Tag Archives: Roman Ruins

Italy

Rome Italy

Rome for over a millennium was the centre of power and controlled most of the world. It has a complex and deep history, so we decided to take some time and explore this amazing city. We walked through many of the streets that had remnants of  Roman ruins and historic sites.  We were in awe at the richness of the history.  We went to the normal tourist sites like the Trevi Fountain. It is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. It is very impressive standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide. This is the largest Baroque fountain in the city or Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
The Trevi Fountain in Rome
Shelley and Ray in front of the Trevi Fountain
The ornate statues in the Trevi Fountain in Rome
We also went to see the Spanish Steps which climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and  by the Trinità dei Monti church, at the top. 
Spanish Steps in Rome

There was a police presence there and they were watching the tourist and keeping them from loitering too much or sitting down on the steps.

We of course had to walk up the 135 steps to the top. The view from the top of the Spanish Steps gave a nice view of Rome.
 
The view from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.
At the base of the Spanish Stairs is the  Fontana della Barcaccia .
The fountain of Barcaccia, which is fountain of the boat in Italian.
We walked to different piazzas and almost each one had amazing sites and statues. We  came to the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II which is also known as Altare della Patria meaning Altar of the Fatherland in english..
It is an amazing and impressive building located in the center of ancient Rome. 
The front of the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

There are large statues and fountains along the building.

Side view of some of the statues at the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
view of the Alter of the Fatherland statue as sun sets in Rome

All along the ancient centre of Rome are ruins, statues and remnants of the Roman empire.  

Shelley and Ray in front of Roman ruins
Arco di Costatino in Rome
Santa Maria Di Loreto in Rome with the Colonna Trajana in the foreground

We of course went to see the colosseum which was amazing and we will do a separate post on the colosseum. 

The colosseum of Rome
Castel San Angelo in Rome

These were beautiful and awe inspiring sites to see, but what we really enjoyed was the people and food of Rome. 

“L’esperienza è l’insegnante di tutte le cose.” – Julius Caesar

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Our stay in Lugo

When we got to Lugo Shelley´s knee was quite sore and swollen. We decided to stay in Lugo for a few days and take a break in the hopes her knee would get better. We were staying in the old town area of the city. This area is within the Roman walls of the city.

We walked along the outside of the fortified wall system until we reached one of the ten entrances in the wall system.

One of the five original Roman gates referred to as the porto de San Pedro

The Roman wall of Lugo was designated a UNESCO world Heritage site in 2000. The walls of Lugo were built in the later part of the 3rd century to defend the Roman town of Lucus Augusti. The entire length of the wall survives intact which is over two kilometres and is the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe.

Outer view of the Roman wall in Lugo

We settled into Lugo for a few days of rest and took short walks the first day to explore some of the city.  It was not long before we noticed a very Roman look to parts of the city.

Ray on the Roman chariot

There were several access points along the Roman wall which allowed people to walk along the top of the wall.

One of the access points to the top of the Roman wall

We decided to walk the entire wall exploring the views from the top of the wall.

One of the views from the top of the Roman wall

We walked along the entire wall which is quite large. The wall width  is around 4.2 metres (14 ft) and their height varies between 8 metres (26 ft) and 12 metres (39 ft). We took our time and stopped along the way to admire the views and take in the moment.

Shelley on the top of the Roman wall in Lugo

There was some unique and beautiful views from the top of the wall.

We came across a unique part of the wall which had remains of a tower section.

Ray and Shelley at the tower section of the Roman wall

The following day we explored some of the parks and squares of Lugo. We came across some interesting people along the way.

We stoped along our walk and took time to enjoy some refreshments at one of the many bars in Lugo.

Shelley and Ray enjoying a refreshment at one of the bars in Lugo

We came across some great spots to eat and enjoy a refreshing drink. Ray even tried a specialty of Spain called “oreja de cerdo”. It is fried pig ears in a sauce. Ray did not enjoy it because the ears were really spongy and had very little actual meat on them.

Oreja de cerdo

One restaurant even had it´s own Camino Marker inside the restaurant.

Camino marker inside a restaurant in Lugo

We enjoyed our rest and stay over in Lugo, it was time that we could rest up and prepare for the next sections of the camino Primitivo. Shelley´s knee was doing better and so we packed our last evening preparing to start out early the next day to continue the camino adventure.

