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ITALY

ROME

March 2008 • Canon IXUS 700 camera


UNESCO World Heritage site
Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See
in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura

In March I was lucky to get hold of some cheap flights & hotel for a weekend in Rome. I had a lot to cram in 2.5 days. The weather was really hot and sunny; it made walking around the city tiring at times.

Below are some of the main sites that I had visited. I have written a separate article on visiting the Vatican which you can read about here.


Colosseum

While the Coliseum stands, Rome shall stand;
when the Coliseum falls, Rome shall fall;
when Rome falls, the world shall fall.

Venerable Bede (c. 673-735)

The iconic building of the colosseum was one of the first sites I went to visit. I have to say it was a lot smaller then I thought it would be. I expected a giant building, but disappointed to find only three floors in the ruins.

The building is impressive if you think back to when it was first completed in 80 AD. Today, the arena has no wooden floor, exposing the rooms underneath where they use to keep the wild animals for entertainment.


The Arch of Titus

Arco di Tito

Built in 82 AD to commemorate the victory of Titus in conquering the city Jerusalem in 70CE. Constructed in marble, you can see it next to the colosseum.


Roman Forum

Forum Romanum

This area used to be the center of day–to–day life in Rome. It was the heart of Rome with several important buildings, temples and shrines. Present day, they stand as ruins and archaeological excavations. One ruin to check out is the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

Built in 141 AD by Emperor Antoninus Pius to honour his deceased wife Faustina, it was later re–named to honour both of them by Marcus Aurelius.


Pantheon

Located in the Piazza della Rotonda, this striking building was once a Roman temple completed in 125AD. Now it is a church, with a portico of 8 large columns in front of the circular building. Inside you get to see the impressive concrete dome, along with tombs of famous artists and kings.


Trevi Fountain

Fontana di Trevi

No trip to Rome is complete without visiting the famous and beautiful fountain. The Baroque styled fountain is surrounded by statues that makes the fountain like a living piece of artwork. They say if you throw a coin over your shoulder, then you will return to Rome again someday.


Did you know...

Over 3000€ are thrown into the Trevi Fountain daily by tourists. It is illegal to take any of the money, as every night the coins are collected and given to charity.





Altare della Patria

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

This massive building is a tribute to the first King of a unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. I wouldn't recommend you going out your way to see this building, unless you are a really, really big fan of architecture.


Column of Marcus Aurelius

Colonna di Marco Aurelio

You can find this decorated Roman victory column in the Piazza Colonna. It was built to honour the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. The impressive picture relief on the column tells the story of Marcus Aurelius military campaigns.


Piazza di Spagna

Spanish Steps

A popular meeting place in Rome, it has a church at a top of a hill, with steps coming down to the Spanish square. The stairway has 135 steps.


Piazza Navona

Another famous square in Rome, it has three fountains. The largest is the Fontana dei Quattro (fountain of the four rivers) which has a Obelisk in the center. The other two fountains are the Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune fountain) and the Fontana del moro (Moor fountain)


Castel Sant'Angelo

Visiting this place give you fantastic views of the city and the Tiber River. You can also see the Vatican in the distance. A great palce to take some nice phots of the city on a sunny day.


Final thoughts

My time in Rome went by very quickly. There are a lot of sites to see and experience. My budget was very tight so I did not get a chance to really try out different types of Italian meals on offer in the restaurants. I went for the cheap, but tasty pizza places.

I would like to come back again and see more of what the city has on offer, but for now I'm happy to have had the opportunity to spend some time in Rome.





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