Fascinating Vintage Snaps of Rome in 1956

These amazing snaps were captured by Allan Hailstone on a trip to Rome as a schoolboy with his father and a friend in August 1956. They had been inspired to go after seeing the 1954 movie Three Coins in the Fountain.

“Before the advent of cheap airfares and mass tourism, it was easy in 1956 to see all of the sights in Rome without any waiting time.” Hailstone told MailOnline Travel. “Things were much more leisurely than now when you will be among crowds of visitors.”

Take a look back at the Eternal City in 1956 through these 26 beautiful vintage black-and-white pictures. For more fascinating photographs, visit Hailstone’s brilliant Flickr site.