Dealing with (and Avoiding) Problems
Map: Rome’s Public Transportation
Weekend Tour Packages for Students
Map: Hotels near Termini Station
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near Ancient Rome
Map: Hotels in the Pantheon Neighborhood
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near Vatican City
Map: Restaurants in the Pantheon Neighborhood
Map: Restaurants near Termini Station
Rome is magnificent and brutal at the same time. It’s a showcase of Western civilization, with astonishingly ancient sights and a modern vibrancy. But if you’re careless, you’ll be run down or pickpocketed. And with the wrong attitude, you’ll be frustrated by the kind of chaos that only an Italian can understand. On my last visit, a cabbie struggling with the traffic said, “Roma chaos.” I responded, “Bella chaos.” He agreed.
While Paris is an urban garden, Rome is a magnificent tangled forest. If your hotel provides a comfortable refuge; if you pace yourself; if you accept—and even partake in—the siesta plan; if you’re well-organized for sightseeing; and if you protect yourself and your valuables with extra caution and discretion, you’ll love it. (And Rome is much easier to live with if you can avoid the mid-summer heat.)
For me, Rome is in a three-way tie with Paris and London as Europe’s greatest city. Two thousand years ago the word “Rome” meant civilization itself. Everything was either civilized (part of the Roman Empire, Latin- or Greek-speaking) or barbarian. Today, Rome is Italy’s political capital, the capital of Catholicism, and the center of its ancient empire, littered with evocative remains. As you peel through its fascinating and jumbled layers, you’ll find Rome’s buildings, cats, laundry, traffic, and 2.7 million people endlessly entertaining. And then, of course, there are its stupendous sights.
Visit St. Peter’s, the greatest church on earth, and scale Michelangelo’s 448-foot-tall dome, the world’s tallest. Learn something about eternity by touring the huge Vatican Museum. You’ll find the story of creation—bright as the day it was painted—in the restored Sistine Chapel. Do the “Caesar Shuffle” through ancient Rome’s Forum and Colosseum. Savor Europe’s most sumptuous building, the Borghese Gallery, and take an early evening “Dolce Vita Stroll” down Via del Corso with Rome’s beautiful people. Enjoy an after-dark walk from Campo de’ Fiori to the Spanish Steps, lacing together Rome’s Baroque and bubbly nightspots. Dine well at least once.
Rome is wonderful, but it’s huge and exhausting. On a first-time visit, many travelers find that Rome is best done quickly—Italy is more charming elsewhere. But whether you’re here for a day or a week, you won’t be able to see all of these sights, so don’t try. Save some for a return trip to Rome.
Rome in a Day: Some people actually try to “do” Rome in a day. Crazy as that sounds, if all you have is a day, it’s one of the most exciting days Europe has to offer. Start at 8:30 at the Colosseum. Then explore the Forum, hike over Capitoline Hill, and cap your “Caesar Shuffle” with a visit to the Pantheon. After a quick lunch, taxi to the Vatican Museum (the lines usually die down mid-afternoon, or you can reserve a visit online in advance). See the Vatican Museum, then St. Peter’s Basilica (open until 19:00 April-Sept). Taxi back to Campo de’ Fiori to find dinner. Finish your day lacing together all the famous floodlit spots (follow my self-guided “Heart of Rome Walk”). Note: This busy plan is possible only if you ace the line-avoidance tricks.
Rome in Two to Three Days: On the first day, do the “Caesar Shuffle” from the Colosseum to the Forum, then over Capitoline Hill to the Pantheon. After a siesta, join the locals strolling from Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish Steps (follow my self-guided “Dolce Vita Stroll”). On the second day, see Vatican City (St. Peter’s, climb the dome, tour the Vatican Museum). Have dinner on the atmospheric Campo de’ Fiori, and then walk to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps (following my “Heart of Rome Walk”). With a third day, add the Borghese Gallery (reservations required) and the Capitoline Museums.
Sprawling Rome actually feels manageable once you get to know it. The old core, with most of the tourist sights, sits in a diamond formed by Termini train station (in the east), the Vatican (west), Villa Borghese Gardens (north), and the Colosseum (south). The Tiber River runs through the diamond from north to south. In the center of the diamond sits Piazza Venezia, a busy square and traffic hub. It takes about an hour to walk from Termini Station to the Vatican.
Think of Rome as a series of neighborhoods, huddling around major landmarks.
Ancient Rome: In ancient times, this was home for the grandest buildings of a city of a million people. Today, the best of the classical sights stand in a line from the Colosseum to the Forum to the Pantheon.
Pantheon Neighborhood: The Pantheon anchors the neighborhood I like to call the heart of Rome. It stretches eastward from the Tiber River through Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Navona, past the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain.
Vatican City: Located west of the Tiber, it’s a compact world of its own, with two great, huge sights: St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum.
North Rome: With the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese Gardens, and trendy shopping streets (Via Veneto and the “shopping triangle”—the area between the Spanish Steps, Piazza Venezia, and Piazza del Popolo), this is a more modern, classy area.
East Rome: This includes the area around Termini Station, with its many recommended hotels and public-transportation connections. Nearby is the neighborhood I call “Pilgrim’s Rome,” with several prominent churches dotting the area south of the station.
South Rome: South of Vatican City is Trastevere, the colorful, wrong-side-of-the-river neighborhood that provides a look at village Rome. It’s the city at its crustiest—and perhaps most “Roman.” Across the Tiber River, directly south of the city center is the Appian Way, home of the catacombs.
Within each of these neighborhoods, you’ll find elements from the many layers of Rome’s 2,000-year history: the marble ruins of ancient times; tangled streets of the medieval world; early Christian churches; grand Renaissance buildings and statues; Baroque fountains and church facades; 19th-century apartments; and 20th-century boulevards choked with traffic.
Since no one is allowed to build taller than St. Peter’s dome, and virtually no buildings have been constructed in the city center since Mussolini got distracted in 1938, central Rome has no modern skyline. The Tiber River is basically ignored—after the last floods (1870), the banks were built up very high, and Rome turned its back on its naughty river.
Rome has two TI offices and several TI kiosks. The TI offices are at the airport (Terminal 3, daily 8:00-19:30) and Termini train station (daily 8:00-19:30, 100 yards down track 24, look for signs). Little kiosks (generally open daily 9:30-19:00) are near the Forum (on Piazza del Tempio della Pace), on Via Nazionale (at Palazzo delle Esposizioni), near Castel Sant’Angelo (at Piazza Pia), near Piazza Navona (at Piazza delle Cinque Lune), and near the Trevi Fountain (at Via del Corso and Via Minghetti). The TI’s website is turismoroma.it. The TIs don’t offer room-booking services. If a commercial info-center offers to book you a room, just say no—you’ll save money by booking direct.
At any TI, ask for a city map and a listing of sights and hours (in the free Evento booklet with English-language pages listing the month’s cultural events—also includes a bus map; if they’re out, ask for last month’s issue as much of the info is still valid). Your hotel will have a freebie map and may also have the free Evento booklet. The best map I found is published by Rough Guide (€9 in bookstores).
Rome’s single best source of up-to-date tourist information is its call center, with English-speakers on staff. Dial 06-0608 (answered daily 9:00-21:00, press 2 for English, 060608.it).
Several English-oriented websites provide insight into events and daily life in the city: inromenow.com (light tourist info on lots of topics), wantedinrome.com (events and accommodations), and rome.angloinfo.com (on living in and moving to Rome).
