The “Eternal City” has witnessed and shaped 3000 years of history. And it is this sense of history which really hits the first-time visitor.

To walk among the ruins on Palatine Hill or around the Colosseum and marvel that St Paul would have walked the same streets nearly 2000 years ago as he brought the Christian Gospel to the heart of the Gentile world: It’s awe-inspiring!

Equally breathtaking are the churches that litter this city: I expected to be impressed by the scale and opulence of St Peter’s but, if anything, some of the lesser-known churches are even richer in the art and sculpture, gold and marble. The narrow cobbled backstreets are filled with souvenir shops and restaurants, their paths punctuated by colourful piazzas, many with their own sculptures and fountains.

The photos I took in my brief visit can hardly do justice to the vibrancy of this place. But I do hope that you will sense something of the “eternal” which is not just the essence of the city but the heart of the Christian message it was entrusted to proclaim to the whole world.

I came. I saw. I photographed … a lot! But you get to see just what I call Essential Rome.