Every region of Italy is blessed with countless historic attractions, the capital itself has especially a huge amount of monuments. To fall in love with Rome is not so hard. Just about every corner we can meet masterpieces, this is why it is said that a lifetime can’t be enough to fully discover Rome. The best thing we can do – altough with a heavy heart – to select from the attractions and reserve something for the next trip, because it’s sure we want to come back again and again.
Colosseum
This is the most special Roman monument. Not only its size and the whole complex is incredible, but also the bloody story of the walls. Thousends of convicted prisoners and slaves fought here with each other and with starving lions to entertain the aristocratic audience. Originally the gladiator games last 100 days and 100 night until the 6th century, when with the fall of the Empire the Colosseum was abandoned. In the Middle Ages it was a fortress but was badly damaged over the time due to numerous earthquakes. From its walls most of the marble and limestone blocks were removed. More than 2000 years of history still fascinate people. Since 2010 visitors have more opportunity to discover the Colossuem because then opened those tunnels to the public where gladiators and wild animals was waited for their fate.
Palatinus Hill
This was the Beverly Hills of the ancient Rome. 753 BC the city was founded here, 200 years later the richest residents lived here. The Stadio was probably used by emperors as a location of games and private events. In the opposite there is Domus Augustana with the remains of the imperial home. Palatinus Hill can be a beautiful background of a pleasant picnic, under the shade of the green hill, under the palm trees surrounded by imperial ruins.
Frescos of Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
Only a few tourist visit one of the most beautiful museums in Rome. Here we can see the treasures of 7 centuries, like statues, marble mosaic strips from the 2th century BC. However, great frescos and mosaics exhibited on the second floor of the building excel everthing else. The colourful frescoes which once decoreted Augustanera Villa also can be seen here. The wall of the dormitory was decorated with religous, theatrical and erotic themes, the dining room was adorned by landscapes. In Villa Livia, the house of Augustus’s wife, Livia Drusilla, garden paintings were found which also worth a visit. They were discovered in the 19th century, and placed here in the museum in 1951.
Pantheon
Altough the competition is very tight, but undoubtedly the Pantheon is the most beautiful building of the ancient Rome. It can be considered as the most important architectual performance of Romans, because until the 15. century this building had the biggest dome in the world and still today it has the largest unstrenghten dome ever built. The view is more harmonic by the symmetrical arrangement, because the diameter of the Pantheon is exactly the same size as its height, 43,3 m.
Temple of Mithras under basilica of San Clemente
From the 12th century basilica of San Clemente we can reach the 4the century temple of Mithras over a few steps. Then we can enter into a Roman house from the 1st century, which hides also a small temple of Mithras. Among the Roman soldiers, the Mithras cult was very popular. These temples are dark and lie deep under the ground, cave-like. This temple is also very mysterious, all the more because we can take a wonderful journey in different periods of history.
