Roma therapy

It seems one heck of a contradiction but the country whose ancient capital is a cradle of European civilisation is only 150 years old.

Rome may well trace its roots to April 21, 753BC, when, according to legend, Romulus killed his twin brother Remus and laid the foundations for the city he named after himself.

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But it took another 2500 years - until March 17, 1861, to be precise - before Victor Emmanuel II became the first king of a united Italy and Rome was designated its capital.

This isn't just relevant to the classroom or text books because, in the Eternal City, history is never far from the surface. Walk the streets and boulevards and experience how it melds almost seamlessly with the hustle and bustle of a modern city.

Watch the motor scooters whizz past the archaeological digs down the Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Colosseum; admire the imposing stone bridges - whose origins date back before the birth of Christ - spanning the River Tiber; and, sadly, deplore the 21st century "street artists" who have left their colourful tags throughout the city, despoiling many fine buildings and doors.

East of the Tiber, which splits Rome before it runs into the Mediterranean, 35km to the south-west, are such historic landmarks as the Colosseum, the Forum and the Pantheon. It's also where you'll find such landmarks as the Spanish Steps, the massive Il Vittoriano - the national monument to King Victor Emmanuel II - and the Trevi Fountain, made famous in the Fellini film La Dolce Vita.

I don't know how actress Anita Ekberg managed to find the fountain free of tourists for a frolic in the water but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't manage it these days.

To the Tiber's west, lies a section of the city known as Trastevere - which derives from the Latin words for "across the Tiber". It used to be a working-class district but today, Trastevere is a vibrant, hip neighbour- hood where tiny SmartCars and scooters navigate cobbled and winding streets packed with bars and cafes.

Also on this side of the Tiber, to the north, is Vatican City and one of the holiest places in Christendom, St Peter's Basilica.

THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING

The good news is you can get a taste of all this, and sample Italian cuisine and culture in between the sightseeing, in only a few days because they're concentrated in Rome's centre and the distances are easily walkable.

Some attractions, such as the Campo de' Fiori, wear more than one hat. Traditionally, this is the place where public executions were conducted. Friar-cum-astronomer-cum philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt alive here in 1600 for holding views that didn't sit well with the Catholic Church.

Today, Bruno's statue dominates the square - not only positioned on the exact site of his death but supposedly set to the angle where, defiantly, he's facing the Vatican.

These days, Campo de' Fiori has a much lighter reputation - at night-time. It's one of the many squares where people congregate and people-watch from the alfresco cafes.

THE PIAZZA COMES TO LIFE

Come daybreak, the piazza transforms into a fruit-and-vegetable market where one can pick up some amazing pasta or even an extraordinary novelty kitchen utensil which can both peel carrots or potatoes into curious shapes and, for some bizarre reason, also blow bubbles.

And all for only 10 euro($14). Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Campo de' Fiori is an excellent place to buy fruit for the day. Picture: Mark Irving

Despite the fact almost all the main attractions in Rome are centuries old, that doesn't mean there aren't new aspects to see and visit.

THE COLOSSEUM

Take the Colosseum, or Flavian Ampitheatre as it was originally called, which is one of the city's genuine icons. It was started in 72AD and was finished by Emperor Titus only eight years later. Its construction was probably expedited by a huge workforce of 40,000 Jewish slaves and its financing helped by the booty of ransacked Jerusalem.

When it was finished, Titus ordered 123 days of games in celebration and some 9000 animals were brought in for "entertainment".

Despite its great age, it was only 12 months ago that the Colosseum's labyrinthine underground sections and its highest tier were opened to the public and it's not clear exactly how long these two sections will continue to remain open.

Jason Spiehler, the founder of the company whose tour I joined, said that only licensed tour companies and the Colosseum's own tours allowed visitors to the restricted areas such as the underground and top tier. "No one is allowed without a resident accompagnatore (tour escort) who is usually an archaeologist or art historian in tow," he said.

IN THE ARENA

We were taken underground and walked through the passageways once used by the gladiators as they entered the arena through an arch to face 55,000 spectators.

Across the arena is another huge arch. They would have seen that as they entered, said our guide, and would have known that that was where the dead gladiators were taken out.

Underground is where the animals were caged before their fights with gladiators. They were winched above ground through trap doors on to the wooden floor, which was covered with sand (the Latin word arena means sand).

We also saw its vomitoria - the passageways which allowed the stadium's quick-fire emptying of the audience. Yes, the literal spewing of spectators.

And we marvelled at the ingenuity used in the stonemasonry and how the keystones locked the massive stones into place.

Mortar was not used on the stonework. Instead, iron rods were used to slot blocks together. In an earthquake- prone area this allowed the stonework some flexibility.

It wasn't enough, though, to save huge swathes of the Colosseum being demolished in two destructive earthquakes in the 12th and 13th centuries.

A lot of the stone was recycled as it constitutes the foundations of St Peter's Basilica or used elsewhere in the new Christian world or in churches, as was a lot of the marble after the Colosseum fell into disuse.

Climbing to the top tier of the Colosseum gave us another perspective, both of the arena and the city. Seeing the ruins, monuments and churches spread out beneath us gave an inkling of what Rome has to offer to any visitor with an interest in how the past has helped define our present.

The Trevi fountain, made famous in the Fellini film La Dolce Vita. Picture: Mark Irving