Prior to the tour, I didn't know anything about the Colosseum (aside from what I learned watching Russel Crowe in the Gladiator). Here's a few things I learned:
1. The Colosseum was once covered with travertine and marble, all held together by iron clasps. Notice the small holes on the existing stone - this isn't due to wear, but rather where the iron clasps were fitted.
2. Being the site of public executions of Christians, the Colosseum was not held in high regard by the church. The marble and iron clasps were all taken for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and other buildings. It wasn't until the 1700s that Pope Benedict XIV declared it sanctified by the blood of Christian martyrs and therefore off-limits for further plundering.
3. The Colosseum is oval-shaped, not round. The arena floor is nearly twice as long as it is wide (~280 x 165 ft).
After the Colosseum, we toured the adjacent Roman Forum. Everything here is HUGE! (Check out the size of the people in the 3rd picture down.)
Next we continued our walk to the Pantheon. It was neat to see, but the interior wasn't as exciting as I was expecting. The front of the building is beautiful and iconographic. The interior is basically just one large room with a hole in the ceiling. 
We had couple hours to ourselves after the Pantheon so we decided to have lunch. We went to a place in the same piazza called Antica Salumeria. They served basic sandwiches that were good, but bit salty. They were also a bit small for our big American appetites (and especially for 5 Euros). 
After lunch, we still had an hour before meeting up with the group again. We decided to go see a few sights that we had only seen at night during the day. We also had to stop by our favorite Gelateria again. 
Brooke at the Spanish Steps (with her two backup singers dressed in red)....
It wasn't part of the standard tour, so 8 of us decided to visit the Borghese Gallery on our own. To reach the gallery, we had to trek across the Villa Borghese Gardens (the Roman equivalent of New York's Central Park). Look how big it is compared to everything else....
The gallery only accepts 360 people for a given 2-hour time slot. Reservations are necessary and everyone needs to arrive a half hour early to check all bags and cameras. This place is definitely worth the extra hassle. We learned from the gallery audio tour that Cardinal Scipione Borghese (the garden and gallery's namesake) was a total asshole. He would go to someone's home, see a piece of art that he liked, and simply demand to have it. This behavior allowed him to amass a great collection, especially if you like Bernini.As I've said in a previous post, I like Michelangelo's David for its ambiguity, leaving his thoughts up for interpretation. But I love Bernini's David too, and for almost the opposite reason. Bernini's David (below) couldn't be more clear. He is mid-battle, with a look of determination, in a comic-book-like exaggerated body position of the Baroque style....
Bernini's Apollo and Daphne. As the myth goes, Apollo was shot with a golden arrow that caused him to fall in love. Daphne was shot with a lead arrow causing her to be repulsed. Just at the moment Daphne is caught by Apollo, she turns into a tree in defense. I couldn't find a good picture showing all the detailing, so you'll just have to trust me, Daphne's hair and leaves are amazing. I would go back to the Borghese Gallery just to see this sculpture....
That night we met our entire tour group for our final dinner together; the Last Supper if you will. It was a fun meal, especially with the surplus of alcohol and the live music. We presented our tour guide, Cecilia, with large photobook of Michaelangelo's Pieta (she had said it was her favorite)....
Group photo in front of Santa Maria Maggiore....
I'm helping 3 Ohioan tour members complete the O-H-I-O. Those crazy Ohioans are all the same (and I mean that in the best possible way)....
Parallel and perpendicular parking....
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