Rome is a beautiful city, I did enjoy visiting it on my own, but it has made me realise that although I enjoy solo travelling Rome really is somewhere to explore as a couple, as it truly has a romantic atmosphere.
Regardless of whether you travel on your own, as a couple or a group here are my five top suggestions of where you must visit while in Rome!
#1 – The Colosseum
WOW! This is a must see, inside and out, if you are visiting Rome! For the admission ticket you get two separate tours. You get to go inside the Colosseum and you also get to go in to the Roman Forum (see #5) and the Palatine Hill opposite! Bargain! Take the audio (or even better video audio tour) if you go inside. Alternatively there are a lot of history students outside who can give you a guided tour, have pre-purchased group tickets (meaning you can skip the queue – not the security queue though) **top tip** as these are pre-purchased you can negotiate on the price.
The Colosseum took my breath away when I walked in to the main area! You really do feel like you are walking back in time!
The Colosseum is free of charge on the first Sunday of every month. I had already bought my tickets when I learnt this, however I am glad I did not wait to visit on the Sunday as the queues were very long and I heard some saying they had been queuing for nearly three hours. I went on the Friday and only queued for 40 minutes.
#2 – The Pantheon
Not only is The Pantheon the most complete ancient Rome building it is also free to visit! From what I understand it was a temple built to worship all the Roman Gods (source: Dan Brown’s Angel & Demon’s – yes you can see The Pantheon on the film).
This is a great place to go, not just because it is free to enter but it really does take you back in time! You approach this through the narrow 
streets of Rome and suddenly the streets open
up to reveal this ancient Temple. The Pantheon is still in use to today (it is now a church)
and now hosts the tomb of Raphael (although due to crowds I did not get to see this).
The Occulus (the large hole in the roof) is a wonder to see. When it rains the floor obviously gets wet – but look around and you can see how the Roman built drainage so the rain water quickly disappeared from inside the temple.
I highly recommend a visit to The Pantheon.
#3 – The Vatican City
This was a need to see while I was in Rome – after all it is another country to tick off your travel list (The Vatican City is the smallest Country in the world).
I visited the museums and St Peters Basilica (although it is not a Basilica – it is a church). I did pay for a group tour guide, Sophia, she was an amazing 70 something year old woman. Sophia’s knowledge was amazing and she gave a lot of detail and able to answer any
question. She was also good at giving tips for other attractions.
You must see the Sistine Chapel – just to appreciate the work of Michelangelo.
The Pope blesses the local people on a Sunday at 12noon from his window in the Pope’s Palace. I therefore suggest if you want to see the Pope then go and watch and listen to him in St Peter’s Square – it is quite fascinating. It lasts in total for about 10 minutes. I returned on the Sunday to see this and it is something I will always remember. It is free to get in to St Peter’s Square to see the Pope but there is a queue to go through security.
#4 – The Trevi Fountain
All the travel books and review guides told me to visit the Trevi Fountain in the evening to avoid the large crowds that gather here. My experience is IGNORE them and visit during the day, the crowds were much more sparse and I could actually get right up to the fountain without pushing or elbowing my way through 
abundance of people!
The fountain is absolutely beautiful and a must see for solo travelers, couples and groups alike. From the excellent sculptures by Salvi and Bracci, to the colour of the water it is simply breath taking. What makes this extra special is it is the most unexpected of places, you weave your way through narrow streets and suddenly it appears, just like The Pantheon (which is only a short walk away)!
If you do visit during the evening there are lots of restaurants, shops and even a McDonalds nearby.
#5 – The Roman Forum
A walk back in history – let your imagination run wild. The Roman Forum gives you a real insight in to Ancient Rome.
Although much of this can be viewed (for free) from walking around the outskirts of the 
Roman Forum from the public highway I would highly recommend going in and seeing this up close and personal. Besides entry to it is included in your tickets for the Colosseum.
For me the Roman Forum captured the true beauty of Rome and every night I went back to see it light up at night. Top Tip – go round the back of Capitoline Hill for the best views of the Roman Forum, especially in the evening.
To locate the Maspalomas Nudist beach follow the dunes, with your back to the lighthouse and the sea on your right. You will follow the clothed bathers, then enter the nudist zone, first you come to the ‘straight’ nudist area and a little beyond that is the gay nudist area, marked by a rainbow flag.
Travelling with just hand-luggage should be your goal. Do you really need six pairs of shoes, tea bags, and an iron? Take less and you’ll travel cheaper (no check-in luggage fees), travel faster (no waiting for your bags), and travel easier (one bag means less to lug around).
