Rome and the Vatican City

As we know all roads lead to Rome and the Vatican City. Two words that go well together. Like Wine and Cheese! When you come to see one, you also see the other.

Rome is Italy’s capital and an amazing city with nearly 3,000 years of globally influential art, architecture and culture on display. There is plenty to see in Rome. From the Ancient Ruins to the famous Colosseum, you can find traces of the former glory of the Roman Empire.

Tourist Destinations

The city is full of ‘tourist destinations’ that one should see. From the amazing Pantheon, a former Roman Temple and now a church, to the famous Trevi Fountain. I walked a lot in Rome and explored a lot over three whole days.

Rome also has over 300 churches (and still counting) so you can imagine I went to see a few. They are all stunning and unique inside. I spontaneously entered the ‚Saint Peters in Chains’ and found myself standing in front of the tomb of Pope Julius II, created by the amazing Michelangelo himself.

The Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built and sits in the Rome City Centre. People come to Rome to see the Colosseum and it is definitely amazing and grand. However it was so crowded I decided not to go inside. After all, I have seen a few Colosseums on my trip last year (the most stunning one in Pula). So I didn‘t need have the urge to line up here.

Rome Underground Secrets and Mysteries Tour

Instead I booked an underground tour that was great and something different. The tour I did was ‘Underground Secrets & Mysteries’. Although I booked with ‘Together in Rome’ (link here), you can also book directly with the amazing guide Alessandro. He gave me permission to give out his email directly: ale.locchi@tiscali.it. Alessandro is an Archaeologist and definitely knows all the facts. The tour was three hours long and I learned so much about the underground secrets and mysteries of ancient Rome in a very interesting way.

I don’t do tours too often but this was a semi-private tour (there were three of us), visiting the Basilica of San Clemente and its underground levels as well as the Roman Houses under the Basilica dei Santissimi Giovanni and Paolo (John & Paul). From original frescos to breathtaking mosaics, it was a tour that I really enjoyed. I can definitely recommend it. There were no big tourist crowds to deal with as well!

Rome City

Rome City is beautiful and I could walk here for days, especially on a beautiful sunny day (the sun came out on the third day). The vibe is great, people sitting at cafes, enjoying local cuisine, or eating delicious ice cream.

Having been to so many countries were men usually dominate the scenery it was nice to see ladies of all ages strolling the streets in groups. Looking glamorous and happy they are chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Rome is really a city to enjoy!

That said, in between the beautiful architectures and buildings there are the narrow back roads. And although the city is in generally quite clean (let’s say I have seen it worse), you get a swift of strong urin smell from time to time. Not very pleasant.

Vatican City

Vatican City is its own country and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. St. Peter’s Basilica is amazing and Michelangelo’s masterpiece frescos inside the Sistine Chapel are just breathtaking. So much detail and hard work went into his paintings.

The Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest treasures of the Vatican City, of Rome and of the world in general. It is known as much for its decoration, as for being the temple in which popes are chosen and crowned. And I couldn‘t wait to see it!

The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are a must to see. It was the part I was the most excited about. So, after seeing all the crowds in Florence to go and see the Cathedral I decided to prebook the tickets (link here). There is no need to pay up for ‘skip the line’ ticket because even with my ticket I was able to walk straight in. The queue for the tourists without tickets was extremely long.

Funnily, once inside the Vatican Museum, the first thing that was on display was some Egyptian history. It would have been quite interesting to see if I wouldn’t have just come back from Egypt myself. So I fast tracked through that part to see what I came to see, the Sistine Chapel!

As a summary, the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel as well as the St. Peter’s Basilica were the highlight of my Rome trip! Absolutely breathtaking and amazing to see! No photos can capture the amazing experience.

You might have to go and see Rome and the Vatican City for yourself!