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Rome Reviews

parth8565MouthShut Verified Member
Surat India
Best city in the world ^-^
Jul 31, 2017 11:27 PM 1095 Views (via Android App)

I have been to Rome during my eurotrip. I had heard nothing about this city before from anyone and I wasn't even asking anyone. I was just going to Rome because it has Colosseum but after getting there and starting the tour in city. I found the city not just really beautiful and historical but it has a different charm which makes it magnificent. Every street of Rome have something to say.


You will find great architecture in every building of city and the great monuments are spread all around the city. For more there is vatican city with the greatest church of Europe. I just had 2 days in Rome but now I wish, I should have spent more time there.Thanks for Reading.Tell me what do you think in comments down below. Peace : ) ;


Amazing place
Mar 06, 2010 03:58 AM 12746 Views

We went to Rome over the New year long weekend of 2009-2010. We were lucky that the weather was just right! Rome is full of attractions and you can easily spend even 7 days and still not be finished with it. Hence the most difficult task is to plan your visit - short list the places to see, reaching the places and calulating the time each place takes. This review is more to help in that perspective for a 2 to 3 days traveller than describe the greatness of Rome. There is plenty of information on the internet about the attractions and so I'm not duplicating it here. We had 2.5 days in Rome and I can say we managed to cover most of the popular attractions. You will need a minimum of 2 days or you would not have covered even primary attractions of Rome!


During this time of the year, the Sun rises at 8:00 AM and sets by 4:45 PM. Hence the key for a successful coverage is to be in the first sightseeing place by sunrise. One more key point is to stay close to some metro station. The metro train covers most of the well known visitor spots of Rome. However, it still will mean a lot of walking. Points it does not cover are the Pantheon and the Venezia. Note that buying tickets for the metro first time is also a challenge. Please check on the internet how/where to buy them. Else you will lose upto 1 hour just trying to figure out or may even end-up paying fine for wrong usage.


The most visited attractions are: Collesium, Vatican city (Pope's residence), Vatican museum+Sistine chappel, Roman forum,  Maggoire basilica, Pantheon, spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Venezia, San Giovanni. It is better to visit the fountain at night. It looks amazing with the lighting.


The Collesium and the Roman forum are located next to each other and will need about 5 hours for a decent coverage. The Vatican city, museum and sistine chappel will take 6 to 8 hours depending on the rush. The rest will take about 2 hours each including travel time. Be sure of the OPEN DAYS and TIMINGS to avoid disappointment. It is a bit funny that these world famous attractions are closed 1 day a week...but that is how most of Europe is! Check the internet for the open timings.


Some of the metro stops I remember are:


City center - Termini (this station is huge, being the single point for metro trains, suburb trains, international trains, airport transfer trains and city bus station. One end to other end is easily 1 Km and has 3 levels)


Collesium+Roman Forum - Colosseo - has entry fee (i think 20euro, not sure)


Vatican city - Ottaviano - no entry fee


Vaticam museum+sistine chappel - musei vaticani - has entry fee (i think 16 euro)


Spanish steps - Spagna - no entry fee


Trevi fountain - Barberini - no fee


San Giovanni - San Giovanni - no fee


Maggoire - Cavour or Termini - no fee


Venezia - no metro access (but within 2km walk from collesium) - no fee


Pantheon - no metro access - no fee


The good thing about Rome is that city maps are available free in a lot of places. Locate Termini on the map and navigate yourself from there.


The city is just amazing and cannot be descibed in words. Every part of the city has some ruins and speaks volumes of the history. It offers such diversity that there is no 1 single selling point of the city. The decoration in the churches, the architecture/grandeour/painting/sculptures/ruins all beat one another.  It is a MUST VISIT city of Europe.


For brief info, https://rome.info is a good website


For accommodation, booking.com, hotelclub.com, laterooms.com are good. The rates could be different for the same hotel, same room in different websites. So check for the cheapest.


There are many hop-on-hop-off tour operators (euro 20 for 24 hrs, 30 for 48 hrs) running buses from 9 AM to 6 PM in winter. This could reduce the walking by about 50%. But AVOID Greenline tours. You will spend lot of time just waiting for the bus since they have very low frequency.


In Rome, do the Romans!
Jun 30, 2008 11:14 AM 5912 Views

I had made up my mind to travel to Europe a year ago. But at that time neither did I have any monies nor did I have any leaves (new job). So my target was to go by mid-2008 which I did. But what I didn’t realise was the great ordeal I will have to face in picking and choosing which places to go!



You got only this many days and this much budget whereas Europe is an endless ocean with sooooo many things that you DON'T wanna skip! So after SEVERAL permutations & combinations- decided on doing some major cities.


I think my trip was lovely. But if I could have a crystal ball to take a peep at & had a choice to do it all over again- I would choose one country & do many, many small towns in it. I guess that’s the way to soak in the culture and most of all- have a cheaper, less stressed out trip (You cannot imagine HOW MUCH we walked EACH DAY!)


Italy was unarguably the most memorable stop in Europe. It was unbelievable to see a small city like Roma & Vatican had SO much to offer to tourists & historians!


Soon as we got there- we got utterly bewildered with- WHERE to buy the underground metro tickets from! Wasted about half hour in figuring out that they're available in tobacco shops!! So finally after reaching San Giovanni we checked in our bags in a B&B place~ with cute orange walls & beds! The BEST part was it had a huge balcony facing one of the oldest churches of Roma ! I have pleasant memories of having breakfast on the balcony J


We got out without delay and got in a place called Mario's, which had the BEST sea food pasta I've eaten in my life by far!(My mouth's watering just thinking of it!). A short walk later, we reach the magnificent Colloseum. But let me elaborate on the subject of Italian food. (ummm… I need a minute to take a deep breath) – it was absolutely YUMMMM…. I believe any place you visit; the cuisine plays an integral role, lingering in the memories… So, on one hand we got bored of living on bread and its likes in the UK, and on the other hand, the Italian palate made us long for it more & more. We revisited Marios for the 3 course meal (fish, and more fish) and wandered into other few more small restaurants and cafes too, to get our taste buds in high spirits. Another interesting dish we had was the Tris De Primi Piatti lasagne, ravioli, spaghetti, "amatriciani".


Another plus point about Italy unlike France was: simple pronunciation! Intense mugging for a week for the 12th board exams is something that probably made my way around Paris easy. But I struggled HARD with the tube maps there. The names & pronunciations were so confusing, made simple things like co-relating a name on the board and on the map a painful task. Italy was simple. Spagetti is spaghetti. Ravioli is ravioli. Aaah. Simplicity, Grazzi!


