Following the Road to Rome
All roads lead to a Rome hotel, but what will you find once you get there? Clearly, of all the world’s cities, Rome has a complex and intricate past, practically bursting with history; here’s a city that has lasted thousands of years, whose influence spread out over the entire known world, whose life ebbed and flowed with the lives of emperors and popes. Where to start? A trip to the Coliseum? A visit to the city-state Vatican City? Where does the road lead once you’re inside Rome itself?
You can take walking tours of the Roman Coliseum or Colosseum, once known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the largest amphitheater the Roman Empire ever constructed. It only took about eight to ten years to complete, beginning in 70 to 72 AD and finished in 80 AD, under the auspices of two emperors, Vespasian and Titus. The Colossem could fit about fifty thousand people and, in addition to the gladiatorial games that the movie Gladiator showed, it was also a place for animals hunts, and re-enactments of celebrated battles, both on land and sea, and served as a theater. Over the centuries, the building was repurposed for entertainment, for religious orders, for a fortress, and even a Christian shrine. It’s a spot where five hundred thousand people lost their lives, along with approximately a million wild animals in the Coliseum games. Today, in the 21st century, the remains are still impressive, despite earthquakes and people stealing the stones.
Vatican City became a sovereign city-state inside Rome in 1929. Known officially as the State of the Vatican City, it’s total population is about 800 people, and therefore is also known as the world’s smallest country (not to be confused with the Holy See, which may be dated back to early Christianity, a couple of thousand years). The area contains St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine chapel, and the Apostolic Palace, and a number of museums.
These two places are a good start. Then, once you’ve taken a look at Rome, then what? If all roads lead to Rome, then where do the roads head once you’ve been to this historic city? The only way to find out is to start walking, taking the same path that led you here.
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