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It’s easy to fall in love with Rome even from books, the Internet and other people's photos. Yet for that to really take hold you’ll need to get there – and then those Ciampino airport transfers might be the start of a lifelong romance. Is Rome really so special? Yes – and unreservedly so. It’s hard to say why. Other cities have beautiful architecture, ancient ruins, a great cuisine and beautiful weather, but, even from the minute you step in to your Ciampino airport transfers few have the power to captivate as much as Rome. City of myth and legend Perhaps the first thing to keep in mind is that few people in the world will not have heard at least something of the city’s ancient history. Names such as Caesar, Mark Anthony, Claudius, Augustus and a host of others, echo out across the ages to an extent that make the 2000 years between them and us to be as nothing. Of course, although those names and stories sometimes have a ring of almost legend to them, they were in fact real people and real events that helped to form the shape of modern Europe from the Danube to Portugal – including much of the British Isles. And that’s the first thing that visiting Rome does. Walking the same streets and sometimes on the same floors as those giants of old, brings a sensation of bridging myth, reality and the millennia between. Few people can avoid a major sense of emotion when walking around the Roman Forum, Senate House or the Coliseum. The spiritual city Ironically, Rome had become a spiritual city, in one of its many guises, during its heyday as a Republic and then Imperial Power. Great games and festivals were held here, sometimes in the name of one or more of the Roman Gods. Yet the Romans were, by and large, not a very conventionally religious people and their belief system was flexible and not exclusive. They didn’t seek to impose their religion on conquered people and only really took a firm line in banning belief when it involved human sacrifice or threatened the Roman state. Yet Rome became a spiritual homeland for the believe in all the values that were ‘Roman’ and when the city finally fell in the 5th century AD, there was a profound shock throughout the known world. It was as if there had been a great spiritual loss. Of course today, the city is the centre of another great spirituality: that of Roman Catholicism based in Vatican City. In other words for many it continues to be, as it always was, a place to look to for inspiration. The cultural city Although there was a time when Rome remained largely abandoned and semi-derelict in parts, for much of its history it has been a great centre of learning, the arts and the sciences. That continues today with world-renowned galleries such as the Museum Galleria Borghese and Barberini Palace which contain major collections of the masters. Then there are centres like the Teatro dell Opera di Roma, where you can see world-class performances or the Auditorium, and hear some of the great classical orchestral works. From the moment you arrive in the country the easy Campino airport transfers will bring you speedily to the centre of a city that has something for everyone – and which always has. Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for Ciampino airport transfers, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.
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