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Published: November 25th 2007
All roads lead to Rome, the lovely reader. So I'm walking along a road ... in Rome yeah, and suddenly found myself heading towards another city. Now I've done my share of boning up on ancient history, so how could this be happening? Oh, hang on ... now I get it, the road was heading for the fortified Vatican City deep within the bosom of the eternal city. Vatican city is an independent city-state and the home of Il Papa, who continues the ancient tradition of leading the Catholic Church, while ably protected by implacable Swiss guards. I arrived recently on a flight to Rome and invite you to take a walk in my shoes, as I embark on new travel adventures exploring many of the world's famous travel destinations in Western Europe.
Travel sights just don't get any better than Rome, in a city where the Italians surely qualify as the kings of cool. You must look good if you plan to step out in Rome, and the locals certainly fit the bill. In fact, when the term cool was created they were probably referring to an Italian. Whether you're a customs official stamping documents with a simple word
Trevi fountain, Rome
Toss a coin over your shoulder for luck, and a return to the Eternal City.of welcome 'prego', or a carabinieri casually smoking a cigar while keeping an eye on traffic, perhaps even a concierge helping a guest with tourist advice, or a young couple strolling in the Eternal City; they all manage to look good, and all the time! But it's not just the people who look great in Rome, the sights on offer are guaranteed to knock your socks off!
My first day out featured plenty of world famous sights, and you simply can't go wrong venturing out in this great city. Spectacular buildings abound amidst impressive Roman ruins, and I remember looking left down a street when something caught my eye and thinking, gee that looks like the Colosseum. Alongside the Colosseum is the Circus Maximus and the ruins of the Forum Romanum including the Palatine Hill. There are an abundance of glorious sights to keep tourists enthralled in this most famous of the world's great cities.
The next day featured an early start to join the queues for Vatican City. St Peter's Basilica is an imposing and super impressive sight, but after strolling around the square for some time the queues get really serious. We all lined up for
entrance to the Vatican museum which is an absolute treasure trove of Italian art, and home to the awe inspiring Sistine Chapel. Spending two hours in a queue is a small price to pay to enter the museum, and my visit happened to coincide with the last sunday of the month which meant the entrance fee was waived. Exploring the Vatican museum is a maze like experience, where the huge crowds gradually meander through taking in the intricately painted walls and ceilings. There are wonderful paintings on display, and all the while anticipation gradually rises to a crescendo as the tourists follow the signs to the final location, the awe inspiring Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo is one of the great artistic figures of history, and time spent gazing at the walls and the tremendously high ceiling leave a visitor in awe at the scale and majesty of the frescoes. The great man dedicated a fair portion of his artistic life on this stupendously ambitious project, and the guards vigorously enforce the no photo or video rule inside the chapel. They constantly shush the excited crowds who are agog while taking in the staggering detail of Michelangelo's eternal works, and those of
The Colosseum, Rome
Inside the Colosseum brutal battles were fought to the death by gladiators to appease the blood lust of 50,000 screaming Romans. the other artists who contributed to the completion of the stunning Sistine Chapel.
When I finished my tour I headed back to the basilica to be greeted by a familiar voice coming out over the loudspeakers. I couldn't believe it when I glimpsed a giant screen, I'd just stumbled out of the museum at the exact time that Il Papa himself was giving his weekly address to the crowds in St Peter's square. The Pope spoke to his flock during inclement weather in various languages which always elicited a cheer from the relevant nationalities, and this proved to be the perfect finish to an excellent time in Vatican City. The stroll back towards the centre of Rome included several more spectacular stops and detours along the way. The Piazza Navone is impressive, the mighty Pantheon makes for an imposing sight, and finally no visit to Rome is complete without a visit to the Trevi fountain, which was immortalised in a film by Fellini. The glorious fountain is the most impressive fountain I've seen, and I tossed a coin across my shoulder, followed soon after by a second because I wanted to see the splash. After all, just like everyone
else I would love to visit the Eternal City again.
And so my latest adventure begins in the world famous city of Rome, which is steeped in history and also contains the Vatican City, the home of Catholicism. The tourist destinations in Rome are among the most famous in the world and for good reason. I'm thrilled to be paying my first visit to the Italian capital, and experienced a friendly welcome from the locals. This leads me to believe, basically all of you should be here now!
Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there." Author unknown
As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now
Tom
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Greg
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On your travels again Tom!!
Watcha mate, Its holiday time i take it! I just got back from a short trip to Amsterdam was quality! Looks like you chose well really want to go there myself looks amazing. Anyways good to hear all is good and off to Thailand soon for me mates birthday should be fun. Greg