Rome

Rome, the Italian city of ages past, the Eternal City. It is simply full of culture and history from over 2,000 years ago. Rome has witnessed everything from Julius Caesar to the Crusades to Benito Mussolini. It is currently the site of the Vatican City and the home of the Roman Catholic Church. When there, one must absolutely se the great Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheater, though there are no gladiator fights nowadays. It is a prime example of ancient Roman architecture and a major center of culture. Of course, one must also see the Pantheon temple, nearly 1,900 years after its construction. The Pantheon was a pagan temple to all gods and converted into a church in 608 CE as well as another exceptional example of the Roman architecture in ancient times. To find more about the city's history, one simply must see the Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Museums, Antiquarium Comunale, and other museums and galleries. There are also wonderful churches such as St. Peter 's, St. John Lateran (San Giovanni), Santa Maria Maggiore, Santo Stefano Rotondo, and Santa Maria in Trastevere. The Appian Way, also known as the "Queen of Roads" (regina viarum), is a peaceful and scenic road winding from Rine ti Capua in Campania that visitors can stretch their legs out on. Of course, Rome is not purely history. Also present are flea markets like Porta Portese, puppet theaters like Teatro di Pulcinella, and soccer games at the Stadio Olimpico between the Roma and Lazio teams nearly every Sunday.