservation of the area is amazing with bricks, stones and painted walls still intact throughout. Pompeii was originally located along a river, but the explosion in 72 AD completely changed the landscape. The picture below is the entry to the city which was originally a port that went straight to the sea. The walls are painted with pictures of what the rooms were used for. This is a painting on the wall of the public baths with “advertising” for the services offered along the top row (zoom in 😉) The stone and brick is original throughout the area. The colors are vivid and seem to be unaffected by the elements. Glass mosaic tiles were used for extra decoration and religious pictur...

 

We had a lazy day today. We slept 14 hours (!) so we decided to watch the ocean rather than swimming. Instead we ate our way through the day, finishing with dinner in our hotel. Sensi, the restaurant, is a Michelin star rated experience and it was really good. The appetizers (pictured) were especially delicious. Eden’s new favorite treat is candied orange rind dipped in dark chocolate ❤️ From our little balcony which is in the middle of the main square, directly above two dolceria/gelaterias, we can people watch to the right and sea gaze to the left. It is fabulous and although the plaza is bustling nearly without pause, our balcony doors are sufficiently sturdy, providing privacy even during the busiest hours.

We arrived in Amalfi today for three days of no schedule and swimming in the ocean. On our way we stopped in Positano for lunch and discovered wonderful shopping 🙂  It is high season here and swarms of people have descended upon Italy. It has been the only drawback on our timing for this vacation - post-Covid travel is insanely busy here. All the locals we have spoken with say it is a blessing after two years of very slow tourism, but they are overwhelmed. They are grateful we are trying to speak their language and kindness with patience goes a long way. Unfortunately, there are always rude Americanos who give the rest of us a bad name. We have learned a lot about where to go, what to do and what not to do in Italy so for anyone planning a trip we’re happy to share some good tips!  Lemonade is served as fresh squeezed lemon juice with water and sugar packets to make your own. It is delicious!! The gardens are built on terraces above the homes and hotels. Lemon trees, olive tr...