We planned for Monday to be our main sightseeing day. The morning was started with breakfast at our hotel before we left at 10am. A bus to the city centre took us just 10 minutes - €1.20 for one way ticket.
Our first stop was at Piazza Venezia, a major circus and known as the central hub of Rome. The majority of Rome's popular tourist attractions are easily accessible from here and are within walking distance. The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) caught my eye and we decided to see it up close. This monument was built in 1925 in honour of King Victor Emmanuel, making it quite a new attraction compared to the rest of the Rome and its architecture.
From the top of the building you can see a 360 degree view of Rome. A ticket to the top costs €7 but you can stay on the roof as long as you like!
Our next stop was Santa Maria in Aracoeli, another beautiful Catholic church with a monumental staircase.
While you can see the Colosseum in the background of my next picture, I have to mention the Arch of Constantine. I am always intrigued by triumphal arches, there is something so powerful about them! I have to admit, this one definitely beats the Arch of Triumph in Paris for me.
When we finally got to the Colosseum, I felt like my day was complete! We read and talked about this amphitheatre in school a lot, it was always mentioned in our history books or as a topic in art class.
Our tickets for the Colosseum weren't pre-booked, as we originally didn't plan to go inside or see the ruins more closely. By midday, the line to get into the Colosseum was long. We didn't want to queue for hours, so we decided to buy our tickets from tour operators. Tickets cost us €25 each, they could be used for two days for entry to the Colosseum and to the Roman Forum with tours. Tristan and I lost our tour guide and friends at one stage when we went to buy some souvenirs, so we walked around by ourselves for a while and caught up with them later once the tour was over.
The Roman Forum was our next stop. Sadly, we missed this tour as we got seperated from our tour group at the Colosseum. I didn't mind much though as I prefer to wander around and do my own thing.
At the end of a long and and exhausting day, we went back to the hotel and grabbed something to eat. We stayed in our hotel room for the rest of the evening and I got to pamper my skin after being under the sun all day.
rome is such a magical city!
ReplyDeletefabulous photos...and I like that dress you were wearing!
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