A Walk Through the Historic Centre of Rome

In this article, our guest author Angelina takes us on a walk through her favourite sights in Rome, where every street and every building tell the story of Rome’s past history.

Rome is my family’s favorite holiday destination and my favorite topic to write about as well. Our first walk through the historic center of Rome was the most memorable and enjoyable trip I ever had.

Rome is a perfect place to be, for people who love history, art and culture. Every architectural structure, street, building and ruins speak of the rich Roman history and culture; no wonder Rome is said to be the eternal city.

Since I was in my childhood years, it has been my dream to visit the eternal city. I was a big fan of the television series “Hercules” and was fascinated with the rich historical structures and breathtaking masterpieces that can be seen in Rome.

My interest in Rome even escalated when I was in college where I studied about the ancient Italian history. Fortunately, when I got married, I was given the chance to travel with my husband Patrick and my two kids.

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The Colosseum

The most remarkable sightseeing spot I have been during my first tour around the heart of Rome is the Colosseum, known to be the great Amphitheatrum Flavium of antiquity. It is considered as Rome’s ultimate symbol that is situated at the center of the city.

This great amphitheater was inaugurated during the height of the Roman Empire in 80 AD. The Colosseum is the largest architectural structure ever built in Rome and could accommodate as much as 50,000 people at a time. It was originally built for entertainment purposes but later on it was used for battles and exhibition games.

It is in the Colosseum where ancient Roman gladiators used to fight against their fellow gladiators and against animals. I could still hear the cheers of the spectators who are betting for their chosen gladiators and the scream of the warriors in pain who are fighting for their lives.

I could still imagine thousands of men and animals lying down the arena bathing with their own blood. Below the ground of the Colosseum you can see a maze-like structure of cells and chambers where gladiators and beasts were billeted and readied for their fight in the arena.

The Roman Forum

Just a few steps from the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. During ancient times, Roman Forum was used for hosting local celebrations and festivals. It was also used for rituals and funerals of known personalities in Rome. The Roman Forum used to be the epicenter of the city life and the politics in Rome. It can be seen at Via dei Fori Imperiali.

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The Spanish Steps

Take a short walk from the Roman Forum and you will find the famous Scalla di Spagna, better known as The Spanish Steps. It is the widest and the longest in Europe and climbing up to the peak of the Scalla di Spagna took us 138 looping steps.

It was quite tedious but the scene from the top of the Spanish Steps was more than worthy of the sweat and patience that we invested in such climbing activity. The Spanish Steps joins two of the most mesmerizing squares in the eternal city; the Piazza di Spagna and the Piazza Trinita dei Monti.

Who could ever afford to miss visiting the Vatican City in Rome? The Vatican is a state within a state. It is a landlocked city that is known as the official residence of the highest Roman Catholic authority, the Pope. Vatican is known to be the center of Roman Catholic and the smallest independent state of the world.

St. Peter’s Basilica

We were also given the chance to tour around the intricately designed churches in the Vatican. We had visited the St. Peter’s Basilica, which is considered the mother of all the churches in Rome and the center of Christianity and walked on to the Sistine Chapel.

Seeing the complex and breathtaking paintings of Michelangelo on the ceilings of the chapel was the experience of a lifetime. It was fascinating and seemed close to impossibility how such a master as Michelangelo made the best painting in the world.

Among the highlights of our tour was a visit to the Trevi Fountain. This is just one among the attractive fountains found in Rome, a theatrical masterpiece built in Baroque style. The Trevi fountain is simply majestic and no matter what time of the day, you will truly enjoy visiting this spot. Before we went on, we tossed a coin into the fountain to guarantee good luck and to be sure to come back to visit to Rome in the future.

For more Roman holiday ideas:

Chiesa Santa Maria in Trastevere – in Rome
The Rome of childhood memories

Many thanks* for this article to Angelina, a 29 year old mother of two, and the owner of romesightseeing.net. Angelina loves to travel together with her husband Patrick and their kids to their favorite holiday destinations of Rome and Paris.

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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