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Leaning Tower is to Pisa as Colosseum is to Rome. The mighty Colosseum is the largest elliptical amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. When we think of Colosseum, we think of the brave gladiators who fought for their lives.

Admission to Colosseum is not free and we did not enter it as we thought we could just peep through the gaps to see its interior.

We headed to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum near the Colosseum. The forum was closing when we entered and there was hardly anyone in the forum which is now left with ruins of the past. But from a historical perspective, it’s much more interesting than Colosseum.

The Roman Forum was the political, legal and religious centre of the mighty Roman Empire. Imagine standing in the Roman Forum which was once a centre of splendour and glory during the mighty Roman Empire is like stepping into the biggest film set ever.

To take a better picture of the Roman Forum, we climbed up a pillar and jumped dangerously from one pillar to another.

The National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II is behind the Roman Forum. Not many people around that area and we had a quick bite there on the steps later on.

We all read about gypsy women carrying drugged babies to beg for money and some even pick pocket. The most atrocious story I had read was about a gypsy woman throwing baby doll to the victim and snatched away the victim’s belongings. Then, when we were in the metro, we really saw a gypsy woman carrying a sleeping baby walking through the crowded metro. When she was walking toward us, the four of us stayed close together and ignored her.

The night fell when we reached the Trevi Fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. Remember to throw a coin into the fountain so that you will be brought back to Rome!

At the Spanish Steps, it was too dimmed for us to take a clear photo anymore. An important note here: be careful of the drunk sitting on the step above you as he or she might drop the bottle down the steps.

It was really getting very late – another five minutes to twelve! We headed to catch a glimpse of the Pantheon. On the way there, we witnessed a young man who dashed across the road and was nearly hit by an oncoming taxi driving at a fast speed. Luckily the taxi driver could react fast enough to brake, if not the young man would be hit and thrown to some where far down the road. What a close shave! We had seen many cars in Rome driving very fast and never give way to pedestrians. So when we need to cross a road, we had to walk across carefully to cut their path at a distance that was enough for them to stop before us!

The dimly lit Pantheon at midnight.

It is not advisable to stay out late at night, especially in a foreign land where we are not familiar with the place. Nonetheless, we felt safe walking around at night in Rome. When we reached our hostel, the two other dorm mates were not back yet so we could switch on the light; if not we had to fumble in the dark. The dorm mate returned and was thankful that we still kept the light on and he didn’t need to stumble around.

Forgot where this photo was taken, but the site exhibits models of buildings and structures of Rome in showcases on a hilltop.

Catacombs and Sightseeing in Rome!