Rome, Italy — Colosseum, Vittoriano

We were up early to beat the crowds to the Colosseum. Had breakfast, got ready, and were on our way by 8:30am. There was hardly anyone about the streets at this hour. Made it to the gates of the Colosseum around 8:45am, 15 minutes after they open. We already had our 2-day ticket from yesterday so just had to get through the line up for the security check. About five minutes later, we were in!

Took the stairs up to the 2nd level and had our first view inside the Colosseum. This is much less restored than the exterior, and not as photogenic. Still, you can feel the history. Because of the early hour it was still relatively empty and possible to imagine the past.

Walked back down the the 1st level for a different view. With an organized tour you can go to additional levels, but we prefer the independent exploring. Walked back up to the 2nd level where there is a permanent exhibit with the history of the Colosseum, including graffiti from ancient Romans that Heather found pretty interesting. Overall, I'd say the Roman Forum was more worth the wait to enter than the Colosseum. The best views of the Colosseum are from the outside. If I had time for visiting just one I would recommend the Forum.

It was cold at the exhibits, as it was facing the wind and it was only 5C or so. It took about an hour to see the site, after which we headed back up Via dei Fori Imperiali. The sun and walking helped to heat us up again.

It was only 10am and still before peak tourist time at 11am so visited the Vittoriano. It's free to enter, and you get decent views of Rome from the balconies. We paid the €10 each to take the Roma dal Cielo elevator to the rooftop, with amazing views. Realized that there was also a layer of smog over the city, which we didn't feel / see at ground level. Changed my pics from up top to b/w to hide the smog.

Wandered back towards our hotel. Stopped in at a little café in Piazza Mattei for lunch. There's a fountain in the piazza with stone turtles supposedly added by Bernini that we realized is on the group tour path, many of which then stop in for lunch. Fortunately we were there early enough and had a sandwich and red wine, followed by an espresso and dessert, before the place got too busy.

Did some window shopping and found a cheese store that smelled amazing (Beppe e i suoi formaggio, translated as Beppe and his cheeses). Bought some cannellini beans which we have trouble finding in Toronto (we can get them at St Lawrence market but this was easier). Beppe also has a restaurant attached which looked cosy so we booked there for dinner.

Headed home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Got ready for dinner and then back out to Beppe's. We tried a large assorted platter of 12 cheeses and 6 meats. The cheeses were arranged from mild to strong, and most of them were new to us. They paired it with a sparkling white from Piedmont (Beppe was originally from Piedmont and most of his cheeses and wines are from the surrounding area). It was a lot of cheese.