The Colosseum and The Forums, Rome

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Before anything else, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated but since my last post, it has been a whirlwind of so many things happening that much to my dismay, I’ve somewhat slacked off on my duties in posting on this blog… but more on that in my next blog post as I do not want to take away from the beauty of Rome and the appropriate blog post it requires although I have to concede that no photos would do the place justice because as soon as I stepped into the ancient city… I fell in love and it definitely is part of the Top 10 Most Magnificent Places I’ve visited in my lifetime.

I think Giotto di Bondone said it best when he said, “Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions and the city of yearning.” Because as soon as I left, I yearned to come back to this majestic and glorious city. It’s surprising that every nook of the city held so much beauty and how richly they preserved their culture and the many wonderful historical sites. I’ve always been quite the history buff (a perfect Sunday for me consists of my television glued to National Geographic or The History Channel) which probably explains how absolutely enamored and enchanted I was of this beautiful place. One of the first places I made it a point to visit (well after The Trevi Fountain but that was one of the tourist spots closest to our hotel and I had to make my three wishes, two of which are coming true so far!) was The Coliseo and The Roman Forum… because really, who visits Rome without seeing the grandeur of these sites? If ever I do get to visit again, I don’t think I will ever stop being in awe of this greatest wonder of the Roman Civilization. The immense amphitheater which still remains standing is the symbol of the city, its life and then being able to stand where so many people stood, fought, won and died before was a humbling experience. I can only imagine how in its full glory it was a place that displayed Roman greatness. Even today, with only its remains intact, it is a marvel for me.

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A great tip if you’re a history nerd like me is to join one of those English language tours that the place provides with a guide every 15 minutes. They have this service outside the Colosseum and it was a wonderful experience since aside from skip the line services (and the line was LONG!), you get to find out random fun facts about the place which is always a plus for me as I geek out on things like that. After the tour and a good 30 minutes or so basking in the magnificent site, the same tour provides a 1.5 hour tour of the Roman Forums which I was so sad to have missed. Luckily, our chauffeur whose name I have yet to remember but who was very very chic and probably more fashionable than me, drove us to the best spot to see the Forums from minus the grueling heat and all the walking.

Anyway, it doesn’t do Rome justice no matter what I write because no words probably will. An update on one of the most life-altering and BEST thing that happened to me in my next post! Ciao!

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x, JL