Hello again! After my week in Florence, many of you may have been wondering where I’d be going next. Well, that’s a good question. Italy has so many beautiful cities to visit like Turin, Pisa, Milan, or Venice. However, for me, there was only one right answer of where to go next: Rome.
I’ve always been fascinated by Rome. It was the center of one of the most powerful and long-lasting empires in history, houses the holiest place in the world, and was an important centerpiece in the Unification of Italy. Rome has an insane amount of history, all layered on top of one another. And my first impression of the city upon arriving was just that. Modern buildings lay right next to medieval-era churches, which are right down the road from ancient Roman ruins. It was really shocking to see how commonplace and normalized ancient ruins are in Rome.
Obviously, my first course of action upon arriving was to go to the most important and well-preserved ruins of all: the Colosseum and Roman Forum. I started off with the Colosseum. My first observation was just how old the stone looked. It was rough and cracked, and was uneven in its deterioration. It really gave off its age. Going inside, the tour started off in the interior pathways. It was cool, and there were some exhibitions on the history of the Colosseum. For example, during its time, the Colosseum was the largest amphitheatre ever built, and it was able to seat over 30,000 people! The real magic started when I got into the stands, however. Here, it really opens up and allows you to see the whole interior of the building. It almost made me feel like a spectator watching during the times of the Romans. The tour takes you around the entire circumference of the stands, before you go back down and get a view of the pit. However, that is about how far the visit goes. You can buy special tickets that allow you to go into the pit and see the underground mechanisms, or up into the third stage of the stands, but they are pretty expensive for those without EU citizenship and sell out fast. Unlike what many of you may be thinking, the Colosseum isn’t that big. For me, it took me about 2:30 hours to see the whole thing (with a basic ticket), and I took my sweet time. This makes sense, since much of the Colosseum is now lost to time (only a small fragment of the highest floor remains) and apart from the building itself, there isn’t much else to see. It’s still a must-visit, despite my criticisms.
What is really big, however, is the Forum and Palatine Hill. Located right next to the Colosseum and utilizing the same ticket as the Colosseum, there’s basically no reason to not go and see it, and it’s chock-full of ruins of many different types. This is because during the time of the Romans, the Forum was one of the central marketplaces of the city, and the Palatine Hill served as the dwelling place for many Roman Emperors. What stood out to me the most, however, was the amount of greenery there. Trees, bushes, and other plants are spread around the place, and vines, weeds, and grass are free to grow around the ruins. It all really gave the place a natural and claiming atmosphere, while also providing shade from the hot sun. Coming from Paris, a notoriously grey city (especially during winter) where what gardens there are are meticulously trimmed and orderly, and having just left Florence, where almost all attractions are museums or other manmade things, this amount of natural, untamed plant life was a breath of fresh air. I even got to see a mock Roman Legion procession! The ruins were just as impressive as the Colosseum, too. Columns still standing after 2000 years and old, weathered sculptures litter the area, along with the outlines of old buildings and squares. It was a very weird feeling to know that, 2000 years ago, citizens of Rome were walking, shopping, and going about their day in the same place I was. I was honestly caught off guard with how large the forum was. I finished seeing the Colosseum around 1:00, and was there till closing time at 7:00. One tip for anyone who plans to go here is to find another entrance than the main one. Right from the exit of the Colosseum is the main entrance to the Forum, which predictably gets quite backed up. It’s much quicker to go to a side entrance to enter.
Well, that’s enough writing out of me! I swear, each entry ends up being longer than the last. I atleast hope that you all don’t get bored from reading too much. Anyway, stay tuned, as I’ve got much more in store for you!
