Rome Before the Crowds: A 6am Walk to the Colosseum
The secret to Rome is simple: wake up before everyone else. The city you find at dawn is a different city entirely.
My alarm went off at 5:30 AM. Every instinct told me to ignore it. I am very glad I didn't.
I walked from my hotel near the Pantheon through streets that were, for once, mine alone. A street cleaner. A baker opening his shutters. A cat on a warm stone. Rome at 6am is a city that belongs to itself.
The Colosseum at dawn, with the light coming low and golden from the east, is one of the most moving sights I have encountered in a lifetime of travel. I stood there for twenty minutes without moving, thinking about all the centuries that had passed and all the people who had stood in this same spot and felt the same thing.
Margaret
I've been traveling the world for over 30 years and still get butterflies before every trip. This blog is my way of sharing the places that moved me, the meals that surprised me, and the hotels where I slept like a queen.
Read my storyMore to Read
