Roma

Rome is so jam packed with things to see and do I am glad we spent a week there. The power and depth of the Roman empire is evidenced everywhere with history around every corner; statues, monuments, fountains, churches, piazzas, ruins at every turn. We had the chance to see a lot of the city and take our time with it; which was good. We saw the big hits including the Coloseum, Vatican & San Pedro, Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, Pantheon & Roman Forum.

One thing which I find annoying in continental Europe is that you have to pay to go to museums, art galleries and even some churches. Coming from London where they have world famous museums and galleries full of amazing things free to the public its very hard to get used to. I really appreciate that about London now.

Anyway, back to Rome. The Coloseum was huge and an amazing sight. Reading the descriptions of how it was used I could close my eyes and almost see the place alive in its heyday, full of crowds cheering on the gladiators. I was most impressed with the Pantheon (even more than the Sistine chapel - yes I know most people won't agree with me). Its a circular building with a huge concrete dome that was built as a temple for all the gods of Ancient Rome. It stands at some 43 meters in height with an opening that lets in the sun to light different alters within the temple at different times of the day and is the only intact building surving from Ancient Rome. Seeing it from within is an awe inspiring sight.

I was also pretty impressed by the King Vittorio Emanuele II monument in piazza Venezia, although apparently Romans are not too keen on it. Italians seems to love VE II because he has so many streets and monuments dedicated to him throughout the country, and why shouldnt they love him because he was the first king of an unified Italy. The monument itself is huge with multiple levels & countless statues in a mix of styles which doesnt sound very attractive but its sheer size and sprawl is impressive.

Rome has a great many piazzas and public spaces and we spent a lot of time sitting around people watching. We also did a day trip to the catacombs in the outskirts of Rome and hired bikes and rode along the Appian way - world's oldest highway and the original of the "roads leading to Rome". The Appian way is full of massive uneven cobblestones and some parts were impossible to ride through so we didnt get far with in our bike ride.

In Rome the ancient and modern live side by side in a weird harmony that is hard to comprehend at times. As the centre of the Roman empire and the significance it has for Catholics one can easily see why people flock from all over the world to Rome. I for one am glad to have had a chance to see it for myself.