Wild About Travel Wild About Travel - Travel Tales by a Travel Addict
Only a few places in the world (among those I visited so far) give me as much inspiration and delight as the Roman Forum.
While many people see the Coliseum as the symbol and icon of Rome, to me it’s the Roman Forum which expresses the essence of the ‘Eternal City’ and of one of the highest civilisations in human history. As I walk through one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the world, I try to listen at the stories told by every single stone, column, capital, by what is left of the imposing Roman architecture.
‘See Naples and Die’ wrote J.W. Goethe in Italian Journey, a chronicle of his first trip to Italy, to follow the footpath of the Greek and Roman classic culture. At that time, Naples was experiencing a golden age under the Bourbon dynasty, and since then the famous phrase has become popular and often mentioned.
It’s hard to imagine how the Italian cities were like at the end of the 18th Century, if the Roman Forum was as impressive as it is now, but for as much as I like Naples the only phrase I can imagine is ‘See Rome and Die’. To me, it remains the most beautiful city in the world, the one that every time takes my breath away, the one inspiring an eternal love.
More reading: A Photo Tour of Ancient Rome
The Roman Forum, in Black and White Simon Falvo