Termini, Rome’s main train station, is a buffet of tourist services. However, it’s undergoing renovation, so services might have moved by the time you visit. The customer service and ticket windows can be jammed with travelers (take a number and wait). For simple questions, several handy red info kiosks are located near the head of the tracks. The ticket machines can also be helpful for checking schedules.
Along track 24, about 100 yards down, you’ll find the TI (daily 8:00-19:30), a hotel booking office, and car rental desks. The baggage storage (deposito bagagli) is downstairs (€5/5 hours, then cheaper, daily 6:00-23:00). The Leonardo Express train to Fiumicino Airport runs from track 24 (see here).
In general, the best places to sit in the station are in one of its eateries. A snack bar and a good self-service cafeteria (Ciao) are perched above the ticket windows, accessible from the side closest to track 24 (daily 11:00-22:30). For sandwiches to go, try VyTA in the atrium across from track 1.
Near track 1, you’ll find a pharmacy (daily 7:30-22:00); along the same track is an often cramped waiting room and Despar Express, selling groceries and toiletries (daily 7:00-21:30). If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, downstairs is a larger shopping complex including the Conad supermarket (daily 6:00-24:00; closest to track 1). Pricey WCs (€1) are also downstairs, just below the main exits on the north or south side.
Elsewhere in the station are ATMs, late-hours banks, and 24-hour thievery. Opposite the ticket windows in the station’s main entrance lobby, Borri Books sells books in English, including popular fiction, Italian history and culture, and kids’ books, plus maps (daily 7:00-23:00).
Termini is also a local transportation hub. Metro lines A and B intersect downstairs at Termini Metro station. Buses (including Rome’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours—see here) leave across the square directly in front of the main station hall. The Metro and bus areas are a work in progress and change frequently—look for signs directing you to the Metro platform or bus stop. Taxis queue in front and outside exits on both the north and south sides; if there’s a long taxi line in front, try a side exit instead. Avoid con men hawking “express taxi” services in unmarked cars (only use cars marked with the word taxi and a phone number).
From Termini, most of my recommended hotels are easily accessible by foot (for those near this train station) or by Metro (for those in the Colosseum and Vatican neighborhoods).
The station has some sleazy sharks with official-looking business cards; avoid anybody selling anything unless they’re in a legitimate shop at the station. Other shady characters linger around the ticket machines—offers to help usually come with the expectation of a “tip.”
Tiburtina, Rome’s second-largest train station, is located in the city’s northeast corner. Recently rebuilt, it’s a sleek and modern complex but still a work in progress. In general, slower trains (from Milan, Bolzano, Bologna, Udine, and Reggio di Calabria) and some night trains (from Munich, Milan, Venice, Innsbruck, and Udine) use Tiburtina, as does the night bus to Fiumicino Airport. Direct night trains from Paris and Vienna use Termini train station instead.
Tiburtina has been newly redeveloped for high-speed rail, including some Frecce trains and the Italo service. A separate “Casa Italo” area has dedicated service counters, red ticket machines, and a small waiting area (in the upper part of the station, across from track 23). Tiburtina is also known as a hub for bus service to destinations all across Italy. Buses depart from the piazza in front of the station. Ticket offices are located in the piazza and around the corner on Circonvallazione Nomentana (just beyond the elevated freeway).
Tiburtina is on Metro line B, with easy connections to Termini (a straight shot, four stops away) and the entire Metro system (note that when going to Tiburtina, Metro line B splits—you want a train signed Rebibbia). Or take bus #492 from Tiburtina to various city-center stops (such as Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia, and Piazza Cavour) and the Vatican neighborhood (as you emerge from the station, the bus stop is to the left).
The Grande Raccordo Anulare circles greater Rome. This ring road has spokes that lead you into the center. Entering from the north, leave the autostrada at the Settebagni exit. Following the ancient Via Salaria (and the black-and-white Centro signs), work your way doggedly into the Roman thick of things. This will take you along the Villa Borghese Gardens and dump you right on Via Veneto in downtown Rome. Avoid rush hour and drive defensively: Roman cars stay in their lanes like rocks in an avalanche.
Parking in Rome is dangerous. Park near a police station or get advice at your hotel. Garages charge about €24 per day. The Villa Borghese underground garage is handy (Metro: Spagna), or park at Tiburtina Station (€1/hour, atac.roma.it) and take a 10-minute ride on the Metro line B into the center. Consider this: Your car is a worthless headache in Rome. Avoid a pile of stress and save money by parking at the huge, easy, and relatively safe lot behind the train station in the hill town of Orvieto (follow P signs from autostrada) and catching the train to Rome (hourly, 1-1.5 hours).
For information on Rome’s airports, see the end of this chapter.
Sightseeing Tips: Avid sightseers can save money by buying the Roma Pass (see “Tips on Sightseeing in Rome” sidebar), available at TIs and participating sights—buy one before visiting the Colosseum or Forum, and you can skip the long lines there. Another way to bypass lines at the Colosseum and Forum is to buy a ticket online in advance (see here). If you want to see the Borghese Gallery, remember to reserve ahead (see here). To sidestep the long Vatican Museum line, reserve an entry time online (see here for details).
Internet Access: Most hotels have Wi-Fi, but if yours doesn’t, your hotelier can point you to the nearest Internet café.
Bookstores: The following stores sell travel guidebooks, including mine (all open daily except Anglo American and Open Door closed Sun). The first two are chains, while the others have a more personal touch. Borri Books is at Termini Station, and Feltrinelli has two branches (at Largo Argentina 11, with a limited English section, and the larger Feltrinelli International, just off Piazza della Repubblica at Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando 78-81, tel. 06-487-0171). Anglo American Bookshop has great art and history sections (closed all day Sun and Mon morning, a few blocks south of Spanish Steps at Via della Vite 102, tel. 06-679-5222). Libreria Fanucci has a small selection, but is centrally located (a block toward the Pantheon from Piazza Navona at Piazza Madama 8, tel. 06-686-1141). In Trastevere, Irishman Dermot at the Almost Corner Bookshop stocks an Italian-interest section (Via del Moro 45, tel. 06-583-6942), and the Open Door Bookshop carries the only used books in English in town (closed Sun, Via della Lungaretta 23, tel. 06-589-6478).
Laundry: Your hotelier can direct you to the nearest launderette. The Ondablu chain usually comes with Internet access (€2/hour); one of their more central locations is near Termini Station (about €8 to wash and dry a 15-pound load, usually open daily 8:00-22:00, Via Principe Amedeo 70b, tel. 06-474-4647).
Travel Agencies: You can get train tickets and rail pass related reservations and supplements at travel agencies (at little or no additional cost), avoiding a trip to a train station. Your hotelier will know of a convenient agency nearby.
Updates to This Book: For updates to this book, check ricksteves.com/update.
Theft Alert: While violent crime is rare in the city center, petty theft is rampant. With sweet-talking con artists meeting you at the station, well-dressed pickpockets on buses, and thieving gangs of children at the ancient sites, Rome is a gauntlet of rip-offs. Although it’s not as bad as it was a few years ago, and pickpockets don’t want to hurt you—they usually just want your money—green or sloppy tourists will be scammed. Thieves strike when you’re distracted. Don’t trust kind strangers. Keep nothing important in your pockets.
Be most on guard while boarding and leaving buses and subways. Thieves crowd the door, then stop and turn while others crowd and push from behind. You’ll find less crowding and commotion—and less risk—waiting for the end cars of a subway rather than the middle cars. The sneakiest thieves pretend to be well-dressed businessmen (generally with something in their hands), or tourists wearing fanny packs and toting cameras and even Rick Steves guidebooks.
