Continuing on to the Palantine Hill

Saturday Jan 25. 2014

The weather continues to hold today, sunny, 0% chance of rain.  So we are off to finish the Colosseum /Forum complex by visiting the Palatine Hill.  The Palatine Hill is the center most of the seven hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. Evidence of settlements dating back to 1000 BC have been found.  It  stands 40 meters above the Roman Forum, looking down on it on one side and on to Circus Maximus on the other. It is purported to be the place where Romulus and Remus were found in a cave being suckled by a she wolf.  Rome is named after Romulus.  Because of this connection, it was deemed to be an important place and this is where the Emperor Augustus built his large complex.  

Some pictures from the ruins on the Palatine hill, where there were at least two large houses, those of Augustus and his wife Livia, several apartments, a large pool, a stadium, at least 3 temples, an auditorium, and several smaller buildings.

Service rooms, possibly barracks - purportedly Emperor Caligula was murder in one of the rooms

Looking down onto the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill

Orange trees on the Palatine Hill, try as they may , the fellows could not reach them to get a sample.

A palm tree and a prairie girl

View down onto the Roman Forum

View down onto the Roman Forum

A bell tower in the Roman Forum - little dots of colour all
up the tower are actually pieces of plate like colored ceramics

 After our visit to the Palatine Hill we went to a little restaurant that I had read about that was supposed to have good food at a reasonable price and inexpensive wine, and it was just down the street from our apartment.  It is called Chattanooga, a very American name for an Italian restaurant.  Imagine our surprise when we got in there and found that the lady who owned it had been running a little sandwich shop right next to our apartment when we were here.  She did not at first recognize us, but when we explained that we had spent 3 months here 2 years ago, you could see the light go on and she remembered us.  She used to sell these great porchetta sandwiches.  She must be doing reasonably well because this is a much bigger establishment.  She had a rather extensive menu, but unfortunately many of the items were not available the day we were there.  What we did have was good and at 4 Euros a bottle the wine was inexpensive and good.  We will return.

After this late lunch, we went for a stroll around the neighbourhood and to a street market that is set up everyday except Sunday, about a 3 blocks from the apartment.  We bought a few small things and became skilled at deflecting all the items offered for sale, even though the prices were being continually lowered in order to encourage us to buy something, anything.  The fellows were closing up shop for the day, a cold wind had started to blow, and the just wanted to make one more sale.

We continued our stroll and returned home for the evening.  Cheryl and I prepared a pasta supper, from left over meats we had.  It turned out not too bad.  We enjoyed some wine and some rum and were off to bed to rest for our trip to the Vatican Museums in the morning.