Rome - the eternal city - Italy 6

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Way back in 1963 my mum brought home a postcard showing the Spanish Steps in Rome and since that time I have always wanted to visit Rome. What frenetic city - a city which seems to have been formed by a thousand jigsaws being thrown up in the air and the contents all jumbled up when they hit the ground again. One piece of advice Sion would give would be to buy a Roma Pass for use whilst in the city. It costs around 25 euros and can be used over three days on the MetroRo and for entrance into a large number of sites in the city. The first two sites are free and the remainder charged at half price which add up to quite a saving. Our first visit was to the Baths of Caracalla which were the public baths of the city in use until the 6th century. Rough guide tells you that the baths are a popular visitor location but we found it strangely empty and quite peaceful. Head for them early in the day if you intend visiting. The forum was extemely busy and it felt like a day out at Meadowhall. On then to the Coliseum. Very photogenic but manic inside. I found it hard to imagine gladiators and the bloodshed that must have been a regular event there. Too many visitors for me I am afraid so we headed off to the peace and tranquility of the Palazzo Massimo one of Romes under-rated museums. Head for the basement where are displayed coins from antiquity, roman gold hair nets, delicate roman jewellery - a window into domestic roman life.

Next day we walked. To Victor Emmanuel and sat and watched the world go by - an interesting building which once was closed to the public. The monument is now a memorial to the unknown soldier and every day is guarded by the military. We felt sorry for the two soldiers the day we visited as the temperature rose to over 30 degrees. Walked up the Spanish Steps and then on to the Trevi Fountain Legs aching in the height of the day. The highlight of day 2 had to be when we visited the Pantheon a wonderful atmospheric building. In the morning we had met a rather nice Australian couple Ray and his wife who had travelled from Perth to stake his claim to the Italian throne. We wondered if he had visited his grandfather the last King of Italy buried in the Pantheon. The ceiling in the Pantheon is the most wonderful piece of architecture you could ever wish to see. A real insight into the brilliance and the genius of the Romans.

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