Unless I’ve miscounted, you’ll only see the Colosseum for the first time once. I was a bit bleary eyed from my morning flight as the airport bus rounded the corner and suddenly, there it was and my mouth fell open.
The Forum, for centuries the heart of daily Roman life, is just up the street from the Colosseum. Appropriately, it, too, is enormous as it served numerous vital functions for the city.
Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy, is immortalized with a huge monument that houses a small museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and has a great view of Rome.
Piazza Navona has been a public square for the past 500 years. The fountains and statues range from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Originally built as a mausoleum for the emperor Haidrian, Castel Sant’Angelo later became a fortress and is now a museum. Ten angels adorn Ponte Sant’Angelo, which leads directly to the museum.
The Pantheon has stood here for nearly 2,000 years. It was a temple dedicated to Rome’s pagan gods. The dome, which remains the world’s largest unsupported concrete dome, has a large circular hole in the center so that it does not collapse under its weight. I swear I took photos of the dome, but I can’t seem to find them! It’s always possible I was distracted by the dome and forgot to take pictures… Among those buried in the Pantheon are Raphael, King Vittorio Emmanuele II, King Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margherita, for whom margarita pizza is named.
I was hoping to have a seat on the famous Spanish Steps, Europe’s widest staircase, after walking around Rome so much, but it looked like every other foreigner in the city had the same idea.
I was completely unprepared for the Trevi Fountain. I’ve seen Vegas’s humble version of the fountain a couple of times so, and I’m embarrassed to admit it, I guess I expected it to be much smaller! For the record, the 18th century fountain consumes the side of a large building and is gorgeous. A larger than life statue of Ocean dominates the scene, which includes two opposing horses: one young, one old; one calm, one restless. I made sure to visit the fountain at least once, and often twice, a day. The lights at dusk make the water shimmer and it’s lovely to sit and watch, even with all of the tourists.