If you know what to look out for, fast-fingered moms with babies and gangs of children picking the pockets and handbags of naive tourists are not a threat, but an interesting, albeit sad, spectacle. Pickpockets troll through the tourist crowds around the Colosseum, Forum, Vatican, and train and Metro stations. Watch them target tourists who are overloaded with bags or distracted with a video camera. The kids look like beggars and hold up newspapers or cardboard signs to confuse their victims. They scram like stray cats if you’re on to them.
Scams abound: Always be clear about what paper money you’re giving someone, demand clear and itemized bills, and count your change. Don’t give your wallet to self-proclaimed “police” who stop you on the street, warn you about counterfeit (or drug) money, and ask to see your cash. If a bank machine eats your ATM card, see if there’s a thin plastic insert with a tongue hanging out that thieves use to extract it.
Reporting Losses: To report lost or stolen items, file a police report (at Termini Station, with polizia at track 11 or with Carabinieri at track 20; offices are also at Piazza Venezia). You’ll need the report to file an insurance claim for lost gear, and it can help with replacing your passport—first file the police report, then call your embassy to make an appointment (US embassy: Tel. 06-46741, Via Vittorio Veneto 121, usembassy.it). For information on how to report lost or stolen credit cards, see here.
Emergency Numbers: Police—tel. 113. Ambulance—tel. 118.
Pedestrian Safety: Your main safety concern in Rome is crossing streets safely. Use extreme caution. Scooters don’t need to stop at red lights, and even cars exercise what drivers call the “logical option” of not stopping if they see no oncoming traffic. Each year, as noisy gasoline-powered scooters are replaced by electric ones, the streets get quieter (hooray) but more dangerous for pedestrians. Follow locals like a shadow when you cross a street (or spend a good part of your visit stranded on curbs). When you do cross alone, don’t be a deer in the headlights. Find a gap in the traffic and walk with confidence while making eye contact with approaching drivers—they won’t hit you if they can tell where you intend to go.
Staying/Getting Healthy: The siesta is a key to survival in summertime Rome. Lie down and contemplate the extraordinary power of gravity in the Eternal City. I drink lots of cold, refreshing water from Rome’s many drinking fountains (the Forum has three).
There’s a pharmacy (marked by a green cross) in every neighborhood. Pharmacies stay open late in Termini Station (daily 7:30-22:00) and at Piazza dei Cinquecento 51 (Mon-Fri 7:00-23:30, Sat-Sun 8:00-23:00, next to Termini Station on the corner of Via Cavour, tel. 06-488-0019). There’s also a 24-hour pharmacy several blocks down from Piazza della Repubblica at Via Nazionale 228 (tel. 06-488-4437).
Embassies and hotels can recommend English-speaking doctors. Consider MEDline, a 24-hour home-medical service; doctors speak English and make calls at hotels for €150 (tel. 06-808-0995). Anyone is entitled to free emergency treatment at public hospitals. The hospital closest to Termini Station is Policlinico Umberto 1 (entrance for emergency treatment on Via Lancisi, translators available, Metro: Policlinico). Readers report that the staff at Santa Susanna Church, home of the American Catholic Church in Rome, offers useful advice and medical referrals (see here).
Sightsee on foot, by city bus, by Metro, or by taxi. I’ve grouped your sightseeing into walkable neighborhoods. Make it a point to visit sights in a logical order. Needless backtracking wastes precious time.
The public transportation system, which is cheap and efficient, consists primarily of buses, a few trams, and the two underground subway (Metro) lines. Consider it part of your Roman experience.
The walking-tour company, Rome Walks, has produced an orientation video to Rome’s transportation system; find it on YouTube by searching for “Understanding Rome’s Public Transport.”
For information, visit atac.roma.it, which has a useful route planner in English, or call 06-57003. If you have a smartphone and an international data plan, consider downloading the free Roma Bus app by Movenda, which also has a route planner and real-time updates on the bus schedule. The ATAC mobile website has similar info (muovi.roma.it).
All public transportation uses the same ticket. It costs €1.50 and is valid for one Metro ride—including transfers underground—plus unlimited city buses and trams during a 100-minute period. Passes good on buses and the Metro are sold in increments of one day (€6, good until midnight), three days (€16.50), one week (€24, about the cost of three taxi rides), and one month (€35, valid for a calendar month).
You can purchase tickets and passes at some newsstands, tobacco shops (tabacchi, marked by a black-and-white T sign), and major Metro stations and bus stops, but not on board. It’s smart to stock up on tickets early, or to buy a pass or a Roma Pass (which includes a three-day transit pass—see here). That way, you don’t have to run around searching for an open tobacco shop when you spot your bus approaching. Metro stations rarely have human ticket-sellers, and the machines are unreliable (it helps to insert your smallest coin first).
Validate your ticket by sticking it in the Metro turnstile (magnetic-strip-side up, arrow-side first) or in the machine when you board the bus (magnetic-strip-side down, arrow-side first)—watch others and imitate. It’ll return your ticket with your expiration time printed. To get through a Metro turnstile with a transit pass or Roma Pass, use it just like a ticket; on buses and trams, however, you need to validate your pass only if that’s your first time using it.
The Roman subway system (Metropolitana, or “Metro”) is simple, with two clean, cheap, fast lines—A and B—that intersect at Termini Station. The Metro runs from 5:30 to 23:30 (Fri-Sat until 1:30 in the morning). Remember, the subway’s first and last compartments are generally the least crowded, and the least likely to harbor pickpockets.
You’ll notice lots of big holes in the city while a new line is being built to run across town, including the historic heart. It likely will not be completed until 2020.
While much of Rome is not served by its skimpy subway, the following stops are helpful:
Termini (intersection of lines A and B): Termini Station, shuttle train to airport, National Museum of Rome, and recommended hotels
Repubblica (line A): Baths of Diocletian, Via Nazionale, and recommended hotels
Barberini (line A): Capuchin Crypt, Trevi Fountain, and Villa Borghese
Spagna (line A): Spanish Steps and classy shopping area
Flaminio (line A): Piazza del Popolo, start of recommended “Dolce Vita Stroll” down Via del Corso, easy buses to the Borghese Gallery
Ottaviano (line A): St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museum, and recommended hotels
Tiburtina (line B): Tiburtina train and bus station (direction: Rebibbia; trains going in the direction of Conca d’Oro/Jonio do not stop at Tiburtina)
Colosseo (line B): Colosseum, Roman Forum, bike rental, and recommended hotels
The Metro is handy, but it won’t get you everywhere—take the bus (or tram). Bus routes are clearly listed at the stops. TIs usually don’t have bus maps, but with some knowledge of major stops, you won’t necessarily need one (though if you do want a route map, find one printed inside the Evento magazine—free at TIs and hotels—or buy it from tobacco shops).
Buses—especially the touristy #40 and #64—are havens for thieves and pickpockets. Assume any commotion is a thief-created distraction. If one bus is packed, there’s likely a second one on its tail with far fewer crowds and thieves.
The tram lines are of limited use for most tourists, but a few lines can save some walking. For all intents and purposes, they function identically to buses. Once you know the bus/tram system, you’ll find it’s easier than searching for a cab.
