Cobbled a Roman Holiday

It is the country's capital city. Of Italy. It is ancient. It is home to an independent country completely landlocked in its own borders - the Vatican. It is where the masters from Leonardo to Michelangelo left their marks for centuries of admirers and worshipers and historians to come dig and study.

It is Rome. It is also one of the few unique cities that is most entirely cobbled. As in stones.

Typical Roman Street scene

Along the Tiber River the city has several 1,000 + year old monuments in stone and marble

Who knows how old it is since they put these in but the actual pavement is a series of large, smooth and black obsidian like stones that you travel on between all the major attractions. It lends credibility to its being ancient. The BBC reported that - Cobblestones in Rome are known as "Sampietrini", which translates as "little St Peters".

In this most Catholic of cities you sometimes hear that there are supposed to be as many cobbles as there are souls that St Peter saved.

Circus Maximus - ancient buildings uncovered in the last 100 years

Another first for Rome was its creation from the first century that hosted many gladiator sports before NFL packages and Boxing in Vegas became popular on cable. The Flavian dynasty built the large amphitheater called the Colosseum circa 80 AD. Using cement making and marble laying technology they created a lasting monument to gory sports watching that still stands today on the south end of the city.

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A few good books

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