So in the 3 days we were there we covered the Colloseum, Foro Romano, Sistine Chapel, Vatican museum, St peters basilica at the piazza, Trevi  fountain, Pantheon, and each of these structures were simply indescribable !


One thing I would elaborate on is the St Peters Basilica. There was a queue up to the Copula. We had no clue what it was for but joined it knowing we gotta climb more than 300 steps. Not only was it a task, it also made us a tad breathless with the narrow tunnels and a hundred people trying to scramble in! Finally when we got out, we realised that we were on the top of the basilica, with the entire Vatican City in front of us! It was a breathtaking view of the entire piazza, the Vatican museum etc. aaah, felt good.


It rained the last evening we spent at Roma. Rains as you can get from my revus are an inevitable part of Europe. Which, as per me, is also one of the coolest part of Europe J We walked down to a close by park and had some Italian coffee. Watched people run & walk their dogs in the slight drizzle. After days of intense walking, it was nice to sit back and soak in the weather.


Other Observations:


Language~many Italians scrambled with English, but we could manage


Train to the Airport~Most cities in Europe have a train to the airport for about 6-10 Euros. Easy & convenient!


YOUR RATING ON

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uttarkasi india
All roads leads to Rome
Jun 14, 2006 02:44 PM 6078 Views

We were on three day trip to Rome. We landed in the main train station, Roma Termini in the evening. Taxi people were co-operative with sign language as most of them were not speaking English. We were to reach our friend's home, which was near the station. We were guided by the taxi drivers to that address and found. Great!! The streets and roads were filled with multi race people and roads are wide. At every corner of the road, you can find some monument or other historical building or square. Especially the old town with Forum and Colosseum is worth seeing. Just take the metro and bus and city map, thats enough to familiarize and to explore the city on your own. No need of guides. Our plan was to see the Forum and Colosseum in a day and other attractions in next day and in third planned Vatican city. Our plan went well without any hazel. Only thing you should take care in summer is that , you should have plenty of drinking water with you while in ancient sites, as in these places, drinking water are more expensive.


Chandigarh India
Tradition at its best
Jun 12, 2006 12:20 PM 4394 Views

The famous quote (not a cliche) "Rome was not built in a day" is a correct statement but the realisation only comes whn u reach there. The mangnamity of the city is worth seeing. Well I got an opportunity during my trip to Europe (especially Sweden of which I have written a review on this site as well) to visit the famous city of Italy. What a beautiful place it is! Well most of the reviews written here have already mentioned of the various beautiful places in Italy like Colossieum, St. Peter's square etc. It is really beautifull and a must see. Not to miss the Vatican city. But one of the most important things which probably no one has said and I am about to mention is about the famous Church i.e. St. Peter's Square. What a breath taking view it is. But what most of the travellers do not know is about the early morning prayers held there which one must go. I reached there at about 7.00. a.m. in the morning. Simultaneously about more than 10 prayers are being held by the priests there with only about 20 people in each. Believe me it is really wonderful to be there and gives complete piece of mind. Not to forget the bread given by the Priest at the end of the prayer. So friends if u go there be certain to visit that place early morning. Obviously u would not miss out on the various tourist attarctions there.


Rome - an eternal city
May 31, 2006 03:26 PM 2253 Views

Rome... a city enveloped in history, culture, architecture, beauty, vino, grt food, the list is endless... so when I was told that I wd be going to Rome for a 10 day tv shoot... I almost had a cardiac arrest... I was to go and shoot Namaste India - afestival celebrating the food, fashion, wine and films of India in Italy, hosted by the Italian Govt. And to top that off I was also going to shoot at Alta Roma - Rome Fashion week... now at this point I was laughing, hysterically, I had just about lost all sense of well-being... I was delirious, I was mad, I was trigger-happy (pun intended... camera... trigger... get it?)... ok so off to Rome the crew went, and from the time we landed, it was like a dream come true... iwe had studied about rennaisance, sistine chapel, the colosseum, the roman empire all in history class... and now seeing it with my eyes it was... ''i want to thank God, at this point of time...'' if a person can afford only one foreign trip in his/her entire lifetime, make sure that they head to Italy.




  1. a lot of travellers say that the gladiators at the colosseum are a rip off... I say this is the only time u r going to be in rome... its once in a lifetime thing... take that picture for memory... u r here to have fun, enjoy, and take back good memories... 5 euros is nothing to pay for a lifetime of memories... so click a photo at the colosseum... in a foreign country YOU ARE A TOURIST... take full advantage of it...




  2. PIAZZA DI SPAGNA - boy oh boy... it was beautiful... sat there till 2am singing into the night with guitars, bongos, tambourines, shakers... the people at the piazza were more than friendly and we drank vino (indian) and sang thru the night... magical... u have to do it... met people from all over the world, and the theme for the night with our group was ''hits of the 80's'' so out came Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Dire Straights, The Eagles, Wham... a nostalgic moment on a historic site...






well, also got to go inside famous designer Valentino's work-place... which is a two min walk from the steps... got to see his archive, met the staff, saw how they were stitching... also saw a mannequin of Julia Roberts (her exact body measurements)... a new dress was being sewn for her!!!


as soon as you come out of the train station, there is a pizzeria on ur rt hand side where pizza by the slice is available... one of the best in Rome...


Also was fortunate to visit the International Wine Academy whose terrace looks over the steps... a magical location...




  1. sit at a cafe, drink the house wine and have gelatto post your meal




  2. visit all the sights - will take you at least a week to do them all... will not go into details as the world knows all about the vatican, the colosseum, the forum, the keyhole of malta, novona, sistine...etc...




  3. trastevere sunday market - a very close second to Goa's flea market at Arpora... beware of pick-pocketing... no, its not a ''con''... anywhere in the world u must be careful how you keep ur cash.. so please dont blame Rome/Italy for it... carry ur bag on the front, and shop till u drop... bought shoes for just 10 euros... bargain and bargain... u WILL get the right price...




  4. So much to do... so little time...






Sorento - beautiful South Italy


this paradise exists south of rome and pompeii... its beauty hit me like a ton of brics, and I wanted to get hit again and again... pick up the liquers that this town is famous for and also the red wine -''tears of christ'' (lacrima di christi).