Tickets have a barcode and must be stamped on the bus in the yellow box with the digital readout (be sure to retrieve your ticket). Validate your ticket as you board (magnetic-strip-side down, arrow-side first), otherwise you’re cheating. While relatively safe, riding without a stamped ticket on the bus is stressful. Inspectors fine even innocent-looking tourists €50. There’s no need to validate a transit pass or Roma Pass on the bus, unless your pass is new and hasn’t yet been stamped elsewhere in the transit system. Bus etiquette (not always followed) is to board at the front or rear doors and exit at the middle.
Regular bus lines start running at about 5:30, and during the day they run every 5-10 minutes. After 23:30, and sometimes earlier (such as on Sundays), buses are less frequent but still dependable. Night buses are also reliable, and are marked with an N and an owl symbol on the bus-stop signs.
These are the major bus routes:
Bus #64: This bus cuts across the city, linking Termini Station with the Vatican, stopping at Piazza della Repubblica (sights), Via Nazionale (recommended hotels), Piazza Venezia (near Forum), Largo Argentina (near Pantheon and Campo de’ Fiori), St. Peter’s Basilica (get off just past the tunnel), and San Pietro Station. Ride it for a city overview and to watch pickpockets in action. The #64 can get horribly crowded.
Bus #40: This express bus, which mostly follows the #64 route (but ends near the Castel Sant’Angelo on the Vatican side of the river), is especially helpful—fewer stops and crowds.
The following routes conveniently connect Trastevere with other parts of Rome:
Bus #H: This express bus, linking Termini Station and Trastevere, makes a stop near Piazza Repubblica and at the bottom of Via Nazionale (for Trastevere, get off at Piazza Belli/Sonnino, just after crossing the Tiber River).
Tram #2: Leaving from near the Flaminio Metro stop, this route gives easy access to the Etruscan Museum and MAXXI, Rome’s contemporary art museum.
Tram #8: This tram connects Piazza Venezia and Largo Argentina with Trastevere (get off at Piazza Belli).
Buses #23 and #280: These link the Vatican with Trastevere, stopping at the Vatican Museum (nearest stop is Via Leone IV), Castel Sant’Angelo, Trastevere (Piazza Belli), and Porta Portese (Sunday flea market).
Other useful routes include:
Bus #62: Largo Argentina to St. Peter’s Square.
Bus #81: San Giovanni in Laterano, Largo Argentina, and Piazza Risorgimento (Vatican).
Buses #85 and #87: Piazza Venezia, Colosseum, San Clemente, and San Giovanni in Laterano.
Bus #492: Travels east-west across the city, connecting Tiburtina (train and bus stations), Largo Santa Susanna (near Piazza della Repubblica), Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia, Largo Argentina, Piazza Cavour (Castel Sant’Angelo), and Piazza Risorgimento (St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican).
Bus #714: Termini Station, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, and Terme di Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla).
Elettrico Minibuses: Two elettrico minibuses that wind through the narrow streets of old neighborhoods are great for transport or simple joyriding, but due to budget cuts may not be operating. Elettrico #116 runs through the medieval core of Rome: Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II (near Castel Sant’Angelo) to Campo de’ Fiori, Pantheon, Piazza Barberini, and the southern edge of the scenic Villa Borghese Gardens. Elettrico #117 connects San Giovanni in Laterano, Colosseo, Via dei Serpenti, Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Spagna, and Piazza del Popolo—and vice versa. Where Via del Corso hits Piazza del Popolo, a #117 is usually parked and ready to go. Riding it from here to the end of the line, San Giovanni in Laterano, makes for a fine joyride that leaves you, conveniently, at a great sight.
I use taxis in Rome more often than in other cities. They’re reasonable and useful for efficient sightseeing in this big, hot metropolis. Taxis start at €3, then charge about €1.50 per kilometer (surcharges: €1.50 on Sun, €3.50 for nighttime hours of 22:00-7:00, one regular suitcase or bag rides free, tip by rounding up to the nearest euro). Sample fares: Termini area to Vatican-€11; Termini area to Colosseum-€7; Termini area to the Borghese Gallery-€8; Colosseum to Trastevere-€8 (or look up your route at worldtaximeter.com). Three or four companions with more money than time should taxi almost everywhere.
It’s tough to wave down a taxi in Rome, especially at night. Find the nearest taxi stand by asking a passerby or a clerk in a shop, “Dov’è una fermata dei taxi?” (doh-VEH OO-nah fehr-MAH-tah DEH-ee TAHK-see). Some taxi stands are listed on my maps. To save time and energy, have your hotel or restaurant call a taxi for you; the meter starts when the call is received (generally adding a euro or two to the bill). To call a cab on your own, dial 06-3570, 06-4994, or 06-6645. It’s routine for Romans to ask the waiter in a restaurant to call a taxi when they ask for the bill. The waiter will tell you how many minutes you have to enjoy your coffee.
Beware of corrupt taxis. First, make sure the meter (tassametro) is turned on. If it isn’t, get out and hail another cab. Check that the meter is reset to the basic drop charge (should be around €3, or around €5 if you or your hotelier phoned for the taxi). Many meters show both the fare and the time elapsed during the ride, and some tourists—mistaking the time for the fare—end up paying more than the fair meter rate. Keep an eye on the fare on the meter as you near your destination; some cabbies turn the meter off instantly when they stop and tell you a higher price.
When you arrive at the train station or airport, beware of hustlers conning naive visitors into unmarked, rip-off “express taxis.” Only use official taxis, with a taxi sign and phone number marked on the door. By law, they must display a multilingual official price chart; point to the chart and ask the cabbie to explain it if the fare doesn’t seem right. A common cabbie scam is to take your €20 note, drop it, and pick up a €5 note (similar color), claiming that’s what you gave him. To avoid this scam, pay in small bills; if you only have a large bill, show it to the cabbie as you state its face value.
If you encounter any problems with a taxi, making a show of writing down the taxi number (to file a complaint) can motivate a driver to quickly settle the matter.
If you take a Rome city cab from Fiumicino Airport to anywhere in central Rome within the old city walls, the cost should be €48 (covering up to four people and their bags); however, every year some readers report being ripped off. The catch is that cabbies not based in Rome or Fiumicino can charge €70. At the airport, look specifically for a Rome city cab, with the words “Roma Capitale” and a “SPQR” shield on the door. By law, they can charge only €48 for the ride (still, be sure to establish the price before you get in).
Tired travelers arriving at the airport will likely find it less stressful to take an airport shuttle van to their hotel, or catch the train to Termini Station and take the Metro or a cheaper taxi from there (see here for details on getting from the airport to downtown Rome via taxi, shuttle, or train).
Biking in the big city of Rome can speed up sightseeing or simply be an enjoyable way to explore. Though Roman traffic can be stressful, Roman drivers are respectful of cyclists. Still, use caution and never assume the right of way. The best rides are on small streets in the city center. A bike path along the banks of the Tiber River makes a good 20-minute ride (easily accessed from the ramps at Porta Portese and Ponte Regina Margherita near Piazza del Popolo). Get a bike with a well-padded seat—the little stones that pave Roman streets are unforgiving.
Top Bike Rental and Tours is professionally run by Roman bike enthusiasts who want to show off their city. Your rental comes with a helmet, a lock, and a handy map that suggests a route and indicates less-trafficked streets. They also offer four-hour-long English-only guided tours around the city and the Appian Way; check their website for itineraries and schedules (rental: €15/day, discount with this book, best to reserve in advance via email; bike tours: start at €39, reservations required; daily 10:00-19:00, bring ID for deposit, from Santa Maria Maggiore go up Via dell’Olmata and turn left at the end of the block, Via dei Quattro Cantoni 40, tel. 06-488-2893, topbikerental.com, info@topbikerental.com).
