Rome Hotels
|
  | |  |
Venice to Rome
Entry 29 of 34 | show all | print this entry |
|
I ended up arriving in Rome at Stazione Termini 5 hours later at 5pm. I had to catch the metro out from the seedy area that I had arrived in and headed in towards the Vatician City area. By 6pm I was settled into a nice hostel, pretty easily after expecting it to be hard to find a place to crash.
I beat everyone out of bed the next morning and headed down to see the Vatican City. Once I had crossed the few chaotic roads and I was inside the first sight to greet me was St Peters Square, which you can enter from any side through a massive series of imposing columns. I then moved up to the St Peters Basilica. Inside the church was like a treasure trove containing paintings by Michelangelo.
After the Basilica I head of down to the Castle Sant Angelo and along both sides of the River Tiber.
 
Later I had my first Italian Pizza and then strolled around St Peters Square again taking in some photos just after the sun had gone down, creating a rich dark blue sky under the lit up stonework.
The next day after another early start I had a trip back in the past as I wandered around the great ruins of the Roman forum, the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, all evoking images of the greatness of ancient Rome. First I went to the Collosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre, which was started in 72AD and house 80,000 people. It was pretty impressive and must have looked even more amazing in its time when it was covered in marble. I took a guided tour here that was well worth the cost to get all the details of the rich history. I left the Coliseum and went into the roman Forum after viewing the Arch of Constantine. Again I took a tour through here and marvelled in the stories of what once was the centre of the world. Every Ruin from the 'Temple Di Andnino e Faustina' and 'Rostrum' all had their own personal stories of history behind them.
My main goal the next day was to check inside the Vatican museum, so I was up early again and at the Museum by 9am. I had a wander through all the various rooms housing all the precious artefacts until deciding to visit the 'Stanze de Rafaello' or 'Raphael rooms via the Tapestry and Map Galleries, which were all extraordinary but no match for the highlight of the visit the Sistine Chapel.
 
The Sistine Chapel would have impressed with just the frescoes of Boiticelli and Ghirladaio, but it was Michelangelos Frescoes of ' creation' on the ceiling and the brilliant 'Last judgement'. I could have starred at the masterpiece for days! It really has to be seen to be believed. After leaving the chapel I strolled around the statue halls before returning to the Sistine Chapel for another peak at the Last Judgement.
I left the museum fairly awe-struck and went off to find the Trevi fountain. There I was greeted with an enormous crowd of people. The fountain was simply beautiful as well.
From the fountain it was only a short walk to the Pantheon, the best-preserved ancient roman building, which was first built in 27BC. Inside the free-standing dome are buried two Italian kings and the famous painter Raphael.
The next day I went off to the Piazza San Pitro again and was lucky to get a good view of the Pope, as he whizzed by on the 'pope mobile'. After that I went to the Piazza Di Spagna and the famous Spanish Steps. There I climbed the steps and went into the Church of Trinita Dei Monti at the top before heading back down and having a drink out of the boat-shaped drinking fountain.
After that I went back to the Castle Sant Angelo, which sits on the side of the Tiber River and ventured into the castle to be surprised by how ornate the rooms were inside.
It was again time to leave after 6 days in Rome. Rome is such a magical place! I dropped my bags of at the station and then returned to hand out in the Piazza until 4pm when it was time to catch the train to Munich for Octoberfest.
 
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by jag, from Italy or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
4 votes 
This is a top pick!
