When we did our 1st ever Mediterranean Cruise we visited some of the top sites in Rome, Italy (the country’s capital city) and when they say “Rome wasn’t built in a Day”…
…that’s very true. 🙂
It’s amazing how much there is to do & see in Rome!
Although we didn’t come close to seeing it all we definitely took in a few of this ancient city’s highlights so today we wanted to share our experience and pictures & videos from our time in this magnificent place.
Founded in 753 BC, this ever-popular tourist destination city (which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is home to about 2.7 million people.
Now we can only imagine how things have changed since it was founded almost 3000 years ago but what really is amazing about Rome is how many things are still around from the ancient days like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, etc.!
Our time in Rome started off by visiting Vatican City… whether you’re religious or not, Roman Catholic or not, this is one fascinating place… especially when you consider the fact it’s an independent state/country (the smallest in the World) that is located in the middle of a big International City! 🙂
But of course, the big attraction there is visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square and the Sistine Chapel.
We didn’t go into the chapel ourselves but we did visit the Basilica & Square… amazing… check out our pics & videos below.
(Here’s a “live” glimpse inside the Basilica.)
(Here’s a look around St. Peter’s Square)
What also amazed us in Rome was as we drove through the city from one attraction to the next was all the other impressive buildings and architecture that aren’t even noted as highlights… check out the “Altare della Patria” for example… seems like they built so many amazing structures back in the day it had to be really special to stand out. 🙂
Now one of the places that made the special list is Trevi Fountain… a vey fun place!! 🙂
Legend is, if you throw a coin in the fountain (you have to do it the proper way though but no worries, we demonstrate below) you’ll be assured a return trip to Rome… well, as we love to travel and loved Rome you know we want to go back so check out the fountain and our coin tossing below. 🙂
(Here’s Shawn demonstrating the proper way to throw a coin into Trevi Fountain :-))
The Forum of ancient Rome is another site not to be missed… it was the centre of the city’s politics and business back in the day.
But of course…
…the # 1 highlight and the place that no trip to Rome would be complete without visiting is the famous Colosseum in Rome!!
The Colosseum is one of Rome’s most famous and iconic monuments and is one of the city’s most visited attractions… in our opinion it’s a must to get yourself inside and check it all out!! 🙂
(Check out our “Inside” footage of the famous colosseum)
As Shawn mentions in the video, the Colosseum is a place you truly have to experience in person to really feel the magnificence of it all.
So there you have it… a small (very small) taste of what you can see & do in Rome…
…we will, without a doubt, be back to this wonderful & historic city (we’ll be there in July, 2013 to be exact) to see more of the top sites in Rome at some time so make sure to stay tuned! 🙂
Have you been to Rome? If so, what was your biggest highlight when there? Let us know below.
Visit our Rome & Mediterranean Cruise photo & video gallery to see more of our pics of Rome.
We appreciate You.
Nancy & Shawn
Your Trusted Cruise Experts!