Rome

A teenage traveller’s guide to Rome

My favourite city is Rome because we can do a lot of things, like see the Colosseum and the sights of the city, and eat Italian traditional food. 

The colosseum

The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for citizens of the European Union (EU) is partially subsidised, and entrance is free for EU citizens under eighteen or over sixty-five years of age. There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.

The Gardens Seen from Above

The Vatican Gardens have been a place of quiet and meditation for the popes since 1279 when Nicholas III (Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, 1277-1280) moved his residence back to the Vatican from the Lateran Palace. Within the new walls, which he had built to protect his residence, he planted an orchard (pomerium), a lawn (pratellum) and a garden (viridarium). The event is recorded among other places on a stone plaque which can be viewed in the “Sala dei Capitani” of the “Palazzo dei Conservatori” on Rome’s Capitoline Hill. Created around the hill of Saint Egidio (where the “Palazzetto del Belvedere” is located today) and the courtyards of the Vatican Museums, this was to be the first garden in the Vatican. However, should you visit the Vatican Gardens today you would begin by viewing a totally different area from that first orchard, one located in a more recent addition to what is now Vatican City State. It is there that larger and more recent gardens have been planted, covering together with the original garden about half of the 44 hectares.

Here are some of the must try specialties of Roman cuisine:

Pasta Carbonara– Not always spaghetti, the few times I ordered this it featured thick al dente rigatoni with eggs, cheese, bacon and pepper. It wasn’t quite as creamy at the carbonara at home, but it is zesty and delicious.

Carciofi (Artichokes)– Fabulous when in season, either filled with garlic and cooked in olive oil or fried “jewish style.”

Zucchini flowers– A little used part of the zucchini plant, usually deep fried with cheese and sardines.

Bruschetta– Bruschetta literally just means “toast,” but the really great kind is rubbed with garlic then topped with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. So fresh and delicious

For me, Rome is an ideal destination for a teenager as it combines entertainment and education. 

By Fation A2

Sources

1. http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destination/europe/italy/67802164
2.     Steele A.(2016) Above and Beyond B2 (Hillside Press)
3. http://street360.net/italy/lazio/rome.php