Rome: An Attraction on Every Corner

Posted on January 8, 2015 Updated on August 2, 2015

Hello Everyone! Congratulations on surviving 2014 and hope you are enjoying 2015! Now onwards with my travels to the beautiful city of Rome, Italy! There is so much to say about Rome that I am going to have to break it up into two blog posts! The main focus of this post will be on the attractions in Rome while the second one will have a big focus on Vatican City.

One of the main things you need to know about Rome is that it is not cheap. Since it is a major tourist hub, it is going to cost quite a bit of money. That is an understatement. It is expensive. Like all other major hubs, you can tackle this situation. Shop at grocery stores, bring student cards for discounts, and don’t shop in the heart of the city. If you are backpacking and want to do souvenir shopping, I recommend not doing it all here. You will spend way more than what you want and you will find it cheaper in another city.

As Rome has so many major landmarks, we couldn’t see all that we wanted too. We decided to narrow down the ones that were most important and try to hit up those. The first one we decided to see was the Colosseum. As this is one of the most famous landmarks in the whole world, it was a must. It was ten times better than what I expected and probably one of the best attractions on the trip. The architecture and the history put me in awe .When visiting the Colosseum, you will only be allowed to walk where the audience use to sit. The arena floor is off limits, but can be viewed from above. A couple tips for the Colosseum:

• Get there early. The line later in the day becomes long and boring. Don’t wait until the middle of the afternoon because you will be waiting for quite a while.
• Check the opening and closing times beforehand. The times change throughout the year. You do not want to be waiting there until dinner and closing hours be upon you.
• As with any sunny destination, bring sunscreen and hats. The shadow of the Colosseum can only do so much protecting.

To the east of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. The entrance of the Roman Forum is included in the cost of the ticket for the Colosseum. The Roman Forum was in the center of Ancient Rome and contained several government buildings. As of the structures have been demolished but it is interesting where the heart of Ancient Rome was.

Another must-see in Rome is the Pantheon. If you are looking for the Parthenon, you will not find that in Rome. Check Athens. Back in Ancient Rome, the Pantheon was used as a temple. Nowadays, it is still used as a church but it is very packed. It is very well preserved and magnificent to look at. It is about a twenty minute walk from the Colosseum and you can see the beauty of Rome while walking through. Like the Colosseum, there is going to be a high amount of tourists. My one warning for this attraction is ALWAYS be aware of your belonging. As everyone is pushing and shoving to get inside, it becomes very easy for pickpocketers.

The last attraction I am going to touch on is the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is a 10 minute walk east of the Pantheon. Very simple and close walk. Currently, the Trevi Fountain is being restored. There is a fence around the fountain and it is emptied. I believe it will be like this until late 2015. Regardless of the construction, the architecture and details on the fountain are beautiful – well for the part we could see. You are not supposed to throw coins in the fountain right now, but we did it anyways. I figured I don’t know when I am coming back so I might as well throw them. The whole premise to throwing the coins came from the movie Three Coins in the Fountain.  You are supposed to throw the three coins using your right hand over your left shoulder.  The first is suppose the guarantee your return to Rome, the second leads to a new romance, while the third will lead to marriage. I don’t know how true this is, but it was fun anyways!

As said before, the next post will contain more attractions in Rome and the Vatican City. There are so many to see, so little time. Anyways, I will try to do my best to give reviews on them! I hoped you enjoyed this post and stay tuned!

Until Next Time,

Matt C