Melur India
Coliseum: Romes Greatest Ampitheatre
May 18, 2006 12:05 PM 2467 Views

I really enjoyed it. I was there in 2001. I love the place. I really enjoy all the history behind this place. Your imagination runs wild when you are inside of it. I just didn't like that you couldn't walk around in the underneath of it.This immense amphitheatre, of which we still admire the ancient splendour, was begun by Vespasian in A.D. 72 and finished by his son Titus in A.D. 80. Jewish prisoners were employed in its construction. Its real name is ''Flavian Amphi-theatre'', and it could contain more than 50,000 spectactors. Around the exterior run three orders of arches, respectively adorned with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian pilasters.You can't go to Rome without seeing the Coloseum. It's a classic landmark. I was fortunate enough to be in town on free museum day and had the benefit of a guide to bring the ruins to life with stories. Admission can be a bit pricy, but you are now able to walk on a platform where the ''floor'' used to be to get the view the gladiators saw. There are also audio tours available.


The Colosseum is at the top of most peoples lists to visit, when they come to Rome, and I was no different....... once I laid my eyes upon it I was stung by its powerful, towering presence. It was originally commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in AD 72, and emperors would often use it to throw up great gladitorial combats and bloody animal fights for the thousands, in order to gain popularity. The capacity of the Colossum was around 55,000, and the hoards would be seated in sections according to rank. Once inside you can get an audio tour, but far better to wander around this awesome ampitheatre at your own pace, to truly understand what went on inside its walls, and to imagine what a packed Colosseum ready for a battle would have felt like....... You'll also find dozens of men outside dressed in gladiators costumes, so if you have a little extra money to burn then you can have your Colosseum experience 'heightened' by having your picture taken with an 'ancient' warrior. You may also be surprised, once inside, that the arena floor is no longer in place. What you can see now is a network of lifts and old cages for wild animals.


You cannot fail to be impressed by the Collosseum, its scale and the bloody history of it. Over the centuries it has been stripped of its statues, columns and marble and has been damaged by earthquakes, but to think that this place was built 2000 years ago is amazing. I would recommend that anyone visiting the Collosseum should get a guided tour because it just brings everything to life and also if you have one you do not have to queue to get in.


The Roman Experience- My Travelogue
Nov 27, 2004 09:08 PM 2852 Views

It?s very rare that you get to witness historical beauty at such gigantic levels, bricks echoing myriad tales about legendary figures whose footsteps romped the earth some time ago. It?s also rare to find any European city with so much life and colour, whose surrounding seven hills symbolise the scattering of the light into seven colours of the rainbow, and whose roads are so confusing that it is almost impossible to get away (in fact masters have commented ? All roads lead to Rome?). It?s another matter that you would not like to go away.


Rome or Roma fascinates the mind and encapsulates uncountable human emotions in its streets, monuments, people and food. From the moment Romulus laid the stepping stones to this great city in 7th century BC, innumerable history has been witnessed by the Tiber, which flows motionlessly crossing the St Peters Basilica (The seat of the Pope in Vatican) and the Coliseum. The neat porticoes in the streets, the downtown fashion stores of Armani, the ruins of Coliseum, the Vatican, the huge lush gardens; these are some of the images which will stay with you forever, fascinatingly interposing modernity with the grandeurs of history.


Places to See: People have been heard saying ?Even a lifetime is not enough to completely cover what Roma has to offer?. Lesser mortals like us had a horrid time covering the magical beauties within two days, that too on foot (certain acts of protection of Heritages prevent outside cars inside the city). You can start off with the Coliseum, which is near the central station; lazily strolling around the grand monument, amazed at the arena inside where Gladiators once fought for supremacy and Caesars addressed their armies. The entry fee is 13 ? (pretty high, even by European standards); note of caution: never pose for pictures with men who pose as Roman soldiers outside Coliseum, they demand a lot of money afterwards for the picture (I had a horrible encounter).


Past the Coliseum, on the main road walk along chapters of history as you see the ruins of the once great Roman empire. At the end of the street, you see Piazza the Venezia, the museum on Roman military fare; the front of the museum is laced with fountains and white marble steps, one of the best places to get clicked.


About a kilometre north off the museum is the Pantheon, centre of Roman learning and Philosophy (the structure that White House and several other buildings have copied). It has one of the tallest domes and some of the rarest paintings on walls (we saw some of the pictures later in Louver in Paris), the centre was later converted into a Church past the fall of empire, later converted into a museum post renaissance.


From the Pantheon, you can walk till the Tiber, which is about a Km away and you start seeing the domes of St Peter. As you approach Vatican, you are greeted with a huge round arena surrounded by marble pillars; it is the same place where the Pope greets the world on Christmas eve. Inside the Basilica, strict demeanours are expected of the visitors, so high decibels and low cut clothes are to be avoided at any costs. One can also visit the gardens inside the Vatican, although there are restricted areas for visitors.


Near the Coliseum there are some of the largest gardens in Europe, offering you the best of the sun and the shades, resplendent with greenery.


Surviving Rome: Rome in many ways is atypical of Indian cities (in fact the closest that any European city would come to), it is full of people, speeding two wheelers, colourful clothes and also, pickpockets. Make sure that all the valuables like Passport, Credit Card and Cash (do not carry much in first place) are in safe places; avoid travelling in buses and metros, do not carry valuables like Camera in pouch belts.


After Paris and London, it?s the biggest European city and hence people from subcontinent abound in here. We tasted some excellent Shahi Kofta and Chicken at an Indian joint near the central terminus. As usual, trust the desi people to help you out in trouble. We got some real help from the Indian embassy ( Mr Johnson, the officer in charge fixed an accommodation for us), later from a warm hearted Punjabi, Mr Singh, at whose place we stayed for the night.


Food: In Italy, if you don?t taste Pizzas and Pastas, your trip is incomplete. Choose from a wide range of Pizzas in the Pizzerias, as you do get some cheap deals at about 2 ?, my personal favourites were the ones with Mushroom and Ham, and Spicy Margheritta. One can also try Spaghetti, Lasagne, Broccoli Pasta and range of delicious Pastas. Vegeterians will not have any problems in Italy as most dishes are stuffed with vegetarian delights with no meat at all.


For details do have a look at Lonely Planet for Europe, the bible for travelling.


Visiting Rome is a once in a lifetime experience, whenever in life you are visiting Europe, mark few days in red for Rome, you?ll never repent it.


Thank you for reading my travelogue, I hope to share some more in coming days.


Roma: The Unguided Guide
May 31, 2004 07:11 PM 4038 Views

Hi,


Why the Unguided Guide? Because unlike most other tourists I'm not on a whirlwind tour with only 2 days in my pocket, so I can take my time to soak in the splendour of Rome, without any irritating tourist guide on my head.


