Trevi and Trajan

The next day we got up very early, well before any self respecting Italian would think of setting his alarm, and headed down to visit the iconic Trevi Fountain. In Rome in September, in the hours after dawn, the air is pleasant and fresh, but still, neither very cool or warm. The city smells of the cobbled streets, and the only sounds are the cooing of doves, and the occasional car. The fountain lies about a mile north of the ancient and heavily trafficked sites of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, but the fountains manage to attract their fair share of the tourists anyway, despite being a relatively modern attraction. In a city whose history is best measured by millennia, the fountain was completed in 1762, less than 250 years ago.

The fountain draws the tourists for a few reasons, not least of which is that it is rather impressive. The large pool, and the sort of stone waterfall, ensconced with figures of Neptune, his horses and accompanying riders. All of this before a grand white roman styled palace. But there is also the various movies that have feature the fountain, perhaps most famously, La Dolce Vita. And on top of all that, there's the idea that throwing a coin in the fountain guarantees your return to the city, and who would want to miss out on that? But this early in the morning, there was no one else around. It was quiet and calm, and there was no one there but us to see us toss our coins in

From the fountain of Trevi, we traveled on to Trajan's Market. The site had just opened up for the day, and we were the first to get out and explore the streets and buildings of this former downtown Rome. The buildings are bare walled and empty floored. Unlike Pompeii, there are no relics to indicate whether this might have been a bakery, that a shop, here a tavern. But, there are discoveries to be made. This stairwell leads from a set of shops on a round plaza, up and behind, to a second level street, also lined with buildings. Here, a stone cover conceals the drainage below the street. Over it all are remnants of residences. Prime real estate then, as it would be now.

Now with the day in full progress, we turned from the business of Rome to it's governance, as we made the short walk to the forum.