Bella Roma!

Italy is one of my favorite countries in the world. The food is delicious, the fashion is fabulous, the art and the architecture are beautiful and the people are lively and expressive. In this blog post I would like to share with you some fun things to do in the capital city of Rome.

1. Visit the Trevi Fountain
A trip to Rome would not be complete without visiting the famous Trevi Fountain. This fountain was built in the 17th century and it is the largest fountain in Rome. A traditional legend says that if you throw a coin into the fountain, then you will return to Rome.
                  
                   
2. Visit the Colosseum
When you say “Rome”, you might immediately think of the Colosseum. It's probably the city’s most recognizable landmark. It was built over 2000 years ago by the Flavian emperors. In ancient Rome this amphitheater was used to host gladiator games, festivals and theatrical performances. Today it is a major tourist attraction. Europeans under 18 and over 65 can enjoy free entrance!

                                             
3. Visit the Roman Forum
The Roman Forum was once the center of Rome’s political life and used to have courts, markets, and religious buildings.

4. Visit the Spanish Steps
The Spanish steps were built in 1723-1725 by Francesco de Sanctis to link the the Trinità dei Monti church with the Spanish square below. There are 135 stone steps. It is also a popular meeting spot for people. You can also see the Fontana della Barcaccia (fountain) and Piazza di Spagna below the steps. 

                    
                          
5. Visit Piazza Venezia Il Vittoriano
This grand white marble monument was dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. 
                            
                           
6. Visit the Pantheon
The Pantheon is a temple that is dedicated to all the gods of Rome. It is over 2000 years old. It is one of the best-preserved Ancient Roman monuments. You can also explore the tombs of famous people who are buried in it such as Raphael and Vittorio Emanuele II. 
                           
7. Check out the street art and have your portrait drawn by an artist
There are some extremely talented artists in Rome. This artist drew some really good portraits of famous celebrities like Angeline Jolie, Adriana Lima, Nicole Kidman and Johnny Depp.
                   

8. Visit Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona was built in the 15th century and it is one of Rome’s most beautiful squares with baroque architecture with three lovely fountains. There are many artists who gather here and paint portraits. 
                 
9. Visit St. Peter's Basillica and St. Peter's Square
Vatican City is technically another country, but it’s located in Rome and it's extremely easy to get to from Rome. It's worth visiting and you can see St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square.
                           
                           
10. Visit the Vatican Museums
Vatican City is technically another country, but it’s located in Rome and it's extremely easy to get to from Rome. It's worth visiting and you can see St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square, and the Michaelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel as well as the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Library. In the Vatican Museums you can see galleries of classical and Renaissance art and famous paintings by artists like Michaelangelo. I took art and art history as a main subject in High School and I remember studying Michaelangelo's history and artworks. It was a dream come true to see Michaelangelo's art in real life! 

My favourite painting is "The Creation of Adam," where God and Adam are reaching out their arms to each other and their fingers are touching.

                               
                     This is an interesting Michaelangelo painting about judgement day
                        
    Here are some photos I took of some other artworks inside the Vatican Museum.
                        
                         
                        
                       
11. Explore the catacombs of Rome
The catacombs in Rome are ancient underground burial places in Rome. The catacombs came to fruition as a result of religion, overcrowding, shortage of land and expense. The Christians preferred to bury bodies rather than cremate them because of their belief in bodily resurrection in the second coming of Christ. It was expensive to buy land in burial sites to bury the bodies so they began to dig underground tunnels beneath the city to bury the dead.


12. Watch a mime!
I saw many mimes while I was exploring Rome. The mimes are entertaining to watch! Mimes have existed in Roman drama since the ancient times and was supposedly introduced from the Greeks when the Romans conquered Greece and they brought the Greek art of mime into Roman theatre and modified it with their own style.
                                      
                                      
13. Visit the Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo was built in 123 BC as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian and his family. It has been used for many different purposes such as a mausoleum, a fortress, castle, and even a prison. Now it is a museum. It's an interesting place to visit to see the remains of Hadrian’s mausoleum and ancient prison cells.

14. Admire the beauty of Santa Maria della Vittoria
If you are a Dan Brown fan then this is a must for you! This is the chapel that was featured in the movie Angels and Demons. This is also a fantastic place for art enthusiasts to visit and admire the beautiful frescoes and sculptures. One of the most popular is the Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini.

15. Eat Italian pizza, pasta and gelato
A trip to Italy would not be complete without eating some delicious Italian pizza, pasta and gelato.

Rome is a wonderful city to explore and I would love to go back again! I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. I'm hoping that the legend is true and that I will return to Rome someday.