Beautiful and historical, Rome is one of the must visit place, that I am sure many Europe traveller have in mind. Located in the western-mid of the peninsula near Tyrrhenian sea, Rome is the capital of Italy.
Map of Rome in Italy
Rome can be reached via air (flight to Fiumicino and also Ciampino) or by land (train, car). From Ciampino airport you can take bus to the city. The bus is easily to find, which was just outside the airport and you don’t need to reserve in advance. The ticket cost around 4€ (I used Terravision bus) and took 40 min to the main train station in the city (Termini Station). From Termini station, you can continue your journer using metro, bus, or taxi which are available to all part of Rome.
Rome has a lot of ancient city, spread out all around the city. The most well known and most visited place is The Colosseum. The Colosseum was built in AD 80 and it is still standing strongly and beautifully. It is a very huge Roman Amphitheater where the fight between gladiator and wild animal took place. No wonder that nearby, there are many people dress like Gladiator and you can take picture with them with some money.
There are some spot to enjoy the Colosseum from different angle, for example from Domus Aurea side, via dei Fori Imperialli, and via San Giovani.
The night picture of Colosseum is very beautiful and the lightening surround is very supported.
Colosseum (Roman Amphitheater) at night, Rome, Italy
The are two arches nearby the Colosseum, one is Arco di Tito (Arch of Titus) which is a triumph arch dedicated to Titus (brother of Roam Emperor Dominitian) to commemorate Titus’s victories. The other arch is Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine) to commemorate the Constantine’s victor over the war.
Palatino (Palatine hill) is a one of the most ancient part of Rome. On the time I visited Rome, there was an event in this place and Pope Benedict were there to gave speech. Unfortunately, My camera was run out of battery, so no picture :-(.
Palatine hill, Rome, Italy
The other ancient sites is Roman Forum (Foro Romano), where many ruined temples and arches located. This place was used as a ceremonial and social places in ancient Rome.
Above the Roman Forum, there is the Capitoline Hills, where two museum: Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori located.
From inside the museum, you can see nice view of the city, especially the Mercati Traianei and the Colonna Traianei.
The next places in Capitoline Hill is the Nazionale Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland). This place is very attractive and eye catching because the building is very new compare to the ancient monument nearby.
When you visit this place, you can have a great view of the city. You must go to the middle of the street to have a good view of the complete Capitoline Hills. Don’t worry, there is greenery part where you can stand and take picture without afraid of the traffic ;-).
The other extraordinary ancient building is the Pantheon. It is built between AD 118-125 and still best preserved. The Pantheon is the temple of all Gods, with a square look from outside and a perfect round dome interior (equal diameter upside down, side by side).
Beside the monuments and buildings, Rome is also famous for its fountain. There are many fountain in Rome, and the most famous one is Fontana de Trevi. It is the biggest fountain in Rome and one of the most well known fountain in the world.
The tradition when you visit Fontana di Trevi is throwing coin to the fountain. Legend said that by throwing coins can make you return back to Rome. Yes, some cent would not hurt to try ;-). Do you know that according to Wikipedia, nearly 3000€ coins were thrown in this fountain every day? Hmmmm…when I see the number of tourist in Rome, I think it is reasonable…
Piazza is a town square, the place to gather, and Rome has a lot of this Piazza. In the middle of Piazza, normally there is a fountain where people in ancient time get their drinking water. Normally the fountain in Rome based on the gravity, no pump. The other must see fountain is the Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat, in Piazza di Spagna), Fontana del Tritone (Fountain of of the Triton, in Piazza Barberini), Fontana del Pantheon (Fountain of the Pantheon, in Piazza della Rotonda), Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers, in the Piazza Navona), Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of the Neptune, in Piazza Navona).
Piazza di Spagna is not only the place for the Fontana della Baracaccia, but the more well known Scalinata Trinita dei Monti (Spanish step) located here. It is a wide steps between Piazza di Spagna (down) and Piazza Trinita del Monti (up). This steps was built by French and linking the Spanish embassy and the Trinita dei Monti church (was under the French’s King) to the Holly See (church in Vatican).
Italy is famous for its designer clothing’s, bags, and shoes. If you want to do some shopping, go to the area near the Spanish Step. There are many famous designer boutique in this area and the is also famous coffee shop nearby. The coffee, especially cappuccino in this place (and all places in Rome) is extraordinary.
There are many other interesting places to visit, for example Castle San Angelo, located just near Fiume Tevere (river Tiber, the third longest river in Italy), connected with Ponte Sant’ Angelo. Nearby the castle, there is Palazzo di Giustizia (Palace of Justice), where the supreme court and public judicial library are located.
Furthermore, many other interesting church and Basilica in Rome are worth to visit, such as Basilica San Mario Maggiore (Santa Maria Maggiore) and Roman Catholic church S. Ignazio di Loyola (Saint Ignatius of Loyola).
There is one hidden place where I guess not many tourist visited, The Isola, the small island connected by Ponte Fabricio and Ponte Cestio is a very cozy place to just relax, out of the Rome tourist crowd. There are Sinagoga and Teatro Marcelo nearby.
Tips:
2-3 days is good to visit Rome. The Trevi Fountain and Spanish step are very crowded. To avoid that, best to go in the early morning.
(memory of April 2009, no photoshop)
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