AROUND THE CITY
Out of all the historic cities in Italy, Rome is the most fascinating one. There is so much to experience in Rome. The ancient relics juxtaposing the urban architecture make Rome’s skyline appealing. Since long it has been called Eternal City and has been a dominant city throughout the history of western civilization. It is a compact city and a good way to discover the city is to walk its vibrant streets. The city spaces are filled with layers of buildings spanning two millennia. The city has classical features like the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill, and the relics from the early Christian period decorate ancient basilicas. The Baroque and Romanesque fountains and churches are the classical parts of the picture. As the first headquarters of the Roman Empire, and then the Catholic Church, over the years, Rome has made an immense impact on social customs throughout the world.
The centre of the city is filled with Roman ruins. The area to the South is
known as Avertine and Lateran. There are temples of the Avertine and Lateran
and the circular Temple of Hercules, remnants of a Roman bridge across the
Tiber-Ponce Rotto, the Baths of Caracalla with its gymnasia, the Pyramid of
Caius Cestius and the Catacombs that held the dead bodies of early Christians.
Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architecture are laced along the ancient
ruins. On the west from the city centre is the area near the Piazza Navona.
The North is filled with the 18th and 19th century architecture. When you
travel to the West, across the Tiber and you head into an area near the Vatican,
you will come across medieval buildings.
The Saturn which was the seat of the Roman State Treasury. On the right there
are remains of the Basilica Julia. The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre is
perched on Palatine Hill. It was built with funds obtained from the war booty
following the destruction of Jerusalem by Emperor Titus, and Jewish slaves
had worked on its construction. The Colosseum was built by covering a little
lake in the lowest part of Nero’s “Golden House”, the spectacular estate which
the emperor had built for himself. He made use of innovative concepts, like
concrete (still standing to this day) and chain of production. Wild animals
were slaughtered for fun or were forced to hunt and’ kill prisoners. Gladiator
fights were the highlight of this gruesome show. But today, the Colosseum
and the surrounding monuments draw tourists because of their grand architecture.
