Ancient Rome
Now a huge basin of dusty grass, Circo Massimo was ancient Rome’s largest chariot racetrack, a 250,000-seater capable of holding up to a quarter of the…
Must-see attractions in Rome
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Meander west from Trevi Fountain, along pedestrian Via delle Muratte, and duck a block south to this magnificent art nouveau courtyard, hidden away on Via…
Chiesa di San Martino ai Monti
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
This was already a place of worship in the 3rd century, when Christians would meet in what was then the home of a Roman named Equitius. In the 4th century…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Curving up from Piazza Barberini to Villa Borghese, Via Vittorio Veneto is the spiritual home of la dolce vita – the Rome of the swinging '50s and '60s…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
In the heart of the eponymous neighbourhood, this grass-covered mount, known locally as Monte dei Cocci, is an artificial hill made entirely from the…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
The little-known excavations of Vicus Caprarius (the name of the ancient street) include a Roman house and a Hadrian-era cistern that connected with the…
Museo Storico della Liberazione
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
The apartment block at Via Tasso 145 was the headquarters of the German SS during the Nazi occupation of Rome (1943–44), and now a small and sombre museum…
Rome
A cobbled footbridge, Ponte Milvio is best known as the site of the ancient Battle of the Milvian Bridge. It was first built in 109 BC to carry Via…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Palazzo Laterano was the official papal residence until the pope moved to the Vatican in 1377. Adjacent to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, it's…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Resembling a crenellated keep, Porta Settimiana marks the start of Via della Lungara, the 16th-century road that connects Trastevere with the Borgo. It…
Southern Rome
This pint-sized church marks the spot where St Peter, fleeing Rome, met a vision of Jesus going the other way. When Peter asked, ‘Domine, quo vadis?’ …
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
If you’re in need of a breather around Via Nazionale or are in search of somewhere for a picnic, follow Via Mazzarino off the main road and walk up the…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Once a gathering place for German intellectuals, the Via del Corso apartment is where writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe enjoyed a happy Italian sojourn …
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Built in the late 19th century, this fountain was originally decorated with four lions; these were replaced by sculptor Mario Rutelli's bronze naiads …
Ancient Rome
An elaborate podium overlooking what was the main square on the Roman Forum, this is where Shakespeare had Mark Antony make his famous 'Friends, Romans,…
Chiesa Dio Padre Misericordioso
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
If you're a contemporary architecture buff, it's well worth searching out this modern, minimalist church in the suburbs. A Richard Meier creation built…
Ancient Rome
Commissioned by Augustus in 42 BC and completed 40 years later, the Forum of Augustus is largely buried beneath Via dei Fori Imperiali. Its main…
Centro Storico
Built on the ruins of the Roman temple to Aesculapius, the Graeco-Roman god of medicine, the Isola Tiberina's 10th-century church is an interesting hybrid…
Centro Storico
Check out Rome’s dark side at this macabre museum of crime. Housed in a 19th-century prison, its gruesome collection includes torture devices, murder…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
A former pasta factory that hung up its spaghetti racks in 1960 after 55 years of business, this is now a contemporary art hub, with regular shows in the…
Museo Barracco di Scultura Antica
Centro Storico
This little-known museum, one of the few in Rome that's free to enter, boasts a small but interesting collection of early Mediterranean art. Exhibits…
Ancient Rome
At the foot of the Campidoglio, next to the Aracoeli staircase, you'll see the ruins of a 2nd-century apartment block (insula). The ground floor is…
Centro Storico
The Piè di Marmo is one of the Romans’ favourite monuments. This giant marble foot started life attached to a statue in a 1st-century temple dedicated to…
Centro Storico
Dedicated to iconic military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and his lineage, this museum hosts Napoleonic paintings, sculptures, souvenirs and heirlooms…
Rome
Michelangelo's last architectural work, this crenellated structure was commissioned by Pope Pius IV to replace Porta Nomentana, one of the original gates…
Rome
With its oversized neoclassical facade – added by architect Giovan Battista Caretti to embellish an earlier overhaul by Giuseppe Valadier – Casino Nobile…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Flanked by grand 19th-century neoclassical colonnades, this landmark piazza near Termini was laid out as part of Rome’s post-unification makeover. It…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Housed in a 17th-century Carmelite convent, this museum hosts excellent temporary photography exhibitions. Upstairs the permanent collection contains a…
Ancient Rome
Caesar's Forum sits at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, on the opposite side of Via dei Fori Imperiali to most of the other Imperial Forums. Caesar…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
More a traffic thoroughfare than a place to linger, this noisy square is named after the Barberini family, one of Rome’s great dynastic clans. It's home…
Ancient Rome
This 130m-long tunnel (accessible only with the SUPER ticket) is where Caligula is thought to have been murdered, and which Nero later used to connect his…
Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
This little-known museum behind the church of Santa Croce stands on the site of the former home of St Helena. It’s undeservedly but refreshingly deserted,…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Giuseppe Garibaldi defended Rome against French troops sent to restore papal rule in 1849, and this towering commemorative statue was raised to the hero…
Rome
A landmark in the Coppedè neighbourhood, the Fontana delle Rane is a modern take on the better known Fontana delle Tartarughe in the Jewish Ghetto. It,…
Chiesa di Santa Lucia in Selci
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
The small Chiesa di Santa Lucia in Selci is a convent church devoted to the 4th-century martyr St Lucy. It dates to some time before the 8th century, but…
Museo della Repubblica Romana e della Memoria Garibaldina
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Housed in the 19th-century Porta San Pancrazio, which played a major role in the desperate Garibaldi-led defence of Rome against the French. This small…
Rome
The Orangery of Villa Borghese provides the handsome setting for the art collection of billionaire cosmetics magnate Carlo Bilotti. The main focus are 18…
Basilica dei SS Giovanni e Paolo al Celio
San Giovanni & Testaccio
A popular wedding location, this handsome medieval church dates to the 4th century when it was built over the houses of two Roman martyrs. It has since…
Ancient Rome
A few marble remnants are all that survive of the Miliarium Aureum, a bronze-clad column erected by Augustus in 20 BC that served as the symbolic starting…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Hidden behind a stark rectangular facade, the Aula Ottagona (Octangonal Classroom) was once part of the Diocletian Bath complex. In the 1920s the huge…