So I have in total of about 20 weekend days in Rome and I have exhausted 6 and still I feel the rest 14 are too few! With so many days in hand, I decided to have a feeling of Rome without any guides/maps. So here I am, every weekend morning I reach Termini(the central train/bus/metro station - very convenient to move around), and decide to take a walk in a different direction and get inside any beautiful building I see.


The first couple of days I got drunk with too much of splendour, of all things I saw, I recognized only the Colloseum(for obvious reasons) and I realized that Rome wasn't built in a day! I went to the same places again the next weekend, and this time read and realized the historical significance of the places. I wont take the same names again which have been oft repeated through all the other reviews, yeah but for central rome you must see all the monuments in the day as well as at the night - an absolute must!


One extremely good place that many tourists miss are the Catacombs, which are located in the suburbs. There are many catacombs and most of them are extremely interesting, makes you wonder about a lot of things! The biggest one, on Via S. Sebastian, can be reached by taking Underground LineA to Coli Albani and then takin Bus 660 to its last stop. All other catacombs are in near vicinity.


Why Rome is a great tourist place is not only because of the ancient splendour but also due to its amazing natural beauty. About 5-7 Kms from Rome are the the small towns of Castelli Roma (I hope the spelling is right), they are on the small foothills surrounding Rome. These places, particularly Frascati and Arecia are known for the great cuisine they offer. I ate Porchetta, a small pork painfully cooked for hours with herbs and a lemon in its mouth, served cold with wine(preferably).


A few words about the cuisine of Rome wont do much harm here. Roman cuisine has some added characteristics over the standard Italian cuisine. Pizza is a whole philosophy in itself, the kind of pizza one cooks depends on the school of pizza.


Romans normally prefer a thin light crust with a basic coating of mozarella and tomatoes, the other toppings are never in excess ( ofcourse, an average Roman hates the pizzas delivered by pizza hut - which in any case seem non existent here). For the people on the move, there is a variety of pizza called pizzarito, the rectangular ones with thicker bread and generally readymade. Suppli, a fried starter with a variety of stuffings is another must. I had one with rice and mozarella(mmm..)


Romans use a lot of internal organs of animals in their cooking, so the meat varieties( the authentic roman ones) are not too costly.


20-25 kms from the centre and accessible by public transport, is Ostivia. You can have a magnificent view of blue sea waters from here. As in any big city, the best parts of the beach are occupied by the private clubs, so you get about 10 meters from the shore of public space, then the private club properties.


The free beach is very small and extremely crowded( really it doesnt give the feeling of a beach), but that doesnt take anything away from the majestic sea. And its a photographers delight too. What do you want on plain blue water, a colorful sail! wow!, or a descending plane (the international airport is nearby).


Rome in general is a chaotic place(reminds me a lot of India). Its crowded, its extremely dirty by european standards, and whats very distressing is that the tourists dont give a second thought before littering the greatest of the monuments.


I dont know where to end so, I would keep adding and refining the reviews on Rome, its specific characteristics and nearby places like Venice, Milan. Do send you comments and keep coming.


Ciao


Trip to Italy- Rome Part 2
Apr 26, 2004 08:52 PM 2794 Views

Hi,


I am cotinuing my description from my last article: Trip t Italy-Truly memorable Part1 in General section of Italy.


We reached Rome early morning on 10th at 7:00AM.


Rome is situated on seven hills, so it is really not that easy to walk through the city. Although most of the ancient Rome can be covered on feet. Roma Termini is the main railway station here. We took a one-day travel card, which is valid on almost all buses, trams and metros. We soon checked into the hotel and then headed towards our first destination Vatican Museums. All our enthusiasm came to a halt when we saw a long queue approximately 500m to 1 KM to go inside the Museum. We kept walking till we reached at the rear end of the queue. Anyway, after 2 long hours of wait we finally got inside the Museum.


This Museum is especially famous for Sistine Chapelwhere Michelangelo worked on the ceiling for 4 years and made beautiful paintings. Here whole of the ceiling is covered with the beautiful works of Michelangelo.


Then we headed towards the world's smallest country, Vatican City,(0.2 square miles (0.44 km2) in area), where the famous St. Peter'schurch is situated. We could not go inside the church that day as it was closed for Easter preparations. St.Peter's is the church where Pope comes to take the mass.


Then we moved towards the St. Angelo castle. It is said that Pope used to hide in this castle at the time of war. A tunnel at the top of this castle connects to the Vatican.


Then it was the time to go to the famous Piazza Navona. This place consists of 3 fountains of which the center one is world class, the fountain of 4 rivers.


Then we moved towards Pantheon. The Pantheon ('Temple to All Gods') is the largest dome in Rome (yes larger than St. Peter's.) It has 10m opening (oculus) in the roof through which the light comes. At the time of rain it is believed to be a quite good site to see as water drips through the opening.


By this time it was evening and we headed towards the Trevi fountain. It was a very crowded place. It is famous for that with the back to the fountain if we throw a coin in the fountain then it brings good luck. Throwing 2 coins guarantees that you'll return to Rome and throwing three means you will get married to an Italian girl/boy. Most of us threw 2 :-).


We waited there till dusk, as this fountain looks fabulous in the night. After the photography session we started going back to Pantheon as most of the places in Rome are worth seeing in the night as well. Then we went back to the Vatican city via Piazza Navona and St. Angelo Castle. After dinner it was already 11 PM and we took a train and soon went back to our Hotel.


After seeing Rome I believe that why was it said that Rome is not built in a day.


The very next day we started our journey at 8:30 AM and reached Colosseum at about 9:00. There we took a guided tour and went inside to witness the stadium where the famous Roman Gladiators used to fight for their life. Many Gladiators used to die every day. There once had a festival of 100 days in which the Gladiator used to fight with other Gladiators or with animals. At the end of the fight it was up to the emperor, whether the loser will die or live.


We got our photographs clicked with one the men dressed in form of a Gladiator.


Around the Colosseum were the famous Roman Forums, who used to be the market place, financial center, seat of government etc. It is all in ruins now as only the pillars have remained of the old buildings, but it still speaks for its grandness.


After passing through the Roman Forums, we went to the Piazza Venizia, where there was an immense marble monument called Vittoriano, which looks like a Typewriter. It is a tomb of an unknown solider.


By this time we were really tired and decide to take a bus to Vatican as we had missed St. Peter's church the very first day. We went inside the church. It was a huge and fabulous church. Inside the church is a marble statue of St Peters and its feet are now so thin as every person coming to this church touches his feet for wishes. Soon we came out and after lunch and a bit of shopping took a train to Piazza Di Spagna, which has the Spanish Steps. This piazza is irregular shaped piazza. The shape of the fountain here is that of a leaking boat with water coming out from many places.


