Pages visitted

Dec 19, 2014

Roma the eternal city


One of the most important tourist destinations of the world



Roma with 2.9 million residents is the 3rd most visited city in the EU, after London and Paris, and receives an average of 7-10 million tourists a year


Only less than two hours flight!



As we well know London and Paris (visited several times), we decided to have a tour to the capital of Italy from Dec 15, 2014 to Dec 19, 2014










Roma celebrates its long history with monuments, churches and restored ruins dated from the great Roman Empire. So, the list of what to see in Rome is very long


Among all, we tried to explore 
the best attractions and world famous sites…



  • Colosseum




The most famous Roman amphitheater and the most impressive monument of ancient Rome





 The Roman Colosseum celebrated the gladiator games at this huge entertainment arena 


The first bloody fight took place in A.D. 82, starting a tradition of battles between men and beasts in a public forum with could seat about 60,000




The Roman Colosseum celebrated the gladiator games at this huge entertainment arena



  • Arch of Constantine






Outside of the Colosseum, is the Arch of Constantine, which was built in 315 to commemorate the victory of Constantine over Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius 








  • Roman Forum




In ancient Rome, the Forum was the center of city life, playing host to festivals, celebrations, funerals and rituals




This gigantic ruin was the home of all Roman government, the site of Julius Caesar's assassination, and the home of Rome's Vestal Virgins 




  • Piazza Navona



The loveliest squares of Roma with the large public


   

The square contains 3 fountains, and the largest and most memorable is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers with each of the 4 statues representing a river from different continents






  • Trevi Fountain on the Piazza di Trevi


The tradition is to toss a coin into the fountain over your left shoulder to ensure you come back to Rome soon!








Unfortunately we couldn’t do that because we found some works in progress restoring the god Neptune riding in a shell-shaped chariot led by seahorses






                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Money collected (nearly €3,000 each day) is used to support food programs for the city's poor




  • Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps


The Spanish Steps may be the longest and widest staircase in all of Europe


A Barcaccia fountain bubbles
at the foot of the steps 




Vatican City

Even though it's located in Rome, Vatican City has been an independent state since 1929 with its own flag, coins and stamps

It even has its own militia, the Swiss Guard, which protects this state, the Pope and the 800 full-time citizens and visiting residents





The first impressive site is St. Peter's Square itself designed by Bernini in the late 17th century then St. Peter's Basilica




Zoom to the pope Francis during his audience





There was a party atmosphere at the Vatican on Wednesday (December 17, 2014) as hundreds of pilgrims sang Happy Birthday to the pope and thousands danced the tango to mark his 78th birthday











We were among the crowd of pilgrims singing Happy Birthday 
to Pope Francis as the pontiff turns 78
(video from theguardiannews linked below)





No comments:

Post a Comment