Rome, The Eternal City

Rome to me is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, if not the most!

It is a place lost in it’s own time capsule, surrounded by ancient historical ruins and small weaving alleyways that lead to untold wonders. 

However, it is not just a city of historical events and old crumbling ruins, it is also a place that lives in perfect balance, in which past meets present – making it quite a sight to behold. With noisy mopeds zooming around the outskirts of the Colosseum, and street artists spray painting their sunsets and galaxies on canvas outside The Roman Forum. Whilst men and woman push the boundaries of fashion with fabulous bright colours and outrageous pompoms in front of the magnificent Pantheon… It is a scene in which nothing should fit and therefore everything does, perfectly. 

As they say ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ and I 100% agree with this! There is no point visiting a place so extraordinary as Rome (or anyplace abroad for that matter), to simply sit in front of the telly and have chips n egg, No Sirree! I fully encourage anyone travelling to Rome, to see as much as humanly possible, to eat all the delicious Italian cuisine that one stomach can hold, and to fully throw yourself into the Italian way of life.

At the end of the day, we only get one life in this small moment in time, so why not live it to the full, and enjoy ourselves!

Rome has a bit of everything to offer and if you’re a fan of ancient history (like myself) then you will be in your element, as you explore the levels of the Colosseum and marvel at its mammoth grandeur, exploring every nook and cranny. Following your way to the Roman Forum to admire the ruins of what was once home of the most powerful civilisation in the world! It is a fascinating place to visit, despite it mostly being the foundations of the buildings/temple, with pillars and statues dotted throughout. However, it is the historical value of this place that captivates you, knowing that you are walking in the footsteps of a civilisation that shaped much of the world and its history… Now long gone, but not forgotten – It is quite a haunting thought!

There are hundreds of churches to see and bridges to cross, statues to gaze at and carpenters to craft! Shops upon shops to explore and cobbled streets to follow! I have always found that each and every street in Rome has some form of uniqueness to it, be it the houses, or quirky shops, mosaics or statues, views or hidden destinations. It is a warren of excitement and adventure, I highly recommend walking (when possible) everywhere – as that is the only way to truly get a feel for a place and find the hidden gems! I wouldn’t say the public transport is expensive, and to be honest the taxis aren’t too badly priced either for a city, but Rome is so closely packed together that there isn’t really any need to get transport…well perhaps if you’ve been on the trot all day and you’re heading back to the hotel. But otherwise, everything is accessible through walking, including the bridges, and they are very lovely to stroll along. Especially the bridge of angels, Ponte Sant’ Angelo, full of various statues of angels each unique in there own way. It is very picturesque!

I adore the relaxing vibe of Rome, it is something quite rare to find in a city. Don’t get me wrong, the streets of Rome are not quiet ones… they are buzzing and full of life! Especially those around the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps! Though there does come a time in the evening when everyone just disappears – you don’t even notice them dwindling away, one minute it’s heaving and the next you turn around and its just you left standing in front of this magnificent site.

What I mean, when I say that Rome is relaxing, is that there is no sense of pressure from anyone, even the workers don’t seem stressed or cranky, as they might do in London or New York. If anything they all look like they’re having a blast and not taking life too seriously! There is a lightness about Rome, that not all cities can claim to have.

As you can tell I have a massive soft spot for Rome (and Italy for that matter), I love exploring this gorgeous city at any time in the day, but I have to say that doing so by night is incredible! Sitting on the Spanish steps as the sun is going down, feeling the last of its glorious heat on your face and walking on to the pantheon as dusk comes in – hearing the laughter and chatter of people enjoy their meals in nearby restaurants. Admiring the Pantheon’s grandeur, as little silhouettes of sparrows chase one another through the pillars.

Carrying on down your route passing the very impressive Altare Della Patria, with the fire torch burning strong in front of the huge statue of Roma (the goddess of Rome), as she watches over all! Following your feet you find yourself looking down into The Roman Forum, as the moonlight illuminates the pillars and old crumbling temple walls.

…and then you look up and see it, the most breathtaking site, the Colosseum! Glowing in the night, light radiating out from within, as a faint sound fills the air of a reenactment taking place, releasing a chill of goosebumps at this eerie scene. It is an amazing thing to behold in the day, but by night it has a life of its own!

There are often shows, reenactments and concerts held within the Colosseum, which I am sure make for a very memorable watch, but to be honest the Colosseum has the power to be memorable at just a mere glance! It is not something to be missed.

I strongly encourage anyone who has not seen Rome (especially the Colosseum) by night to do so, it is something you will not regret! To me, it was the cherry on top of the most amazing visit to Italy!

I have always said that Rome is the perfect place to fall in love with yourself, and I think it’s something you need to experience to fully understand. It is a place to let your hair down and enjoy the little things in life. You notice so much more about yourself when you let go and just allow life to take its course, honestly, there is no better place than Italy to do so!

I could sit chatting away all day about the beauty of Rome and it’s motherland, but I don’t think I could ever truly do it justice. It is an incredible place that has earned the right a 100 times over to be called ‘The Eternal City’ for its beauty will never fade!

Thank you for reading my wee post, I hope you guys have enjoyed it. I’m hoping to do a whole series of posts about different parts of Italy that I have explored. I’m also hoping to do a ‘Roman Holiday’ post – about visiting the sites from the Audrey Hepburn Movie filmed in Rome!

Let me know if you guys liked this post and if you’ve been to Rome/Italy, or if you have any travel plans! Thank you again for reading, please don’t hesitate to get in Contact if you have any questions, requests or simply want to share an experience. Feel free to follow my Blog, and you can also find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Also at the end of August I’ll be doing a Festival Giveaway, so if you’d like to be a part of it there will be more posts, votes, and updates about all of it on my Twitter and Instagram accounts – I will also do a post on here when it goes live.

Thank you again, guys, and have a beautiful day!

Best wishes

Hermione x