Volume II: Walking in the Footsteps of the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire wasn't just one city or one country. It stretched across three continents and left behind an extraordinary legacy that still shapes the world today. From grand amphitheaters and aqueducts to perfectly preserved streets and temples, Roman history isn't confined to museums. It's woven into the cities, landscapes, and cultures that travelers can explore firsthand.
This edition of Paul's Picks: Travel Through History highlights three remarkable destinations where the Roman world comes alive. Whether you're fascinated by gladiators, emperors, engineering marvels, or daily life nearly 2,000 years ago, these places offer an unforgettable journey into one of history's greatest civilizations.
History Cliffnotes:
The Roman Empire (27 BC–AD 476) lasted for more than 500 years in the West, stretching from Britain to North Africa and from Spain to the Middle East. Even after the fall of Rome, the Eastern Roman—or Byzantine—Empire continued for nearly another thousand years until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
This is the period most people mean when they refer to "the Roman Empire."
- 27 BC: Octavian becomes Emperor Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
- The empire reaches its greatest territorial extent under Emperor Trajan around AD 117.
- AD 476: The last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, is deposed.
No journey through Roman history begins anywhere else.
Stand inside the Colosseum, wander the Roman Forum where senators debated the future of an empire, climb Palatine Hill where emperors built lavish palaces, and marvel at the engineering of the Pantheon, still one of the world's most impressive buildings nearly 2,000 years after it was completed.
Walk in Their Footsteps
Morning
- Begin at the Colosseum before the crowds arrive.
- Explore the underground chambers and arena floor.
Late Morning
- Wander through the Roman Forum.
- Imagine senators debating the future of the Republic.
Lunch
- Enjoy a leisurely meal in Monti, one of Rome's oldest neighborhoods.
Afternoon
- Climb Palatine Hill for panoramic views over the Forum.
Evening
- Walk to the Pantheon before dinner and experience it as it glows after sunset.
Don't Miss
- Colosseum
- Roman Forum
- Palatine Hill
- Pantheon
- Baths of Caracalla
- Appian Way
Paul's Tip:
Book the underground Colosseum tour months in advance. It offers a fascinating look beneath the arena floor where gladiators and wild animals waited before entering the games.
Why This Stop Matters
The political, military, and cultural capital of an empire that ruled much of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Unlike most Roman ruins, this one never became abandoned.
Emperor Diocletian built his enormous retirement palace on the Adriatic Sea around AD 305. Today, it forms the heart of Split's Old Town, where cafés, apartments, shops, and restaurants occupy what were once imperial halls, temples, and military barracks.
Few places allow you to experience Roman history as naturally as wandering these living streets.
Don't Miss
- Diocletian's Palace
- Peristyle Square
- Temple of Jupiter
- Palace Cellars
- Cathedral of Saint Domnius (originally Diocletian's mausoleum)
Paul's Tip:
Visit early in the morning before cruise passengers arrive, then return after sunset when the palace takes on an entirely different atmosphere.
Why This Stop Matters
One of the only places in the world where a Roman emperor's palace evolved into a thriving modern city.
Why Bath and not Pompeii?
Long before Bath became one of England's most elegant Georgian cities, it was Aquae Sulis, one of the most important Roman settlements in Britain.
When Roman soldiers arrived in Britain in the first century AD, they discovered naturally heated mineral springs that had long been considered sacred by the local Celtic people. Rather than destroy the existing shrine, the Romans blended their own beliefs with local traditions, dedicating the site to Sulis Minerva—a fusion of the Celtic goddess Sulis and the Roman goddess Minerva.
Around these steaming waters they built one of the finest public bathing complexes anywhere in the empire. More than just a place to bathe, the baths served as a center for socializing, business, politics, worship, and relaxation. Wealthy merchants, soldiers, travelers, and local residents gathered here much as people today gather in cafés or public squares.
Today, visitors can walk the same stone pavements used nearly 2,000 years ago, see remarkably preserved engineering beneath the streets, and admire the Great Bath, still filled with naturally heated mineral water emerging from deep underground.