Cool Rent, near the Colosseo Metro stop, is cheaper but less helpful and has more basic bikes (€4/hour, €12/day, 3-person bike cart €10/hour, daily April-Oct 9:00-20:00, Nov-March 9:00-18:00, driver’s license or other ID for deposit, 10 yards to the right as you exit the Metro). A second outlet is just off Via del Corso (on Largo di Lombardi, near corner of Via del Corso and Via della Croce, mobile 388-695-9303, Sasin).
To sightsee on your own, download my series of free audio tours that illuminate some of Rome’s top sights and neighborhoods: the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Trastevere, Jewish Ghetto, and Ostia Antica (see sidebar on here for details).
Finding the best guided tours in Rome is challenging. Local guides are good but pricey. Tour companies are cheaper, but quality and organization are unreliable.
If you do hire a private Italian guide, consider organizing a group of four to six people from your hotel to split the cost (around €180 for a three-hour tour); this ends up costing about the same per person as going on a scheduled tour from one of the walking-tour companies listed below (about €25, generally expat guides).
I’ve worked with each of these licensed independent local guides. They’re worth every euro. They speak excellent English and enjoy tailoring tours to your interests. Their prices (roughly €55-60/hour) flex with the day, season, and demand. Arrange your date and price by email.
Francesca Caruso loves to teach and share her appreciation of her city, and has contributed generously to this chapter (francescacaruso.com, francescainroma@gmail.com). Popular with my readers, Francesca understandably books up quickly; if she’s busy, she’ll recommend one of her colleagues. Carla Zaia is an engaging expert on all things Roman (carlaromeguide@gmail.com). Cristina Giannicchi has an archaeology background (mobile 338-111-4573, crisromanguide.com, crisgiannicchi@gmail.com). Sara Magister, a Roman with doctorates in art history and archaeology, leads tours throughout the city (a.magister@iol.it). Giovanna Terzulli is a personable, knowledgeable art historian (gioterzulli@gmail.com). Alessandra Mazzoccoli is experienced, easygoing, and good with all ages (alemazzoccoli@gmail.com). Italian-American Sean Finelli, known as “The Roman Guy,” offers several walking tours and a trip-planning service (theromanguy.com).
Rome has many highly competitive tour companies, each offering a series of themed walks through various slices of Rome. Three-hour guided walks generally cost €25-30 per person. Guides are usually native English speakers, often American expats. Tours are limited to small groups, geared to American tourists, and given in English only. I’ve listed some here, but without a lot of details on their offerings. Before your trip, spend some time on these companies’ websites to get to know your options, as each company has a particular teaching and guiding personality. Some are highbrow, and others are less scholarly. It’s sometimes required, and always smart, to book a spot in advance (easy online). I must add that we get a lot of negative feedback on some tour companies. Readers report that advertising can be misleading, and scheduling mishaps are common. Make sure you know what you are booking and when.
Context Rome’s walking tours are more intellectual than most, designed for travelers with longer-than-average attention spans. They are more expensive than others and are led by “docents” rather than guides (tel. 06-9672-7371, US tel. 800-691-6036, contextrome.com). Enjoy Rome offers a number of different walks and a website filled with helpful information (Via Marghera 8a, tel. 06-445-1843, enjoyrome.com, info@enjoyrome.com). Rome Walks has put together several particularly creative itineraries (mobile 347-795-5175, romewalks.com, info@romewalks.com, Annie). Europe Odyssey, formerly named Roman Odyssey, gives readers of this book a discount on their walks (tel. 06-580-9902, mobile 328-912-3720, europeodyssey.com, Rahul). Through Eternity offers travelers with this book a discount on most group tours; book through their website (“Group Tours Rome” tab) and enter the promotional code “RICKSTEVES” for the best discount (tel. 06-700-9336, mobile 347-336-5298, througheternity.com, office@througheternity.com, Rob). Walks of Italy has fun guides who lead a variety of good walks for groups of no more than 12 people at a time (discount for readers of this book, enter code “10ricksteves” when booking online, US tel. 202/684-6916, Italian mobile 334-974-4274, tel. 06-9558-3331, walksofitaly.com, Jason Spiehler).
Several different agencies, including the ATAC public bus company, run hop-on, hop-off tours around Rome. These tours are constantly evolving and offer varying combinations of sights. You can grab one (and pay as you board) at any stop; Termini Station and Piazza Venezia are handy hubs. Although the city is perfectly walkable, and traffic jams can make the bus dreadfully slow, these open-top bus tours remain popular.
The 110open Bus seems to be the best. Operated by the ATAC city-bus lines, it offers an orientation tour on big red double-decker buses with an open-air upper deck. In less than two hours, you’ll have 80 sights pointed out to you, with a next-to-worthless recorded narration. While you can hop on and off, the service can be erratic (mobbed midday, not ideal in bad weather), and it can be very slow in heavy traffic. It’s best to think of this as a 90-minute quickie orientation with scant information and lots of images. Stops include the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth from Roman Holiday fame), Piazza Venezia, St. Peter’s Square, Via del Tritone (Trevi Fountain), and Piazza Barberini. The 110open Bus departs roughly every 20 minutes (less frequent off-season). You can catch it at any stop, including Termini Station. Buy the ticket as you board (runs daily April-Oct 8:30-20:30, Nov-March 8:30-19:00, single tour-€12, 1-day ticket-€15, 48-hour ticket-€20, family tickets available, kids 9 and under ride free, tel. 800-281-281, trambusopen.com).
Archeobus is an open-top bus, also operated by ATAC, that runs twice hourly on weekends from Termini Station out to the Appian Way (with stops at the Colosseum, Baths of Caracalla, San Callisto, San Sebastiano, and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella). This is a handy way to see the sights down this ancient Roman road, but it can be frustrating for various reasons—sparse narration, weekend-only service, and not ideal for hopping on and off (single tour-€10, 48-hour ticket-€12, €25 combo-ticket with 110open Bus valid 72 hours, deals for families and children, 1.5-hour loop, bus runs Fri-Sun only, April-mid-Oct 9:00-16:30, from Termini Station and Piazza Venezia, tel. 800-281-281, trambusopen.com). A similar bus laces together all the Christian sights.
Autoservizi Monti Concezio, run by gentle, capable, and English-speaking Ezio, offers private cars or minibuses with driver/guides (car-€40/hour, minibus-€45/hour, 3-hour minimum for city sightseeing, long rides outside Rome are more expensive, mobile 335-636-5907 or 349-674-5643, tourservicemonti.it, info@tourservicemonti.it).
Miles & Miles Private Tours, a family-run company, offers a number of tours (all explained on their website) in Mercedes vans and cars, all with good English-speaking driver/guides (€60/hour for up to 8 people, 5-hour minimum, mention Rick Steves when booking direct then show the book on the day of service to get a discount, mobile 331-466-4900, milesandmiles.net, info@milesandmiles.net, Francesco answers the mobile phone, while Kimberly—an American—runs the office). They can also provide unguided long-distance transportation; if traveling with a small group or a family from Rome to Florence, the Amalfi Coast, or elsewhere, consider paying extra to turn the trip into a memorable day tour with door-to-door service.
Andy Steves (my son) runs Weekend Student Adventures, offering active and experiential three-day weekend tours from €199, designed for American students studying abroad; see wsaeurope.com for details on tours of Rome and other great cities.
