Rom attraktioner

Det verdensberømte Colosseum blev bygget i år 80 e. Kr. for de romerske kejsere til dødbringende gladiatorkampe og vildtjagt, hvor publikum så de voldsomme og spektakulære forestillinger. Adgangen var gratis, men publikum blev placeret i henhold til deres sociale rang og rigdom. Gladiatorkampe blev forbudt i år 438 e. Kr., men vildtjagten fortsatte indtil 523 e. Kr. Colosseum er fantastisk på grund af sin komplekse og avancerede arkitektur og byggemetode. Selv om det blev brugt som kilde til byggematerialer på forskellige tidspunkter i historien, er det stadig stort set intakt. Du kan se de lagdelte siddepladser, korridorer og de underjordiske rum, hvor dyr og gladiatorer afventede deres skæbne. I dag sætter Colosseum standarden for alle moderne stadions. Den eneste forskel er, at nutidens hold overlever kampene.

Paverne var blandt de allerførste adelige, der åbnede deres store kunstsamlinger for offentligheden. Pave Julius II (1443-1513) begyndte at indsamle skulpturer i renæssancen, og lige siden har de fleste paver deltaget aktivt i kunstverdenen og købt kunst fra de bedste kunstnere på deres tid. I dag kan du se Vatikanets utrolige samling på din rundvisning i det såkaldte Vatikanmuseum, som er et enormt kompleks af gallerier og museer, der udstiller malerier, skulpturer, kalkmalerier, vægtæpper og klassiske antikviteter (bl.a. romerske, græske og egyptiske). Der er naturligvis også samlinger af religiøs art, pavelige portrætter og overraskende nok også hestevogne og biler. Ethvert besøg i Vatikanet bør også omfatte det berømte Sixtinske Kapel og Raphael-rummene. Sørg for, at du har god tid til at vandre ad museernes snoede gange, smalle korridorer og trapper.

En stor del af berømmelsen er direkte relateret til, at det også er pavesædet: Det Sixtinske Kapel er, hvor samles for at vælge en ny pave (kendt som den pavelige konklave). Michelangelos betagende loftsfresker skabt mellem1508 og 1512 er den primære årsag til, at det Sixtinske Kapel er så berømt. Det store maleri skildrer skabelsen af verden, og til trods for, at det Sixtinske Kapel er én af Roms største turistattraktioner, er der alligevel plads til at nyde det kunstneriske indtryk fuldt ud. Oplevelsen forstærkes af, at en renovering foretaget for nylig har bragt både dybden i kunstværket og ikke mindst de ægte farver frem. Michelangelo vendte tilbage til det Sixtinske Kapel mellem 1537 og 1541 for at male den storslåede "Dommedag" på altervæggen. Meget få mennesker forlader det Sixtinske Kapel uden at føle sig bevæget af Michelangelos arbejde.

In Ancient Rome, the Forum was the centre of the Roman Empire. Until the 4th century AD, a thousand years of decisions affecting the future of Europe were made here. When Roman soldiers were out conquering the world in the name of the Emperors, temples, courts, markets, and government buildings were thriving in the Forum. Located between two of Rome's famous hills, the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, it is now a collection of ruins having spent centuries as a quarry for marble and a cow paddock. The Forum became a very dense collection of buildings in its time but mostly all that remains today is columns, arches, and some scattered marbles so it can be difficult to make sense of it all. Ongoing archaeological work continues, and getting a map or a guide can really bring the bustle of the ancient site to life. You can get a great view over the Forum from the overlooking hills in the Farnese Gardens and from Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio.

Vatican City was created in 1929 and run by the Pope (who is the supreme monarch!). The official population is a little over 800 and it covers an area of 110 acres (44 hectares). Within the walls of the city are St Peter's Basilica, St Peter's Square, the Vatican Museums, the residence of the Pope and offices of the Catholic Church. Being a separate state, the Vatican has its own postage stamps, and the official language is Latin (as well as Italian). It has its own bank and the world's only ATM with instructions in Latin! Although it uses the euro, the Vatican does issue its own coins. The economy revolves around tourism, printing, mosaics and manufacturing uniforms (who knew!). There are two forces for law and order; one is the Gendarmerie, who keep order, the other is the Swiss Guard (notable for their crazy yellow, blue and red uniforms) the Pope's personal bodyguard since 1506. All 134 members are indeed from Switzerland.