It had already started getting dark, so after changing buses and trains we went back to Piazia Venizia and then to Colosseum and witnessed their beauty in the night.


The next day early morning we left Rome and headed towards the city of Florence. The train journey took about 2 hours. We were in Florence for about 2-3 hours, in which we saw a few churches and a famous bridge with wooden jewelry shops on it.


In the afternoon we started our journey to Pisa, where is situated one the Seven Wonders of the World, The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is basically a bell tower. Its construction started and stopped several times because of the wars with Florence at that time. The marshy nature of the land was responsible for this lean in the tower. It has 297 steps and going to the top is really tiring. At the top we had a photography session.


General Tips about Rome:


1 If u are a vegetarian, u have 3 options in pizza's: Vegetariana, Margarita and Fungi. Please be sure to ask 2-3 times that the pizza does not contain meat or fish.


2 Beware of pick Pockets and snatchers.


3 Do check the opening times of Vatican Museums before planning.


4 Do see Vatican City,Colosseum,Trevi fountain and Piazza Venezia in night as well.


5 Do not forget to bargain when buying Sovereigns.


6 In Rome too it is better to take a day travel card.


These four days in Italy were probably the quickest, as there was so much to see with very little time. You must be knowing Italy for many things but it is also famous for the icecreams and in a good Italian weather it is really very hard to resist from having one, so we had lots n lots of these.


We came back to UK with all good and unforgettable memories of people and places of a magnificent country called ITALY.


CHOW...


Gaurav


Rajahmundry (Native) Philippines
Every brick has history
Jan 28, 2004 07:08 AM 2375 Views

Rome is simply a fascinating place. There is a lot to see in the city. At the end of our tour we felt that every brick in the city has historical value. The Vatican city and audience with the Pope could be your most memorable experiences. Do not miss the museums, Sistine chapel, Basilica of san Pietro in the Vatican city. A visit to catacombs will give you a unique feeling – it is like waking into a grave!


Best part is to sit at a road side restaurant and enjoy divine Italian food in the evening, talking about the days visit and planning the next days activities!


A word of caution though; be careful with your personal belongings while visiting even crowded sites. I was told by many that gangs of small children could appear from nowhere and rob tourists and runaway. You will be stunned and helpless. Fortunately such occurrences are not frequent, better to be on the guard – one cannot afford loose the Passport for instance.


Coimbatore India
Romance of Rome
Jun 03, 2003 11:41 PM 3368 Views

This was one of the places I instantly fell in love with. As a student from Paris we flew into Italy with Airlibexpress. You can check their sites and get these cheap tickets to Italy. Rome was our last stop in Italy. And the longest. Ans the best.


We had booked this youth hostel which is really close to the station. The place was cheap and decent. And for one euro they would give you free dinner of Pasta and Pizza.


And free internet!


Roma is beautiful when u can simply pick a map and walk around it. You'll need a lot of energy but then, what the hell, there are so many piazzas and fontains that u'll never be really tired. The fontain de trevi is the famous wishing fountain of Rome. The legend says that if u throw in one coin u'll come back to rome and if u throw in two, ull find true love.


Rome is best seen by bus. And the first place to go is the colosseum. You have to go to this place both by night and by day. Coz the lighting is too spectacular to miss in the night and you cant go in then .


Take a trip to the vatican and the friendly free guides there will give you an enthusiastic lecture on the history fo the place.


While you are there eat only pizza and pasta and ice cream. And dont forget to buy leather products. Shoes are the best there.


The italian people are a little loud like us, indians. So we r very comfortable there. Stock up on film coz this place has so much history to offer. Walking through the streets you could almost imagine urself in a place where people fought wars hundreds of years back. you will feel like ceaser..and you will feel like going back again.


Eternally Yours!
Sep 07, 2002 01:14 PM 3549 Views

This magnificent city has the power to enthrall you for all the days that you choose to spend with her. A city so steeped in history and art that your head starts to spin. When I first entered the streets of the city, I felt that I was walking through the pages of a history book.


Modernization has not affected this city one iota. What it was a century ago, is still the same to this date with the trims of the modern world. It is as if time has stood still for this charming city.


A visit to the Vatican city must be dedicated an entire day and whichever day you choose, make sure you make reservations to enter the gardens. A fee of 5 Euros will get you an elevator ride to the top of St. Peters Dome. You can opt for the cheaper ''ride via feet'' for 4 Euros. Trust me when I say PAY the extra Euro and check out the view from the dome without having to catch your breath in gasps. You have to be truly and totally fit to take that spiralling walk to the dome. The 360 degree view is simply breath-taking.


Its a short bus ride to the Piazza Venezia which holds the tomb of the unknown soldier. Locals affectionately call it the Wedding Cake.


A short walk takes you to the Colosseum. A fee of 7.50 Euro gains you an entry into the main arena where convicts were thrown to the lions. Also available for another fee is a small player with headphones where one can listen to the history of the colosseum while taking in the sights.


While exiting the colosseum,one comes upon a gladiator who revels in having his picture taken with you.


However,beware! These pictures come with a price namely 5 Euros per head.


The Trevi Fontaine is a must see. Though there are many fountains at every corner you turn, the Trevi fountain is one where you must visit and throw in a coin and make the wish to come to Italy again.


A visit to one of the eight wonders of the world is yet another experience one must not miss. The Leaning Tower of Pisa Torre del Pisais everything the picture on websites and postcards make it out to be. The 15 Euros to get inside is just not worth it.


What you should be looking at in these places and ancient buildings is the intricate artwork and architecture. Appreciation for the delicacy and the artistry of the larger-than-life statues and the structures is what is called for here.


There are a lot of mobile restaurants selling all sorts of sandwiches and pizzas and juices and water. One can survive and economise on food and travel expenses.


You can buy bus tickets from the newsstands all over the place.The train tickets are, however, not cheap at all. So plan your trip well when you decide to go.


There are also many options one can choose when it comes to accomodation. What you must decide, in the first place, is where you want to stay. Do you want to stay close to the train station? or close to the vatican? Whichever you choose, http://www.expedia.com gives you any number of options and very good prices.I, however, typed ''Convents in Italy'' in a search engine and came up with more viable and economical options, thus saving almost $50. The search results give you around four pages of convents to choose to live in for the duration of your stay in Rome.


A word of advice, convents are convents and so they have deadlines, meaning that they have a cut-off time by which you have to be in the convent. Some don't have a cut-off time and some have times like 11:00 p.m.


