All roads lead to Rome

Everyone should travel alone at least once in their lives, to feel the freedom and you’ll see the world isn’t as scary as you think. It is now one of my greatest memories!

Beautiful Italy was hit hard with the COVID-19 pandemic, it spread quickly and then exploded. Mainly because Italy has a large elderly population and Italians are very social people, it is a very densely populated country. Italy is slowly lifting restrictions right now as well as other countries, including mine, Canada. It is a weird feeling, being hopeful of going back to "normal" but also scary as the threat of a second wave looms.

Italy has always been a dream of mine, with all the romance and culture that surrounds that country I knew I would be blown away, but when I arrived in Rome it really did surpass all of my dreams. Even with all the romance surrounding it, Rome is a fantastic destination to travel alone.

One thing I was not expecting was to walk down a simple street, turn the corner and there was the magnificent Trevi fountain, then the Pantheon just sitting there soaking up the sun. That is Rome, the

modern mixed in with the ancient past and that is truly what makes it exceptionally perfect.

The Trevi Fountain is built on top of an ancient water source and according to legend, tossing one coin into the Trevi Fountain means you'll return to Rome, tossing two coins means you'll return and fall in love and tossing three coins means you'll return, find love, and marry. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day and collected, then given to local charities which help the poor and homeless.

Rome has over 2000 fountains, it is safe to drink from the fountains as the city works to ensure that they stay clean and hygienic.

The Pantheon was built to be a temple for all gods, it was then used as a Catholic church. This is not the original one, although it is still ancient, it is the third version of the actual building. It is one of the best preserved ancient Roman buildings and is a bit of a mystery how the Pantheon managed to survive raids when the rest of all Roman monuments had been shattered. Tip: the Pantheon is free and requires no ticket to enter!

Vatican City is an independent city-state within Rome. Within the Vatican is St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums which contain some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures of Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo, to name a few.

I recommend arriving before its 9:00am opening, if possible join a tour for the day, you will receive a VIP pass and escape the long lines. You could easily spend a full day here, strolling around and viewing the endless masterpieces with hopes of catching a glimpse of the pope. I was one of the lucky ones, when we arrived our tour guide said he had a surprise for us, he opened a door into St. Peter's Square and when we walked out, surrounding him with hundreds of people was the Pope. Although he spoke in Italian, it really was a special experience for me.

The Vatican also has nice gift shops and outdoor stands where I bought some rosary beads and a beautiful lace scarf.

The Vatican is also the home of the The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and is magnificent, it is where new Popes are chosen and elected as well as being the Pope's personal chapel.

The Colosseum is the most monumental amphitheater from the time of the ancient Roman Empire, it may come with some controversy as a result of what it was used for but it is still to this day, the most historic monument in Rome. It has seen its share of natural disasters such as earthquakes and lightning strikes but the deterioration of it can also be blamed on man. Over the almost 2000 years since its been built, people have collected stones from the Colosseum to be used for the construction of new buildings such as St. Peter’s Basilica.

Everything you have read is true about the food in Rome, it really does have the best pasta, pizza and gelato you will ever taste and don’t get me started on the limoncello...devine.

I will return to Italy someday and for sure will be staying in Rome during my trip, it truly is an enchanting place. Its a good thing I threw my coin into that fountain!