One of the most fascinating discoveries at the site has been hundreds of curse tablets, small sheets of lead on which visitors scratched messages asking the goddess to punish thieves who had stolen clothing, jewelry, or money while they were bathing. These inscriptions offer an unusually personal glimpse into everyday frustrations in Roman Britain.
Don't Miss
- Roman Baths
- Great Bath
- Sacred Spring
- Temple of Sulis Minerva
- Original Roman pavements
- Bath Abbey
- Royal Crescent (to appreciate the city's later Georgian transformation)
Paul's Tip
Visit first thing in the morning or late afternoon for a quieter experience and be sure to pick up the included audio guide which features commentary from archaeologists and historians that brings the ruins vividly to life.
Why This Stop Matters
The best-preserved example of everyday Roman life in Britain and one of the finest surviving Roman bathing complexes anywhere in Europe.
Did You Know?
Roman Quote
"Fortuna fortes adiuvat."
"Fortune favors the bold."
— Latin proverb, widely associated with Roman culture
The Roman road network stretched more than 250,000 miles (400,000 km), with over 50,000 miles paved. Many modern European roads still follow routes first engineered by Roman surveyors nearly two millennia ago.
Closing
From the bustling streets of Rome to the palace walls of Split and the steaming baths of Roman Britain, the legacy of the Roman Empire is remarkably well preserved. More than two thousand years later, these destinations continue to tell the story of a civilization that transformed law, architecture, engineering, language, and culture across much of Europe.
Whether you're standing beneath the arches of the Colosseum, walking through an emperor's palace, or tracing ancient Roman streets, history becomes more than something you read about—it becomes something you experience.
Here is a snapshot of the history...
Why Rome?
According to legend, Rome was founded by Romulus in 753 BC, but archaeologists believe people had been living on the hills along the Tiber River long before then. Rome had several major advantages.
1. A Strategic River Crossing
Rome sits on the Tiber River, about 15 miles (24 km) from the Mediterranean Sea.
This location offered the best of both worlds:
- Close enough to the sea for trade
- Far enough inland to be safer from pirate attacks
- An easy place for merchants and armies to cross the river
- The Tiber was one of the few rivers in central Italy that was easily fordable at this point.
2. The Seven Hills
Rome was built on seven hills. These hills provided:
- Natural defenses
- Good visibility over the surrounding countryside
- Separate settlements that eventually merged into one city
- In the ancient world, hills were an enormous military advantage.
3. Central Location
Italy sticks into the Mediterranean like a giant bridge. Rome sits roughly in the middle of the Italian peninsula.
That meant it could expand:
- north toward the Alps,
- south toward Greek colonies,
- west across the Mediterranean,
- east toward the Balkans.
- It became a natural crossroads.
4. Access to Resources
- The surrounding countryside was fertile.
- Nearby forests supplied timber.
- The river supplied water and transportation.
- Trade routes from northern and southern Italy intersected nearby.
Why Not Naples?
Naples (then the Greek city of Neapolis) was already a thriving city. The problem? It wasn't Roman.
Southern Italy had been heavily colonized by the Greeks centuries before Rome became powerful.
Rome conquered many of those Greek cities rather than growing out of them.
Why Not Florence?
Florence barely existed in the early Republic.
The Romans eventually founded Florentia, but not until around 59 BC, by which time Rome had already ruled much of Italy for centuries.
In other words: Rome was already an empire before Florence became important.
Why Not London?
London wasn't founded until around AD 47 as Londinium, after the Roman conquest of Britain.
By then:
- Julius Caesar had lived and died.
- Augustus had already become emperor.
- The Roman Empire stretched across much of Europe.
London was essentially a provincial town in a distant corner of the empire.
A Better Comparison
A more interesting question is:
Why Rome instead of one of the great Etruscan cities?
Before Rome became dominant, cities like Veii, Tarquinia, and Cerveteri were wealthier and more sophisticated.
Rome eventually defeated these rivals and absorbed their technology, engineering, religious practices, and political ideas. In many ways, the Romans built on an Etruscan foundation before creating the civilization we recognize today.
Ready for your Roman Adventure? Contact me to start planning your bespoke vacation.
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