A week is simply not enough to see the city of Rome completely. I strongly advise anyone to walk through the streets of this beautiful city as whizzing by in a car or a tour operators bus is not the way to take in the history and art of the city.


A word of caution to the would-be traveller to this ancient city - the italians do not speak a word of english and so it would do ye well to either learn the language (and not a few phrases, mind you!) or carry a bi-lingual dictionary.


Also, be very aware of pickpockets! I was warned several times of these people and also be warned that the Italianos are very slick and have been known to take people for a ride.


My experience with the Italians was nothing more than pleasant. When the books say that they are temperamental, they were not kidding! But they are a beautiful people, full of drama and vitality.


Theres only one thing I can say after my visit to Rome, Bella Roma!


birmingham united kingdom
Another Era....Rome...the eternal city
Sep 03, 2002 02:17 PM 3553 Views

What a historical city - buildings from so many ancient/previous eras. Its very different from the organized and neat Paris but in its own league totally.


Some of the Italian women we saw are beautiful, so chic and elegant, inspite of the heat and the Italian men...I dont want to spoil the beautiful memories with their crazy behaviour....finally some competition to the Delhi heroes.


We missed the Sistine to my great sadness but the rest of Rome was too good to be true, most of all San Pietro in the Vatican.


Early one morning we took the metro to Spagna to see the Spanish Steps, when you get out of the metro it seems like a small square and then you turn to your right and see the Steps properly with a beautiful fountain in front. We climbed the Steps which had so many people sitting and doing nothing even at 8:30am, to the church above it. From there we got a great view of Rome, not too high up but nice to see.


We walked down the Via Condotti from the Spanish Steps and then some more, to the Fontana di Trevi. On the way, which was not more than 15 mins, we passed small piazzas and beautiful churches. The Fountain is beautiful and I loved it, there were hordes of people there though. We threw a coin each to return and many pictures and then walked to the Pantheon which is awesome. From there we walked to the Piazza Navona which has three incredible fountains/statues and cafes around it, its really as pretty as its talked about.


When you go to the Colosseo, do take the metro, as you get out of the station the immense building looms up and its a shock.


The Roman Forum and Palatine is very close and worth looking at for the so ancient buildings.


From there Piazza Venezia is 5 minutes walk and truly like a wedding cake!


On the Via Giolitti side of the Termini as you get out next to the McDonalds there is this place which offers three course really filling meals for only 8 or 9 euros per person, with a sweet old lady at the counter. There is no service charge which seemed to be 3 euros at all


Eating in Rome


In the Termini, on the basement level where the Metro is, there is a Conad supermarket if you want to eat very cheap readymade food, we bought some good wine from there and a 1.5 litre of lime drink for only 50 cents! Thats cheaper than in India!


Near our hotel there is a place which seemed so Italian, a lovely ristofer/trattoria with great ambience but very high prices and horrible food, I liked the lasagna in Bombay much more, what a disapointment, and on our first night in Rome. At least our other meals were great.


Nightlife


for nightlife and meeting people, the main and only area was Campo De Fiori, each night, everyone in our hotel seemed to be going there and inviting everyone who wasnt.


Please be careful of gypsy women with really tiny babies on Bus 64 who are big time pros at pickpocketing. We almost got ripped off by a women with a 2-3 month old baby who was crushed in the crowd.


Accomodation


We stayed at Hotel Virginia, very close to the Termini on the Via Marsala side, it was approximately 50 Euros for two people per night. For the same price there is a building full of pensiones on the Giolitti side of the Termini, like Alberto Rossi, Sunshine B&B etc. Virginia also has a hostel for 18 Euros per person per night which we tried for one night, it wasnt bad at all and we met some sweet people.


Trastevere didnt live up to our expectations, its like most of Rome, maybe because we went on a Sunday, looking for Via del Moro and a friend's insistent recommendation on eating at Mario's, which unfortunately shut down.


However, the best ice cream we had in Rome was in a small shop while walking to the church - I think Santa Maria.....I had Frutti Di Bosco which was divine and delicious, Via del Moro also has a tiny shops selling homemade chocolate which everyone must buy even though its a little expensive.


Diagonally opposite the chocolate shop there is a small cafe with only 2 benches which has the best pizza and calzone we ate during our stay


There are many beautiful water fountains all over Rome, and also small taps, the water coming out is absolutely drinkable....its very cold and refreshing in the heat - supposed to be installed by a Pope.


Amazing place to go to and a must see for everyone in their lifetime.


Jewel in Italy's crown
Apr 27, 2002 05:01 PM 2579 Views

Rome-for the romantic. Rome for the roamer. Rome for the rich. But to me Rome was a dreamer's paradise. The town that boasts of not one, not two but several historical and cultural monuments. There's no doubt about it: Rome means


history. In this city a phenomenal concentration of history, legend and monuments coexist with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily going about their


everyday life. It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the eternal city, it has so much to offer for the traveller. Thankfully, the popular monuments are all at walking distance from one another. Rome's most celebrated sights are the Roman Forum, The Collosseum, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, as well as basilicas of


St. Peter at Vatican City , St.Paul, St Mary Major, Sistine Chapel . In addition there are innumerable piazzas, the famous being Piazza Navona. If you love wandering to marvel at a city adorned with thousands of marble figurines, narrow streets of cobbled stone, where in every nook and corner or squares there are ornate fountains encountered. Rome is what you need. A beautiful city that breaths and breaths art alone.


LA BELLA ROMA
Apr 19, 2002 01:11 AM 4429 Views

ROME is a beautiful City on the Tiber River. It is the largest City as well as Capital City of Italy. The people here are very 'trendy' and very much like the people I met in NYC. They can be friendly and 'pushy' and I enjoyed visiting Rome 6 times.


We left Venice early in the morning, (by passing Florence), and stopped only for lunch at a Tourist Stop. We mid afternoon and were taken to our Hotel. It was a 4 Star Hotel, (sorry I don't remember the name), on a small square that was about a 20 minute drive to the Spanish Steps.


We had to rush because we were scheduled to visit the Vatican City, (home of the Pope and not considered part of Rome), and the Sistine Chapel.


In Vatican City is St Peter's Basilica that was named after St Peter of Rome. I though there were large paintings on the wall but when I went up close to one of them to my surprise each 'painting' was made out of tiny mosaic tiles. We had to walk carefully because the floors were made of white marble.


Next we visited the tombs that are below the first floor. There is a statue of St Peter in the Basilica. Our Guide told us that the stature has been touched by so many over so many years that the foot has been worn down to a little 'point. Pieta' is the famous statue of 'Jesus Christ and Mary. The carved tombs hold the 'bones' of all the Popes.


