When In Rome

Rome is one classical destinations along with places like Paris, Venice and New York City in my opinion. Getting around in Rome was not that difficult. The inner city of Rome is not that big so it is possible to cover a lot of the city on foot. Rome has an organized Metro system, taking the metro is just as easy as metros in New York and Hong Kong if you know how to read maps.



It is easy to get from one places to anothe like Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and Colosseum. Just be sure to catch the train in the right direction.



There is a lot of talk about Roman (and Italian) drivers being a bit agressive.But we didn’t have that much trouble when walking around in Rome. In bigger intersections there are traffic lights but remember the green light doesn’t last very long so better keep and eye on the traffic lights because the pedestrians are not the boss around the streets of Rome.



I think most people have heard about the Colosseum (also known as Colosseo) through history lessons or movies (like Gladiator). The “real” name is actually Flavian Amphitheater (due to the Flavian emperors at the time) but it was later called Colosseo due to a colossal statue of Nero which was located at the amphitheater in ancient times. Well, the rest is history I guess.



As most of you know the Colosseum became home to gladiator fights, exotic animals fighting etc. But over the years this beautiful building declined due to earthquakes.



Some say that it is a bit of an anti-climax to come inside the Colosseum. Sure, if you expect to see interior like in “Gladiator”. But we knew that there were more ruins waiting for us inside but I still found it spectacular.



Remember to find the stairs and get to the higher lever and enjoy the view.



We started to walk with the Arch of Constantine which is located right next to the Colosseum then walked again to the Forum which is the heart of ancient Rome. I will not go into details about the ruins that you find in the Forum because I know you'll get bored.





It didn’t take us long to get on the track of the Pantheon.The area around the Pantheon is buzzing with life.Along the edges of the piazza there are restaurants and coffee shops.









Rome has an amazing amount of fountains and one of the most famous one is the Trevi fountain. If you've seen the crappy movie When in Rome, this is where Kristine Bell stole the coin. I think most people will understand why it is so popular when they get there because it is huge and beautiful.



The only problem is of course that every other tourist in Rome seems to be there and it was too crowded The legend has it that if you throw a coin into this fountain it guarantees your return to Rome…hmmm, I have to admit that I never got around to that but I do hope that I will return to Rome one day. The Trevi fountain is well worth a visit but remember that it will probably be quite crowded so it is hard to take good pictures of the place.



Piazza Navona...the shape of the piazza is long and thin and this is due to the fact that it is built on the ground of an old circus…Circus Domitianus.



The piazza was very lively as it has lots of restaurants along the edges and there were lots of people trying to sell everything from blinking flying saucers to fake brand name hand bags.





In the middle of the piazza you will find the most spectacular of the fountains in the piazza: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (fountain of the 4 rivers) designed by Bernini. According to the guidebook the 4 giants represents the great rivers of the time (Ganges, Danube, Nile and River Plate).





Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish Steps is so crowded. After walking through some of Rome it was nice to sit down on the steps (even if the stone was quite warm from the blazing sun) and relax and look at all the people. I’m not sure if I would call the Spanish steps a disappointment but if you are only in Rome for a short period of time then it shouldn’t be at the top of the list. As with the other main attractions in Rome it was of course quite crowded and it was even hard to see the fountain at the bottom of the steps as there were so many people resting on it.



If you want to get some shopping done you can try the area around the Spanish steps but I guess you have to be prepared to cough up a bit of money beacuse shops here were tad expensive.



I have heard some horror stories from others that have gone to Rome. Pick-pockets, credit card fraud etc are just some of the keywords. So I was of course a bit sceptical before walking in the streets. Actually, I always put my wallet in my front pocket. Like elsewhere, keep an eye on your valuables in crowded places and you should be fine.



Obviously Rome has some world known attractions that had to be visited. I had an amazing stay in the Eternal City and there was so much to see and do. After you have seen all the well known monuments, churches, fountain, piazzas etc there is still a lot more to see.





And if you get tired along the way there are plenty of places where you can relax, enjoy the fantastic Italian cuisine, the excellent Italian gelato or drink some good coffee.





Have a meaningful Christmas everyone! Be thankful and grateful for all your blessings!