UNESCO 75th Anniversary, Top Sites (social media), Rome, Rio, Venice

ROME

1st on UNESCO List

 

Rome Colosseum ©Solange Hando

                   

Among the city's highlights, the Colosseum is truly impressive, especially after dark, beautifully lit up when the crowds have gone. Damaged by earthquakes at various times, it still takes my breath away.

 

Completed in 80AD, this was the largest amphitheatre ever built, holding up to 80,000 spectators. Popular in Roman times for gladiators contests and other dramatic events, it was used more peacefully  for housing and workshops in the Middle Ages.

Vatican City ©Solange Hando

Head of the Roman Catholic Church and residence of the Pope, the Vatican became an independent city state in 1929, the smallest of its kind in Europe.

St Peter's Square (above ) is simply stunning, myriad statues, gleaming white, greeting you around the vast colonnaded area. Beyond the square and traditional Swiss Guards, see the Renaissance basilica -one of the world's largest churches- and the museums, including the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

RIO DE JANEIRO

2nd on UNESCO List

Corcovado

Up above the marina, see Corcovado, the city's most iconic peak, topped by a statue of Christ the Redeemer, 38 metres high. Visitors come in their droves for the must-have pictures and fabulous views.

At 706 metres, it is reached via a rack railway climbing through jungle laced in streams and waterfalls. Then you can take a lift to the final section or struggle up 223 steps to enjoy the panorama unfolding along the way.

The Sugar Loaf ©Solange Hando

Great views of the Sugar Loaf from Corcovado, a mere 396 metres high but far fewer crowds, especially if you continue to the very top on the second cable car.

Amazing panorama across the bay, islands and mountains as far as you can see and hiking trails where you can get away from it all. I have visited over 100 countries but for me, the most scenic city I have ever seen is Rio de Janeiro.

VENICE

3rd on UNESCO List

Venice St Mark's Square ©Solange Hando

So impressive from the water then when you reach the square, the vast open space is an amazing contrast to the old lanes winding beyond. Stop for a while to take it all in and enjoy a latte on an café terrace.

Then visit the basilica and the Dodge's Palace with majestic staircases and art work. See the free-standing campanile? Head there as soon as it opens for the views from the top across city, canal and lagoon, are unrivalled.

Rialto Bridge ©Solange Hando

Originally a wooden bridge, it was rebuilt in the 16th century, in Renaissance style, and remains the oldest bridge on the Grand Canal. 

The single stone archway is topped by rows  of arcaded shops leading up to the central Portico. It's a great place to watch the gondolas and festivities and cultural events held on the water.

Now guess what?

Out of 1092 UNESCO sites (cultural and natural), the country with the most is Italy (51 sites)

As for me, my favourites include the Kathmandu Valley and Machu Picchu...

.

Rome Colosseum

The Colosseum by Night ©Solange Hando

Started in 72 AD by Roman Emperor Vespasian and completed by his son, the Colosseum is indeed the pride of Rome and its top attraction, most beautiful at night when the crowds have gone and in the soft golden light, you almost forget the deadly games once held within its walls.

Massive and oval shaped, rising 50 metres above the ground, it could hold 60,000 spectators, all carefully segregated, while the Emperor occupied his seat in the centre of the podium.

Close-up of the pits in the Colosseum ©Solange Hando

It is said that during the 100 days of celebrations following the inauguration, some 9,000 wild animals were killed. Then the arena would be cleaned and filled with water so naval battles could ensure further entertainment. Here gladiators fought and died and most probably early Christians. 

Inside the Colosseum

Over the centuries, the amphitheatre was put to different uses, medieval entertainment, housing, workshops, fortress and quarry.

In the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV declared it a sacred site where a way of the Cross would remember Christian martyrs. To this day, every Good Friday, a torch-lit procession led by the Pope follows the sacred way.

The Arch of Constantine seen from the Colosseum ©Solange Hando

Erected to celebrate Constantine's victory over Maxentius, this triumphal arch is decorated with a strange mixture of earlier works and spans the 'Victorious Way' used by emperors entering the city.

So close to the Colosseum, it's another reminder of this ancient civilisation, so cultured and advanced in many ways yet so cruel at times and filled by a war-like spirit to conquer the world.

Rome, Trevi Fountain and others

Rome, Trevi Fountain ©Solange Hando

Did you know that Rome claims over 2000 fountains, the largest number in any city in the world? Top of the list is the monumental Trevi, one of the capital's best known landmarks featured in films and on postage stamps.

Built of gleaming white stone in the 18th century and set against the Palazzo Poli, it is said to represent the taming of the water brought along the 'Aqua Virgin' aqueduct, named after a young Roman virgin who discovered a life-giving spring 26 km away.

The Barcaccia Fountain in Rome ©Solange Hando

Meanwhile on the Spanish Square, below the famous steps, the boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain recalls the disastrous flood of 1598 when the Tiber brought myriad boats right up to this spot.

It was built in the 17th century by Pietro Bernini and his son and they say that on his death bed, the English poet Keats was soothed by the gentle sound of the water.

Fountain in Villa Borghese Gardens ©Solange Hando

In the vast landscaped gardens of Villa Borghese where the people of Rome love to relax on a hot summer day, water features include lake, pond and fountains.

The Borghese Gallery tucked among the trees displays Italian paintings and sculptures by Bernini, most admired an Apollo and Daphne.

Piazza Navona, Fountain of the Moor ©Solange Hando

On this colourful Baroque square following the contours of the Roman circus, three fountains keep visitors spellbound. Set against an Egyptian obelisk at the centre of the Piazza, you find one of Bernini's most celebrated works, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Danube, Ganges, Rio de la Plata and Nile which symbolised the continents known at the time.

At the northern end is the Neptune Fountain and to the south the Fountain of the Moor, named after the statue of an African man wrestling with a dolphin. 

The Trevi Fountain by Night ©Solange Hando

But at the end of the day, most visitors head back to the Trevi, the place to linger long after dark, dreaming of the 'Dolce Vita' partly filmed on the spot. But if you'd like to return to Rome one day, be sure to throw in a coin with your back turned to the water. Just waiting to see if it works...