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　　Why go to Rome? I can think of a lot of reasons. Rome is history ---literally layer upon layer of it. Rome is art. And Rome is Italian food at its finest. At one time, Rome meant civilization, the center of the Western world. Ancient Rome lasted almost 1 000 years (500 B.C. to 476A.D.).
　　I started exploring Rome in its oldest section. I stood in the shadow of the great colosseum, built in A.D. 80 when Rome was at its strongest Inside, 50 000 noisy fans watched men and animals fight to the death.
　　I walked to the Roman Forum. This was the political, religious and commercial center of ancient Rome. I tried to imagine what the area looked like back then. Grand temples and government buildings would have surrounded the large open area or "forum" Today only ruins of those grand buildings remain.
　　I climbed to the top of the nearby Palatine Hill and looked down on the Circus Maximus. People gathered there to watch chariot races. Ancient Romans loved these races. There were 12 races a day, 240 days a year!

The Vatican

　　Next I headed to the Vatican. Surrounded by Rome, this tiny independent country is only about 40.5 hectares (100 acres) in size. People come to see St. Peter's, the greatest church on Earth. I stepped inside and was immediately surrounded by marble and gold. The dome soars higher than three basketball courts on end. Near the main door sits Michelangelo's Pieta, a statue of Mary holding the dead body of Jesus. It was smaller than I expected but still a stunning piece of art.
　　To see more art, I walked over to the Vatican Museum. The Vatican Museum houses six and a half km(four miles ) of ancient art treasures. I looked at Egyptian mummies and Greek and Roman statues and a lot more.
　　Finally, I arrived at the Sistine Chapel. Today, after being completely restored, Michelangelo's ceiling is as bright as the day it was painted. Michelangelo covered the ceiling withscenes from Bible stories. He spent four years ( 1508 to 1512 ) painting it. He completed all 550 square meters ( 600 square yards ) of it by himself.

Fountains and food

　　Leaving the museum, I went off to explore the streets of Rome. I visited the famous Trevi Fountain. Built in 1762, this famous fountain shows Neptune and his watery kingdom. Joining the others at the fountain, I tossed a coin over my shoulder into the water. Doing so is supposed to assure a return to Rome.
　　Continuing on, I arrived at the Spanish Steps. They got their name 300 years ago when this was the site of the Spanish Embassy. Now it's a popular place to sit and watch people .
　　The famous shopping street Via Condotti leads away from the Spanish Steps. As I walked along, I looked in the windows of the designer shops.
　　After more wandering, I joined the locals in a small open-air restaurant. Over a plate of pasta, I considered the following day's itinerary. I had just one more day left in Rome. Unfortunately, time was too short to see everything I wanted to see in this great city. I hoped throwing the coin in the fountain worked. One trip to Rome just isn't enough.