Ancient Footsteps: Walking Through Rome's Living History

Despite being half a world away from most destinations, Australians are legendary travellers - and as a history-obsessed family with two recent high school graduates, we bucked the typical "long-haul, long-stay" trend for an ambitious two-week adventure in Rome, scoring bargain Air China flights and landing a dream apartment in the ancient Monti district, where the mighty Colosseum loomed at the end of our street like a constant reminder of the timeless wonders awaiting us.
Walking is the way to see Rome, and we did plenty of it, visiting the various squares of Rome, shopping for souvenirs (leather bags to die for!), the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain (which had been emptied for cleaning), the Capitoline Museum and because we were travelling with older boys, we included the Capuchin Crypt in our sightseeing. This grisly site houses several tiny chapels decorated with the skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order. Even the light fittings are made out of bones!
Driven by our insatiable curiosity for history, we crafted an itinerary brimming with the archaeological and cultural. Here are the sites that left us genuinely spellbound...
The Great Gladiatorial Training School
We were close to the Ludus Magnus – what’s left of the Great Gladiatorial Training School, built by the emperor Domitian in the late first century C.E. We walked past it several times before realising what it was – it’s completely free and just sitting there amongst the traffic and tourists. All of Rome is like this. A city beyond ancient, built upon itself time and again,
steeped in its extraordinary history, and taken for granted by those who call it home. It’s eyeopening and mind-blowing.
The Basilica of Saint Clement
Situated on our street was The Basilica of Saint Clement, a surprisingly fascinating place to visit as it comprises several levels of excavation, enabling the visitor to travel back in time with each descending floor. The current basilica was
built in the year 1100 over the remains of a 4th century basilica. It was built over the home of a Roman nobleman whose basement contained a mithraeum (or temple) dating to the 2nd century, with all of it being located on the site of
a republican era villa, reputed to be the Imperial Mint that was destroyed in the Great Fire of AD 64. At the very bottom, you can see the still freeflowing ‘lost waters of Ancient Rome’ bubbling across the timeless bedrock.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built and was completed in AD 80. Although known chiefly as a place where gladiators performed, and Christians were killed, it has a convoluted and fascinating history that includes being used as a chapel, a cemetery, a castle, and even a stable. Much of its stone and marble was stripped, stolen and used in other buildings throughout Rome. One can’t help thinking of Russell Crowe! Wander past at night for a sense of romance or dine alfresco at one of the many restaurants nearby.

The Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is quite simply Rome’s ancient CBD, still sitting there at the heart of the city. It was where the leaders of Rome would give speeches to their citizens, where processions would take place, and politics would reign. Wandering around the ruins, seeing the exact spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated, imagining the Vestal Virgins who were priestesses of Vesta, going about their lives, and seeing the podium where the greatest names in ancient history made their declarations was almost overwhelming.
Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill has been a place of human habitation since the 10th century BC and was home to the founders of Rome – Romulus and Remus, of whom you will hear and see much while visiting the city (you can view the famous statue of the twin brothers suckling from a wolf at the nearby Capitoline Museum). Palatine Hill is itself an outdoor museum over a vast expanse that rises 40 metres above the city. It was where the emperors and the wealthy of ancient Rome built their palaces. It’s well worth climbing up to see the views of the city and the Roman Forum below, visiting the Palatine Museum, and wandering through the grass and ruins, imagining the splendour of how it must have been. Don’t miss the Domus
Transitoria – the famous Nero’s first palace.

Vatican and St Peters
We visited the Vatican, where we did a guided tour and saw the Sistine Chapel, which was disappointingly overcrowded. One of our favourite spots was the Gallery of Maps – a long, beautiful gallery containing artworks from every region of Italy dating from 1580. The concentrated splendour of the interiors and the artworks are almost too much! St Peters was a humbling experience. We saw the breathtaking Chapel of the Pieta by Michaelangelo – possibly the world’s most famous and revered statue of the Madonna, with a dying Jesus in her arms. No matter what you believe, it was a profoundly moving experience.
Food – You’re Not at Home Now!
Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of any visit to Rome is the food. There are good restaurants everywhere. Some of the most noticeable differences are the simplicity of their pizzas, how al dente pasta really should be, the use of guanciale instead of bacon (pigs’ cheek – more decadent, fattier and saltier) and more than 700 varieties of wine, most of which you won’t recognise unless you’re a connoisseur.
‘Bars’ are actually cafes or delis where you’ll find the most delicious focaccia breads, pizza slices, and arancini. Buy takeaway and enjoy it in one of the piazzas – finish off with gelato. Romans love their pistachio cream – you’ll find it in the tiny cornettos, delicious little horns of pastry filled with flavoured cream. We discovered that some of our best meals
were eaten in the less fancy restaurants; our favourite was a Sardinian/Roman restaurant named Valare, where I fell in love with Cacio e Pepe –basically just pasta with black pepper and pecorino cheese.
We travelled by train to Naples (very different from Rome, much more lived in and yes, the pizza is amazing!), the archaeological wonder that is Pompeii, and the dream that was Amalfi, perched on a cliff overlooking the sea and home of limoncello. But perhaps that’s a story for another time.

TOP TIP: Do the Food Tour!
On our last Friday night, we treated ourselves to ‘The Roman Food Tour’, meeting fellow diners from all around the world in trendy Trastevere, where our guide took us on a culinary adventure. The wine flowed freely, we ate Roman street food – suppli and pizza pockets with chicken cacciatore, dined on the most divine charcuterie board with truffles, prosciutto and cheeses, learning as we tasted about the provenance of each bite and then strolled on to a Trattoria along the cobbled streets, past quaint old buildings where diners were lit up by fairy lights, to have the ubiquitous pasta and pizza before
ending the night in a gelato bar where we learnt how to identify an artisan gelato. (If it’s too bright, it’s no good!)

DON’T FORGET:
• Join Facebook groups for visitors to Rome for invaluable advice pre-trip,
• Prebook tickets on official sites – getting Colosseum tickets that include a guide is like getting concert tickets!
• Queues move quickly, so don’t let them put you off lining up.
• Cafes are called ‘bars’ – many are more like gourmet delicatessens – perfect for lunch!
• If travelling with teens, give them responsibilities – our eldest was chief navigator – it stops them from criticising their parents!
• Do a food tour early in the stay, and you’ll learn what to eat for the rest of your visit.
• If you’ve only got 2 weeks, keep it simple!