The Colosseum is the most famous attraction in Rome and all of Italy. We can assume that you have not seen Rome if you have not even glanced at the Colosseum.
The Colosseum is one of the 7 New Wonders of the World and it is the largest amphitheater in the world: initially it could accommodate 50,000 people (quite a small city), but the most interesting thing is that the entire audience could fill the Colosseum in 15 minutes and leave in 5.
Also, many architectural and engineering solutions were used here for the first time in the world (it was built in 72 AD, almost 2000 years ago), which makes the Colosseum unique.
The Vatican is the smallest state in the world (0.45 km²), which is located right on the territory of Rome, they issue their passports here, there is a small army and a post office from where you can send a letter with an unusual departure address.
But it is interesting not only because of this. The Vatican is the heart of the largest religion in the world – Catholicism. This is a holy place for almost 1.5 billion Catholics.
The Vatican is also interesting not only for pilgrims, but also for ordinary tourists, because there are 3 amazing sights here: St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. We will talk about them below.
Among other attractions of the city, this place is very different and does not look like the rest of Rome. If you have time, I recommend scheduling a full day to explore the Vatican.
Attention! The Vatican has a dress code, so you may not be allowed in a T-shirt and short shorts.
The main attraction of the Vatican is St. Peter’s Cathedral, named after the Apostle Peter, who was executed here. This temple is one of the most important in Catholicism and in all Christianity. The best masters of that time worked on its creation: Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael, Bramante and many others.
This gigantic structure is 140 meters high and can accommodate up to 60,000 people, making it one of the largest churches in the world.
The Vatican Museums are the 5th most visited museums in the world and their popularity speaks volumes about how many interesting things there are. Museums were founded in 1506 and over the course of 5 centuries the collection was replenished with works of art.
Here you will find 7 km of halls with a variety of exhibits: from ancient sculptures and Egyptian mummies to paintings from all eras.
You are unlikely to have time to see everything, even if you come to the very opening and leave to close. Therefore, I recommend focusing on the most important exhibits, and to find out where and what to find, take an audio guide or book an individual tour.
Sistine Chapel
is the main gem of the Vatican Museums, which is famous all over the world for Michelangelo’s magnificent fresco “The Creation of Adam”
Many travelers visit museums just for this masterpiece, but I recommend checking out other frescoes as well. For example, on one of the walls of the chapel you can see another work by Michelangelo, The Last Judgment, which is no less impressive.
The Trevi Fountain is perhaps the most famous fountain in the world. In fact, it is difficult to call it a fountain in the sense we are used to, because it is a whole architectural complex, consisting of a palace behind and the fountain itself with sculptures.
Trevi is also the largest fountain in Rome: its height reaches 26 meters and its width is 50 m. It was built exactly 30 years – from 1732 to 1762.
The tradition associated with this fountain is to throw a coin in order to return to Rome again. The tradition has become so popular that about 3,000 euros are thrown here every day, which is more than 1,000,000 euros per year. Therefore, the city authorities have allocated special people who every morning collect coins from the bottom in kilograms.
But do not try to catch the coins, because there is a hefty fine for this!
