As it approaches the year anniversary of my weekend in Rome, I feel it is as good a time as any to document my visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Regrettably I did not document the trip at the time, so I am writing this solely on memory and from the photographs I took at the time.

I arrived Friday afternoon and immediately headed out to the Altare della Patria that was right next to where I was staying. It was to be the first of many columns I was to see over the course of the weekend, and by no means the least impressive! Built in honour of Victor Emmanuel II,  the first king of a unified Italy, the top of the steps features a magnificent bronze statue of Emmanuel on horseback. There was an interesting (if somewhat dry) museum on Italian unification inside the building. The architectural prowess and overbearing scale of this structure gave me an early insight into the wonder I was to witness over the weekend. From the top there was also a great view of the Dome of St. Peter’s Basilica that dominates Rome’s skyline.

I then took a Walk to the Trevi Fountain, which unfortunately was undergoing renovation work so was water-less. I was aware of this beforehand so did not suffer the disappointment, and nonetheless, it was still an impressive sight.

Moving on now to The Pantheon, which is situated in the ever-busy Piazza Della Rotonda. The Pantheon is magnificent from the outside, and even more so inside. Although it is almost 2,000 years old, the concrete dome is still the largest of its kind in the world, and quite exactly how it was built in such a manner remains a puzzle to this day. The dome is unbelievable, and is truly one of the most fascinating architectural achievements of all time. I visited at a perfect time too, just as the light beamed through the dome’s oculus. There is also some nice works of art inside, and also the tomb of Raphael, which quite beautifully reads: ‘Here lies that famous Raphael by whom nature feared to be conquered while he lived, and when he was dying, feared herself to die.’ I was certainly to appreciate the genius of Raphael by the end of the weekend…

After having something to eat (pasta, of course), I headed on. Darkness was beginning to set it but I thankfully made it to the Capuchin Crypt just before it was closing. The Capuchin Crypt is an underground crypt decorated with the bones of around 3,000 Catholic monks. It is incredibly eerie and claustrophobic, but fascinating nonetheless. The museum/gallery above the crypt is also fairly impressive, and features ‘Saint Francis in Prayer’ by Caravaggio, which is one of my favourite paintings from the entire trip.

I then walked the short distance to the Spanish steps, and sat down for a slice of pizza (that did not disappoint)! It was a great end to my first day in Rome.

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I woke up early Saturday morning and headed straight to the Colosseum, hoping to beat the crowds. It paid off as I ended up queuing for less than half an hour.

It was strange to walk down the road towards it. It is one of them buildings that you see so frequently in print that it almost feels surreal to see in person. It was even more majestic than I imagined, and the sheer scale of it took me by surprise.

The inside also took me by surprise. Once again the sheer size was incredible, but also the ruins that were on the base of the Colosseum shocked me. (I was expecting Gladiator-esque flat, sand flooring). From the outside it is everything it is billed to be: grand and majestic – but I found the interior to be somewhat underwhelming. It seems odd to say such a thing seeing as the inside is still fascinating; perhaps it was more that the picture of the inside that I had in my head was so vastly different from the reality. I don’t know.

I then took a walk around the Roman Forums, and thankfully I had been blessed with a lovely day for it. The Forums are very interesting, though would have perhaps been aided by the presence of a tour-guide/expert, as I found it difficult to take it all in. Because the ruins take no specific order, you often find yourself flying forward 2 centuries, then back 3 centuries, before going forward another 6. With the aid of an expert I’m sure this would have been easier to navigate, but I found my way around well enough.

It takes a good few hours to walk around the entirety of the Forums and I was certainly grateful for a brief sit down and an ice cream atop Palatine Hill.

After a stop for lunch (more pizza), I then went to visit a series of churches in and about Rome. I cannot remember the order, so I will instead post the best pictures I took from each of them below:

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Sunday morning. My last day in Rome, and also the one I was most looking forward to. It was the day of the Vatican.

I took the morning to have a walk around some of the Piazza’s and watch the great number of street performers. I had lunch at the Piazza Navona, which is, in my opinion, the most beautiful Piazza in Rome. It is also home to the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), which to anyone who has seen/read ‘Angels and Demons,’ is the fountain where the Cardinal drowns at the end. It is a spectacular fountain, and I was luckily blessed with a lovely day again. I sat and had an ice-cream by the fountain, soaking in the wonderful square.