The Sistine Chapel is where Michelangelo’s painted his beautiful frescoes of ‘The Creation’ on the domed ceiling.


(When I stayed at the Hilton Hotel I use to walk through the 'Borghese Gardens' to reach the center of the City. This time we only drove though the park. I did go to the Borghese Gallery to see their collection of art and sculpture from the Baroque and Renaissance eras. Bernini's statue of 'King David' was my favorite.)


DAY II:


We finally had one free day and night. MM and I went to the Spanish Steps, (Piazza di Spagna), that lead up to the French Church called ‘Trinità dei Monti’. In the piazza is a boat-shaped fountain called the 'Barcaccia'.


We walked through the streets that branch out from the square and browsed through the shops, (these are the most expensive shops in Rome). We walked down a street of Antique Shops and then had coffee. MM was quite upset when I wouldn't let her sit down and order her coffee. (Coffee costs more if it is served to you.)


I made a mistake and we went to the Alfredo’s Cafe for lunch. The Cafe must have been sold because it was the first time the famous 'noodles Alfredo' were terrible. They still kept the tradition of giving a spoon with a famous person's name engraved on it to someone at the table. MM ate with Elisabeth Taylor's spoon.


We took a taxi to the Street of the America's. This is a great place to shop because there are a lot of designer discount shops in this area.


The first time I was in Rome I had stayed at a hotel called the, (now a Westin), Excelsior. MM and I went there for a drink so I could show her were the rich older Italian Men brought their Mistress'. The hotel is on the Via Veneto that is a street that Romans come to see and be seen nightly. MM and I strutted down both sides of the street. I bought an International Herald Tribune at the newsstand across from the hotel and we sat down to eat at an out door Cafe.


DAY III:


After breakfast we went to the Piazza del Campidogio, (that was designed by Michelangelo), on Capitolino Hill. This is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Capitolino is where the Roman Government building is. We had half an hour to see the Museum Capitolini collection of ancient art and sculptures.


Right below Capitolino Hill is the Roman Forum. Our Guide said this was the home of the ancient Romans power. We walked inside and sat on the cold marble seats and tried to imagine the great debates that took place here once upon a time.


We drove to the top of Palatino Hill to see the ruins of the homes of the ancient Romans. We drove past the home of Emperor Augustus, (that was built over 200 BC).


I thought the Pantheon was the best-preserved building of ancient Roman. It was originally a Temple. Our Guide told us that some Italian Kings are buried in the Pantheon.


A few feet away from the Pantheon is the Trevi Fountain, (designed in a baroque style). We followed the custom and threw three coins in the fountain, (for good luck).


At every stop peddlers greeted our bus. They swarmed around us trying to sell us 'real' top named pens, old gold & silver coins and watches. The first time I was in Rome I learned that Italy doesn't recognize paten laws and once anything is design an Italian Company can copy it. Buyers beware!


That night we had a special meal out at the Cafe owned by one of Mussolini's Grandchildren. I found that most of the food in Rome was not special, (we have better Italian food in Canada), but it was delicious here. A Gypsy Band was playing and they asked if anyone had a song to request. I asked if they new 'Kalinka'. One of the men pulled me on to the dance floor, handed me a tambourine and I danced like the gypsies for at least five songs, (read this as 'Chico' said it was time to leave).


SOME THOUGHTS:


There is something magical about being in Rome and I would go back if you 'crossed my palm with silver' so I could play and dance like a gypsy.


©LL


The City To Which All Roads Lead
May 04, 2001 01:37 AM 2821 Views

Rome is the capital city of the Lazio region and of Italy. The city is built on the River Tiber on the Seven Hills of Rome - the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Palatine, Aventine, and Caelian. From the 6th century it has been the centre for Christianity


PLACES TO SEE




  • St Peter`s Cathedral - No matter what your beliefs it is still an amazing sight to see. Remember to dress appropriately. No shorts or strappy tops.




  • The Colosseum - Imagine the days of gladiatorial fighting with the Christians thrown amongst the lions. If you`ve seen the film Gladiator, you can imagine the occurrences within the arena.




  • The Trevi Fountain - The fountain has been world famous by the Fellini film La Dolce Vita. It is one of the most famous spots in Rome. Legend has it that whoever throws a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome.




  • Castel Sant`Angelo - Emperor Hadrian had it built in 130 A.D. as his mausoleum.






There are many more sights well worth visiting in the city, these are just a few.


EATING OUT


There are a wide variety of restaurants to eat in. Choose a place with Italians eating. They certainly know the best places. The best option value wise is to choose the set menu.


GETTING AROUND


There is a very good underground network though you will probably choose to go on foot so that you can see everything.


The best time to visit the city is in the spring months or autumn months. The heat can be unbearable in the height of summer.


UEP Subang Jaya Malaysia
Places to Shop In Roma !
Apr 02, 2001 11:31 AM 5915 Views

Rome, the ''...eternal city...'' is famed for the magnificence of its monuments and fountains, its historical and cultural traditions, and the wealth of its architectural history. Visitors descending on the Italian capital also discover to their delight that Rome is also quite a Mecca for shoppers.


Consumables feature among some of Rome's most typical gifts : chocolates, fine wines and pasta are all good buys to take home. Unfortunately you can't take home some of the culinary joys such as a cup of cappucino or an ice cream from a Gelateria. For up market, high fashion goods, Rome has few equals - there are dozens of small, quality stores specialising in fashion and gifts. Gucci is one of the most popular international names in leather goods, Giorgio Armani and Emperor Armani sell clothing for men and women, and other really classy outlets include Salvatore Ferragamo, Gianfranco Ferre and Luisa Spagnoli.


The city has loads of fun fashion stores, plush jewellers, shops selling fine glass and crystal ware, and embroidered linen. If you are looking for shoes, Rome is one of the best places to buy them. The city is also famous for leather goods, although the leather handbags and jackets beckoning from store windows are no longer as inexpensive as they once were.


The Piazza di Spagna, named after the residence of the Spanish ambassador to the Vatican, is a major focal point for Rome's tourism. The square and the streets below the steps are the places for smart shopping, with the area bounded by Via dei Condotti, Via Borgognona and Via Frattini the most exclusive in Rome.