“Buen Camino”

 

Spain

Los baños de fortuna

We went to the “Baños de Fortuna” which is spa resort located near the town of Fortuna. The spa complex has multiple pools with natural thermal springs which were popular with the Romans and used as Romans baths. Today these thermal baths have been transformed into a large spa complex with numerous thermal pools.

We settled into our “cabin” at the Baños de Fortuna before exploring the thermal pools.

Rows of Cabins for rent at the Banos de Fortuna Spa

We went into the thermal pools and relaxed for hours enjoying the hot termal pools.

Marcelo, Sonja and Shelley enjoying the thermal pool

Thermal pools at the Baños de Fortuna

In the evening we walked around the complex exploring the resort. There was some beautiful architectural buildings, hotels and gardens

Main building of the Baños de Fortuna

water feature at the baño de Fortuna

One of the buildings at the Baño de Fortuna

Outdoor patio area of the coffee bar in the spa

Inside area of the hotel at the spa

One of the buildings with ornate features at the Baño de Fortuna

We stayed at the spa for two days enjoying the hot thermal pools and exploring the spa complex.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Cartagena Roman Ruins

We took a trip to the historic city of Cartagena which was founded around 227 BC.  Our friend Felipe came along to be our tour guide and took us to some of the sites.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe

The city is known for some unique and well-preserved Roman ruins. We came to the Roman theater which was the main symbol of growth and wealth during the Roman times.

Roman theater in Cartagena Spain.

There some interesting aspects to the theater including the design for the flow of people which is still being copied and incorporated in large arenas around the world.

The view from the top of the Roman theater in Cartagena

We walked through the theater looking at the ruins.

Shelley, Gerry, Michelle and Felipe in an area of the Roman theater

After looking at the Roman Theater we went to another Roman site in Cartagena called Barrio del foro .

Barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

Excavations that took place in 2008 on the southern slope of Cerro del Molinete discovered  a complete Roman block.

Excavated barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

It has the remains of two buildings, one is a Roman bath complex from the 1st century AD.

Remains of the Roman Bathhouse in Cartagena

We walked through the roman bath ruins with Felipe and he explained the way the bath house used wood fire to heat the baths and used convection heat to help move the water throughout the baths.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe in the barrio del foro Romano

The second Roman ruin uncovered in the barrio del foro was an Atrium building, where religious banquets were celebrated in the 1st century AD.

Shelley in the Atriun roman ruins in Cartagena

We walked through the Atrium and looked at the ruins. There was even some remains of the original floor which was a herringbone style.

Herringbone flooring in Roman ruins in Cartagena

There were even some clay wine containers which was used to ship wine on sail ships.

Wine clay pots used for the shipping of wine in sail ships

Shelley in the Atrium Roman ruins

We then went to see another Roman site which was under development. Felipe was able to get us inside to see the site before it was completed.

Felipe in a Roman ruin under development.

Shelley and Michelle in Roman ruins

There are many beautiful restored and conserved Roman ruins in Cartagena. We enjoyed walking through the ruins and imaging what life was like during the Roman times.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

The Roman Theatre in Cartagena

One of our favorite sites in Cartagena was the Roman theater. When we first walked to the top of the hill and saw the theater for the first time it was spectacular. It was located on the hillside which made it quite large and impressive.

View from the top of the Roman theater in Cartagena, Spain

The theater was much larger than we expected and it could hold up to 7000 spectators. The theater was in use between 5 and 1 BC and it was in excellent condition considering how ancient the structure was.

Ray and Shelley with Roman Theater in the background.

section of the Roman theater

We were able to freely walk throughout the majority of the theater admiring the architecture. The design of the theater was similar to a modern theater with exit aisles and divided into sections to accommodate the spectators.

Aisles divide the theater into sections for the spectators

We walked to the lower section of the theater and could see some of the marble columns which held up the wooden sections of the structure.

Columns in Roman theater in Cartagena

Columns at the outer wall of the theater.

The entire theater was well designed and had spectacular features. The stone stairs were even cut out and designed.

Stairs carved out of stone in theater

We walked throughout the theater for almost an hour enjoying the beautiful historic site.

Section at the base of the theater

Corridor to the section behind the seating area

Ray in section at base of the theater

It is truly hard to imagine the amount of history that occurred in the theater since 5 BC. It was a great experience and a very enjoyable time

Adios y que tenga un grand dia”