A slice of ROME by Zona Ad Studio

A slice of Rome, anyone? by Oana I first visited Rome in a difficult moment of my existence, when I was searching for Faith and Hope. I had been told that Faith breathes calmly on the streets of Rome and Vatican City. And so it is. The first surprise that Rome brought to me was that it is not an old, traditional city, as I had imagined, but a vivid, colorful place, full of energy and life as well. Rome can be anything

– ruins, Colosseum, Traian’s column, huge green oasis, and, above all, Fountains (in the famous Plazzas) and Cathedrals, but also student life, modern and nice restaurants, trattorias and coffee-shops (the atmosphere is really great, and you should know that the price differs whether you have the coffee standing at the bar, sitting inside or sitting outside). You actually pay for the seat and gelaterias. My personal recommendations for your trip to Rome depend on

the length of your stay. Of course, there are many things to see and visit. I’d start my trip with… a Cappuccino! Then Vatican. Vatican’s Museum is unique in the world with its Sixtine Chapel, but it will take you one day to visit it, so if your trip is planned for a weekend or so, you might want to visit some other places instead. Another surprise was the sight from the top of St. Peter’s Cathedral. I had seen pictures before. I had climbed high buildings.

However, nothing compares to the feeling that I had then up there. I do not recommend this “exercise” if your heart is not strong enough, though. It seems the stairs never end!

Rome has four Major Basilicas: St. Peter’s (the one I have just mentioned above), St. Paul’s, St. Giovanni’s and Santa Maria Maggiore. Each of them is different and you will discover new great things in each. They

are in different parts of the city, but you should integrate them in your tour. From Vatican, Piazza del Popolo is not very far away. Vila Borghese is also there and you will enjoy the walk through that great green oasis. From there you can go down to the famous Spanish Steps to reach Piazza di Spagna. By now, you should be hungry, I guess. You could enjoy the atmosphere of an Italian restaurant with their delicious specialties or you could grab a slice of Italian Pizza. Wherever you can see the sign “Pizza al taglio” you can find delicious pizza specialties at relatively decent prices. As a desert, have an ice cream or a Tiramisu. You won’t regret it! Pantheon is still a mystery, as the hole in the ceiling is real. It really rains inside! Besides that, the building itself is really impressive. Colosseum also amazed me. I did not even want to go in at first, thinking that all I could see were stones. That is absolutely untrue! All you see inside is a piece of history, bits of what there was back then.

ROME-ITALY |TRAVEL| This should be the next stop in Rome. You should know as well that, with the same ticket you can also see the Fori Romani. In the same area you will find Traian’s Column and Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle. Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, Largo Argentino – these are all attractions that worth being mentioned. And, if your stay is longer, you should also take a walk through the Roses and Oranges Garden. The smell and the view are unique, but it is pretty far from the other touristic attractions. It would take me a whole magazine to even mention all of Rome’s beauties. This is just a… Slice of Rome. Oh, and by the way, don’t leave Rome before throwing a coin in the famous Fontana di Trevi. The legend says that you have to stay with your back to the fountain and throw the coin in the fountain over your shoulder and you will return to Rome. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s my sixth time in Rome and I’m still throwing coins…