19th Birthday in Rome

Hi folks!

As an avid traveller, I prefer celebrating my birthday in a new city. Thus, I usually go on a trip when my birthday comes, and on my 19th birthday it was a visit to Rome.

Rome is really famous for its beauty and history. However, the thing that reminds me about the city most is its cuisine. I love Italian food, in general, so I was absolutely delighted that I could have those dishes in Italy. That was like a dream come true for me.

I happily took a photo with my favourite food. To be honest, I haven't eaten any better pasta like the ones I had in Rome.

Gelato is also my favourite. This pic was taken at Fontana Di Trevi, which is one of the most popular attractions in Rome. Fontana Di Trevi means "Three Street Fountain" as the fountain is the junction of three different roads (Retrieved from https://www.italiandualcitizenship.net/the-incredible-history-of-trevi-fountain-in-rome/).
The fountain is always full of people. I went there at around 8 am, but there were already many people. There is a very interesting tradition at the fountain. It is believed that if you keep your eyes closed and throw the coin into the water over your left shoulder using your right hand, you will return to Rome someday if you throw 1 coin. Throwing two coins, you will then find your love in Rome, and if you want to get married, you need to throw three coins into the fountain. Thanks to this legend, the fountain usually received about 1.4 million euros annually. Then, this money is used to help unprivileged people.(retrieved from https://romesite.com/trevi-fountain.html)

The statues in the Trevi fountain. The three main statues of the fountain are Oceanus, Abundance and Health (Retrieved from https://www.italiandualcitizenship.net/the-incredible-history-of-trevi-fountain-in-rome/).

A place that I've always wanted to visit in Rome is the Colosseum as I read too many stories about it. Thus, I spent a whole afternoon just exploring this place.

It looks majestic. This is certainly one of the most iconic constructions of the Roman Empire.

When I came, there was a restoration but there were still many tourists.
It's great to see something that you've known through books' descriptions in real life.
Just next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, which was the scene of public meetings, law courts, and gladiatorial combats in the past (retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Forum).

In fact, I didn't know about this place when I saw it, I only took photos since the scenery is stunning. I like constructions that are ancient and dilapidated like this. I only knew about it after doing research when I came home.

Also in the center of Rome is the Pantheon, which is a former Roman temple (retrieved from https://romesite.com/pantheon.html). While other buildings in Rome are partly dilapidated, Pantheon is the only one that survived.

The admission to this temple is free from Monday to Friday and you need to book in advance if you want to visit it on weekends (retrieved from https://www.pantheonroma.com/2020/07/15/covid-19-general-info/).

Inside the temple you can see the Eye of Rome. This Oculus is called the Eye since it is the only natural light source of the Pantheon. This construction's architecture was inspired by the shape of human eye and it is also believed that the Eye in Pantheon is the link between heavens and Rome (retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3185748).
All of these attractions are located in the center of Rome so it's convenient to visit just by walking.
Next is the Vatican City - the only city-state that is located in another city. According to UNESCO, this place is "one of the most sacred places in Christendom, attests to a great history and a formidable spiritual venture. A unique collection of artistic and architectural masterpieces lie within the boundaries of this small state" retrieved from (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/286/).

Me in Vatican.
If you're here, visiting the Vatican museum is a must.

This stunning ceiling is in the Map Room.
The room is located on the way to Sistine Chapel, which is the most well-known feature in the museum. The chapel has a substantial collection of Renaissance art that has been created by some of the most famous artists such as Michelangelo. He is the one that painted the painting "The Last Judgment" and the ceiling of the Chapel (retrieved from https://www.agricelli.it/blog/what-makes-the-sistine-chapel-so-famous/). However, as I remembered, taking photos is not allowed in the Chapel in order to protect all the artworks.

Do you know the Fibonacci sequence? This is a staircase in the Vatican museum and it is designed based on the Fibonacci sequence (retrieved from https://steemit.com/photography/@extremejogging/architecture-fibonacci-spiral-staircase-vatican-city). In fact, I only knew about it when I accidentally read the information in a book after the trip. It's an interesting thing so I'm glad that I took a photo of the staircase even though I clueless about the sequence thing :)
There is a thing that I highly recommend you to do when visiting the Vatican museum and Colosseum is buying the skip-the-line tickets in these places. It is a torture if you have to wait under the sun for an hour to buy tickets. Dealing with the crowds inside is already exhausting so make sure you buy the tickets in advance.

Last but not least, Rome streets are also as pretty as its famous sites. Everything here has an aesthetic appeal that I usually saw in vintage movies.

All of these pics were randomly taken but they turned out so lovely. If I had had more time to spend here, I would have just walked around the city to see these pretty streets.

To be honest, hundreds of words are not enough to describe this beautiful city since it has so many historical, cultural and architectural values. However, I don't want to make this post a history lecture, so I won't do that and only share the information that I found most interesting during my trip. I know there are more things but my tiny brain can't remember them all as the trip was almost 3 years ago 😂 .

That's all for today.
Thank you and see you next time!