Quote:
Originally posted by helloDer
it's a crumbling city.. nothing is well preserved. I appreciate art, history, and food (all of which Rome was supposed to embody) and I still found it incredibly disappointing.. also, my charter bus was robbed & broken into one night
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What?!?!?!
The amount of work and effort that was put into preserving, restauring and presenting of countless historical monuments and archeological parks in Rome is astonishing. You probably meant that the ancient ruins were not rebuilt or fully reconstructed like for example The Stoa of Attalos in Athens, but it is for the best from various reasons, it is for a long debate.
If you consider that Rome is one giant archeaological site with many layers, so you cant practically build anything there without damaging/stumbling upon ancient structures and the fact it has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years, its admirable how well are the ancient ruins preserved (the most well preserved are always ancient cities/sites which were abandoned in the past). It is truly fascinating how is Rome one of the biggest and most populous, fully functioning modern cities and yet it is also one of the greenest cities in Europe, full of gardens, parks, fountains, and most well preserved ancient monuments. Sorry, but someone who was disappointed by Rome doesnt really know how to appreciate art, history and food (oh yes, the food is delicious there).
Istanbul, Bodrum, Goreme, Korint, Marakesh, Rabat, Granada, Oja/Santorini, Vienna and Krakow are on my list of the most beautiful cities I have visited, but Rome is probably the most beautiful. I have visited Athens and Venice too, both two times and even when I know what some of you mean (particularly smog, lack of green areas and unflattering modern architecture of Athens) I have enjoyed both of them. I am from Prague, I cant be objective here, but I think its very beautiful