In between burying my nose in Rick Steve’s Rome guide book (btw I am never traveling anywhere without him again – Godsend!) to dish the facts about this, that and the other ruin we were standing in front of, Ben and I took the time to appreciate how unique the city of Rome really is.

Take for instance, its doors.

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Yes, Rome’s doors! Ben still doesn’t quite understand my fascination with these babies, but I found it utterly fascinating that every door in Rome – whether it led to an apartment building, a bank, or other business – is completely different… and BEAUTIFUL!

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Some doors are new, while others are old.

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Some are HUGE,

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while others are small. ;)

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Many channel other continents and time periods,

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but no matter what, each one has its own identity.

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I never saw a single one that looked like the other!

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Come on – you think it’s interesting…don’t ya’?! ;)

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Whenever we’d see someone about to head in, we’d hang back to catch a peek of what was inside. A lot of times they’d reveal a lovely courtyard…

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while other times they’d open up to the most wonderful sights in the city!

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The thing that charmed us the most about Rome was that behind each door, and around each corner, there was a new and interesting view.

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There was no shortage of “what the??” exclamations as practically every other turn produced a massive and intricately carved building!

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No clue as to what these buildings are used for, but they’re HUGE and they’re EVERYWHERE!

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We assume that many are used by the government – but who knows?!

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Arguably the most impressive buildings we stumbled upon were the hundreds of basilicas created over dozens or hundreds of years, sprinkled generously throughout the city.

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Each one was absolutely breathtaking,

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and filled with so many details it’d take you YEARS to pick them all out.

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Other times the shout was “ohhh!” as the beautiful street views never failed to wow us.

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I think the reason I kept feeling like I was on a movie set, as we walked through the streets of Rome, is because everything I’ve ever seen on tv or in the movies about Italy – the crumbling brick,

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the romantic street lights,

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and the hidden trattorias, are REAL!

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Another thing that is evident no matter where you are in the city, is the ruins.

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If Rome cashed in a mere fraction of the thousands of marble columns from hundreds and thousands of years ago, scattered ALL over the city, they’d be the next Dubai…before the bust…

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The city has truly built itself up around the ruins – which is so incredible.

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Seriously – this building was over 1,000 years old and I walked next to it. I TOUCHED IT!

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How’d you like to live across the street from Cesar’s old palace?!

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The great thing about the ruins is that they’re accessible. If this were in America, there’d be armed guards, men in lab coats and a DO NOT TOUCH perma signs over the entire city.

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The people in Rome though, respect the ruins. They’re allowed to enjoy and live amongst them without restriction. I think that’s AWESOME.

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Hope you enjoyed a peek into the unique city of Rome! :D

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