St Peter's Basilica was built between 1506 and 1590, when the dome was finally completed. It is on the site of the tomb of St. Peter; his relics were finally found and authenticated in the middle of the 20th century. Before the current grand basilica, a 4th-century church built by Emperor Constantine stood here. This is a church like no other. It is huge and full of significant artworks and tombs, including that of Pope John Paul II. One of the most beautiful pieces is the marble Pieta by Michelangelo just inside the door on the right. It is now behind bullet proof glass after being attacked by an art-hating lunatic in 1972. If you can time your visit with a Mass, you will see the most important hierarchy of the Catholic Church come to worship in their red robes and hats. Climbing to the top of the dome gives a wonderful view over the piazza and Bernini's enclosing colonnade below, and across Rome.

Raphael's Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) are four interconnected rooms in the Vatican which have frescoes painted by the renowned Renaissance artist Raphael (1483 - 1520). These late Renaissance frescoes are the second-most famous in the Vatican's collection, only behind the fresco adorning the roof of the Sistine Chapel. Raphael's themes for his frescoes were religion and politics; he often swapped portraits of the incumbent pope for the faces of important figures. Originally commissioned by Pope Julius II in the early 1500s, the frescoes were patronized by Pope Leo X after Julius died in 1513. When Raphael also died in 1520, artists from his studio finished the paintings. The 'Segnatura' room was the first to be decorated and contains Raphael's most famous painting, The School of Athens. The other rooms are known as 'Constantine', 'Heliodorus' and 'Fire in the Borgo'.

St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) is the grand colonnaded area in front of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. A visually imposing entry to this great church, the semi-circular colonnades on either side designed by the Roman Baroque sculptor Bernini, seem to reach out and enfold you in their arms. Within the colonnade lies the security-check for entry to St. Peter's and, on the other side, the Vatican post office, because the Vatican is its own municipality with its own stamps. During times such as the death of a pope or election of a new one, and at Easter and Christmas, the piazza is jammed with pilgrims from all over the world.

If your Mediterranean cruise stops off in Rome, Civitavecchia will be your port of call. Only 80km (50 miles) north-west of Rome, this busy cruise port is geared to ship travel and is your gateway to many historic sights of the Eternal City, where most shore visitors grab the opportunity to take a Rome excursion. Getting to Rome from Civitavecchia requires about an hour's journey by train. The train station is a 10-minute walk from the port, or a short shuttle ride (alight at the Michelangelo Fort). Trains run half-hourly to Rome’s Termini station, taking around 75 minutes or under an hour if you catch an express. You could also organize a private transfer or shore excursion tour including return transport to Civitavecchia.

The Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) is in central Rome, located within the Villa Borghese. The Borgheses were a very powerful Italian family rising to prominence and wealth after one member became Pope Paul V in 1552 and gave power and titles to many family members. One such was his nephew Scipione Borghese who bought a large vineyard in 1605, turning it into formally landscaped gardens and building the Villa Borghese to hold parties and house his art collection. He was a patron of the famous sculptor Bernini, so many of Bernini's pieces are held in the Borghese collection.

The Pantheon in Rome is a remarkable building architecturally. Basically a cylinder with the floating dome on top of columns, it is the largest masonry vault ever built. In the center of this dome is a hole bringing in a shaft of light to show the beauty of this building and its relatively simple, open interior. Being inside the Pantheon feels very special. Originally built in 27 BC and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 120 AD, the temple has been damaged and plundered over time. In 609 AD it became a Christian church dedicated to the Madonna. In the 17th century some of its bronze ceiling was taken and melted down for use in St Peter's Basilica. Important figures such as King Victor Emmanuel II and the artist Raphael are buried in the Pantheon.

