--- title: "Colosseo" date: "2008-03-16" summary: "Dinner with Clark Schoening near the Spanish Steps, then the Colosseum and the Roman Forum." topics: "aromanspring, travel" url: "https://stitcom.be/writing/2008-03-16-colosseo" author: "Stephen Titcombe" --- # Colosseo Dinner with Clark Schoening near the Spanish Steps, then the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. *Originally posted on my Tumblr travel blog, A Roman Spring with IES, in 2008.* This weekend, I was graced with the presence of guests in Rome. My guest was Clark Schoening, who is an active alumni of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, the fraternity I joined last fall. Clark is the Province Tau Treasurer and has helped our colony on many occasions. He came to Rome with his Dad for a short vacation in Italy. Luckily, I was able to meet up with him for dinner on Friday night. We went to Ristorante alla Rampa, a small restaurant near the Spanish Steps. It was great to chat with Clark and hear about his travels thus far, how the weather is back home (he lives in Iowa), and what has been happening in my SAE colony at Gustavus. I ordered a great dish of Gnocchi, a dish of potatoes prepared with a cheese sauce. It was delicious. The only bad thing I can think of about the restaurant was that the waiter spilled my glass of wine and it would have been all over my pants if I hadn’t had a napkin on my lap. That’s a lesson to everyone, not only is it polite to put your napkin on your lap when eating, it will protect you from wine stains too! After dinner, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and ate gelato by the fountain. Saturday morning, I met up with Clark and his dad for a tour of the Colosseum,Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. I hadn’t been in the Colosseum yet, so it was nice to get to experience that with other people. I have to say that it is quite an impressive structure, but much of it is ruin and you have to use your imagination to picture what it would have looked like in antiquity. Also, I have to say that the inside looked exactly how I imagined it from seeing pictures. So, although it was great to see, I don’t think I liked it as much as the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill. After our visit to the Colosseum, we walked through the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill and then down through the valley of the Roman Forum. I acted as the tour guide, since I have been studying these locations for my archeology class. I think Clark appreciated the history background and I certainly appreciated being able to test my knowledge. After our tour, we parted ways and I went back to take a nap from all the walking we did (phew!). ## Photos [Photo: Photo from Colosseo, March 2008] [Photo: Photo from Colosseo, March 2008] [Photo: Photo from Colosseo, March 2008] [Photo: This ampitheatre could seat 50,000 people and everyone could enter and exit within 5 minutes due to superior Roman architecture. Why modern architects can’t figure out how to effectively do this, I have no idea.] *This ampitheatre could seat 50,000 people and everyone could enter and exit within 5 minutes due to superior Roman architecture. Why modern architects can’t figure out how to effectively do this, I have no idea.* [Photo: The insides of the Colosseum. This area was under a wooden floor and was where gladiators and animals were kept before fights.] *The insides of the Colosseum. This area was under a wooden floor and was where gladiators and animals were kept before fights.* [Photo: Arch of Constantine] *Arch of Constantine* [Photo: Me and il colosseo] *Me and il colosseo* [Photo: Me and Clark in the Colosseum] *Me and Clark in the Colosseum* [Photo: Imperial Palace Arena area. This is where the emperor would entertain guests and would hold private games.] *Imperial Palace Arena area. This is where the emperor would entertain guests and would hold private games.* [Photo: Circus Maximus. This used to be an arena for horse races and could seat 250,000 people.] *Circus Maximus. This used to be an arena for horse races and could seat 250,000 people.* [Photo: View of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill.] *View of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill.* [Photo: Me in the Foro Romano] *Me in the Foro Romano* [Photo: Temple of Divas Antonius Pius and Diva Faustina] *Temple of Divas Antonius Pius and Diva Faustina*