This was our actual "pinch me" moment. We had long dreamed of visiting the ancient ruins of Rome, and finally being here, in the Colosseum, was magical.
The Colsseum rises majestically to dominate the landscape of the ancient ruins of Rome. This 2,000-year-old building is the classic example of Roman engineering.
The Roman Forum was a happening place in ancient Rome. Today, there's only ruins left, but the broken columns, arches, and buildings still spark a lot of interest.
The Arch of Constantine, built in 312 A.D. (by guess who), marks a turning point in history. It was built to celebrate the victory of Emperor Constantine (a Christian) over his arch rival Maxentius (pun intended). Constantine's victory single-handedly converted (again, pun intended) Christianity into the mainstream.
The Temple of Vesta (the structure to the right in the photo) was where the sacred fire of Rome was kept burning, attended by the Vestal Virgins who dedicated 30 years of their lives to the role of guardians of the sacred fire. They were inducted when they were 6-10 years old and trained for ten years. They then served in their role for the next ten years. And finally taught the new girls for the last ten. All this time they remained virgins. If found to be unchaste, they were buried alive (it was a sin to spill their blood, but evidently burying them alive was A-OK).
This is the Temple of Saturn. I don't know much about it, but it is cool looking.
Ditto about the Arch of Severus, particularly the shot looking through the arch at the graceful umbrella trees.