Here are three walks that give you a moving picture of Rome, an ancient yet modern city. You’ll walk through history (Roman Forum Walk), take a refreshing early-evening walk (Dolce Vita Stroll), and enjoy the thriving local scene, best at night (Heart of Rome Walk).
(See “Roman Forum” map, here.)
The Forum was the political, religious, and commercial center of the city. Rome’s most important temples and halls of justice were here. This was the place for religious processions, political demonstrations, elections, important speeches, and parades by conquering generals. As Rome’s empire expanded, these few acres of land became the center of the civilized world.
Cost: €12 combo-ticket covers both the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill (grouped as one sight for the purposes of the ticket) and the Colosseum; also covered by the Roma Pass. The combo-ticket is valid two consecutive days, but once your ticket is scanned for either the Forum/Palatine Hill or the Colosseum, you can’t re-enter that sight (even the next day).
Hours: The Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum are all open daily 8:30 until one hour before sunset: April-Aug until 19:15, Sept until 19:00, Oct until 18:30, Nov-mid-Feb until 16:30, mid-Feb-mid-March until 17:00, mid-March-late March until 17:30; last entry one hour before closing.
Avoiding Lines: See tips on here.
Getting There: The closest Metro stop is Colosseo. The Forum has two entrances. The main entrance is on Via dei Fori Imperiali (“Road of the Imperial Forums”). From the Colosseo Metro stop, walk away from the Colosseum on Via dei Fori Imperiali to find the low-profile Forum ticket office (look closely), located where Via Cavour spills into Via dei Fori Imperiali. Buses #53, #85, #87, and #175 stop along Via dei Fori Imperiali near the entrance, the Colosseum, and Piazza Venezia.
While the Forum has four exits, there are only two ways in. The second entrance—which may be more convenient if you’re coming from the Colosseum—is at the Palatine Hill ticket office on Via di San Gregorio. After buying your ticket, take the path to the right (not up the hill), which leads to the Forum at the Arch of Titus.
Information: A free visitors center (called I Fori di Roma), located across Via dei Fori Imperiali from the Forum’s main entrance, has a TI (which sells the Roma Pass), bookshop, small café, WCs, and a film (daily 9:30-18:30). A bookstore is at the Forum entrance. Vendors outside sell Rome: Past and Present books with plastic overlays that restore the ruins (includes DVD; smaller book marked €15, prices soft, so offer €10). Info office tel. 06-3996-7700, archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en.
Tours: An unexciting yet informative audioguide helps decipher the rubble (€5/2 hours, €7 version includes Palatine Hill and lasts 3 hours, must leave ID), but you’ll have to return it to one of the Forum entrances instead of being able to exit directly to Capitoline Hill or the Colosseum. Official guided tours in English might be available (inquire at ticket office). You can download this walk as a free Rick Steves audio tour (see here).
Length of This Walk: Allow 1.5 hours. If you have less time, end the walk at the Arch of Septimius Severus. Don’t miss the Basilica of Constantine hiding behind the trees.
Services: WCs are at the main entrance, near the Arch of Titus (in the “Soprintendenza” office), and in the middle of the Forum, near #8 on the map.
Plan Ahead: The ancient paving at the Forum is uneven; wear sturdy shoes. I carry a water bottle and refill it at the Forum’s public drinking fountains.
Improvise: Because of ongoing restoration, paths through the Forum are often rerouted. Use this walk as a starting point, but be prepared for a few detours and backtracking.
(See “Roman Forum” map, here.)
• Start at the Arch of Titus (Arco di Tito). It’s the white triumphal arch that rises above the rubble on the east end of the Forum (closest to the Colosseum). Stand at the viewpoint alongside the arch and gaze over the valley known as the Forum.
Viewing the Ruins: As you begin this Forum tour, here’s a hint for seeing things with “period eyes.” We imagine the structures in ancient Rome as mostly white, but ornate buildings and monuments like the Arch of Titus were originally more colorful. Through the ages, builders scavenged stone from the Forum, and the finest stone—the colored marble—was cannibalized first. If any was left, it was generally the white stone. Statues that filled the niches were vividly painted, but the organic paint rotted away as statues lay buried for centuries. Lettering was inset bronze and eyes were inset ivory. Even seemingly intact structures, like the Arch of Titus, have been reassembled. Notice the columns are half smooth and half fluted. The fluted halves are original; the smooth parts are reconstructions—intentionally not trying to fake the original.
Arch of Titus (Arco di Tito): The Arch of Titus commemorated the Roman victory over the province of Judaea (Israel) in A.D. 70. The Romans had a reputation as benevolent conquerors who tolerated the local customs and rulers. All they required was allegiance to the empire, shown by worshipping the emperor as a god. No problem for most conquered people, who already had half a dozen gods on their prayer lists anyway. But Israelites believed in only one god, and it wasn’t the emperor. Israel revolted. After a short but bitter war, the Romans defeated the rebels, took Jerusalem, destroyed their temple (leaving only the foundation wall—today’s revered “Wailing Wall”), and brought home 50,000 Jewish slaves...who were forced to build this arch (and the Colosseum).
• Walk down Via Sacra into the Forum. Imagine Roman sandals on these original basalt stones—the oldest street you’ll ever walk. After about 50 yards, turn right and follow a path uphill to the three huge arches of the...
Basilica of Constantine (Basilica Maxentius): Yes, these are big arches. But they represent only one-third of the original Basilica of Constantine, a mammoth hall of justice. The arches were matched by a similar set along the Via Sacra side (only a few squat brick piers remain). Between them ran the central hall, which was spanned by a roof 130 feet high—about 55 feet higher than the side arches you see. (The stub of brick you see sticking up began an arch that once spanned the central hall.) The hall itself was as long as a football field, lavishly furnished with colorful inlaid marble, a gilded bronze ceiling, and statues, and filled with strolling Romans. At the far (west) end was an enormous marble statue of Emperor Constantine on a throne. (Pieces of this statue, including a hand the size of a man, are on display in Rome’s Capitoline Museums.)
The basilica was begun by the emperor Maxentius, but after he was trounced in battle (see here), the victor Constantine completed the massive building. No doubt about it, the Romans built monuments on a more epic scale than any previous Europeans, wowing their “barbarian” neighbors.
• Now stroll deeper into the Forum, downhill along Via Sacra, through the trees. Many of the large basalt stones under your feet were walked on by Caesar Augustus 2,000 years ago. Pass by the only original bronze door still swinging on its ancient hinges (the green door at the Tempio di Romolo, on the right—if it happens to be open, peek in), and continue between ruined buildings until Via Sacra opens up to a flat, grassy area.
The Forum’s Main Square: The original Forum, or main square, was this flat patch about the size of a football field, stretching to the foot of Capitoline Hill. Surrounding it were temples, law courts, government buildings, and triumphal arches.
Rome was born right here. According to legend, twin brothers Romulus (Rome) and Remus were orphaned in infancy and raised by a she-wolf on top of Palatine Hill. Growing up, they found it hard to get dates. So they and their cohorts attacked the nearby Sabine tribe and kidnapped their women. After they made peace, this marshy valley became the meeting place and then the trading center for the scattered tribes on the surrounding hillsides.
The square was the busiest and most crowded—and often the seediest—section of town. Besides the senators, politicians, and currency exchangers, there were even sleazier types—souvenir hawkers, pickpockets, fortune-tellers, gamblers, slave marketers, drunks, hookers, lawyers, and tour guides.