Rather than taking your entire copy of the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet, just photocopy the pages you need, then discard after you have used them. Saves space and weight.
They may have become the uniform of unruly ASBO-teenagers, but hooded tops make excellent travel garments. Just slip up your hood to retreat from the world of noise and light when you want to sleep on a flight/airport seat/bus. Add your earphones for extra withdrawal.
Got to the end of your holiday but forgotten to get gifts? No worries! It is a mathematical certainty that the world’s favourite mountain-shaped Swiss chocolate will always be available from every duty free airport shop on earth.
The Middle Finger is universally understood to mean F-You to the recipient.
The W*nker is done by forming a hole with the hand and moving it back and forward. It is a joy to perform, calling someone a w*nker without the accompanying gesture does do this insult justice!
While the V Sign means peace in many parts of the world (no matter which way round you look at it) in the UK and some other common wealth countries it is more likely to cause outright war!
Often heard with the phrase ‘non mi frega’ which translates as ‘I don’t give a damn‘ – sweeping the hand from under the chin towards someone is a rather blunt way of saying you don’t give a damn.
The A-Ok from insinuating that someone is a homosexual to calling them an A-Hole. The A-Ok sign doesn’t necessarily translate well when telling someone you are ok.
You might get away with The Thumbs Up in Thailand where it is the equivalent to sticking your tongue out but add in a thrust upwards and to most places around the world you are telling them to shove the thumb up there a*s hole.
While many of the offensive gestures above may bring you trouble The Dog Call might cause a fight. If you’re planning on seducing someone, think of another way to call them over!
The Corna is a favourite gesture amongst rockers but in other parts of the world it is a not so subtle way of saying ‘I am having it away with your wife’, use it with caution – unless you are swinging!
If you find yourself wanting to order five shots while in Greece don’t show the palm of your hand. You’ll be telling the barman you have an ‘off the menu delicacy’ you want to show them.
Sometimes insulting one person is not enough, that is where The Cutis comes in. Not only does it say F-You. It says F-your Mum, F-Your Dad, F-Your brother, F-Your sister, F-Your children, F-Your… you get the idea!
While is some cultures The Fig is used to ward off evil spirits in others it represents female genitals and can be an offensive way to to dismiss help from others!
A man’s biggest insult is insulting his manhood. So tread cautiously if you start wiggling your little finger at a strange man… you are probably suggesting he has a tiny weeny tiddler!
Not all the insults involve hand gestures. In some eastern cultures showing your bare feet is offensive as they are considered lowly (plus they often stink)!
Who wouldn’t want to ‘live long and prosper’? Demonstrating your sympathy for the Vulcan race may seem like a good idea but if you are surrounded by Klingon’s then give it a miss!
It appears we are all a bit fattist (someone who discriminates against fat people). We all love cake (well I do – man I love the cake) but when it comes to aeroplane seats we would sooner not sit next to someone who requires a seat for each butt cheek. And when it comes to suggestions on how an airline should deal with overweight passengers most of the travellers surveyed said they should be made to purchase a second seat!
In reverse order: unwelcome conversing (do as I said above – stick some earphones in, even if not listening to anything, to avoid the unwanted small talk), stincky food eating (for me this is the smell of salt& vinegar crisps **vomit**, for others it can be anything that has an odour – just because you like the smell don’t mean we all want to smell it), arm rest hogging (I am guilty of this, so, erm, no comment), seat reclining (my method to get around this is get to your seat before the person behind you does, then recline your seat from the beginning – that way thery will be none the wiser about their lack of leg room), loud talking (person on row A does not need to know that you, the person on row Q, is flying alone because your wife ran off with your best friend – actually that sounds interesting so tell me some more) and the thing that annoys travellers the most … seat kicking KEEP YOUR CHILDREN UNDER CONTROL.
Apparently when we are away from the comforts of home we pick up more vices. We are 55% more likely to eat, drink or smoke more when on holiday (who can resist an all inclusive bar?). 56% more likely to hook up with a stranger (remember to glove up when you hook up) but luckily you are 64% more likely to engage in sexual acts with your partner while on holiday (so if your partner has booked you a surprise holiday you know what they have in mind **wink wink**)
My fear has been a powerful deterrent and prevented me from wondering out in to the big wide world all on my own. The thought of taking a jump into the unknown and exploring a foreign country is quite scary! But I have come to realise that if I don’t man-up then I am going to miss out on all that this world can offer me, the views, the culture and the experiences!
The Road Jacker 