Ancient history? Check. Rich with art? Check. Incredible food? check. It is true that Rome holds something for everyone.  The city’s sights will dazzle you by day, but it is the busy nightlife that will entice you to indulge in the true culture of Roma.

With so much to do and see the question for me is always where to begin. Since I arrived in the afternoon on the train from the airport, it was straight to the hotel to check in and drop my bags. After a short jaunt through the heat, past the shoe vendors and street stands, I came to the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. This beautiful cathedral became a marker for me; a sign that my home base was nearby. Down a narrow alley like street, I found my quiet oasis in the Relais Santa Maria Maggiore , a beautiful gem of a space away from the hustle and bustle, but close enough to insert yourself into it at a moments notice.

The next three days were a mesmerizing blur of visiting antiquated historical sites, consuming copious amounts of tantalizing foods, and miles of steps, cobblestone walkways, and busy streets. Rome hums with activity and smells of sweetness and herbs. My first outing, without question, was to catch a glimpse of the Colosseum before the sun set. I ventured out of my hotel with a street map and turned down a one way road, just barely wide enough for a bicycle. I past restaurants and corner gelatto stops, then took a short cut through a stone tunnel dripping with vines of ivy. On the other side, I came across yet another church, this one the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli. At a chance to duck out of the sun, I decided to step in and take a peek. It only took a moment before I was staring eye to eye with Michaelangelo’s Moses (1505). In the dimly lit corridor, it took my breath away; in part because it was so unexpected and in part due to the sheer beauty of his creation. Instantaneously, I was transported to a time without machinery and electric tools; how this could have possibly have been created by a single human being? This only ignited my curiosity about the time period and the society that had existed here, in this place, not so long ago.

Out of the Basilica and past the Engineering department of the Sapienzia University of Rome, I took a right in the direction of the Colosseum. With lingering daylight, I made my way out of the neighborhood and into the opening of a cross street. My first glimpse of this architectural endeavor came from the apex of an arched bridge filled with combination locks and benches filled with cozy couples. In a single instant, I had arrived in the Rome of tour books, and it did not disappoint.