Rome

Roma. The ancient wonder. The living museum. Everywhere you look you are provided with another nod to the past, a constant reminder of how civilization has changed and evolved over thousands of years. Our trip began by seeing one of the most iconic buildings in Rome, the Colosseum. Bathed in early evening light, the Colosseum was already closed for the day which meant there were less people and more time to appreciate its significance to the citizens of old. It was vital that we return the following day to enter the walls and I’ll let the photos below demonstrate its magnificence.

The Trevi Fountain was another site that is always popular with tourists. If you are unsure of this, roughly 3000 euros is thrown in to the fountain every day. It is then collected by the Vatican who supposedly donate it to charity. We went to the Vatican Museum. If you have done so yourself, you would be a little skeptical too whether that money is going to these charities.

After the Trevi, we wandered the streets, coming to the Spanish Steps, which were actually funded by the French. It seems they didn’t make a caveat that it be called the French Steps so they got their name from being in the Spanish Square. We didn’t end up walking up them at all. Maybe we would have been more impressed if we did but otherwise they really are just steps.

The following day, after lining up for the Colosseum, we also visited the Roman Forum. One ticket gets you into both attractions and as we weren’t going to be in Rome the following day (the ticket is valid for two consecutive days), we did both in a short amount of time. We also didn’t spend heaps of time in the Roman Forum as we heard it was the hottest day of the year so far in Rome. This meant bulk sweat and bulk drinking of water.

Travel tip: Visit the Roman Forum first. The lineup was not as big for it and it means you only have to go through security at the Colosseum instead of lining up for tickets also.

We also managed to get to the Vatican Museum before we called it a day. Whilst the collection was impressive, we didn’t really enjoy it as much due to the crowds. Once we were inside the Sistine Chapel, all I wanted to do was get out and the significance of the works lost their lustre. I recommend to anyone tossing up whether or not to do it, skip it and go into St Peter’s Basilica instead. The Basilica is also free and found it much more enjoyable. We were able to get to it on the full day we had after our three day Southern Italy tour (more on that in my next post) and the lineup didn’t take too long to get through security.

We also checked out Piazza Navona and the Pantheon on our last day, rounding out a comprehensive look into Rome’s historical and religious past. We couldn’t forget about the bulk eating of pizza, pasta and gelato that was done too.

Once again, some photos for your viewing pleasure.

See you on the flip side!