It’s certainly not a secret that Rome is on the bucket list of most who want to explore the world. The city has been romanticised for decades, and the nation is well-known for being a superb place to visit. In fact, in 2022, it ranked fifth among Euromonitor’s top city destinations, just behind Madrid, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Paris.
On this page, however, we’re exploring the most clear-cut, compelling reasons why you need to experience Rome and do so before any other city escape. It truly is a place unlike any other, and you’ll only want to stay longer when you eventually visit.
It’s impossible to understate the awe of Rome’s history
Even people who don’t take an active interest in human history will stand in awe of what remains of the Roman empire in Rome. Easily the most famed piece of architecture in the legendary city is the Colosseum, which would stage the infamous gladiator battles. To this day, gladiators still feature on the big screen and at Paddy’s online casino betting platform via the slot game Gladiator: Road to Rome, and when you’re in or under the Colosseum, you can see why.
The warriors would battle relentlessly for ten to 15 minutes, determined to earn the favour of the people and rulers of Rome. For such an advanced civilisation, the battles were barbaric, but so popular that the game warranted the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre under Vespasian and Titus.
Along with the Colosseum, millions flock to experience the grandeur of the Pantheon, Saint Peter’s Basilica, Baths of Caracalla, and the Roman Forum. Vox’s many ancient maps show that Rome spanned from the Iberian Peninsula to Arabia, so it’s easy to see why the Romans saw it right to build such massive and impressive buildings to prove their worth in the annals of history.
You may have had Italian food, but you haven’t had Roman food
The food in Rome is unlike any other Italian food that you’ve had anywhere else in the world – including in Italy itself. The traditional Roman ways of cooking and experimenting with different ingredients have created a unique, exciting, and wonderfully varied cuisine in the city.
If you’re into your pasta – which you really should be for any trip to Italy – top of the bill in Rome is Pasta alla Carbonara. The wonderfully simple dish is obsessed over by local chefs, with the finest ingredients sought by even those cooking in little eateries. After that, it’s onto the famous grilled lamb dish Abbacchio a Scottadito, and then a sweet Maritozzi.
Most Italian food lovers of the world have a fondness for pizza. The food has taken on a great many forms around the world, but perhaps the term ‘pizza’ is at its most daring and ambiguous in Rome. CNTraveller’s best pizza piece details the modern scene of experimental and historic pizza in Rome, but to get started, you want to go into any pizzeria and get a standard slice of the classic super-thin-based pizza and explore from there.
It may seem cliché to have Rome on the bucket list, but on the historic setting and food alone, it’s impossible to say that going to Rome is overrated. If anything, the Italian capital is underrated!
