Rome. Which started my journey in Italy

I decided not to try to see Rome all in one day. This is simply impossible here - the historical center is so full of monuments, squares and ancient streets that sometimes it is enough to walk a few hundred meters to stop again and realize that you are looking at another place with a centuries-old history.

That's why I made the first day as simple as possible: no transportation and a complicated plan, just a walk through the center of Rome. I just wanted to walk from one historical place to another and gradually get to know the city.

Colosseum - the beginning of the route

In the morning, I started walking by the Colosseum. Even if you've seen him dozens of times in photographs, he makes a completely different impression in person. Especially when you approach it on foot and gradually understand the scale of the structure.

Nearby is the Triumphal Arch of Constantine, and then the huge archaeological zone of the Roman Forum begins. I didn't try to go through it all quickly, but just lingered a bit, looking at the columns, ruins of temples and the remains of ancient buildings. It's especially easy to imagine how massive ancient Rome was.

Rome Colosseum

From ancient Rome to Venice Square

After the Colosseum, I walked towards Venice Square. The road itself became part of the walk here - old buildings, churches, small squares and fragments of ancient structures were literally constantly encountered.

I made my first big stop at Venice Square. The huge white monument to Victor Emmanuel II immediately stands out from the surrounding architecture. After the ancient ruins of the Colosseum and the Forum, a completely different Rome is before our eyes - a later, large-scale and solemn one.

The Pantheon

Then I turned off the main streets and walked through the small alleys of the historical center to the Pantheon.

This is where the walk became especially interesting. In Rome, sometimes you don't even need to specifically look for a landmark. You're just walking down an ordinary street, turning a corner, and suddenly a huge ancient column, fountain, or ancient square appears in front of you.

The Pantheon turned out to be just such a place. It looks majestic from the outside, but it is especially interesting to go inside and look at the huge circular space and the dome with a large hole in the center. You stand inside and try to imagine how many generations of people have already seen this place before you.

Trevi Fountain

I continued my walk from the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain. The distance is short, so I didn't use public transport again.

The closer you get to the fountain, the more people there are. And then the street suddenly opens up, and Trevi appears in front of you.

I stayed here longer than I had planned. Even if you don't attach much importance to the tradition of throwing a coin into a fountain, you still want to stand near it for a while and look at the details. It is especially impressive how large-scale the composition is hidden among the ordinary streets of the historical center.

Navona Square

The last point of my walk was Piazza Navona. After the narrow streets, the square seems huge. An ancient stadium once stood in its place, and the modern square has retained its characteristic elongated shape.

In the center is the famous Bernini Fountain of the Four Rivers. I wasn't in a hurry here anymore - I just sat down nearby and rested for a while after a few hours of walking.

Navona Square

First day in Rome

The result was a route of about 6-7 kilometers, but the distance was practically not felt. Every few minutes I wanted to stop, look at the building, go into the courtyard or take a photo.

I liked the fact that all the main points of this route are quite close to each other. You don't have to constantly take the subway or look for a taxi - you can safely walk most of the way.

By the evening, I already felt Rome much better than if I had just driven through it on a tour bus. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Venice Square, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona gradually formed into one big walk through the history of the city.

That's how our trip to Italy began. Rome became the first point of the route, and then we went north to Florence.