Marco got a letter from his Uncle Ben, the airplane pilot. Uncle Ben has traveled all over the world.
Dear Marco,
1 I have to tell you about my visit to Rome. I don’t think there is any place like it in the world. It was the center of the ancient Roman Empire. Today, thousand-year-old structures still sit side-by-side with modern buildings. Maybe this is why Rome is known as the “Eternal City.” I think that is a good description of the capital city of Italy.
2 The Colosseum is right in the middle of the city. It is an enormous outdoor circular arena built of stone. The ancient Romans held all kinds of public events there. It had seats for 50,000 people. It had 80 entrances, so that crowds could get in and out quickly. It is mostly in ruins now.
3 Many of the young people of Rome get around on colorful motor scooters. This makes a lot of sense to me, because the traffic in the streets is crazy! Most evenings, the young people gather at an ancient structure known as the Spanish Steps. Hundreds of the scooters line the street, as their owners go off to visit with their friends. The Spanish Steps have been a gathering place for centuries. Today, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that right around the corner there is an American fast-food hamburger drive-through.
4 There are many ancient fountains in Rome. One of the most famous is the Trevi Fountain. It was probably made even more famous by a popular American movie about it, called “Three Coins in a Fountain.” People say that if you make a wish and toss a coin into this fountain, your wish will be granted. Of course I tossed my coin in, even though I don’t really believe in magic fountains.
Yours truly,
Uncle Ben
