Like any good tourist in Rome, we made to trip to the city’s 2,000-year-old ruins. It was quite a sight to see.
Yes, they’re well known by most people, but seeing them in person beats looking at any picture of them, though I did take plenty of photographs for myself to view later. I found it somewhat funny to look at the Colosseum — this incredible building that has lasted generations and is the best-known example of Rome’s past — and see modern-day buses driving in the foreground. Modern-day Rome has had little choice but to integrate with the city’s past.
Rome is certainly an old city, having been founded on April 21, 753 BC. Yes, BC. That’s 2758 years before I made my first visit to the city. But, I have to be honest — I’m not sure how much has changed in about the last 400 years.
But Rome’s past isn’t just the Colosseum. In the shadows of the great city are a bunch of other great ruins, including the forum and a host of temples. Sadly, after the Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, much of the great marble used to build the forum and other area buildings was taken down and used in other projects, according to a tour guide (I wasn’t on the tour, I simply overheard her). I wonder how the buildings would appear today, had they not been recycled for new construction projects.
A trip to Rome wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Pantheon. Built in 27 BC, the building is considered by many to be the Glory of Rome. At least, that’s what the history book about Rome that I purchased calls it. The building has it all — from columns to marble to monuments. The building is in fact Rome and Roman history at its finest.
In addition to great buildings, there were squares and fountains we stopped at along the way. Between the stops (including the Vatican City and the Colosseum), there were enough opportunities for over 500 pictures. Good thing I purchased that extra memory card for my camera.