Ancient Rome’s population exceeded one million, more than any city until London and Paris in the 19th century. All those Roman masses lived in tiny apartments as we would live in tents at a campsite, basically just to sleep. The public space—their Forum, today’s piazza—is where they did their living. To this day, urban Italians have a passion for spending a major part of their time in the streets and squares.
The Forum is now rubble, but imagine it in its prime: blindingly brilliant marble buildings with 40-foot-high columns and shining metal roofs; rows of statues painted in realistic colors; processional chariots rattling down Via Sacra. Mentally replace tourists in T-shirts with tribunes in togas. Imagine the buildings towering and the people buzzing around you while an orator gives a rabble-rousing speech from the Rostrum. If things still look like just a pile of rocks, at least tell yourself, “But Julius Caesar once leaned against these rocks.”
• At the near (east) end of the main square (the Colosseum is to the east) are the foundations of a temple now capped with a peaked wood-and-metal roof.
Temple of Julius Caesar (Tempio del Divo Giulio, or Ara di Cesare): On March 15, in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by political conspirators. After his assassination, Caesar’s body was cremated on this spot (under the metal roof). Afterward, this temple was built to honor him. Peek behind the wall into the small apse area, where a mound of dirt usually has fresh flowers—given to remember the man who, more than any other, personified the greatness of Rome.
Caesar (100-44 B.C.) changed Rome—and the Forum—dramatically. He cleared out many of the wooden market stalls and began to ring the square with even grander buildings. Caesar’s house was located behind the temple, near that clump of trees. He walked right by here on the day he was assassinated (“Beware the Ides of March!” warned a street-corner Etruscan preacher).
Though he was popular with the masses, not everyone liked Caesar’s urban design or his politics. When he assumed dictatorial powers, he was ambushed and stabbed to death by a conspiracy of senators, including his adopted son, Brutus (“Et tu, Brute?”).
The funeral was held here, facing the main square. The citizens gathered, and speeches were made. Mark Antony stood up to say (in Shakespeare’s words), “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.” When Caesar’s body was burned, his adoring fans threw anything at hand on the fire, requiring the fire department to come put it out. Later, Emperor Augustus dedicated this temple in his name, making Caesar the first Roman to become a god.
• Behind and to the left of the Temple of Julius Caesar are 10 tall columns. These belong to the...
Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina: The Senate built this temple to honor Emperor Antoninus Pius (A.D. 138-161) and his deified wife, Faustina. The 50-foot-tall Corinthian (leafy) columns must have been awe-inspiring to out-of-towners who grew up in thatched huts. Although the temple has been inhabited by a church, you can still see the basic layout—a staircase led to a shaded porch (the columns), which admitted you to the main building (now a church), where the statue of the god sat. Originally, these columns supported a triangular pediment decorated with sculptures.
Picture these columns, with gilded capitals, supporting brightly painted statues in the pediment, and the whole building capped with a gleaming bronze roof. The stately gray rubble of today’s Forum is a faded black-and-white photograph of a 3-D Technicolor era.
The building is a microcosm of many changes that occurred after Rome fell. In medieval times, the temple was pillaged. Note the diagonal cuts high on the marble columns—a failed attempt by scavengers to cut through the pillars to pull them down for their precious stone. (They used vinegar and rope to cut the marble...but because vinegar also eats through rope, they abandoned the attempt.) In 1550, a church was housed inside the ancient temple. The green door shows the street level at the time of Michelangelo. The long staircase was underground until excavated in the 1800s.
• Next, explore the ruins of the Basilica Aemilia. You can view it from a ramp next to the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina, or find the entrance near the Curia.
Basilica Aemilia: A basilica was a covered public forum, often serving as a Roman hall of justice. In a society that was as legal-minded as America is today, you needed a lot of lawyers—and a big place to put them. Citizens came here to work out matters such as inheritances and building permits, or to sue somebody.
Notice the layout. It was a long, rectangular building. The stubby columns all in a row form one long, central hall flanked by two side aisles. Medieval Christians required a larger meeting hall for their worship services than Roman temples provided, so they used the spacious Roman basilica as the model for their churches. Cathedrals from France to Spain to England, from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance, all have the same basic floor plan as a Roman basilica.
• Return again to the Temple of Julius Caesar. To the right of the temple are the three tall columns of the...
Temple of Castor and Pollux: These three columns—all that remain of a once-prestigious temple—have become the most photographed sight in the Forum. The temple was one of the city’s oldest, built in the fifth century B.C. It commemorated the Roman victory over Tarquin, the notorious Etruscan king who oppressed them. As a symbol of Rome’s self-governing Republic, the temple was often used as a meeting place of senators, and its front steps served as a podium for free speech. The three columns are Corinthian style, featuring leafy capitals and fluting. They date from a later incarnation of the temple (first century).
• Beyond the three columns is Palatine Hill, the corner of which may have been...
Caligula’s Palace (Palace of Tiberius): Emperor Caligula (ruled A.D. 37-41) had a huge palace on Palatine Hill overlooking the Forum. It actually sprawled down the hill into the Forum (some supporting arches remain in the hillside).
Caligula was not a nice person. He tortured enemies, stole senators’ wives, and parked his chariot in handicap spaces. But Rome’s luxury-loving emperors only added to the glory of the Forum, with each one trying to make his mark on history.
• To the left of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, find the remains of a small, white circular temple.
Temple of Vesta: This is perhaps Rome’s most sacred spot. Rome considered itself one big family, and this temple represented a circular hut, like the kind that Rome’s first families lived in. Inside, a fire burned, just as in a Roman home. And back in the days before lighters and butane, you never wanted your fire to go out. As long as the sacred flame burned, Rome would stand. The flame was tended by priestesses known as Vestal Virgins.
• Around the back of the Temple of Vesta, you’ll find two rectangular brick pools. These stood in the courtyard of the...
House of the Vestal Virgins: The Vestal Virgins lived in a two-story building surrounding a long central courtyard with two pools at one end. Rows of statues depicting leading Vestal Virgins flanked the courtyard. This place was the model—both architecturally and sexually—for medieval convents and monasteries.
Chosen from noble families before they reached the age of 10, the six Vestal Virgins served a 30-year term. Honored and revered by the Romans, the Vestals even had their own box opposite the emperor in the Colosseum. The statues that line the courtyard honor dutiful Vestals.
As the name implies, a Vestal took a vow of chastity. If she served her term faithfully—abstaining for 30 years—she was given a huge dowry and allowed to marry. But if they found any Virgin who wasn’t, she was strapped to a funeral car, paraded through the streets of the Forum, taken to a crypt, given a loaf of bread and a lamp...and buried alive. Many women suffered the latter fate.
• Return to the Temple of Julius Caesar and head to the Forum’s west end (opposite the Colosseum). As you pass alongside the big, open space of the Forum’s main square, consider how the piazza is still a standard part of any Italian town. It has reflected and accommodated the gregarious and outgoing nature of the Italian people since Roman times.
Stop at the big, well-preserved brick building (on right) with the triangular roof—the Curia. (Ongoing archaeological work may restrict access to the Curia, as well as the Arch of Septimius Severus—described later—and the exit to Capitoline Hill.)
The Curia (Senate House): The Curia was the most important political building in the Forum. While the present building dates from A.D. 283, this was the site of Rome’s official center of government since the birth of the republic. Three hundred senators, elected by the citizens of Rome, met here to debate and create the laws of the land. Their wooden seats once circled the building in three tiers; the Senate president’s podium sat at the far end. The marble floor is from ancient times. Listen to the echoes in this vast room—the acoustics are great.
