Rome is a city where you can blindly press the camera button, and the frame will still be beautiful.
Our liner Wonder of the Seas arrived in a city with a beautiful name, Civitavecchia, located in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Lazio region. This city serves as the seaport for the capital.
We board a suburban train heading to Rome.
It’s about 80 kilometers from here.
I’ve noticed that railway landscapes are some of the most uniform in the world. Whether you travel through Moscow suburbs, Berlin, Austria, Hungary, or Italy, the view outside is almost the same: stations, small stops, suburbs, country houses…
I was expecting a grand monumental entrance into the great eternal city of Rome. Instead, it looked like this.
From the station, it’s possible to walk to another country. A small but significant one.
The Vatican
A state within a state. Small but very influential. Truly, size doesn’t matter… (Switzerland is another example).
It seems to be the first country where I’ve simply crossed the geographical border on foot.
Moving on.
By the way, all the Roman landmarks mentioned in this post can be explored within one walk.
Castel Sant’Angelo
I don’t know about you, but I really like such structures. This castle is 2,000 years old, can you imagine? Just think of all it has witnessed…
Alleys of Rome
Of course, they’re beautiful.
Have you seen the alleys of Paphos?
I was ready for this, but I was still surprised when I found many stores selling men’s clothing in central Rome and Florence, while women’s clothing stores were almost nonexistent. We barely managed to find suitable outfits for my partner.
Interestingly, men’s stores had reasonable prices (considering this is the center of Italy’s capital), while women’s clothing was at least five times more expensive with a rather simple assortment.
Yes, that’s how it is in Italy. Men pay a lot of attention to their appearance, and many look like Hollywood superstars.
The Pantheon
One of the strangest, most mysterious, and majestic ancient structures I’ve seen.
A photo (especially mine) won’t convey even a thousandth of the grandeur of this structure. So just add it to the list of places you must see.
What does M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT mean?
The inscription “Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, three times consul, built this.” translates to “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three-time consul, built this.”
Did you notice how the icon in the blue block above resembles the Pantheon? It was modeled after it… ))
And here, by the way, is my list of 50 world landmarks that I’ve already visited. The second part is coming soon..)
Sant’Ignazio
Located near the Pantheon. Beautiful, isn’t it? Truly stunning.
My takeaway on Rome: I DID NOT EXPECT this city to make such a strong impression on me.
I thought it would be simpler—admire all these ancient and medieval monuments, take some photos and videos, enjoy Italian delicacies, and return to the ship feeling accomplished. But no. Now I want to spend not just a few hours here, but at least a week.
Alright, moving on.
Trevi Fountain
Near this fountain, a friendly African guy approached me. It seemed he also wanted to become my “brother,” like his “colleague” in Thessaloniki—https://webliner.pro/thessaloniki/#bro. He asked me, “Where are you from, bro?” I replied with a phrase that has long become my personal credo, a principle especially in light of the terrible events of 2022. When you stop thinking in terms of nationalities and citizenships, you realize you are, above all, an Earthling. So I simply replied, “I am from Earth, bro!” He said that was cool and showed respect. Since his scripts apparently didn’t include a response to that phrase, he smiled and walked away.
The Colosseum
For me, this word is primarily associated with the eponymous song by the band Aria, but this is indeed about this structure.
Another monument from yet another fallen great “invincible” empire.
Sigh… Millennia go by, and not much changes. New leaders attempt to build new empires, though their methods resemble the actions of wild barbarian tribes more than anything. But let’s not dwell on this for now.
Not far from the Colosseum, you’ll find ruins that eloquently show what the amphitheater and everything around it will eventually turn into over time. And then, even these remnants will dissolve into history…
Cordonata Capitolina
Equestrian Statue of Victor Emmanuel II
Whew. This is far from everything you can see in one walking tour. But the hot May day took its toll, and after paying our respects to the Italian capital, we returned to the ship.
The next day, Wonder of the Seas brought us to another beautiful Italian city — Naples.
