What To See in Rome, Italy
The post where I show you why Rome is one of my favourite cities in the world.
During
the Easter break, my friend Julie and I took a little trip to one of
the most exciting cities in Europe, Rome. Why exciting, you may ask?
Because of its culture, its History, its atmosphere, its people, its
food. Everything. That goes for all of Italy of course, but Rome is
such a unique place. It's also huge, spread on seven hills and there
is so much to see and do that you'd need months to explore it
completely. However we only had a few days in the city, so here is
what we've managed to do in that time.
Let's
start with my favourite things that we did...
In
Rome, you'll find traces of the Ancient empire everywhere. At every
corner, an old stone, an inscription, a column or even just a bit of
pavement will remind you where you are. Of course, the Roman Forum
and the Colosseum are a must-do. Be prepared: there are a
lot of
people. My advice would be to go early in the morning, before the
opening, and grab tickets on the site. Don't book in advance, that is
what we did and we ended up waiting just as long, if not longer, than
the people who had not booked. The queue for booked tickets was much
longer. If you don't know what you do when you arrive, the staff will
be there to help. They are everywhere and ready to point you in the
right direction, which is really helpful as I've rarely seen a
touristic site more chaotic that the Colosseum.
As for the Forum, it is a vast area so you'll be able to walk around freely, and there are relatively less people in the queue. You can actually go to the Forum first and play a game called 'spot the Colosseum'...
Before getting to that beautiful view, you'll get the chance to walk along the old forum, explore and read about the antique buildings that still stand there proud and tall. Some of the ruins are amazingly preserved, my favourite being the Arch of Septimius Severus and the Temple of Vespasian. Ancient architecture is a wonder, and you can't help but feel impressed by the immensity of the buildings as you walk around, catching a glimpse of a life long gone.
Once
you've walked around the grounds, climb up the stairs of at the end
of the Via Sacra, and you'll find yourself observing the whole Forum
from the top. I totally did not imagine that I was a
Roman lady while capturing the view. Nope.
Take
time to appreciate the details, look at each column and admire the
fine carvings that remain. The buildings were added to the Forum over
time, celebrating different emperors, different gods, and slowly
spreading. After the fall of the Empire, some temples were used as
churches, as the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, which is quite a
peculiar temple. The typical Roman colonnade at the front is followed
by a baroque church facade, blending in two different styles at time
periods.
Now,
it's time for the most famous building of Rome. The Colosseum, or
Flavian Amphitheatre, was built in 70 AD and even though some parts
of it are missing today, it is still a beautiful, impressive
building. You online have a sense of how imposing it is when you are
near it. And once you get inside, the view is even better.
WALKING THE STREETS OF TRASTEVERE AND ALONG THE TIBER
On
a sunny day, there's nothing more pleasant to discover a city than
walking around its streets, discovering cute restaurants and cafés,
beautiful buildings and, if you're a blogger and/or you have
Instagram, take photos of doorways because that's what we do haha.
Trastevere, in the west of the city on the other side of the Tiber,
was my favourite area for hanging around.
Get
a waffle ice cream, take a break at the fountain of the Piazza Santa
Maria in Trastevere. Go inside the basilica to check out the
beautiful medieval mosaics. On the facade of the portico, have a look
at the marble inscriptions: most of them are Roman and you can see
little doodles of birds, wine barrels... yes, Romans were already
into street art.
I
am not religious, but I love religious buildings for the architecture
and beautiful artwork that men put in their construction. Whenever I
go somewhere I like to visit the churches, because there's always
gems to find: beautiful mosaics, colourful glass windows, relics and
paintings... The smell of churches puts me in an undescribable state
of mind and contemplation. I do not believe in God, nor do I worship
sacred texts of figures, but religious buildings really are
fascinating.
After your walk around Trastevere, cross the Tiber river and walk along the old bridges that link the two sides. In Rome, you'll always have your camera in hand: you never know when you'll get that perfect dreamy photograph.
Cross
the Ponte San'Angelo, which overlooks the Castel San'Angelo, used as
a fortress by Popes in time of political unrest (there is even an
underground corridor that links the Castel to the Vatican. The
building was originally the Mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian in the
second century. As many other Roman buildings, it has been used and
reused over the centuries, which is one of the reasons why it still
stands in such good condition today.
From the Sant'Angelo bridge, you'll be able to capture lovely views of the Tiber. Can you see Saint Peter's in the distance?
From the Sant'Angelo bridge, you'll be able to capture lovely views of the Tiber. Can you see Saint Peter's in the distance?
Rome
is such a rich city that I can't possibly mention everything in a
single post. However, there are some other bits I would love to talk
about, so be prepared for a part two of the Roman holiday! Hopefully
this makes you travel with me and discover all these wonderful places
if you've never been there. If you haven't, you should go as soon as
possible!
Have you ever been to Rome? If not, is it a destination that you'd like to see one day?
Lots of love,
Julia x
Lots of love,
Julia x
