I realized today that I was very uneducated about the remains of
ancient Roman civilization.

I had imagined that I would tour the old city and see fully intact but
ancient marbled buildings among the modern. I also assumed that it
wouldn't take more than a couple of hours to see the entire site.

I now know that when people talk about the "Roman ruins" they truly
are talking about ruins. The area containing the Roman Forum,
Palentine Hill, and the Colosseum is a giant archeological site. You
pay to get in, and suddenly, you are seeing what's left of the past. A
lot of crumbled nothing. Also, the area is huge - you aren't just
seeing some buildings, you're walking through the whole of the old
city.

The whole thing was absolutely amazing, but very different than I
expected. In some ways I am glad the area hasn't been reconstructed -
it's more authentic that way. It also really makes you think about how
transient civilization is. Rome was once so powerful, but they had
their day, and in the end, nothing lasts.

It was hard in some ways to see the city in ruins, because there was
no real way to picture in your mind what the area used to be like. I
imagine there were beautiful marble buildings everywhere, and amazing
views of Rome, but it's hard to see it when you're looking at ruined
brick. I saw a sign discussing a massive reconstruction project slated
for the "third millennium" so I am curious to see what will end up
happening to this area.