While Rome battles overtourism and Airbnb gladiator spectacles, travel writer Megan DeMatteo discovered a German city with equally impressive Roman ruins minus the chaos. Her two-day exploration of Trier, one of Germany’s Historic Highlights, revealed eight UNESCO World Heritage sites where visitors can actually touch 1,850-year-old structures without fighting for elbow room. Once considered a “second Rome” in the ancient empire, this Moselle River city of 100,000 welcomes five million annual visitors yet never feels overrun. Fun fact: Trier’s Roman bridge still carries modern traffic on stone piers built nearly 1,900 years ago.
Megan’s Trier Roman Discoveries:
- Porta Nigra gate – fully intact after 1,850 years
- The working Roman bridge is still handling daily traffic
- Imperial Baths with explorable underground tunnels
- 50,000-seat amphitheater for gladiators and chariot races
- Basilica of Constantine throne room that dwarfs NYC apartments
- Underground Roman sewer system (lost for centuries after empire fell)
- Karl Marx’s birthplace museum
- Flammkuchen and Moselle Riesling in modern cafés
DeMatteo’s guide, historian David Kuntz, revealed how Roman efficiency enabled the construction of the massive Porta Nigra using 7,000 stone blocks (each weighing 2-3 tons) in possibly just one year. “With cranes, pulleys, and quintessential Roman precision, they built a massive, multi-story stone gate in the time it takes modern cities to finish debating a bike lane,” Kuntz explained. Napoleon himself ordered its restoration in 1804 after learning that it was originally a Roman temple, not just a church.
The Imperial Baths showcased Roman engineering genius through underground tunnels still open for exploration, demonstrating how they heated pools and created steam rooms. Kuntz noted the irony: “They had sewers—something most people didn’t have for a long time after the Roman age ended.” Trier wouldn’t see functioning sewers again until modern plumbing arrived 120 years ago.
The amphitheater once held Trier’s entire population of 50,000 for entertainment that demonstrated imperial power. “Whoever won a race here was the hero of those days, not the gladiators,” Kuntz clarified, explaining chariot racing’s supremacy over gladiator fights in popular culture.
But the Basilica of Constantine left DeMatteo most awestruck. This early 4th-century throne room, initially called the “Aula Regia,” was a prime example of intimidating architecture. Standing inside, she realized each honeycombed ceiling indentation was larger than her 200-square-foot NYC studio. “The entire place was empty. It was just this huge structure demonstrating the emperor’s power… housing only the throne,” Kuntz explained.
Modern Trier strikes a balance between tourism, university life, boutiques, and culinary delights. At Brasserie ZUR SIM, DeMatteo enjoyed flammkuchen topped with crème fraîche and caramelized onions, paired with Moselle Riesling from terraced vineyards cultivated Roman-style for two millennia. The city also honors native son Karl Marx, whose childhood home operates as a museum.
DeMatteo’s verdict is clear: while Rome struggles with overwhelming crowds and commodified experiences, Trier offers authentic Roman encounters. “Porta Nigra still stands, the amphitheater is quiet, and the Roman bridge still works. Plus, you can sit by the Moselle River with a glass of wine, just like people did 2,000 years ago.”
Read Megan DeMatteo’s complete Historic Highlights of Trier exploration here .