Rome's Secret Sauce: Uncovering the City's Hidden Mysteries!

Rome, the Eternal City, has seen it all. From gladiator fights to papal coronations, the city has a rich and storied past. But beneath the surface, there are secrets that have remained hidden for centuries.

Deep beneath the Colosseum, there are winding tunnels and hidden chambers where the gladiators and animals were kept before the battles. It is said that some of the tunnels lead all the way to the Vatican, allowing for secret passage between the two sites.

In the heart of the city, the Pantheon stands as a testament to ancient Roman engineering. But there are whispers that beneath the marble floors lies a hidden room where the emperor Augustus conducted secret meetings.

The Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church, is also home to many secrets. In the Sistine Chapel, the famous frescoes painted by Michelangelo hide a mysterious symbol that has yet to be deciphered.

 

And in the catacombs beneath the city, there are ancient tombs and underground chapels that have been sealed off for centuries. Who knows what secrets they may contain?

But perhaps the biggest secret of all is the true identity of the city's founder, Romulus. Legend has it that he was raised by wolves and went on to found the city that bears his name. But historians have long debated whether he was a real person or just a myth.

Despite the many secrets that lie hidden beneath its streets, Rome remains a city of wonder and awe. Its ancient ruins and timeless beauty continue to captivate visitors from all over the world.

Travel Basics in London

Awesome modern London skyline

If you're coming to London for the first time London Travel Guide and Offline City Map & Metro Support has some important things for you to remember and save yourself a little bit of embarrassment and make your trip to London easier.

The Brits drive on the left side of the road. Now, if you're not driving this may not seem like a big deal but actually when you're crossing the street that's when it's the scariest. Luckily the smarties in London put markings on the ground at every single crossing telling you literally if you should look left or look right, so make sure that when you're going to cross the street- you look down to see which way you should look.

Next is, if you decide to go to a pub and order yourself a beer or a cider, which I definitely recommend you do, you'll need to order by the pint. It's about 20 oz of drink. Remember that a lot of English beers and ciders are stronger than in America so just be careful when you're drinking. When you get the bill, double check to see if there was a service charge added on because usually this is around 12.5% if there is a service charge added.

England uses the pound, as its currency makes up one pound and if you ever hear someone saying quid, this is just a slang word for pound. The smallest note you can get is 5 pounds- there's no one pound note here.

You should try Oyster card. There are two different kinds of Oyster cards you can get, one is called a Visitor's Oyster Card that you can only get this if you order it ahead of time and get it delivered to your house or you can get a regular Oyster card which you can pick up at tons of shops around London. To use either of these Oyster cards, you need to top them up which means you add credit to the card as you start to use the underground and the bus system. Your credit will decrease and you'll have to top it up more and more if you're going to be traveling a lot.

Enjoy the beautiful dusk of London

Having an Oyster card is really good because the rates are a lot cheaper than if you paid cash and they have a daily cap which means, once you've reached a certain amount of money that you've spent, that's it and the rest of your travel is free for the day.

Classic English double decker buses are really fun to ride around on, if you can grab a seat on the top and especially in the front of the bus, it's really cool! To get on a bus all you have to do is tap your Oyster card at the front of the bus and that's it, you don't have to tap out.

If you need to change your cash into pounds then you'll probably get the best rate at the post office. Be careful taking black taxis because they can be really expensive and they get really expensive without you noticing. If you can't take public transport, use Uber all the time. They're all over the place!

Those are just few important things you should know before you come to London for the first time! Make sure that you read more of our eTips guidelines to know more places          all around the world!