What do I really have to say about Rome. As the capitol of Italy it has more tourist attractions, historical monuments and things to do than any other city in the country. Sitting within the city of Rome is Vatican City, a country all itself, it is the smallest independent state in the world. Between The Vatican, The Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, The Colosseum, The Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon and a dozen other attractions you won’t be at a loss for things to do and see.

Where to Stay

Roma is a huge city and there’s plenty of different areas to stay in. As long as you’re reasonably close to the center of the city you can’t go wrong. However, our favorite neighborhood to stay in is the Trastevere nieghborhood. Trastevere is a colorful, funky, bohemian area known for its many trattorias, craft beer pubs and artisan shops. It’s located just outside the main city center on the west bank of the Tiber River that cuts Rome in two, so it provides a little peace from the hoards of tourists in the old city center, but it’s still lively and filled with places to eat and drink. Most of the monuments in the city center are within walking distance as are Vatican City and all its attractions.

Villa Agrippina Gran Melia

Within walking distance of the Vatican and Rome’s trendy Trastevere neighborhood, this luxury hotel is a perfect place to stay when taking a trip to Rome. They have excellent amenities, fantastically comfortable rooms, wonderful staff and an outstanding collection of bars and restaurants on the premises.

Things to Do in Rome (Main Attractions)

The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

When visiting Vatican City the main attractions are St Peter’s Square, St Peter’s Basilica (which sits at the center of the square) and the Vatican Museum which contains more renaissance masterpieces than anywhere on Earth. There are dozens of other things to see in Vatican City, but those are the heavy hitters. If you book a tour make sure you are aware that these are different places. Often tours are offered for each individually.

The best advice I can give you is, GO EARLY! Hoards of tourists will descend on these attractions as the day progresses. By being there right at the opening you can often stroll through the museum with very few people clogging its hallways. You can even book an entrance that gets you in before the doors open to the general public. If you don’t mind waking up early, this is by far the best way to see the museum.

St Peter’s Square & Basilica

The main square in Vatican City, designed to look like human arms reaching out in a hug, is worth strolling around on your own time to appreciate its architecture and the obelisks from Ancient Egypt that decorate it. At the center of the square is St Peter’s Basilica. This Renaissance masterpiece designed in part by Michelangelo is the largest church in the world. Catholic tradition holds that the basilica was constructed directly above the burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus’ apostles as well as the first Bishop of Rome (Pope). Besides the church itself, which has a tremendous altar, you can take tours in which you climb to the top of the dome itself as well as descend into the crypts below where many a catholic pope as been interred. Below, we’ve listed our favorite tour guide, Chiara Antonelli, who we’d suggest you book all your tours with if you choose to have a guide on any of these Vatican visits.

An incredible optical illusion occurs when walking up Via Niccolò Piccolomini as you head towards St Peter’s Basilica. The effect is most pronounced if you are in a car heading towards the dome, but you can see it while walking as well. The street is perfectly aligned with the dome. From the far end of this hilltop road, the dome appears large, but as you walk closer the dome paradoxically starts to look smaller and smaller. This effect is caused by the peculiar layout of the buildings in the street.

Take the Pope’s Secret Escape Route at Il Passetto di Borgo. This escape route goes from the Vatican to Castello Sant’Angello. 189 Swiss guards defended the Pope in the sack of Rome in 1527, and fought to the death against 5,000 militiamen, saving the popes life. Ever since then it has been the Swiss guards that protect the Pope.

Colosseum

Just east of the Roman Forum sits Romes main attraction and the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. Completed in 80 AD, this stadium, that rivals many modern stadiums in capacity held up to 80,000 spectators, with an average audience of some 65,000. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Roman mythology. Guided tours are less necessary for this attraction than perhaps the Vatican, but there are no deficit of tour guides offering their services. The most useful part of booking any tour will undoubtedly be the ability to skip the line with your tour guide, however, as sometimes the line can be extremely long.

In addition to basic tours there are also some cool experiences that you can check out like touring The Colosseum with virtual reality goggles so that you can see what the stadium looked like in ancient times.

You can go under the Colosseum and see where they housed the gladiators as well as the mechanisms beneath the floors to raise fighters and objects into the ring.

And, finally you can visit that Colosseum at Night for a unique experience.

The Roman Forum

This is the ruined remains of the ancient center of Roman society. Made up of important government buildings, temples, shrines, and the judicial offices of the Roman Senate, this was the center of Ancient Roman public life for hundreds of years. Since much of the space is in ruins it is essential in my opinion that you book a proper tour guide to explain to you what you’re looking at and to show you pictures of what it looked like in all its former glory and splendor. There are many tour guides that combo tours for the Roman Forum and The Colosseum together as they are just a short walk apart.

