Double Trouble

Today I opted to participate in the double training session (that is, running through both the Forum/Colosseum and Vatican tours) mainly for the purpose of meeting Brian, the other owner of the tour company, and Enrico, another Italian guide. Imagine my ironic surprise, then, when Enrico turned out to be Enrica, another girl. First Dara, now Enrica... It seems especially ironic that I, who myself possess a name frequently given to boys, should have such trouble in predicting the gender of people whose names I already know...

I set off for the Forum this morning, assured by the omniscient Franco that despite the threatening clouds, it would be a sunny day. Well, shame on me for doubting, because it was absolutely gorgeous: sunny and pleasantly warm, by the time I got off the bus. Being Saturday, it was a bit more crowded in the centro, but it took me a moment to realize that one of the large masses was actually a congregation of tourists watching a protest. It is not unusual to see protests in the Eternal City; hell, the entire country schedules its frequent strikes. Still, this one struck me as strange, because as far as I could tell, they appeared to be protesting archaeology. I am very unclear as to what exactly is objectionable about the practice of digging and dusting ancient artifacts, but this group seemed to feel strongly that it should stop. Altogether, this is doubly strange when one considers the extent to which archaeology defines the city of Rome, and because the group was standing on the Via dei Fori Imperiali. I can only imagine that they are big fans of the new metro stations being built in the middle of the Piazza Venezia and just underneath the Colosseum.

Leaving that expression of craziness behind, I marched off towards the Colosseum. Arriving, I found one of my favorite Roman traditions taking place in an unexpectedly pugilistic way. It seems customary for Roman couples (after placing flowers on the funeral pyre of Julius Caesar, which they do in all seriousness) to have their picture taken in front of the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum. While I think it is bit strange to commemorate something like marriage with structures built for bloodsport, slavery, and morbid entertainment, I have to confess that I find it more than a little adorable to see happy couples in their full wedding regalia kissing and smiling in front of some of the world's most spectacular architecture. Today, however, there were two wedding parties who seemed to have drawn on the past use of the Colosseum for a bit of inspiration.

Both of the parties were clearly trying to take pictures in the same location, and neither seemed particularly inclined to go second. One of the brides, attired in a wedding dress clearly modeled off of Barbie's, was viciously puffing away on a cigarette while her husband exchanged strong words with the other couple's photographer. Some of the groomsmen shed their coats, and for a few tense minutes, it looked as if they could really come to blows. The non-smoking bride, however, eventually caved, and she and her party went over to the hill for some "nature" shots. The triumphant Barbie bride proceeded to take a number of photographs, and most of them were very sweet, with the exception of a very questionable series which involved crowd-surfing the happy couple. When the other bride got her turn, she countered with a series of pictures in which ragazzi (and some uninvited Japanese tourists with cameras) chased her and her husband from the arch. Regrettably, I had to leave just as a third bride arrived upon the scene...