Go on a Roman holiday to the Vatican City

This is where the lions and other wild animals would be caged Then the guard would pull a lever and the animalrsquos cage would be elevated to the ground level The doors would swing open and the wild beasts let loose on theu00a0gladiatorsrdquo This was drama at high noon at its best There we stood with soft sand all around us in the midst of the broken yet majestic stony remains of one of the oldest stadiums of the world mdash imagining the chill that must have run down the spines of those thousands of wildly cheering fans as they watched those bloody fights The Coliseum makes for an imposing picture even today PicsAFP Two thousand years later there are no lions at the Coliseum But despite the onslaught of many centuries and ugly concrete structures coming up around it the massive concrete and stone structure rises like a colossus in the centre of Rome We arrived in the Italian capital for a threeday trip on a day when it was drizzling There was a chill in the air unusual for August in this part of the world But having reached here from neighbouring Switzerland where we had our first brush with snow at 10000 feet it felt nice to shed ourselves of the extra woollens An hour after we checked in at the Hotel Eden Le Meridien on top of a hill overlooking the valley six of us two other couples and us decided we would skip lunch at the luxury resort and instead head into town to do some sight seeing on our own St Peterrsquos Basilica inside Vatican City is clearly visible from across the Tiber in Rome Having experienced the clockworklike precision of the transportation system in Germany and Switzerland before this we were in for a shock The bus stand was reminiscent of a slightly cleaner version of the ones we have in Mumbai The bus when it arrived was no better We wondered why some of the locals on the bus smiled when we bought our tickets to the tube station After a 30minute ride we arrived at the tube station bought a return ticket and hopped on to the train till the Forum mdash where the Coliseum awaited us An Indian packaged tour guide assisting a group of wideeyed Indian tourists waved to us as we stepped out into open air ldquoWhere are you guys headedrdquo he asked ldquoColiseum That broken down buildinghellipwhyrdquo he seemed genuinely curious instead offering to take us on a tour of Romersquos famous shopping area for a small fee Wisely we opted to keep shopping for the last day feeling a bit sorry for those poor packaged tour members who as we learnt later were doomed to see this magnificent structure only from the outside as part of an open bus tour that would not even stop to let them get off and pose for a few photographs The colossal Coliseum The skies had cleared and a steady crowd seemed to be headed towards the ruins Once we had bought the tickets we were introduced to Pieto a tall balding Italian man with striking looks and as we discovered later a flair for dramatics He was to be our guide for the next hour We learnt the basic first Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum work for the Coliseum originally called an amphitheatre this was later named the Coliseum after a colossal statue of the emperor Nero which came up next to it started in 72 AD and took a decade to build At its peak this ancient wonder of the world could seat 50000 people Thatrsquos more than the Wankhede Stadium can seat even today But the real fun was hearing Pieto explain how the Coliseum was used during the height of the Roman Empire for gladiatorial contests and mock sea battles animal hunts and dramas Today the huge structure is in ruins though careful conservation has ensured that when curious students of history like me come calling they are never disappointed As we walked on the sand Pieto dramatically declared ldquoThis is the same sand on which many gladiators fought those life and death battles with the wild beasts or amongst themselvesrdquo And just to make sure those of us who still did not look impressed enough were also converted soon he added ldquoYou know why they put sand in the arena Because sand soaks up blood the fastestrdquo Eww The hunger building up in our tummies for a while was lost in a flash Yet curiosity got the better of us So we dutifully accompanied him to the basement level where we came facetoface with those iconic cageelevators which by a mechanism lost to world for the next 1800 years were pulled up two levels to the arena by cranking a lever Back on the ground level we climbed to the upper level of the stadium Sitting on a stone chair on the second level I had a great view of the entire stadium mdash eerily silent today save the few hundred tourists talking in hushed tones Behind me near the top of the stadium large open lsquowindowsrsquo gave us a lovely view of the historic Roman Forum as well as of the busy street down below In ancient times the windows made sure that even when the top sun beat down on them spectators had access to cross ventilation A little bit of home Photos clicked and soul satisfied we headed quickly to a nearby trattoria restaurants that dot the footpaths of most Italian cities which often have tables on footpaths and offer homestyle meals We ordered pasta with all kinds of meat thrown in Yum The house red wine which the trattoria owner insisted we have was served in a decanter another trademark of trattorias Now truly happy having had a lazy Italian lunch the six of us ambled down to the tube station and headed back to the hotel And finally we learnt why those locals had suppressed their giggles when we bought the bus tickets on the way down to the valley For no one buys tickets for these short rides it seemed ldquoYou spent 6 Euros on a bus On a bus ticketrdquo even our hotel front desk manager sounded shocked ldquoA little bit of home even in Romerdquo observed one my clever companions Land of the Pope The next day there was a trip to the Vatican planned and we were suitably dressed for it too heads covered full sleeved shirt and camera battery doublechecked It was a Saturday a day before the traditional Sunday mass where the Pope would wave to his followers from a third floor balcony on the top right corner of the Apostolic Palace But St Peterrsquos Square was a sea of humanity most waiting to catch a glimpse of the Pope and of course to visit the world famous St Peterrsquos Basilica one of the largest churches in the world and considered the holiest of Catholic sites We also visited the adjacent Sistine Chapel where the entire ceiling was painted by Michelangelo and where among other things he also painted his iconic lsquoLast Judgmentrsquo Tell you what you are likely to get a sprained neck or at least a royal pain here by the end of it just from looking up and continuing to look up for several minutes in complete awe of the genius of Michelangelo The Sistine Chapel is in the news this week for this is where the Papal Conclave took place before Pope Francis was elected the next Pope It is here that we also learnt that traditionally on each Good Friday the Pope leads a torch lit lsquoWay of the Crossrsquo procession that starts in the area around the Coliseum One last thing There are some superb restaurants in and around Vatican City especially those on the banks of the river Tiber We dropped into one of them after our exhausting walk around the city our senses soothed by some great house wine olives and seafood salad as we soaked in a panoramic view of the river with the Basilica forming a majestic backdrop The last day we promised ourselves would be reserved for just lazing around town in true Italian style Things to Know Nearest airportu00a0Rome Temperature Summer Temperatures may rise to the early 30s Celsius between June and August Winter While snowfall is rare expect average temperatures of 10 degree Celsius What else to see Trevi fountain It would be criminal to go to Rome and not visit the Trevi Fountain The faithful believe wishes come true if you drop a coin here and pray The patheon This is the best preserved building of ancient Rome with a spectacular dome Admission is free but the place closes at 7pm For dinner drop into the Armando al Pantheon restaurant next dooru00a0