Rome unfolds like a tapestry women in pale beige clusters accented with terra cotta from the vantage point of one of its seven fabled hills. The Eternal City is at its essence, beyond its color scheme, a captivating blend of both ancient and modern. As the sun rises each morning, city buses, Fiats, cyclists and pedestrians jockey to negotiate the bustling streets of the city named nearly more than 2,500 years ago after the ruler Romulus, who, according to Roamn mythology, founded Rome with his twin brother, Remus.

History tells us that the Roman Republic, which began about 500 B.C. and eventually dominated much of the Mediterranean region, gave way to the Roman Empire. After the fall of empirical Rome, the Holy Roman Empire emerged and came to dominate most of Europe. The empire may be long gone, but tangible remnants have endured, in some cases for millennia.

Even to those who have never set foot there, Rome evokes familiarity as a combination of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Vatican City with its Sistine Chapel as well as some monuments and opulent fountain squares. Trodding the ground where some of the most famous, and infamous, figures in world history can be a walk of experience that is both fascinating and unforgettable.

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If you want to look back at history, you should visit London. History will tell that this massive fortress was planned by William the Conqueror to protect the city, subdue and overawe its citizens, and guard the approach to London by river from its strategic position at the City’s eastern boundary.

It has thirteen divisions comprised of the moat, Tower Green, Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, Crown Jewels, White Tower, Wakefield Tower, Middle Tower, Byward Tower, Bell Tower, Traitor’s Gate, St. Thomas Tower, Bloody Tower and The Royal Fusiliers’ Museum.

The Tower of London is ringed by two protective walls, both strung with numerous towers, which in turn are surrounded and defended by a moat and draw bridges. It is here that prisoners were tortured, beheaded, murdered or imprisoned. It has been a royal palace, seat of government but also the scene of some of the bloodiest events during the last 1,000 years of English history. Kings, queens, princes and people of the highest rank have shared the same fate within its walls as spies, plotters and traitors.

With an arch 60 feet wide, The Traitor’s Gate was the entrance to the Tower for those accused of plotting against the state. It gave direct entry to the Tower by boat or barge from River Thames, whose waters filled the moat. The Bloody Tower however is where the ‘Little Princes’ – Edward V and his brother Richard – were believed to have been smothered in 1483.

Tower Green is where many of royal and noble birth met their death. The nearby Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula is where many victims were buried.

Ceremonial is still part of the daily life within the Tower. Each night a Chief Warder locks the gates and presents the keys to the Resident Governor, a ritual that has taken place for over 700 years.