Quando a Roma... ♥

I don't like Italians. For some reason, I feel intimated by them. I get a real sense of abruptness from the way they talk (even though I don't speak their language) and I find their nonchalant approach to life frustrating, particularly on the road. For them, normality is not caring that there are lanes painted. "I'm going to drive down the middle of the road, occasionally swaying onto the wrong side because I can't look at the road and text at the same time. I don't care whose right-of-way it is when I turn left and I am probably doing all this after a good few pints in town. Who's going to stop me?" Answer: nobody. It won't stop me adoring Rome as a city though. I've only been instantly blown away twice by a specific place; when I flew into Sydney over the harbour at dusk, and my first journey from Termini train station into Rome's centre.

I could easily live in Rome purely because of its architectural beauty, and that is not only concentrated on its popular tourist attractions. Of course I never cease to be overwhelmed when I visit St.Peter's, the Colosseum, the Vatican or the Pantheon; after all it is these magnificent buildings that really do boast the city's deep-rooted history. What really gets me though, is how Rome's impressive and unspoilt architecture extends through to even the smallest of streets. I know of no other place where, on your walk home, you can stumble accidentally across a 2000 year old tomb, or lose your way and end up on a Piazza in front of a building that looks grander than anything you'd come across in the UK, yet you have no idea of its name or purpose. I hated history at school, but I appreciate it in Rome because I can visualise the occurrence of historic events. Here's one of my favourite viewpoints at The Forum, where Julius Caesar was assassinated.