My First Journey to Rome: Walking Through the Heart of Western Civilisation

By Brian AJ Newman

The Eternal City Beckons

In 2019, I fulfilled a lifelong ambition.

For many people, Rome is simply another European destination. For me, it was something entirely different. Rome was the birthplace of ideas, institutions and systems that continue to influence our world today. It was a city I had studied through books, documentaries, historical accounts and legal scholarship, yet nothing prepared me for the experience of standing within its ancient streets.

As an advocate, a student of law, and someone fascinated by history, Rome represented more than tourism. It represented a pilgrimage to the foundations of Western civilisation.

My First Journey to Rome: Walking Through the Heart of Western Civilisation

What follows is a reflection on my first encounter with the Eternal City.

Standing Before the Pantheon

My first evening in Rome brought me face to face with one of the most remarkable buildings ever constructed.

The Pantheon emerged from the darkness of the Roman night like a monument from another age. Its massive Corinthian columns stood illuminated beneath the night sky, commanding the piazza with a presence that can only be described as timeless.

Above the entrance, the famous inscription remains:

M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT

“Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this when consul for the third time.”

Standing before those ancient stones, I found myself contemplating the countless generations who had stood in the same place before me. Emperors, merchants, philosophers, pilgrims, soldiers and travellers had all looked upon this structure across nearly two millennia.

Empires have risen and fallen since the Pantheon was built.

The Pantheon remains.

It was my first lesson in Rome: some achievements possess a permanence that transcends time itself.

Rome’s Collection of Civilisations

Nearby stood an Egyptian obelisk, transported centuries ago from another ancient civilisation and placed in the heart of Rome.

It served as a reminder that Rome was not merely a city. It was once the centre of an empire that reached across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Everywhere I walked, evidence of this influence appeared. Egyptian monuments stood beside Roman temples. Christian churches occupied former pagan sites. Renaissance palaces overlooked ancient roads.

Rome does not erase its past.

It layers it.

Each civilisation has left its mark, creating a city unlike any other on earth.

The Monument to Victor Emmanuel II

Few structures prepared me for the overwhelming scale of the Vittoriano, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II.

Known by many Romans as the “Wedding Cake” due to its brilliant white marble appearance, the monument dominates the skyline. Dedicated to the first king of a unified Italy, it celebrates both national unity and Italian identity.

Ascending its vast staircases, I felt humbled by the scale of the architecture.

Massive columns stretched skyward.

Marble statues lined the terraces.

Bronze chariots crowned the highest points.

The monument is unapologetically grand.

It speaks of nationhood, sacrifice and aspiration.

As I stood beneath its towering façade, I reflected on how nations construct symbols to tell their stories and preserve their collective memory.

The Eternal Flame

One of the most moving moments of my visit was standing before the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The flame burns continuously in honour of those who gave their lives for Italy.

Watching it flicker against the marble backdrop, I was reminded that history is not only the story of emperors, kings and politicians.

History is also the story of ordinary people.

The unknown soldier represents countless individuals whose sacrifices shaped the future yet whose names have been lost to time.

Their contribution remains no less significant.

Beneath the Italian Flag

High above the monument, the Italian flag moved gracefully against the Roman sky.

The symbolism was striking.

For thousands of years, governments have changed in Rome.

Kings have ruled.

Republics have risen.

Empires have expanded and collapsed.

Yet the city endures.

The flag seemed to represent continuity between ancient and modern Italy, connecting the legacy of Rome with the nation that exists today.

Meeting Julius Caesar

Among the most memorable moments of my journey was standing beside a statue of Julius Caesar.

Few individuals have influenced history as profoundly as Caesar.

Military commander.

Statesman.

Reformer.

Dictator.

His life altered the trajectory of the Roman Republic and helped shape the Empire that followed.

Standing beside his likeness, I found myself reflecting upon the nature of leadership and power.

How does one individual reshape an entire civilisation?

How does ambition transform history?

Beneath the statue appeared the famous letters:

SPQR – Senatus Populusque Romanus

“The Senate and the People of Rome.”

Those four letters became one of the most enduring political symbols in history, representing a republic whose influence continues to echo through modern governments, legal systems and democratic institutions.

Walking Through the Roman Forum

No place in Rome affected me more profoundly than the Roman Forum.

Today, the Forum appears as a collection of ruins, broken columns and fragmented foundations.

Yet standing there, it was impossible not to imagine the city as it once existed.

This was the centre of Roman political life.

This was where senators debated matters of state.

This was where triumphal processions celebrated military victories.

This was where laws were proclaimed and public life unfolded.

As someone deeply interested in governance, justice and public institutions, I felt a powerful connection to the site.

Many of the legal principles that influence modern societies trace their intellectual heritage to places like the Forum.

Standing there was not merely an exercise in historical appreciation.

It was an opportunity to witness the origins of ideas that continue to shape our world.

The Enduring Columns

Among the ruins, several ancient columns still stand.

Weathered by centuries of wind, rain, war and neglect, they remain upright against the Roman sky.

I found these structures profoundly symbolic.

The buildings around them have disappeared.

The people who constructed them are long gone.

The political system that commissioned them no longer exists.

Yet the columns endure.

They stand as a reminder that ideas often outlast those who create them.

Civilisations are remembered not solely for their wealth or military power, but for the institutions, values and knowledge they leave behind.

Reflections from the Eternal City

As my time in Rome came to an end, I realised the city had given me far more than photographs and memories.

It had provided perspective.

Rome demonstrated both the greatness and fragility of human achievement.

The Republic fell.

The Empire declined.

Monuments weathered.

Rulers vanished.

Yet ideas survived.

Law survived.

Architecture survived.

History survived.

Perhaps that is why Rome is known as the Eternal City.

Not because its buildings last forever.

Not because its rulers achieved immortality.

But because its influence continues to live within the institutions, legal systems, cultures and societies that followed.

In 2019, I arrived in Rome as a visitor.

I departed with a deeper appreciation of history, civilisation and humanity’s remarkable capacity to build something larger than itself.

Rome reminded me that while individuals are temporary, ideas can endure for centuries.

That lesson remains with me today.

Rome was my first encounter with the physical foundations of Western civilisation. It was a journey through history, law, architecture and human achievement. Most importantly, it was a reminder that the past is never truly gone—it continues to shape the world we inhabit every day.