All roads lead to Rome.
When you visit Italy, there’s no way you can go without a trip to Rome. The influence of the Roman Empire still has a hold over us today. I wanted so much to see the art, the architecture and soak up all that history, religious and otherwise, in person.
Twelve miles long and circling 5.3 square miles, the Aurelian walls were used to protect the city until the 19th century. Our 4-night, 3-day stay in Rome was all inside these old city walls. This walled area, Old Rome, was pretty safe and easy to walk–the only time we got a taxi was when we left for the airport at the end of our trip.
We felt completely safe walking around, even at night. All of the tourist books had me so worried about pickpockets, but as long as you’re cautious, it’s not really a problem.
It was amazing how many people would be out late. Even at midnight, famous sites, like Trevi fountain were filled with locals and tourists. The city boasts that they have over 900 churches, most of them Catholic. The doors were unlocked, often propped open, and people would just wonder in to look around.
I definitely recommend paying for a tour guide if you are visiting the Forum, which is known as Ancient Rome. I would not have gotten much out of walking through the area without a guide. This area is the original center of Rome, dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries B.C. Many of the oldest buildings are here, and knowledgable tour guides can bring that history to life as they explain what the ruins you’re looking used to be.
Another tour I was happy that I pre-arranged and paid for was the Colosseum. Only limited tours that are arranged in advance are allowed to tour the lower level, where animals and slaves would have lived, or the top level with the best view. Again, having educated tour guides (ours had the equivalent of PhDs) made the tour insightful and entertaining.
In Part 2, I will finish up the sights of Rome, including the Vatican and around town. To be continued….
All posts in the Italy series are here, arranged by city we visited:
Venice, Italy
Florence, Italy
San Gimignano, Italy
Volterra, Italy
Siena, Italy
Montepulciano, Italy
Positano, Italy
Pompeii, Italy
Rome, Italy: Part 1
Rome, Italy: Part 2