Hmm...what to see....

There is never a shortage of places to go in Rome. There are fantastic plazas and heaps of fountains scattered all through the city which are a hit with the nightlife/tourists.... and the sights! Just to mention a few, Circus Maximus, the Forum, the Colosseum, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza del Popolo, Campidoglio, Trevi Fountain...get the idea. You have to spend at least a week here! The cobblestone roads add a bit of atmosphere too. Just watch the cars on the road. Btw....dont except too much from Circus Maximus. Its a great place but theres nothing actually there. Just grass. Make sure you bring your imagination with you ;) Another thing about Rome was all the people selling loot on the streets. Prada, Armani, Gucci...you name it...you can get it for $10. Theres heaps of guys that have a keen sense for where the police are selling this stuff on the street. Funny thing is...when the police come around youll see a whole pack of them pack up and get outa there in a flash. The weather was fantastic too. Nice and hot. Theres these little fountains everywhere that apparently is just a constant stream of fresh underground water too, so if you get too hot then you can wash your feet, wash your face and cool off. Anyways....my trip ends here unfortunately. Its been a great trip. Weve seen more than we thought we could have. The boys went off to Greece after this and me....back to sunny old Sydney.

Might and Power

Before any of you look at the date on this post.. I know. Its been months since we got back home but for the sake of completing this blog for this trip, Im finally going to add the last few days.


For those of you that like history or the impressively grandiose, Rome is the city for you. Paris is probably the most ascethically pleasing city we went to but Rome is probably the most impressive. Huge monuments, statues of all the Roman heroes and structures dating back thousands of years are just a few of the things youll find in Rome.

Its almost a mythical city that has its roots buried thousands of years in the past. The number of structures and building that have stood the test of time is amazing.

The Colosseum was a big highlight. You can just imagine the masses of people and the incredible violence that occurred in this place. The sheer enormity is amazing too. The first time you see it is one of those defining moments on a trip like this. Something you never forget.

Another favourite was the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II. An enormous flight of steps, flanked with winged lions and two bronze 'Vittorie', leads to the altar of the Italian land. It shows high-reliefs by Angelo Zanelli, in the middle of which, you can admire the Rome statue. In the middle of this monument there is the gigantic equestrian statue of king Victor Emmanuel II. In terms of sheer size and grandeur, I can hardly think of another building that matches it (except for maybe the Colosseum). By the way they are literally down the road from each other. You can see one from the other.

Firenze

We stayed a night in Florence on the way to Rome. Florence gave us a feel for what Italian cities are like. You get a feeling that everything has been around for a long time. The cities aren't like Sydney with big towers and lots of glassy facades. Its much more organic which I can only really attribute to the stony, marbley look of the place. Everywhere you go there are reminders of the rich cultural background of this city, which are highlighted by the numerous museums that we failed to get to. So much cant be said of their football team though (haha...kekeke).