Rome Vacation

I have been very lucky in having opportunities to travel, indulging my passion for exploring and learning about different cultures. My recent Rome vacation was particularly enjoyable.  Rome is great for romantic vacations, honeymoons, traveling with friends and even traveling solo. It's a fascinating city full of history and great art. Not to mention the food and wine! There are a number of must see sights. The Coliseum is a definite highlight of any Rome vacation. It's a thrill to stand in the spot where the crowds cheered their favorite Gladiator or gasped as the lions were brought in. It all seems very familiar of course, from Hollywood movies such as Spartacus and Gladiator. The guide told us about the history of the Coliseum and how the Games were organized.

Another highlight was the Vatican. It's the home of the greatest art in the world, including Michelangelo's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. It was well worth waiting in line for an hour. A Rome vacation offers the chance to see many wonderful churches, with fabulous statues, paintings and alters. There's over 900 churches!

It's not all culture in Rome. It's also a Mecca for people wanting the best in designer clothes. I went window shopping round the area with shops bearing names like Gucci, Armani and Prada. Some of the prices are awesome, but you are getting exclusive designs.

The city was very crowded and it was hot work, walking round. There are plenty bars and eating places to stop for a cool drink. A good tip to bear in mind, when on a Rome vacation, is that it's much cheaper to stand at the bar and have your drink. If you sit at a table, they will charge up to an extra 300% more!

The food was terrific in Rome, with pizza, pasta dishes and Mediterranean salads. You can also get a good steak and thick, hearty soups. I have to admit to breaking my diet during my Rome vacation as the pastries and cakes were too delicious looking to resist   I had the best Tiramasu ever. Wine, as you'd expect, was reasonably priced but beer could be expensive. It's possible to eat fairly cheaply in Rome however, if you get away from the usual tourist spots and go down some of the side streets.

Rome does have a big problem with traffic congestion. It took ages for our open top sightseeing bus to take us round the city on the first day of our Rome vacation. You can see that pollution has affected some of the buildings too. There are only two Metro systems for the city of 4 million people. They've tried digging down to make new ones, but keep hitting some buried archeological treasure! We witnessed an emergency ambulance getting stuck in traffic on two separate occasions.

Rome is a terrific city and I would recommend it to anyone. It's probably best to take a Rome vacation outside of the very hot months of summer. There's something for everyone and if you follow the custom of throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain, you will return one day.