Rome
I visited Rome and the Vatican City in the early 2000s. Rome is of course one of the most famous cities in the world. Like Paris, it has amazing stuff. Unparalleled history and culture. There is the Colloseum, The Forum, Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Basilical (the best church in the world), the Pantheon and many more attractions.
But I didn’t like Rome. Apart from the sights, there is nothing. The food was terrible (ok, to be fair these days you could do better with online reviews, but back then, you really needed a local guide to find the good places) and there was no nightlife to speak of. Another myth about Italy is that the people are well-dressed. They are horribly dressed! I expected to see these suave Italian guys all wearing sharp suits. Shopping is a disaster. Oh, you have to go to Milan, I was told.
After a day or two, I had covered all the sights, so made a day trip to a famous Roman Road and Catacombs where various old Popes are entombed. Yawn!
Vatican City
The Vatican City is a country. Yes, it is its own country surrounded by Italy. It is one of only 3 countries in the world completely surrounded by another country, the others being Lesotho and San Marino, the latter also surrounded by Italy. It is the smallest country in the world. It’s basically run by the Pope.
The main attractions are the Vatican Museums. The entrance to the museum is the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo. All amazing stuff, but you have to queue for hours and are stuffed in with thousands of other tourists.
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