This article is written by Dr Ruchika Mendiratta
The moment one reaches Rome one falls in love with it. This ancient city of Europe, situated on both sides of river Tiber, is a city of contrasts in many ways. A modern city squeezed into a maze of old streets.
The Piazza Navona, Roma
The capital of Italy, Rome is surrounded by seven hills. Layers of history are superimposed here and they seem to be pouring out of every nook and corner.
Marble bust of Julius Caesar, first century C.E.; recently discovered on the Island of Pantelleria
My husband and I felt elated just to think that we are walking on the streets where once mighty kings like Julius Caesar tread. The Colosseum looks gigantic and makes us wonder how men used to fight with ferocious animals here.
At Pantheon we were awestruck by the imposing architecture. It is surprising to see that when architecture as a subject was not there, the buildings used to be made with such precision. Rome is also famous for its fountains.
The Trevi Fountain, Rome
The Trevi Fountain was breathtaking. Flanked by huge sculptures and water cascading down, it looks beautiful. People here have a belief that if you toss a coin over your shoulder and make a wish it always comes true. So both my husband and I did exactly that.
Rome is a very lively city. Although language is a problem people are quite friendly. We specially liked the hop on hop off bus, which we took to see the major tourist attractions of the city.
Bocca della Verità or ‘Mouth of Truth’
One can get off at any spot, roam around for some time and catch the next bus. I was very excited to visit the Mouth of Truth and put my hand in it. It was like a dream come true for I had seen it in the movie, Roman Holiday.
We enjoyed visiting the museums, street and other places. A high point of our trip was visit to Saint Peter’s Cathedral at the Vatican City. We were impressed by its opulence. Works of Michelangelo and other artists stand out. The fully lit church at night looks amazing. Rome has several parks and some of them are so big that it takes more than half-a-day to see them.
A guided tour of underground Rome showed us how the modern city developed over the centuries.
Besides seeing the churches, parks and other historical places we also had a fantastic time eating the different kinds of pastas, pizzas and the sumptuous gelatos, which are available in several flavours. After staying in Rome for five days we visited a few more cities in Italy and Switzerland and came back with memories to cherish and totally refreshed.
Ruchika Mendiratta
20 June 2011
http://travel.hindustantimes.com/travelogues/splendid-rome.php