I then got a very crowded metro into the Vatican in the afternoon. The first thing I did (after going through the strict security it takes to enter the Vatican) was to take a walk around the courtyard. There I saw the Pigna (a large bronze pine cone), which allegedly has some esoteric symbolism relating to re-birth and the pineal gland, but what of that is true I don’t know. Either way, it is still a pretty cool statue.

Also in the Vatican courtyard is the ‘Sphere Within Sphere’ sculpture, which is interestingly the same size as the sphere at the very top of the St Peter’s dome. The sculpture itself is huge, which gives some sense of proportion to the enormity of the St Peter’s dome! The picture below highlights this:

I then walked round the Vatican museum, which though very crowded, is littered with incredible works of art.

Then came the Raphael Rooms. I already had an idea of what was to expect, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw.  Never again could I look at art the same way. Wall after wall of the most magnificent frescoes, each seemingly more stunning than the last. The highlight of the rooms is of course, the pièce de résistance of the Renaissance, Raphael’s ‘School of Athens’. Again it felt surreal to be within touching distance of such a monumental work, and it is a feeling I shall never forget. To anyone who doubts the existence of objective beauty in art, I say to them: visit the Raphael Rooms!

Though I thought to myself nothing could ever top the Raphael Rooms, I was soon to have that assertion proved wrong. The Sistine Chapel, featuring Michelangelo’s spellbinding ‘Last Judgement’, and the iconic ceiling, topped even the Raphael Rooms. As soon as you set eyes upon the ceiling you cannot help but have the air sucked from your lungs. It is to this day still the most fascinating sight I have ever seen, and surely the pinnacle of human artistic achievement.

After my allotted time in the Chapel was complete and I was being ushered out by the guards, for some reason still unknown to me I took out my phone and discreetly took a picture (blindly!) of the ceiling. Now I wouldn’t usually be so boastful about my misbehaviour, but I somehow managed to capture ‘The Creation of Adam’ in my photo – which under the circumstances was quite the feat!

Evening was setting in, and it was now time to visit the place I had seen from afar so frequently over the weekend: St Peter’s Basilica. St Peter’s Square is truly glorious, and you can’t but feel you are in a special place.

The queue to enter the Basilica was huge, but it just gave me more time to relish the square and towering Basilica, which looked even more massive up close than I expected!

I only just made it in, as they shut the queue shortly behind me. If I had arrived 20 minutes later I would not have made it!

As I slowly made my way around the queue, I could not take my eyes off the stunning structure of the Basilica.

After a long while queuing (and more airport security) I finally made it inside. Not for the first time this week, my breath was taken away. The sheer size of the place is overwhelming. It makes you feel so small and insignificant, and you can’t help but marvel at the scale of structure. It’s a mind-blowing place. Truly somewhere that has to be seen to be believed.

I walked around in a haze; a trance of pure wonder. Everywhere I looked there was something fascinating, be it a painting, sculpture, statue, or feature of architecture.

The altar stands at the far end, directly under Michelangelo’s famous dome, and is allegedly where the bones of St. Peter are buried. It again is a mind-blowing structure.

The incredible dome that dominates Rome’s skyline looks just as impressive from the inside.

There really is no adjectives that can do this place any justice whatsoever. I will merely reiterate what I said above: St. Peter’s Basilica has to be seen to be believed.

I left after just over an hour inside the Basilica, still somewhat in a dream state. It was now dark outside, and the square looked even more majestic than before.

Rather than take the metro – as I had planned – I decided to walk back into the city to give myself some time to try and process what I had just experienced. The walk was nice and peaceful, taking me right down the River Tiber, and was just what I needed. The Tiber is a wonderful river, and it looks even greater at night when the lights of the city illuminate the water.

After reaching the city I went to the Piazza della Rotonda for something to eat. I had the nicest plate of Gnocchi I have had in my life sat outside, looking at the Pantheon. I washed that down with a pint of Italian beer and reflected on what was one of the greatest weekends of my life.

My legs and neck were aching (from looking at all the ceilings!), and I felt absolutely drained. But I had experienced one of the most incredible cities on Earth, and seen some of the most magnificent works of art the world has to offer.

Looking back, now a year on, there is not one thing about the trip I would change. I managed to condense an entire universe of wonder into three short days.

It was an unbelievable weekend, and one I will never forget as long as I live.