Rome, Italy

On my days off from Anna Villa, I went to Rome. On the first of these visits I went to the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine Hill. While waiting in the very long line for the Colosseum an man came up and offered a tour of the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill for 20 Euro including the entrance, which meant to tour only cost 10 euros and I did not have to stand in the line.
It was the best tour I have done so far on my travels. The tour guide was very vocal and got you really involved in the tour. It was great to hear the history of the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill while looking around it. It was especially helpful for the Palatine hill as there is not much left of the ruins. Palatine Hill...what remains.

After the wonderful tour I went down and explored the Forum in the heat of the day. It is so amazing to be standing in the old centre of Rome. This was centre of the world in the past. I’m amazed at how much the Roman Empire achieved and then how the super power came to an end. It makes me wonder if I will see the end of a super power this lifetime and if so will one of the countries I visited so far become the new super power.

After looking around the form heart of Rome I walked over to the Pantheon. On the way I could not believe how many ruins make up the city. There are all the tour sites but then as you walk around the town you just stumble upon amazing old ruins with no idea what they once were and no sign or big crowd of tourist. The place is just so full of history. After about a 20 min walk I reached the Pantheon. It is amazing, so perfectly round and so big. I could not fit it into a photo. The hole in the ceiling is apparently 9.1 metres (30 ft) in diameter however when you look up at it from inside it looks a lot smaller due to the light.

After the Pantheon and I bit more exploring through the city I reached the Saint Peter's Basilica. It is a very impressive site to see at the end of the road. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I reached St Peter's but decided that I had to climb up the tower because I might not get another chance. So I walked all the way up the 330 plus stair to the top of the tower. It was hard work and very hot but the view made it all worthwhile.


After the amazing view of Rome from St Peter's I walked back to the train station via a gelato shop near the Spanish steps. I was exhausted but was looking forward to my next trip to Rome where I would be visiting the Vatican City.