The Pantheon

Formerly a Roman temple dedicated to “all the gods,” this ancient structure is now technically a Catholic Church (the Basilica of St Mary and the Martyrs). Originally built under the rule of Augustus between 27 BC and 14 AD and then rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian who completed it, in its final form, around 126 AD. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. In the center of the dome is a circular central opening called the oculus which opens the interior to the sky above. It is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, in large part because it has been in continuous use throughout its history.

Trevi Fountain

Arguably the most famous fountain in the world. Young by Roman standards, this magnificent fountain was commissioned in 1629 by Pope Urban VIII. Despite being first commissioned in 1629, the project was abandoned when the pope died suddenly and it wasn’t until 100 years later that a competition was initiated by Pope Clement XII to redesign the Trevi Fountain. Nicola Salvi was eventually awarded the commission, and work began in 1732, but wasn’t completed until 1762. The theme of the piece is supposed to illustrate the Romans taming of water. At the center of the fountain is Oceanus, the Titan son of Uranus and Gaia and the father of the river gods, being guided on his seashell chariot by, Tritons, the sons of Poseidon, and guiding his chariot by taming the hippocamps, the winged seahorses, in front.

Coins are historically thrown into the fountain using the right hand over the left shoulder. This is supposed to grant the thrower a return trip to The Eternal City (Rome) if he/she tosses in one coin, tossing two coins means you’ll return to Rome and fall in love, three coins means that you will not only return to Rome and fall in love, but that you will marry your love and live happily ever after. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. In 2016, an estimated €1.4 million (US$1.5 million) was thrown into the fountain. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s needy.

Spanish Steps

This monumental stairway of 135 steps links the Trinità Dei Monti church, at the top of the steps, that was originally controlled by the Bourbon Kings of France and acted as the Spanish Embassy long ago, to the Holy See (the jurisdiction of the Pope which is embodied by the papal throne in the apse of Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran) in the Palazzo Monaldeschi at the bottom of the steps.

Piazza Navona

This is one of Rome’s most famous and revered open public squares. Besides the fantastically beautiful architecture and fountains, though, you’ll notice that it is not shaped like a square. In fact, it is shaped like a long oval. The reason for this is that it is built over top of a former chariot racetrack. Beneath many of the cafés that line the square there have been found remnants of the stadium seating that used to sit in their footprints.

Castel Sant’Angelo

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant’Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family and finished in the year 139 AD. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

In the year 590, while a great epidemic of plague devastated the city, the Pope Gregory I had a vision of Saint Michael the Archangel on top of the castle, announcing the end of the epidemic. In memory of the apparition the building is crowned with a statue of an angel. The bridge that leads to the Castle is similarly lined with angels and is often referred to as the Bridge of Angels.

In the year 1277 an 800 metre fortified corridor was built that connected the castle with the Vatican City so that the Pope could escape in the event that he were in danger. During the sieges that occurred in Rome during 1527, the Pope Clement VII used the fortress as a refuge.

There are some wonderfully preserved Renaissance era rooms within the castle and a terrace with fantastic panoramic views of the city. Other than that, there’s not much more to the museum, so if you’re strapped for time, this is one of those attractions that you can enjoy from the street and move on if you need to.

The Best and Craziest Tour Guide in Rome

Chiara Antonelli is quite possibly the most fun and goofy tour guide you’ll ever encounter. She is full of knowledge and will keep you entertained the entire time with a lively personality and a quick wit. You’ll have more fun hanging out with her going to these monuments and museums than anyone else. She is the most fun and engaging tour guide in the city. Call this nut for all your tours you’ll learn a ton while having an absolute blast.

Things to Do in Rome (Minor Attractions)

Trastevere

The youthful, bohemian neighborhood of Trastevere is a must stop on one night of your stay in Rome. It’s a fun, lively quarter of the city filled with some great local restaurants, bars and specialty shops. It’s very different from the rest of Rome. It is less touristy, more authentic and rustic. It’s a fun place to walk around an evening while grabbing drinks and dinner. Make sure to make a reservation at Taverna Trilussa for dinner before you go.

Check out this great self-guided walking tour for Trastevere

Light Show at the Forum Augustus (Only in Summer)

At regular times each night the Forum Augustus is lit up with a light show that depicts the history of Rome. If you have time, make sure to check it out.

Quatiere Coppedè

This hidden fairy-tale neighborhood, is an unexpected and bizarre area to stumble across on your trip to Rome. Nestled within the Trieste district in the northern part of the city, this 31,000 square meter quarter, consisting of over 40 structures is a magnificently preserved mix of architecture from times and styles spanning from Ancient Rome to Art Nouveau. The entire area has a whimsical fairy-tale book quality to it.

Altar of the Fatherland

Also known as the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument or Vittoriano, is a national monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, who was the first king of a unified Italy. Extremely young for Roman standards, this building and monument to Italy’s unification dates only to 1911. Inside the building are a couple of lesser museums as well as The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where you can visit the eternal flame guarded by two soldiers at all times.

