My one, and indeed, only, trip to Rome so far was spent over Valentine's Day this year. My darling girlfriend had arranged it as a Valentine surprise, and even paid for most of it!! So it was already a top holiday before we stepped on the plane!! Now, I'm not the average tourist to Rome - I studied Classical Civilisation at GCSE, A-Level and even Degree level, so I kind of knew what to expect.....but nothing can completely prepare yourself for Rome, and its many wonders.
Based on my years of study, the part of Rome we chose to visit was the 'ancient' part, close to the ruins that I have read so much about - the Colosseum, Roman Fora, Trajan's Column etc., along with some more recent monuments, like the Trevi Fountain and Victor Emmanuel Monument.
I'll give you a little bit of background - the Roman Empire flourished for over three hundred years, from the early years BC to the first three centuries AD, before its gradually demise. As we know, the Roman influence spread across the globe, including parts of Britain, leaving behind famous monuments, including the Roman Baths at Bath, or Hadrian's Wall, to separate the Roman citizens from the 'barbarian' natives. Rome was ruled, for its majority, by Emperors, perhaps most famously, Julius Caesar. But it was Julius' successors, most notably Augustus, who put into place the amazing public works projects, the ruins of which can be seen today, attracting millions to Rome each year.
Each Emperor commissioned more lavish buildings, and put on public games and shows, in order to win popularity with his citizens. The most famous of Rome's monuments, the Colosseum, was constructed in AD 72, under the reign of Vespasian, and stood some 57m high, seating over 50,000 spectators. This arena staged gladiatorial contests, and beast shows, with thousands of animals killed during shows.
To actually be inside the Colosseum is an amazing experience. The basic structure is still in tact, and the place is still awesome to see. The arena floor is long gone, but the understructure, where the beasts and gladiators were kept, is clear to see, and is quite emotive to think of the many that perished within. The sad thing for me, was to know that the building was largely intact, until the middle ages when the walls were knocked down, and reused, and the marble stripped off. But to be there, with over 2000 years of history in front of you, is incredible, and worth the trip alone.
Just across the road is the network of Roman Fora, where citizens met to converse, and to discuss business. This was also where the administration of the city took place. For many, the image of the Roman Forum, is what people think of when they imagine Rome. The marble columns, stretching seemingly endlessly into the sky, with the statues of famous emperors and gods. Well today, the columns are still there - not all of them, and not all in tact, but they are definitely there!! And for me, this was the highlight of the sightseeing tour. Massive structures as far as the eye could see, and I could only imagine what it must have been like to walk into the city, and to see these amazing structures all around. The sense of Roman pride must have been intense, and very intimidating to visitors. It would have served as a constant reminder of the power of the emperors and gods, and the power of the Roman Empire.
A fairly long walk away is the Pantheon. This is by far the best-preserved ruin in Rome, due to the fact that it was used by the Christians as a Church, and therefore well maintained. For those who are not impressed by rubble, and ruins, this is the place to go!! The building, largely covered by a dome, reminiscent of St. Paul?s, but larger, was founded in AD 17 under Augustus as a temple to the gods, and is another stunning feat of Roman engineering. Today, it is surrounded by open-air cafes, and a fountain, and is a lovely area to spend an afternoon.
So, if you do go to Rome, these are the areas that have to be seen to be believed - and one for the cameras!! There are plenty of other ruins, which are equally worth a visit, but if you are on a tight time limit, these are the ones to aim for.
For those more keen on the modern-day wonders, a trip to the Trevi Fountain is well worth the effort. The area is steeped in romance, with the gentle sound of falling water, and a beautifully sculptured backdrop to the water, as impressive as any sculptures you will see. A trip at night to this area would be advised, as during the day, it is very busy, and full of strange men, trying to sell you little squidgy toys. We literally fended off ten different men with these toys!!
And then there is the Victor Emmanuel Monument, which is perfectly symmetrical, and a massive structure, clearly attempting to copy the Roman wonders. An awesome building in itself, but without the history of its Roman rivals, it is JUST a building.
So, with these wondrous buildings everywhere around, a visit to Rome is worth it in itself. But to be honest, I was foolishly expecting that Rome would be this incredible place, where everything is perfect, and there is a sort of time-capsule effect, the romance capital of the world. But aside from the monuments, which I can't praise enough, the area of the city where we stayed is just like any other city - filthy, decaying, crowded, graffiti-ridden and with an awful traffic system!!
Transport - We were amazed by the number of scooters, being maniacally driven around the city, weaving in and out of traffic. Crossing roads was an adventure in itself, and even after four days, we had no idea what we were doing!! Then there were the ambulances - every minute of every day was invaded by the sound of sirens hurrying through the streets to road casualties. We saw two accidents ourselves, where scooters had collided with the filthy old cars, and riders were catapulted through the air. Trains were good to and from the airport - just remember that you often have to validate your ticket before boarding the train, in a little machine on the platform.
Food - Food was generally very nice, although choices seemed to be rather limited in the majority of restaurants. Between us, we ended up eating six pizzas in four days!! Be careful when ordering Coke at restaurants - at one restaurant by the Pantheon, the bill arrived at the end of our meal, and we were stunned to find that we were being charged £4 for a can of Coke!! The pizza was only £5 itself!! The excuse was that Coke had to be imported!! But then we regularly bought 2 litre bottles in convenience stores for just over £1 - madness!!
Tourist Attractions - Ruins and monuments aplenty - wonderful. Be careful, if you fancy taking a horse and carriage ride around the area - 100 Euros!! Museums are good on the whole, although perhaps best to avoid the Crypta Balba - we went in, no-one spoke English, including our guide, who simply walked us into four caves, and stood there!! No idea what we were supposed to be looking at!! Lot of Piazzas around the city, with large open areas to enjoy - make sure you buy a decent guidebook to get the most out of your stay.
My advice, in order to fully appreciate what you are seeing, is to do a bit of background reading before you go. Maybe 'As The Romans Did' by Jo Ann Shelton, or 'Daily Life In Ancient Rome' by F Dupont. On the buildings side useful books are 'Roman Public Buildings' by Ian Barton, 'Roman Architecture' by Frank Sear, or even classics like 'The Aenied' by Virgil to understand the city how it was in its prime.
Without this background, you really will just see a load of wrecked buildings in a dirty city. It's also a bit sad to see the total disregard that the majority of Romans have towards their heritage - the Colesseum is surrounded by cars on all sides, with the fumes staining and destroying the building. But then familiarity breeds contempt, and I suppose the modern Romans do not want to live in the past.
So, if you get the chance, go to Rome - if you have an ounce of historical interest, you will love the place, even if it's not perfect. And then there is the Vatican, and the large shopping areas, although in our part of town we saw virtually no large shops.
Just go, take your camera, and plenty of film, a decent guide book and map, good walking shoes, and grab some memories that will last a lifetime. (Also, if you are fairly young, take some ID to all the attractions - many give FREE entry to under 18s and reduced for under 25s - even the Colosseum!!)
It really does put the world, and the individual into perspective - fascinating.
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