Rome

By Elma B.

In August of Summer of 2010, my family decided to visit the ancient city of Rome. I must admit the temperatures were soaring (around 80 F); nonetheless, the city proved to be magical in every sense. 

Traveling Tip # 1: Looking back, I would advise you not to visit Rome in August because of the heat. With that said, the city was not crowded at all because of the Italian holiday Ferragosto during which almost all Italians vacate the city and are off on vacation for the entire month of August. The only crowds we saw were the wondering tourists; aside from merchants and local restaurant owners, Romans were seldom to be spotted in the city. 

Now back to the magic: as I walked through sites like the Vatican, St. Peter's Square, and the Pantheon, I imagined how the places looked like during the ancient Roman empire and how  millions of people had passed through these sites from all over the world. The feeling was quite incredible. If you are crunched for time, the sites that most impressed me in Rome were the Vatican City, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum (which includes the Colosseum), and the Ancient Sights (which were entirely outdoors). 

Traveling Tip # 2: Before landing in Rome, I picked up DK Eyewitness  Top 10 Travel Guide: Rome. I loved the travel book because it was compact, i.e. its size made it very easy to carry. Moreover, the travel guide is very comprehensive and makes it easy to follow. In a nutshell, DK Eyewitness  Top 10 Travel Guide: Rome lists the top 10 sites in Rome to visit. In the back of the book, you can find out more about the areas that surround the site, e.g., nearby restaurants, cafes, and other small museums that are not as apparent as the large attractions. Lastly, another gem of the travel guide is the fact that it contains very user friendly map of Rome and a separate metro map. The book is not expensive at all: I paid only around $10 through Amazon.com. 

Rather than detailing exhaustively the sites we visited in my post, please take a look at my photos under which I will make a brief description of many of the sites we visited. All of the photos are my own, and at the time I did not have a professional camera, so yes: Rome is REALLY that gorgeous! I hope you find my mini-travel-report useful, and please feel free to leave a comment below or email us at info@clubfashionista.com. 

Bus Tour of Rome (it was incredible!)

Piazza Navona in Rome

Ancient Sights in Rome

St. Peter's Square (in the background)

The Vatican's outer walls

The Colosseum in Rome 

Inside the Colosseum in Rome

The view from the Colosseum 

Ancient Sights in Rome

Ancient Sights in Rome

Inside the Pantheon in Rome

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Trevi Fountain in Rome