Sights Not to Miss When Visiting Rome, Italy

There are a lot to see in this capital city of Italy. Rome known as "Eternal City", is the largest city in Italy. It is the famed city of the Roman Empire. It has been the centre of one of the globe's greatest civilizations ever. It has been the millenium-long centre of power, culture and religion that influence the world with its around 2,500 years of existence.

Rome has been one of the most visited cities in Europe. It has two international airports, the Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino International Airport and the Ciampino International Airport. The first one is the modern and large main airport of Rome and is well connected to the center of the city by public transportation. The latter is the city's low-cost airline airport usually serving discount airlines in Europe. This is one advantage if you are from Europe because you can always find cheap flights from any European cities to Rome.

There are a lot of sights to see in Rome. Here are a few ones which should be included in your list.

Vatican City

I guess I don't need to elaborate too much about Vatican City. My sister once asked me , if she has the chance to visit Rome, she wants to see and hear the mass presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica. Sad to say, I was not able to hear the mass there and did not have the chance to see the Pope. Maybe in my next visit.

This is the so-called city within the city and known as the world's smallest state. The State of the City of Vatican is located within the city of Rome. The St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, St. Peter's Piazza, Vatican Museum, are among the main sites you need to see and experience in this city. We don't have a lot of time going to Castel Sant'Angelo which is very near this area.

Don't miss to climb up to the cupola of St. Peter's.. From there , you can have a good view of the city.

the obelisk in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. One of my travel wishlist was fulfilled after our visit there last August 2010.

The Colosseum

This is also one of the must-see in ancient Rome which is considered to be the most famous of the Roman landmarks . It is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre which can hold up to 50,000 spectators during those times. Gladiatorial combats and animal fights were ones held in this amphitheatre.

There is entrance when going inside the Colosseo.

I am happy to be there once in my life. I would love to visit this sight again in the future.

The Colosseum when completed measured 48 m high, 188 m in length, and 156 m in width. The wooden arena floor was 86 m by 54 m, and covered by sand.

The Roman Forum

This is one of the reasons why I still want to go back to Rome. Me and my friend Nonna were not able to go inside the Roman Forum, its name in Italian because of limited time. We only had a glance of it from outside.

The Foro Romano, as it is called in Italian, with its hallowed ruins were the most powerful seat of government in the world. It is normally a very interesting historical site. It is also not so crowded than the Colosseum. It is the best way of imagining the splendour and glory of ancient Rome.

The Trevi Fountain

This is considered to be one of the most fountains in the world. The Trevi fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. It is located near the Spanish Steps, also a famous sight in this city.

During my visit last year, me and my friend threw coins in the fountain. I only threw a euro coin believing that I will be able to visit Rome again in the future. At that time I still did not know about the legend of the "three coins". A current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. Another reported version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

The famous and beautiful Trevi fountain during our visit last August 2010.

The Pantheon

This was once a temple of the gods. Now it is a Catholic Church in Rome. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

The Pantheon was under repair during our visit last summer 2010.

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky.

There are still a myriad of sights to see in Rome. The ones I shared here are just a few among the most interesting ones.

Posted in: Architecture in Europe, Europe Trip, Historical Monuments, My Travel Post 2011, Rome-Italy