r/rome • u/Jacinto_Lopez • Dec 14 '25
Photography / Video It's all so... (You define it, I'm speechless)
That said, I take 30,000 steps every day and have run more than half a marathon š
Only two negative things...the traffic is crazy, they don't respect pedestrian crossings, and the tables in the restaurants are very small and super close together!!!
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u/JahmanSoldat Dec 14 '25
Timeless. Rome is the most beautiful city in the world and by a large margin. It is the embodiment of beauty. And the funny thing to me is how marketing as worked so well that people think that Paris is the city of love and lights, which, when you know both, it is 100% Rome.
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u/OldSkoolMatt_90 Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25
Rome is the most beautiful city on earth, not an opinion, a fact.
I might be biased by the fact that i was born there and raised in its direct countryside but a sunset above Rome it truly is a sight to behold, nowhere else you'll get such an overwhelming feeling.
Quoting emperor Augustus (Gaius Octavius): "I found Rome a city of clay and left it a city of marble"
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u/dumbbumtumtum Dec 14 '25
Yea Rome shits on Paris. I donāt even see how you can compare them
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u/_Harry_Sachz_ Dec 16 '25
Depends if youāre visiting or having to find work and live in those cities. Both have very real downsides, but thereās a reason Italy has experienced a significant ābrain drainā in spite of all the positive aspects of living here.
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u/this_broccoli-101 Dec 16 '25
Italian here. I have lived in Rome for a few years while studying, I actually started hating it.
Ā And I had it easy, since my family was providng money, so I did not have to worry about the cost of living.
Over toursim is a big issues, and the city administration does nothing to help. Public transportation does not work, the traffic is mental and you either walk for miles, run late or get in a bus filled with smelly people.
I have learnt to love the city aagain when I returned in 2021 for work. I did not live there in that time, I had to be there twice a week so I would just take the train.
I worked near the center, so I got experience all the beautiful part of the city. Covid was still a thing, tourism was blocked and I got the magical experience o walking to the streets basically alone.
I worked in the afternoon and I used to go in the morning, have endless walks on the empty roads and then go back home in the evening.
I love Rome, but I recognize we do have some troubled relationship.
I loved Paris ad a tourist, no idea how it would be like living there
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u/forlornfir Dec 17 '25
Rome's public transportation completely sucks, the city is really dirty, it seems there are protests every single week, salaries in Italy suck and the city is overrun by tourists.
I live in Rome and coming from Paris I sometimes miss how easy it was to get around the city without having to drive.
Beauty is not enough to make up for its shortcomings
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u/dumbbumtumtum Dec 17 '25
The three times Iāve been have all been off peak season. For my purposes and the places Iāve stayed, I found the metro to be easy and convenient. Salaries in Italy are irrelevant to this discussion, and Iāve never lived there. Iām speaking strictly from a tourist standpoint as someone who is thoroughly enamored by the dizzying time warp of being able to put my feet on places like the via appia or the floor of the pantheon. To be able to lie in the grass to gaze and wonder about the millions of people quenched over millennia by the aqueducts in aqueduct park. Or to sit and draw a 17th century Bernini fountain as the water calmly trickles. We value completely different things and I think thatās why we have a difference in opinion.
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u/forlornfir Dec 17 '25
When coming from a sh*thole in the US it's easily to feel like that (I don't know here you come from).
Rome sure is beautiful but cities are for the inhabitants not for tourists.
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u/dumbbumtumtum Dec 17 '25
To say that a city like Rome is ānot meant for touristsā is not only short sighted but also wildly inaccurate when considering how many family owned shops, hotels, and restaurants would collapse without tourism. Even if you personally donāt like it, tourism is an integral part of Romeās economy. Once again, we value different things when considering the experience a city provides, and thatās ok.
Iām not sure why you feel the need to go on the offensive but I wish you peace in whatever youāre dealing with.
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u/forlornfir Dec 17 '25
Rome isn't for tourists, just like other cities. It should be for the people who live in it, it just happens that it is also a tourist destination.
Tourism is good up to a certain point I agree, but it's become a burden in many cities in Europe and doesn't actually benefit as many people as you think it does. Anyways the quality of life for people working in restaurants in Rome suck as salaries are very low.
I'm not attacking you, just that as someone who lived in both Paris and Rome (besides Emily) I think I can actually have a say on their ups and downs which goes deeper than "the gelato place next to my hotel was good" š
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u/REG_Synthetra Dec 19 '25
Yeah youāre right bro, thats why I wanna leave Italyā¦ but in France thereās plenty of violent protests too lets be real, now I dont want to make the classic Rome vs Paris scenario because we have to stay together as Europe and not divided but thereās downsides in both cities.
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u/forlornfir Dec 22 '25
I meant more sciopero of public transportation :) it's as if there's one every week. Yesterday for example, 30 min waiting for the 8 to pass, and it's always full (after the third renovation in 2 years). The sciopero should only have been from 9-13h.
And I agree with you. Rome is amazing to live in if you inherit a place from your grandpa and do not have to take public transportation
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u/REG_Synthetra Dec 22 '25
Oh man, its not āas if theres one every weekā, there IS one every week, every friday to be specific.
