Exactly 4 years ago today I was in Rome, en route to Taiwan to start my new life. Going to Rome was purely for cost reasons. I had enough mileage to exchange two one way tickets from Europe to Asia. Rome was one of the available options and I had never been before.
The reason I've never been to Rome is because of over tourism. I'm not a massive fan of big cities, and the fact Italy has so many other beautiful towns means Rome was never top on my list.
TREVI FOUNTAIN
When in Rome, one does as the Roman's does and visit the Trevi Fountain. This is probably the most visited tourist sight in Rome. I don't think it is ever possible to take a photo of the fountain without any people in it...
That is unless one fights your way to the front and stick your camera out as near as possible above the fountain to avoid all the tourists. I spent 5 minutes here, ticked my been here and done it list, and hurried off.
ROMAN FOROM
Next is the Roman Forom. The Colosseum was definitely on my list of places to go, but I heard sometimes you had to queue for ages to get the ticket. Then someone on the internet said its much quicker to get the ticket at the Roman Forom and that gives you access to the Colosseum as well.
On the face of it, the Roman Forom looks like a pile of derelict rubbles. One may not think much of it if they didn't know these derelicts probably dates as far back as 753BC when ancient Rome was first formed. It was thought The Forom was originally a market place, and then developed to become the centre of society. Public meetings, processions, criminal trials, public affairs of all sorts were held here over the years.
The importance of the Forum was reinforced by the many structures built here. It's not difficult to appreciate the grandeur of it all when you're up close and personal to them.
The three tall columns at the Forom are the remains of the 7m tall Temple of Castor and Pollux. The temple was built in 495 BC in dedication to the twin Greek gods Castor and Pollux. It is said the Greek god twins helped the Romans to win a battle against the Latins. Under the strict Roman religious laws, it was strictly forbidden to have temples worshipping foreign religion, but an exception was made for this, adding to the Temple's historical significance.
The Arch of Septimius Severus was built in 203 AD and is new by comparison to the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The white marble arch was built to commemorate the Emperor Septimius Severus various battles over his 18 year reign. I guess one of the perks of being an Emperor in those days is to be able to build a massive 23 meter high arch to blow your own trumpet and leave you mark on the world. More than 18 centuries later, people still know him, and he didn't need the blockchain to do that!!!
VATICAN CITY
My next port of call after the Roman Forom was the Vatican. A country within a country. The first thing one sees is St Peter's Square as you cross the border, literally a road, into the Vatican City. I was prepared for a long queue to enter the buildings, after all, for non Catholics, this must be the main reason they come to visit the Vatican.
I followed the line from outside St Peter's Square, going pass the Swiss Guards, and eventually entered the St. Peter's Basilica and Sistene Chapel. If there ever was a time to look up, it was inside the Sistene Chapel. The Sistene Chapel is where the Popes are crowned, but more importantly, it is known for its frescoes. Not being an art buff, I couldn't fully appreciate its value and beauty, other than knowing I was looking at masterpieces by some of the greatest artists including Michelangelo and Botticelli. The last stop was the Vatican Museum where I found out that we weren't the first ones to do selfies.
COLOSSEUM
The next day I went to the Colosseum. I had to come here as I needed to tick it off my list of Seven Wonders of the World. This my fifth one, the remaining ones being the Taj Mahal in India and Chichen Itza in Mexico which I need to get to some day.
I've seen many images of the Colosseum before, but I just wasn't prepared for its magnitude. It was only when I was inside, walked around and looked across and saw the little dots of visitors on the other end of the colosseum that I appreciated how big this structure is. How is it that the Romans managed to build an amphitheatre that sits up to 80000 people nearly 2000 years ago beats me.
Despite my original reservations, Rome was a culture tour and an eye opener for me. I wasn't really prepared to do much sight seeing on this trip as my focus was on moving to Taiwan to start a new chapter in my life. However, I did manage to cram as much as I could during my two days there, including of course a mouth water platter in a quirky restaurant. That was my last meal in Europe four years ago. Looking at it is making me so hungry now.
When oh when can I go out again?