Of interest to visitors is the panoramic terrace located at the top of the building. You reach the top via elevators at the back of the building. The entrance fee for the elevators is a steep (20EUR), but it does provide you with one of the best views of Rome from above. There’s not much else up on the terrace besides a small bar, so don’t expect too much else outside of the great view.

Palatine Hill

Serving as the backdrop to the Circus Maximus (a large Ancient Roman chariot race track), sits Palatine Hill, one of the most ancient parts of the city. Palatine Hill has been called “the first nucleus of the Roman Empire.” Today there are dozens of ruins of former imperial palaces, like that of Augustus Caesar. According to Roman mythology, Palatine Hill was the location of the cave where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa who kept them alive by allowing them to suckle at her breasts. You can visit the site today and see these ruined buildings of the former aristocracy like Domus Flavia, the House of Livia, the House of Augustus, the Farnese Gardens, the Hippodrome of Domitian and the Palatine Museum. The best way to see these ruins is with a tour guide. You’ll be able to skip the lines and actually have someone knowledgeable with you to explain what you’re looking at.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major, or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Papal major basilica and the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy. Inside the church are some of the most stunning mosaics you’ll see anywhere in the world.

Galleria Borghese

A must stop for anyone that wants to see Renaissance era masterpieces. The Galleria Borghese includes 20 rooms over two floors and is filled to the brim with more classic Renaissance pieces of artwork than anywhere outside of the Vatican. They have an impressive collection of marble statues by the famous sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Vila Borghese Gardens

A large public park adjacent to the Galleria Borghese with picturesque ponds, fountains, botanical gardens and Ancient Roman Monuments.

Quirinale Palace

Originally selected by Napoleon to be his residence par excellence as Emperor, today Quirinale Palce serves as one of three official current residences of the President of Italy. It is the 11th largest palace in the world at 20 times the area of the White House. For 10EUR you can book a tour of the building.

Basilica di San Clemente

A 3-tiered structure that contains the current middle ages basilica that was built sometime before the year 1100, a 4th century basilica beneath it, and beneath that the home of a Roman nobleman that was destroyed in 64 AD.

Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue sitting in front of Palatine Hill. No formal tour is necessary to see this as it can be viewed readily from the road that traverses next to it. There’s not much to see today as the structure is largely deteriorated and beneath the grass, but it’s worth taking a moment to look at on your way between other sights.

Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla were the city’s second largest Roman public baths, or thermae, likely built between AD 212 and 216, during the reigns of emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla. They were in operation until the 530s and then fell into disuse and ruin. The baths are an archeological wonder as they included very modern systems of water supply for the time as well as heating and drainage systems. The wood-fired ovens that were fed by the slaves served to heat the floors and walls of the baths, in addition to the water.

If you have trouble imagining the these ruins in their full splendor, check out these virtual reality tours that allow you to put on VR headsets and see ruins as they would have been 2000 years ago.

Catacombs

Located outside the city walls of Rome are ancient underground Christian burial grounds known as the catacombs. Here the bodies of apostles Peter and Paul, among others, were said to be buried. All catacombs are located outside of the city, since it was illegal to bury dead bodies within the city of Rome in this time period.

Contact Show Me Italy to jump on one of their golf cart tours out to the catacombs.

Hadrian’s Villa

Located outside of Rome in the town of Tivoli, is Hadrian’s Villa, a large Roman archeological complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site. This former Villa/vacation home for the emperor Hadrian is a monument to the lavish lifestyles of Roman emperors.

Trajan’s Market

Tajan’s Market is a large complex or ruined markets located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali at the opposite end of the Colosseum. Today you can walk through these ruins without buying tickets or engaging with a tour group, although many tours will take you through here in a more guided fashion. The area is particularly nice at night when you can find the walls lit up with scenes from Ancient Rome as well as musical performers busking in the evening hours.

Basilica Papale San Paolo fuori le Mura

The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, commonly known as Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls, is one of Rome’s four ancient, papal, major basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the Lateran, Saint Peter’s, and Saint Mary Major. It’s rarely visited by tourists, but is one of the more stunning churches in the area. It is best experienced with a tour guide, and in fact is included in the golf cart tour done by Show Me Italy listed above.

Santo Stefano Rotondo

The First Circular Church in Rome. The Church is Hungary’s National Church in Rome. The church is fantastically unique and well worth a stop.

Palazzo Barberini

Palazzo Barberini is a 17th century palace that today houses The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, or National Gallery of Ancient Art. If you are particularly interested in seeing even more Renaissance artwork than you already have, then this is a must stop for you.

Peek Through the Knights of Malta Keyhole

Get an amazing view of Rome through the Knights of Malta Keyhole on Aventine Hill – one of Rome’s best kept secrets. Use the footpath Via San Sabina to Piazza Cavalieri di Malta. You’ll also get a great view of Trastevere and St Peter from the Orange Garden at Santa Sabina