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It's hard to describe Rome in a few words; a city so vast and rich in art, monuments and exquisite views, a historic city, which has preserved its charm and independence throughout the centuries.
A minute of History:
Rome's history can be read in every monument, and palazzo; in fact, each and every stone bears witness to the periods of splendour, decay, wars, and numerous architectural styles. The city could be described as a gigantic open-air museum, visited each year by millions of tourists, scholars and pilgrims from all over the world. The city was founded by Romulus near the banks of the River Tiber over 2,700 years ago. Between Ancient Roman rulers like Ceasar, Renaissance personalities like the Borgias and Michelangelo, and more modern tyrants like Napoleon and Mussolini, Rome has the stamp of many legacies.
Where to go:
The best way to get to know this city is explore the different neighborhoods, all of which are full of character and historic interest. The area from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia and from the Spanish Steps to the Tiber is the medieval center of Rome, the Centro Storico. The Centro Storico is a bustling, teeming downtown with lively streams of natives and tourists. The Piazzo del Popolo, the entrance to Rome for medieval pilgrims, and the splendid Piazza di Spagna, dominated from above by the sumptuous 16th-century Trinita dei Monti, are in this area. Piazza della Rotonda, home to the magnificent Pantheon and Piazza Navona, considered the true soul of the Eternal City, are also worth exploring.
Getting Around:
Traffic in Rome is often badly snarled up in the rush hours, so, if possible, try to avoid moving around between 0730-0900, 1300-1400, & 1900-2000. The quietest time of day is from 1400 till about 1630, when most shops are closed & Romans take time off for a nap.
White or yellow taxis are convenient & numerous, but beware of rogue drivers trying to make a fast buck. Taxis can be ordered by phone, flagged down or found at ranks & outside the main hotels. It’s often best – & quicker – to walk, particularly if you are exploring the compact historic centre where traffic is restricted.
Public transport comprises buses & the Metropolitana. A terminus for many local buses is outside Termini Station. Tickets are the same for bus & underground & cost L1,500. On buses, stamp your ticket in the machine as you enter at the rear & exit by the middle door – front doors are reserved for season ticket holders. On the Metro, stamp your ticket in the ticket-barrier machines. Tickets are valid for 75 mins for any number of bus rides in that time but for only one ride on the Metro. They can be bought from news stands, tobacconists & some bars. Don’t be without one as on-the-spot fines do happen & officials can be abrupt.
The Metro has two lines (A & B) with station entrances denoted by red ‘M’ signs. The system is operational between 0530 & 2330. Line A runs from near the film studios of Cinecitta, through Termini Station, stops at the Spanish Steps & ends beyond the Vatican at Valle Aurelio. The older line B runs from Rome’s Rebibbia prison, through Termini, to EUR, Mussolini’s ‘new town’
Art and Culture:
Rome is a city with a cultural fabric so rich and complex that it has attracted and bred artists for the past two centuries. Exiled from Florence, Dante came here. As did the German poet Goethe; the Romantic poets Byron, Keats, Shelley; and novelist Charles Dickens.
Attractions:
The Colosseum: The biggest monument to the bloodthirsty mobs of Imperial Rome. To inaugurate it in 80AD, some 5,000 African animals were butchered over 100 days. The maze of corridors & cells still remains, allowing visitors to see where the cages & the lift shafts for transporting slaves & gladiators into the arena once stood. The amphitheatre seated 45,000 with standing room for a further 10,000. Open daily 0900-1800, Sun till 1600. Entrance L10,000. The Sistine Chapel: Within the fabulously rich Vatican Museums & most famous for Michelangelo’s immense frescoes. It took the artist four years to paint The Creation on the ceiling & 22 years later he produced The Last Judgement on the wall above the high altar. Once dark, brownish & mottled (partly from candle smoke), the frescoes have been restored by Japanese investors & are now amazingly bright & clear.
Comments:
What is most vividly and deliciously felt in the Eternal City is its persistent exuberance, daring, and the beauty that shines through the stately ruins. There is always the sense here of life fully lived. Every narrow street and passageway is full of expectancy and graced with the majesty of the past.
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