The term “piazza” is often translated as “square,” but when you arrive in Piazza Navona you’ll understand why that doesn’t always work. This oblong-shaped space was once a stadium, where citizens of Ancient Rome would come to watch games and races in the 1st century AD. The stadium may be gone, but the shape of the space remains. Today, the Piazza Navona is home to a selection of beautiful Baroque churches and fountains, some fabulously expensive outdoor cafes, and (often) vendors selling tourist trinkets. During the holidays, a Christmas market fills much of the piazza. At the center of the Piazza Navona is Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s famous Fountain of the Four Rivers, with an Egyptian obelisk sitting atop the sculpture. There are two other smaller fountains, one at each end of the piazza, both by Giacomo della Porta. The most prominent building lining the piazza is the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, at the center facing one side of Bernini’s fountain.

Fiumicino International Airport is the largest and busiest in Italy, serving nearly 40 million passengers a year. Situated in Fiumicino just outside of Rome, it is the major airport serving the Rome area. It is also known as Leonardo da Vinci airport, the inventor behind some of the earliest helicopters and aircraft. Fiumicino airport opened in 1961 to replace the smaller Ciampino airport for most major international flights. Today more than 160 airlines serving 150 destinations depart from the air travel hub. Domestic flights to other parts of Italy do depart from here, though the majority of shorter flights still leave from Ciampino. Terminals were upgraded in the 1990s and 2000s and the airport continues to grow and expand. It serves as the hub for Alitalia, Italy’s biggest airline, and is the eighth busiest airport in Europe.

In the early years of his pontificate, Pope Urban VIII commissioned what is now called St Peter’s Baldachin (Baldacchino di San Pietro) over the saint’s grave. The project was designed by Bernini and turned out to be so enormous that the Pantheon’s beams had to be melted down to provide the massive amount of bronze needed. The Romans weren’t too happy with the damage done to their beloved Pantheon, and the project was thus on the receiving end of all sorts of mockery. A popular pun was an allusion to the Pope’s family name Barberini: "Quod non fecerunt Barberi, fecerunt Barberini"—a saying that roughly translates to “what even the barbarians didn’t dare to do, the Barberini did.” Located under the dome of Michelangelo where the nave and transept meet, the canopy is as high as a nine-story building. It is directly over the altar, which in turn lies over the supposed grave of St Peter, and is held up by four corkscrew columns that form a helix.

Visitors to the Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano can see not only the present-day church, but also an older church and even older excavations underneath. Evidence suggests that the oldest building on this site likely dates from at least the 1st century B.C.E. It was the home of a wealthy Roman that was probably destroyed during a fire in 64 C.E., but even that structure is thought to have been built on the foundation of an even older building. Other lower levels of the church have been excavated to reveal a room used in the 2nd century for worship of the cult of Mithras, as well as a 4th century basilica. The church you see at street level today was begun in the late 11th century and features an ornately decorated interior. A visit to the Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano is a fascinating step back in time.

The Capuchin Crypt was once thought of as one of Rome's more offbeat attractions, but it has become increasingly popular and is now on many a must-see list. Underneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, there is a series of six small chapels that serve as the burial chambers for Capuchin friars. These are no ordinary graves, however. There were more friars to be buried in the crypt's sacred soil – brought directly from Jerusalem – than there was space, so older graves were dug up and the bones of the dead monks were used to decorate the chapel walls. Today, visitors can still see the incredibly intricate designs adorning the walls and curved ceilings of the chapels. A sign in the last chapel reminds us that we are just as the occupants of these chapels once were – and we will eventually be just like them, too. It's a slightly macabre stop, not necessarily recommended for children or the squeamish, but it's also not meant to be like a haunted house.

Most visitors to Italy have Pompeii on their must-see list, and with good reason. But Pompeii isn’t the only important archaeological site in the area outside of Naples - and some consider the smaller excavation at Herculaneum to be more interesting and a better visitor experience. Luckily, you don’t have to choose - you can visit both easily in a day. Herculaneum, like Pompeii, was buried by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Unlike Pompeii, however, Herculaneum was actually more preserved than destroyed by the blast. This means the buildings are better preserved, including many that still have a second storey you can see, giving visitors a more accurate feel for what the city looked like before the eruption. The hot ash that covered Herculaneum and killed the people who couldn’t escape was deep enough that it covered two-storey buildings, sealed frescoes and mosaics on their walls, and even encased food supplies in household kitchens.