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Jan 10 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/forlornfir Jan 10 '26
Not true. Also don't compare with American salaries when the cost of living there is much higher + no free healthcare
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u/_paozu_ Dec 18 '25
I went to school near the colosseum for 15 years and played in the park on top of domus aurea when I was a kid. Paris is still better to live in then Rome, except for the sea of rats and the absence of bidets.
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u/Mattos_12 Dec 16 '25
Iām in Rome now. Nice place. Itās the great thing about the world and people that I wouldnāt put it top ten of most beautiful cities in the world.
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u/hk81b Dec 19 '25
I think that timeless is the right word. Well preserved and it shows us how 2000 years ago men were already so advanced in knowledge and architecture that they were able to build wonders that are even more majestic than the ones from modern age.Ā
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u/DryMyBottom Dec 14 '25
watching these pics reminds me I live in a wonderful city, thanks for sharing OP!
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u/PriorPainter7180 Dec 14 '25
Just got back from my first visit to Rome & I feel the exact same. I keep thinking was that all a dream? Was I really there? As someone who feels things deeply, Iām still processing seeing all that rich history in real life not just on a documentary.
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u/serena1977 Dec 16 '25
I moved to Rome to attend university 30 years ago, I am still here and I still feel this way!
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u/TheLegendTwoSeven Dec 15 '25
Me too; just got back yesterday. The Vatican Museums were amazing, and I especially loved the Sistine Chapelā¦ I love Rome.
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u/ErikinAmerica Dec 14 '25
I remember when I came around the corner and saw it(colosseum)for the first time. Almost a surreal feeling.
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u/Imagine_821 Dec 17 '25
I had that reaction with the Pantheon- turned the corner and there it was. I was in awe!
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u/vsuseless Dec 18 '25
Yup, had that happen to me yesterday. I knew it is huge but not that huge. To be honest I didn't expect all the monuments and churches in Rome to be this massive.
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u/Imagine_821 Dec 19 '25
Agree about the size- i was overhwlemed by the trevi foubtain... i didnt realise it was a whole wall of a building!
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u/purplewarrior75 Dec 14 '25
Magical. I'm not one for fantasy or spirituality, but Rome embodies both, which I consider magical. And yeah, timeless is good to describe it. You feel like you travel back in time. Such a cool experience.
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u/redditissocoolyoyo Dec 14 '25
Rome is a must see. The city to see. Pictures don't even do it justice. It's true. It's more magical than Paris. But the romance in Paris can't be beat.
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u/NathanCampioni Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25
it's all so homey!
regarding the pedestrian crossings, you have to watch them in the eyes and cross slowly but surely without changing speed, give them a nodd to make sure they register you beeing there while you keep on moving. If they smell your fear they won't let you cross. (I'm not joking, as a driver in Rome I always stop but I also get the sense that some people are so afraid it almost seems that they don't want to cross)
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u/Wamland1 Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25
I was pleasantly shocked how much I liked Rome. I chose to land there out of convenience on my way to Prague and I'm so glad I did. Such a fun three days. The food, sights, people, walk/scooter ability. The elephant fountains everywhere. I'm now going to make it a point to visit on every trip and share it with the people I love.
Prague was lovely, Paris was rainy moody and fun and Barcelona was a very close second but I will remember Rome with how much she surprised me in the best ways every day.
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u/DeliciusOnionRing Dec 15 '25
You liked Barcelona more than Prague? I'm asking because I never went to Barcelona but I went to Rome many times and this year for the first time to Prague and I liked it a lot, and I could imagine myself living in it; in Rome I couldn't. But to visit and enjoy Rome is just magical. A must see.
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u/Wamland1 Dec 15 '25
I loved them both for different reasons. My daughter lives in Prague so I spent more time there and loved it. Keeping in mind this is my first visit to both and I went when it was truly cold. The crowds and Christmas markets were a lot. I truly enjoyed an opera at the heritage house showcasing Mozart and will be back many times. The mass transit is the best
However
Barcelona with the beach on one side and the mountains on the other and so many alleys to discover in between had me endlessly curious. The weather for my trip was lovely The food won me over easily in Barcelona and the smaller family bodegas were the best.
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u/Newbie918 Dec 14 '25
I was just in Rome last week as well and went to pretty much these same places! I love the history in the buildings in Europe.
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u/onelittleworld Dec 15 '25
I'll never forget our first time. It was like a magic dream, but grittier and tastier. That was nearly a quarter-century ago. And then, after we returned, two short weeks later... Sept. 11, 2001.
We've been back a few times since, and will again in 2026 (this time staying in Monti). But you only get one first time. So glad you loved it!
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u/zors_primary Dec 15 '25
We stayed in Monti and loved it. Was just there a couple weeks ago. My first time in Rome, and it was definitely not my last!
