Rome, Urbs Aeterna, has an official founding date of 753 B.C., but the Eternal City has been around at least 28 centuries and is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in Europe. In fact, recent discoveries provide evidence of tools, human occupation, and archaeological finds dating back a whopping 14,000 years. One of our archaeologist told us, Rome is like a lasagna, many layers. Romulus and Remus are credited with being the twins born on the banks of the Tiber and giving rise to Rome. There is some disagreement as to which came first: Rome, named after Romulus, or Romulus named after Rome. I’ll let you explore the founding of Rome on your own. For now, all you need to know is that it is an amazing city and a must see!

Victor Emmanuel

St. Peter's

Temple of Vesta

Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Colosseum, Forum, the Seven Hills

There are seven main hills in Rome that date back to antiquity. The seat of power for the country is still located in Rome. The seven main hills are the Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine. You can spend days exploring each hill area and it’s ancient ruins and modern shops, restaurants, and museums.

Colosseum

Entering Colosseum floor

Numbered Colosseum seats

Deep under Colosseum

Colosseum floor

Temple of Faustina

Basilica

Basilica in Roman times administered justice.

Forum

The Forum

The Baths

The people of Rome had going to the spa down before it was ever a modern concept. These baths were enormous by any standard and provided bathing and entertainment for all Romans. We visited the baths of Diocletian (built by Emperor Diocletian). Diocletian’s baths could accommodate up to 3,000 people at a time. Much larger than the more famous baths of Caracalla.

Ara Pacis Augustae

The Ara Pacis Augustae, referred to as the Ara Pacis, is a fascinating, yet often overlooked monument in Rome. It is quite simply, stunning! The Ara Pacis was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor the Emperor Augustus’ victorious return from Hispania and Gaul and dates to 9 B.C. Unfortunately, large pieces are missing and some still in the hands of private collectors.

Note Romulus and Remus being nursed by the wolf.

Eternal Rome

Here are more photos of Rome. I took over 600 pictures during my trip to Italy. No, I am not uploading all of them. If you ever want to see more, just let me know. For now, enjoy several of the following.