The Eternal City

Just over a year ago, I went on a trip to Rome with a few friends and can honestly say it is the most amazing city I have ever seen. Since the times of the Ancient Republic, Rome has been nicknamed the ‘Eternal City’ as it was believed that no matter what happened throughout the years, Rome would always stand - I am extremely grateful that it has.

We entered the city through the Porta del Popolo and came across the renaissance buildings such as the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. You can’t help but stand in awe when you walk into the courtyard and see the Pantheon at the far end. The ancient Roman temple, dedicated to all of the gods, survived the various sacks of the city, and the destruction faced by many of the Imperial constructions when they were pulled apart for materials. Later on, the site was consecrated as a church and still stands as one of the most impressive buildings in the city. The next day we walked across the city, through the winding medieval streets and began a trek down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the main road that Mussolini built through the old forum towards the Colosseum.

It still amazes me how a civilisation built construction as grand as those in the forum two thousand years ago, at the same time when the native of Great Britain were living in wooden hill forts. You can walk down a street and see a large surviving piece of an aqueduct, or columns that used to belong to an impressive temple built at a time were, what are now the richest countries in the world, would have been little more than waring tribes. The Colosseum is truly one of the most wonderful buildings in the world, but I feel that it sadly overshadows the nearby Palatine Hill, on which sit the ruins of the Flavian Palace, the site from which the Emperors would hold court and rule the vast empire. The layouts of large pleasure gardens and courtyards can be seen where the autocratic leaders would have spent their free time, whilst the various palace buildings were liked together by subterranean tunnels (the same tunnels in which Emperor Caligula, the mad one who made his horse a senior politician, was assassinated by his own Imperial Guard).

Whilst there are thousands of sites in Rome that deserve recognition, I feel that the most important has to be the Basilica of Saint Peter and its surrounding complex of palaces in the Vatican City. The huge dome that crowns the cathedral is visible across the city and is an architectural marvel designed by Michelangelo (I have to admit, it is only recently that I have started linking that name to the artist and not a ninja turtle). I think its hard to describe the feeling you get when you walk into the Basilica and view the colossal wonder that opens out in front. I’ll try to write more about the cathedral in another blog as there’s far too much to say here. The museums on the other hand, whilst they are absolutely amazing and contain thousands of pieces that deserve recognition, the corridors do seem to stretch for miles, with no chair in sight for the full tour. Me and my friends were so tired by the end of it that we had to sit down on the congested street that faces the exit, which gained us the unhappy glair of the many Italians attempting to wind their way through the tourist crowds.

One thing I will say that I will not miss about the Eternal City is the eternal stream of traffic that flows through the roads, even when the lights show a green man. Apparently the many vespa drivers cannot see when it is signalled that pedestrians can cross and instead thread through making you constantly feel unsafe until you are back in the crowds on the street with a shield of Italians protecting you from their crazy driving counterparts. Whilst this is scary, it made me and my friends laugh constantly as we walked down the pathways each time being thankful that we survived crossing an avenue.

Hopefully I will write more about Rome one day, but for now I hope this gives an insight into what, in my opinion, is the most beautiful city in Europe, probably the world.

Arrivederci!