Roman Holiday, part 1

Here's an Italian word you should know: sciopero (sho - per- o).  It means strike, or, as Merriam-Webster puts it "a temporary stoppage of activities in protest against an act or condition".

Strikes are commonplace in southern Europe and I've had my fair share of them this summer in Greece and this semester in Italy.  So far however, none have really affected me more than having to adjust my usual bus route/schedule or avoid a certain area.  This time however, I got to fully experience the effects of lo sciopero.  

I found out a couple days before I was leaving Florence for Greece that there would be a general strike that day, meaning that all trains and flights were canceled.  I was flying Ryanair, which if you are not familiar with them, they are a budget airline from Ireland and offer VERY cheap flights.  Unfortunately they do not fly out of Florence, only Rome.  So my plan was to take a bus to the train station from my house, take a train to Rome, take another train to the airport and then fly to Greece.  Thankfully I was able to switch my flight to Saturday but with all the confusion (because no one really publishes clear information/details about the strike) I ended up with an early train to Rome (before the strike began) leaving me stranded there.  After much headache, I ended up staying at the Beehive Hostel in Rome and decided to seize the day (carpe diem!) and spent my day in Rome sightseeing.

Sign for the sciopero in Rome.  It says something to the effect of "The way things are right now is not ok.  We have concrete proposals for change in Italy."

Senatus Populusque Romanus = The Senate and the Roman People in Latin.  The abbreviation SPQR was the signature of the Late Roman Republic and Empire.  Today it is the official emblem of the city.

The strike in Rome.  In the background the people are carrying flags and banners but it was a very calm atmosphere.

I decided that on this afternoon in Rome, I would go see the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, two sites that I have always dreamed of getting to see.  It was about a 20 minute walk from my hostel and it was luckily a beautiful, clear day.  Because of the strike the forum was closed until 2pm so I went to the Colosseum first.

One ticket to rule them all.  This 12 euro ticket allowed me to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.  Best 12 euros I've ever spent.

 Construction for the Colosseum began in 70 AD during the Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Vespasian and was finished ten years later during the rein of Emperor Titus, with a few modifications made in the follow years when Domitian was in power.  These emperors are part of the Flavian dynasty, so in Latin the Colosseum was called the Amphitheatrum Flavium.  It could hold anywhere from 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and during the classical era it was used for gladiatorial battles, animal fights, and other forms of (often-violent) entertainment.

Inside the Colosseum

I was so excited to be here!

 I took my time walking around the colosseum, admiring the architecture and trying to ignore all the selfie-takers.  There is also small museum exhibit inside about libraries in antiquity.  This is a topic I don't know much about (and somehow, I haven't thought about it that much either) so I enjoyed the exhibit.  Inspiration for a possible thesis/special studies project next year? ;)

They also have a gift shop (naturally) where I resisted the temptation to buy overpriced "veni vidi vici" totes and notebooks and found this amazing-looking book:

I really want this.  Ooooh maybe I will buy it on Amazon as an end of semester gift to myself? ;)

Yes, I am a nerd.  And I'm okay with that. :)

Stay tuned for part 2!