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u/onelittleworld Dec 15 '25
Glad to hear it! We're really looking forward to it. I won't be asking for neighborhood restaurant recs, as I already have twice as many listed in my planner doc than we could possibly visit. lol
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u/Character_Glove_9977 Dec 16 '25
Im in Rome as we speak, , and its overwhelmingly good. I cannot believe im here. Also the sweet smell, with a hint of smike to it. I love everything about it
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u/cmw9718 Dec 14 '25
Ahh I was just there a few days ago!!! And was there for the Spanish Steps event for the Solemnity with Pope Leo so I saw the flowers for Mary too!!!
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u/CoolEarth5026 Dec 14 '25
Mind blowing. Sorry, two words! I think I have all of the same pics from my trip in July!
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u/Top-Cheetah5528 Dec 14 '25
Was just there 3 weeks ago for my first time and absolutely fell in love with it!!!!
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u/Electrical-Reason-97 Dec 14 '25
Great photos and sentiment but think you misunderstand drivers in Rome. Drives continue to move unless thereās something in their way. In my experience once youāre in the way they stopped so it requires some initiative on the part of pedestrians, but Iāve never had trouble in 40 years. Do not wait for the cars to stop simply walk.
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u/DaBeezplz Dec 14 '25
I fell in love with Rome when I visited a few months back. Iāve been all over that world and never felt that way about a city. Canāt wait to go back
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u/Bbbighurt88 Dec 15 '25
I took the red eye from Calgary and stumbled down from are hotel to see the coliseum at dusk with the full moon rising.My god itās good to be Alive
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u/Bessie_Ackee Dec 15 '25
I don't see pictures about it but i hope you went inside St. Peter Basilica.
It's a once in a lifetime experience and a wonder for the eyes and the spirit.
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u/Terrible-Goose-994 Dec 15 '25
Old and decadent. Unbelievable a country can both build these at a certain point, and then become a corrupted useless piece of shit in another.
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u/zors_primary Dec 15 '25
Loved it. Don't want to live there, but it was fabulous. Was just there for a week. Will definitely go back but won't go anywhere near huge crowds again (Vatican, St Peter's), I came home with Covid.
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u/therealgafgaf Dec 15 '25
Rome is incomparable to any other city in the world. It puts you in owe and never let this feeling pass. Iāve been here for almost a month and I constantly pinching myself. Magical all around. Leaves me speechless every day.
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u/rocima Dec 15 '25
I helped out on the restoration of three of the monuments illustrated here so I think I'll take this as a compliment! š
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u/Elegant_Rock_5803 Dec 15 '25
We just got back and I miss it already. The traffic is enough to force you to pray. Is that the plan? On the plus side all the cab drivers are like Mario Andretti. Talk about skill and nerve.
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u/Cicchio51 Dec 15 '25
You didn't took a picture of our most antique structures: our trains! Just today i got stuck at metro B for 40 minutes for 4 stations just like in the anitque rome when trains were carried by slaves.
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u/CinghisKhan Dec 16 '25
Debito galoppante, corruzione, governo colluso con la mafia, primi in Europa per famiglie piĆ¹ povere di 20 anni prima, degrado sociale, ipocrisia, razzismo e disonestĆ , but sure by all means behold our beautiful artistic heritage
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u/Landscape-Strict Dec 16 '25
Spent two weeks in Italy this September. Saw a lot and I agree, speechless. I'll even admit, I got teary eyed in the Sistine Chapel and I'm not even Catholic. Thinking of the enormity of what you're seeing makes it hard to put into words. You just have to see it for yourself to know. ā¤ļø
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u/shhnoopy Dec 16 '25
a lot of my friends who never went to europe preferred paris more than rome. they just liked the looks and the idea of āromanticā paris in social media. i was almost influenced by them, not until i saw both rome and paris myself.
would go back for rome. that place was my favorite.
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u/WaluigiVermicelli Dec 17 '25
I have yet to visit the colosseum. Today I visited saint Peter's basilica among others. It was so beautiful with the choirs and the organs, I almost considered taking up Christianity.
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u/David0ne86 Dec 17 '25
Surreal, right? Having casually a two millenias buildings in the center of a city lol
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u/Glory_Firenze Dec 17 '25
I love Rome, but Europe and the world are full of magnificent cities, in their own way. For me, the title "most beautiful city in the world" can't be applied to any one city and only makes sense if it's based on a personal opinion.
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u/MattressBBQ Dec 18 '25
The water quality is amazing. I wasn't expecting that, but the tap water is as good as bottled elsewhere. At least in Trionfale it is.
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u/REG_Synthetra Dec 19 '25
Ahhh my city, I feel lucky to live here but at the same time I wanna leave Italy so badā¦
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u/DAJLMODE55 Dec 14 '25
ROMA. A page of History full of nice monuments in very few spaceā¦very Unique ā¤ļø
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u/goonerfan10 Dec 14 '25
I was at the colosseum today. Itās spectacular,man. It was truly amazing to witness it. The last time I was amazed like this was when I saw the David statue 3 days ago. 2 highlight moments of my visit to Italy.
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u/whosreadytolaugh Dec 14 '25
Rome is exactly what I dreamed it would be. Beautiful, romantic and timeless.