Rome

The 'Eternal City' of Rome has a magnificent history. As the legend goes, the twins Romulus and Remus founded the city in 753BC. The city was the centre of the all-powerful Roman Empire, which dominated a huge area of land from Britain to Egypt. For almost a thousand years the empire thrived, based on a mixture of hierarchy, discipline and fear. Inevitably corruption and decadence rotted the system from the inside, causing its spectacular fall.

The first must-see in Rome is the awesome Colosseum, where 50,000 spectactators (both patricians and plebs) filled with blood-lust would scream for a gruesome end to a gladiatorial combat.

To rest your imagination from all that gore, take a peacefull stroll through the Villa Borghese gardens, with its lake, fountains, aviary and shady trees.

Then satisfy your aesthetic tastes at the Sistine chapel, by admiring the beautiful ceiling painted by Michelangelo.