PHOTO DIARY: 48 HOURS IN ROME

“OH THE PLACES YOU’LL GO” – DR. SEUSS

My all time favourite movie in the world is Roman Holiday, so you can imagine my excitement when I arrived in Rome. I had high expectations of this historic city and it was everything I could have dreamed of and more.

Here are some of my favourite photos and places I visited during my short time in Rome.

A big thank you to my sister Stacey, owner of Sunsets and Suitcases, whose photos I’ve used from our time here together as I unfortunately lost a lot of mine.

THE COLOSSEUM

An internationally recognised amphitheater in the center of Rome. Built of concrete and stone, it is the largest amphitheater ever built and is a great piece of architecture and engineering. Rome is a very busy city, and thousands of tourists visit daily, so in almost all cases, there will be lines to get into everything; the Colosseum is no exception. It will most likely be the longest wait of the day, so get it over with first thing.

VATICAN CITY

A walled enclave within the city of Rome ruled by the Pope, the Vatican City is famous for its cultural sites including St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums – featuring the worlds most famous paintings and sculptures. My visit to the Vatican was a huge highlight from my time in Rome, and I think it was because I wasn’t expecting it to be. Everything about it was beautiful and you certainly don’t need to be Catholic to appreciate it. I’d definitely recommend a tour!

TREVI FOUNTAIN

In the Trevi District in Rome, this incredible masterpiece is the largest fountain in the city and one of the most famous in the world. The throwing of the coins into the Trevi Fountain is a popular ritual that tourists from all over the world partake in. It is said, using your right hand, throw two coins over your left shoulder – one coin to ensure you will return to Rome and the second will ensure love. All very cheesy, but still, Trevi Fountain collects over 3000 euro a day, so looks like we’re all a bunch of travel fanatics and hopeless romantics!

SPANISH STEPS

These monumental steps are dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top and have appeared in several films including Roman Holiday hence the reason I had to pay a visit. I bought myself some gelato and sat on the steps feeling very ‘Audrey Hepburn’ – it had to be done! As you can see, it’s no less busy at night than it is during the day.

THE MOUTH OF TRUTH

Located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, this artifact has also become even more famous from the movie Roman Holiday. The Mouth of Truth is said to play a role as a lie detector. It is believed that if one told a lie with one’s hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off (myth or not, I was still crapping my pants when I put my hand in the mouth). It’s a coin donation to have your photo taken, and you might have to wait half an hour or so, but it’s all for a bit of fun! When in Rome, right!?

PANTHEON

The Pantheon is one of the best preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, dating back to 126AD! It’s just remarkable, and more of a photo stop than anything else. There are some great little cafes and restaurants around the area, so why not grab some gelato or authentic Italian pizza and take a minute to absorb the magnificence that is Rome.

There’s still so many places I want to visit in Rome, so I am looking forward to returning one day soon (perhaps when it’s not 48 degrees!!). Any secret treasures you know of that I need to make sure I add? I definitely want to wander aimlessly through cobblestone streets and quaint neighbourhoods eating more gelato and pasta than my body can manage – sounds like a dream!

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