Generally the Romans themselves love the smaller shops, and many of the really top names of high fashion, for shoes, handbags and clothing, are tucked away in the courtyards of the splendid mansions facing either these same streets or the alleys to the side of them. Valentino's women's high fashion center, Yves Saint Laurent, and Versace's Milanese style are all located in Via Bocca di Leone while streets specialising in antiques and furnishings are Via del Babbuino ( try Cesari at No 16 for linen and lingerie ), Via dei Coronari and Via Margutta, which is also the street of artists. Another fine store for quality linens and beautiful bedspreads is Ellepi on Via della Croce.


The upper area of Via del Corso has boutiques and stacks of small shops catering to youthful fashion tastes. The area beyond the Corso - between Piazza S Lorenzo in Lucina and the Pantheon, Piazza Navona - is still full of little shops which have been in the same family for generations and which keep - up the tradition of high quality in their wares. The area near the Trevi fountain is a good place to find economy-class shoe shops for those put-off by the high prices of the merchandise in the Piazza di Spagna and Veneto shopping areas. For art books, Messaggeri Bocca at Via delle Carroze 50 has an outstanding reputation.


Another area which should be considered by the serious shopper is the beginning of Via Appia Nuova at Porta San Giovanni where there are several department stores and small shops selling produce at competitive prices. Many offer vendita promozionale ( promotional sales ) where good bargains can be obtained but as always the secret to wise shopping is knowing what is really stylish and what is passe.


Rome stores usually are open from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm and then from 3.30 pm or 4.00 to 7.30 or 8.00 pm. They close on Sundays and for one half day during the week. During the summer months, however, most stores are closed on Saturday afternoons.


###Open Markets


Via Sannio - this umbrella - covered market, located behind a department store at the San Giovanni underground train A line stop, is open for business on Mondays to Fridays 8.00 am to 1.00 pm and on Saturday 8.00 am to 7.00 pm.


There is a wide variety of stalls selling myriad varieties of new and second - hand clothes and camping equipment. The biggest draw for foreigners and a bargain buy are the leather goods and accessories which sell at much lower prices than in the department stores.


Piazza Fontanella Borghese - trading takes place every day except Sundays at this market which is a chic spot to see and be seen in. The specialities here include old books, second - hand cutlery, prints and maps, and antiques. Bargaining makes for exciting shopping but you need to know a smattering of Italian.


Porta Portese - Rome's most famous flea market is open only on Sunday mornings and it is advisable to get to the Porta Portese early if you are after a bargain. There are reckoned to be more than 2,200 vendors here which gives you good idea of the popularity of the place. It's de rigeur to bargain, bargain and bargain some more but remember the stall holders know their stuff inside out.


Besides antiques - some of which are of the instant variety - the Porta Portese is a good haunt for leather goods, prints, inexpensive clothes, radios, and handicrafts. There is increasingly an international flavor at this market with more and more North African and Arab peddlers selling carpets and African - made handicraft items. Be warned though - the Porta Portese market is also a haven for purse snatchers and pickpockets, so it is wise to take adequate precautions.


Department stores in town range from the Coin and La Rinascente to UPIM and Standa. The Coin is in Piazzale Appio, Viale Libia 61, and this is particularly good for clothing and up market fashions. La Rinascente located in Piazza Colonna and Piazza Fiume offers a very wide of goods and really makes serious efforts to attract the foreign shopper, with features like discounts and money - changing services, and posts some of its prices in US dollars.


The Standa and UPIM stores are to be founded scattered throughout the city but the most central of the Standa stores are in Via Cola Rienzo and Via Appia Nuova and those of UPIM in Via Nazionale, Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore and Via del Tritone. Both these stores carry a wide range of merchandise at reasonable prices such as leather goods and glassware.


Roma:A vinatge city which has ripened over time
Feb 27, 2001 02:48 PM 2961 Views

Rome is a place where one breathes,drinks,eats and dreams history. Every square inch of this place has some historical legacy associated with it. The meaning and essence of the word ''history'' can be felt and experienced here.The city is full of huge unbelievable (marble) statues,designer fountains,vintage churches,ruins, museums, sprawling historical city squares all dating right from 1 AD to recent history . No wonder this was the seat of power of the great Roman empire that had such a profound effect on the european history.


It would be impossible to cover the profile of the entire city in a small review like this as each one of those historical places there can be a subject of some thesis for a historian. The ideal time for an average visitor to get a glimpse of Rome would require atleast a minimum of 3-4 days.Ideally everybody would start their sight seeing with Colosseum ,an ancient stadium,which was host to the most barbaric sports ,to satisfy the sadistic whims and fantasies of the emperors,where it is said that powerful men were left to fend against hungry lions and many such tales.(remeber the film Gladiator...).The royal ruins of Acropolis forms the backdrop for this majectic colosseum,where there is a history associated with every brick that has fallen on the ground.There are also many palace remains of great emperors like caesear's,zeus,augustus,etc etc


Moving more to the artistic side ,rome was also home to world's greatest artist's like Michelangelo's ,Bernini's etc and many great painters,whose contribution to the world's most ornamental city ,can be seen even today in churches(like in Vatican,Pantheon) and fountains that are available at ever nook and corner. Some of their work can be seen in the most beautiful squares in Rome like Piazza de Novona,Spagna.Romans r known for their tall,muscular,handsome,macho ,adonis looks as well as women with high cheek bones ,a la Sopia Lorens,which is highlighted in all its true glory in the marble sculptures scattered all round rome.I suppose it is this same artistic,aesthetic creative genes that has passed down to present gen of Italians hence boasting of world renowned fashion icons like armanis,guccis,valentinos....


One of the most romantic and not-to-be missed spot is large Trevi fountain(remmeber the latest video of BOn Jovi ,''thank u for loving me'') ,where its a tradition to toss 2 coins backward ,once so that u can return to Rome once more and second one to fulfill ur pending wish.


Another must visit place is the marvellous holy St.Peters church in the Vatican country,the papal seat in the rome city.First, one will be astounded by the gigantic church,secondly as u enter the church one will be overwhelmed by the sheer artistic wizadry of michelangelo and others who have crafted the rich marble interiors.One should never miss to climb the steep stairs that leads u to the top of the church that gives u an eagle eyed view of the interior of the chapel and outside a breathtaking view of Rome .(something like a view of paris ,from eiffel,definitely not from that elevation).


Coming to shopping,there r the most expensive designer showrooms around Piazza de Spagna ,and definitely dont miss a stroll atleast for window shopping down the posh Via Veneto .And when u r there do drop in for a munch at Hard rock cafe at the end of the street ,where u can have a look at some of pop stars memorabilia like madonna's black dress of ''papa dont preach'',santana's guitar...so on.


This is in very short the essence of rome,which needs a true historian to write a review!!!


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