Sign in with Facebook"La Città Dei Sette Colli" Rome by goodfish
Rome Travel Guide: 11,939 reviews and 26,463 photos
“Each day brings me some new remarkable object, some new great picture, and a whole city which the imagination will never encompass, however long one thinks and dreams,” Wolfgang von Goethe, 'Italian Journey', 1786
In 1973, a few weeks after my 18th birthday, I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and pitched a lira over my shoulder into Trevi Fountain in hopes that I might find my way to Rome again. It must have been one very lucky coin as I’ve been back twice since and haven’t lost an ounce of my initial teenage fascination with the Eternal City.
The intro page is where I might offer a brief history - or at least a little interesting background - of a place. Rome? I give up. The story of its rise, fall and rebirth over thousands of years fills many a volume. And do I know all of its nooks and crannies? Fat chance. It would take a lifetime to learn about every single ruin, church, fountain, piazza, park, monument and palace. But that's the wonderful thing about Rome: just as it was for Herr Goethe, each day promises a new adventure as there’s never a shortage of fascinating corners to be explored!
As a first-timer you'll likely to be spending most, if not all, of your time in the central historic district (Centro Storico.) This was the once-walled Rome of the Caesars that contains the majority of the sites that are top of everyone's gotta-do lists. Those include the vestiges of the imperial era: Forum; Colosseum; Palatine; Pantheon; a bath or two (er, no, not the one in your hotel room.)
The advent of Christianity added hundreds of exquisite churches to the mix: San Pietro; Lateran; Santa Maria Maggiore; San Clemente; Santa Maria in Trastevere...
The Renaissance and Baroque eras brought some of Italy's greatest masters of fresco, sculpture and architecture to the city: Raphael; Caravaggio; Bernini; Michelangelo; Borromini…
But Rome is much more than art, architecture and piles of rock. It’s food; beautiful, musical language; lively street-side trattorias and bars; her people. Romans are a warm, cheerful lot who value good manners and whom often operate in an 'It’ll happen when it happens and not before’ sort of world. Time, in Rome, is not of the essence: time is irrelevant, and resistance, my friends, is futile so you might as well relax, order another glass of wine and enjoy the hour.
Si fueris Romae, Romano vivitomore!
- Pros:Art, history, architecture, and a warm, welcoming culture
- Cons:None except the cost of getting there!
- In a nutshell:One of my favorite cities
Reviews (81)
Fountain of the Turtles
Things to Do
(62)
This charming fountain is in a tiny piazza that’s a pleasant walk-through in the Jewish Ghetto/Portico Ottavia-Teatro... more travel advice
Whuzzup with the bees?
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Traveling with young children? Keep boredom levels with piles of rock and old churches to a minimum with a Bee Hunt:... more travel advice
The Right Stuff
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Tacky tchochke shops, like the one above, clutter up every street and every corner around the tourist hot spots and they... more travel advice
Hit or Miss
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I’ll just mention this one as it comes up a lot in guidebooks and restaurant searches. Pizzeria Ricci (more commonly... more travel advice
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Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Rome
- Posted in Miscellaneous Forum "Re: The most-asked questions?"
- Commented on one of goodfish's Rome tips
- Wrote a Review Fountain of the Turtles about Fontana delle Tartarughe in Rome Things to Do
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Comments (32)
indeed great photo, will checking out the pages in the coming months.cheers
Stunning photo and great intro.
Aw, thank a bunch, Sally. Rome, as you know, is near and dear to Goodfish's heart - as is just about anywhere else in The Boot.
A problem with my link See my
Lovely photo on your intro page. First visit already in 1973! That's fine; you are accepted as member of the club of those who parked their car in front of the Coliseum. See my members.virtualtourist.com/m...
New trial: Lovely photo on your intro page. First visit already in 1973!
That's fine; you are accepted as member of the club of those who parked their car in front of the Coliseum. See my %L[ "Coliseum - We got here by car." - Colosseum Tip by breughel]
Lovely photo on your intro page. First visit already in 1973!
That's fine; you are accepted as member of the club of those who parked their car in front of the Coliseum. See my %L[ "Coliseum - We got here by car." - Colosseum Tip by breughel [/]
Hi Kate, I've just started reading your fantastic Rome page. My one visit to Rome was many years ago (during a heat wave and a transit strike) so a lot of this is new to me. I'll be back to read your Things to Do tips at some point.
Hi Kate, Your page of Rome is very detailed. I do not know this city, but you have given me the desire to visit it.
I do tend to run on, don't I? HA! It is such a fascinating city so I guess I've found a lot to write about. Hope you get to visit it someday too. :O)
Hi, Kate!~ Thanks for your comprehensive page about Rome!~ I wish I could travel there some day and spend a week or two....
"A pile of rubble is a lot more interesting if you know the stories behind it" - I totally agree with you. It's obvious that you've done your lessons and the result is great. I visited Rome last year but the thought of writing tips about it is just overwhelming
I like your latest tip outside of Rome. If we were to make it back to the Rome area we would spend all our time outside of the city center.
Hello Kate! Hubby and I will be visiting Venice, Florence and Rome this autumn and your pages are so helpful... oh gosh, how on earth will I ever narrow down all the things I want to see to fit into 7 days in Rome?! You tips are certainly helping... will celebrate my birthday in Roma this year, I am so excited! Greetings from Dubai / Jess :-)