“Hey guys, there is the Ludus Magnus,” Thad said, pointing over to a large open area that had bumps of rock and concrete. They could not go down and walk around but they stood at the low wall and looked down.
“So, what is it?” Greg asked, looking over at Thad.
“This is where the gladiators trained. See, look behind us and you’ll see the Colosseum,”
“For real? Wow, so what, they like trained here and went across the street to fight?” Greg asked, looking back and forth between the Ludus Magnus and the massive Colosseum behind them.
“Yeap, from what I understand, they actually lived here at the Ludus Magnus. See how it’s all segmented. I think that’s where their barracks were. I’m not sure if they were like kept in cells, locked up until they went out to train, but they lived and trained right here. There is also supposed to be a hidden tunnel that goes from the Ludus to the arena across the street. The placard says that Emperor Titus Flavius Caesar Domitianus Augustus had it constructed from 81 to 96 CE,” Thad said. He had been looking up information on the Colosseum before they’d set out for Rome. He liked the thought of the gladiators and because he was a Marine, he thought their training had been a little similar. The segregated walls were of stone and had lasted two thousand years. It just blew him away.
“Barracks, like what we live in?” Greg asked, shock etched on his face.
“Something like that, but I have a feeling that it was a lot harder back then,” Thad said.
“Sure, they were all dead men walking,” Dean said and snorted darkly.
“Yeah, no shit, like the roach motel. You may go in, but you don’t come out,” Marco said and laughed.
“Dang, that must have really sucked, you know,” Greg said and shivered. Thad thought Greg had the right of it, it did suck. There wasn’t much to see at the Ludus. It was long and narrow, much of it still covered or built over. The small section that they could see was filled with the remnants of an ancient life, long buried. Thad noticed a lone kitten among the ruins and watched as it walked behind one of the low stone walls. Around him was the sound of traffic as it whizzed past. Horns blasted around them and motorcycles weaved in and out of traffic. Car exhaust and diesel fumes filled the air around them.
“You wanna head over to the Colosseum?” Marco asked and Thad nodded.
The four made their way to the crosswalk and waited for the light. They walked along with others, mostly tourists, as far as Thad could see. They got to the side of the street and he looked up at the massive structure. It nearly took his breath away. There was scaffolding spread out along the outer structure; there was work being done to fortify the ancient ruin. It was weird looking at it with the smell and sound of traffic behind him. He and his friends moved along with the others, heading toward the entrance where tourists flocked.
He looked up at the sky and took in the gathering clouds. He also detected the scent of ozone; it would rain soon and he hoped it would lift the muggy air and not make it worse. He watched as a large flock of pigeons flew across the sky. Rome certainly had lots of those and there was pigeon shit on everything. Since he was the tallest of his group, he had the best vantage point over all of them. Greg was nearly as tall, but of a slenderer frame, then Marco, who was tall but thick, pure muscle and then there was Dean. All three men were in front of him and he brought up the rear. He now wished he’d have brought his phone.
“Hey Velasco, make sure you take plenty of pictures. Later, you can send them to me. I want to send some to my folks,” he said. Marco lifted a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t turn around. He knew his sister, Serena, who would be starting college in the fall, would enjoy seeing the pictures of Rome. Thad moved the knitted slouch hat on his head. He liked blending in but having a Marine haircut, the high and tight, made him easily distinguishable. Because of his Italian heritage, when he wore his knit hat, he was usually overlooked by the locals. That was until he opened his mouth. Then, he sounded like an American speaking Italian.
He felt the first drop of rain hit his face when they climbed up along the walkways of the Colosseum. He looked around and was surprised that there weren’t many tourists and he felt another splash hit his face. Rain was a big dampener for tourists but it didn’t diminish his enthusiasm. Later, they would find a trattoria and dive into some pizza and good food. He wished he liked wine, but shockingly, being of Italian descent, he just didn’t like the stuff.
Thad noticed that Marco was taking picture with his phone and he was glad. Greg and Dean had moved on and were standing in a different section of the Colosseum. The air was heavy with humidity and the sporadic drops of rain. He was alone and looked down among the ruins and felt the hair all over his body rise. It was as though he could feel the desperation