Rome prided itself on being a republic. Early in the city’s history, its people threw out the king and established rule by elected representatives. Each Roman citizen was free to speak his mind and have a say in public policy. Even when emperors became the supreme authority, the Senate was a power to be reckoned with. The Curia building is well-preserved, having been used as a church since early Christian times. In the 1930s, it was restored and opened to the public as a historic site. (Note: Although Julius Caesar was assassinated in “the Senate,” it wasn’t here—the Senate was temporarily meeting across town.)
A statue and two reliefs inside the Curia help build our mental image of the Forum. The statue, made of porphyry marble in about A.D. 100 (with its head, arms, and feet now missing), was a tribute to an emperor, probably Hadrian or Trajan. The two relief panels may have decorated the Rostrum. Those on the left show people (with big stone tablets) standing in line to burn their debt records following a government amnesty. The other shows the distribution of grain (Rome’s welfare system), some buildings in the background, and the latest fashion in togas.
• Go back down the Senate steps and find the 10-foot-high wall just to the left of the big arch, marked...
Rostrum: Nowhere was Roman freedom more apparent than at this “Speaker’s Corner.” The Rostrum was a raised platform, 10 feet high and 80 feet long, decorated with statues, columns, and the prows of ships.
On a stage like this, Rome’s orators, great and small, tried to draw a crowd and sway public opinion. Mark Antony rose to offer Caesar the laurel-leaf crown of kingship, which Caesar publicly (and hypocritically) refused while privately becoming a dictator. Men such as Cicero railed against the corruption and decadence that came with the city’s newfound wealth. In later years, daring citizens even spoke out against the emperors, reminding them that Rome was once free. Picture the backdrop these speakers would have had—a mountain of marble buildings piling up on Capitoline Hill.
In front of the Rostrum are trees bearing fruits that were sacred to the ancient Romans: olives (provided food, light, and preservatives), figs (tasty), and wine grapes (made a popular export product).
• The big arch to the right of the Rostrum is the...
Arch of Septimius Severus: In imperial times, the Rostrum’s voices of democracy would have been dwarfed by images of the empire, such as the huge six-story-high Arch of Septimius Severus (A.D. 203). The reliefs commemorate the African-born emperor’s battles in Mesopotamia. Near ground level, see soldiers marching captured barbarians back to Rome for the victory parade. Despite Severus’ efficient rule, Rome’s empire was crumbling under the weight of its own corruption, disease, decaying infrastructure, and the constant attacks by foreign “barbarians.”
• Pass underneath the Arch of Septimius Severus and turn left. If the path is blocked, backtrack toward the Temple of Julius Caesar and around the square. On the slope of Capitoline Hill are the eight remaining columns of the...
Temple of Saturn: These columns framed the entrance to the Forum’s oldest temple (497 B.C.). Inside was a humble, very old wooden statue of the god Saturn. But the statue’s pedestal held the gold bars, coins, and jewels of Rome’s state treasury, the booty collected by conquering generals.
• Standing here, at one of the Forum’s first buildings, look east at the lone, tall...
Column of Phocas: This is the Forum’s last monument (A.D. 608), a gift from the powerful Byzantine Empire to a fallen empire—Rome. Given to commemorate the pagan Pantheon’s becoming a Christian church, it’s like a symbolic last nail in ancient Rome’s coffin. After Rome’s 1,000-year reign, the city was looted by Vandals, the population of a million-plus shrank to about 10,000, and the once-grand city center—the Forum—was abandoned, slowly covered up by centuries of silt and dirt. In the 1700s, an English historian named Edward Gibbon overlooked this spot from Capitoline Hill. Hearing Christian monks singing at these pagan ruins, he looked out at the few columns poking up from the ground, pondered the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, and thought, “Hmm, that’s a catchy title...”
• From here, you have several options:
1. Exiting past the Arch of Titus lands you at the Colosseum (here).
2. Exiting past the Arch of Septimius Severus leads you to the stairs up to Capitoline Hill (here).
3. The Forum’s main entrance spills you back out onto Via dei Fori Imperiali, from where you can head to Trajan’s Column, Trajan’s Market, and Museum of the Imperial Forums (here).
4. From the Arch of Titus, you can climb Palatine Hill to the top (here).
(See “Dolce Vita Stroll” map, here.)
This is the city’s chic stroll, from Piazza del Popolo (Metro: Flaminio) down a wonderfully traffic-free section of Via del Corso, and up Via Condotti to the Spanish Steps. It takes place from around 17:00 to 19:00 each evening (Fri and Sat are best), except on Sunday, when it occurs earlier in the afternoon. Leave before 18:00 if you plan to visit the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace), which closes at 19:00 and is closed Monday.
As you stroll, you’ll see shoppers, people-watchers, and flirts on the prowl filling this neighborhood of some of Rome’s most fashionable stores (some open after siesta 16:30-19:30). While both the crowds and the shops along Via del Corso have gone downhill recently, elegance survives in the grid of streets between here and the Spanish Steps. If you get hungry during your stroll, see here for descriptions of neighborhood wine bars and restaurants.
To reach Piazza del Popolo, where the stroll starts, take Metro line A to Flaminio and walk south to the square. Delightfully car-free, Piazza del Popolo is marked by an obelisk that was brought to Rome by Augustus after he conquered Egypt. (It used to stand in the Circus Maximus.) In medieval times, this area was just inside Rome’s main entry (for more background on the square, see here).
If starting your stroll early enough, the Baroque church of Santa Maria del Popolo is worth popping into (Mon-Sat until 19:00, Sun until 19:30, next to gate in old wall on north side of square). Inside, look for Raphael’s Chigi Chapel (KEE-gee, second chapel on left) and two paintings by Caravaggio (in the Cerasi Chapel, left of altar; see listing on here).
From Piazza del Popolo, shop your way down Via del Corso. With the proliferation of shopping malls, many chain stores lining Via del Corso are losing customers and facing hard times. Still, this remains a fine place to feel the pulse of Rome at twilight.
Historians side-trip right down Via Pontefici past the fascist architecture to see the massive, rotting, round-brick Mausoleum of Augustus, topped with overgrown cypress trees. Beyond it, next to the river, is Augustus’ Ara Pacis, enclosed within a protective glass-walled museum (described on here). From the mausoleum, walk down Via Tomacelli to return to Via del Corso and the 21st century.
From Via del Corso, window-shoppers should take a left down Via Condotti to join the parade to the Spanish Steps, passing big-name boutiques. The streets that parallel Via Condotti to the south (Borgognona and Frattina) are also elegant and filled with high-end shops. A few streets to the north hides the narrow Via Margutta. This is where Gregory Peck’s Roman Holiday character lived (at #51); today it has a leafy tranquility and is filled with pricey artisan and antique shops.
Historians: Ignore Via Condotti and forget the Spanish Steps. Stay on Via del Corso, which has been straight since Roman times, and walk a half-mile down to the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Climb Michelangelo’s stairway to his glorious (especially when floodlit) square atop Capitoline Hill. Stand on the balcony (just past the mayor’s palace on the right), which overlooks the Forum. As the horizon reddens and cats prowl the unclaimed rubble of ancient Rome, it’s one of the finest views in the city.
(See “Heart of Rome” map, here.)
Rome’s most colorful neighborhood features narrow lanes, intimate piazzas, fanciful fountains, and some of Europe’s best people-watching. During the day, this walk shows off the colorful Campo de’ Fiori market and trendy fashion boutiques as it meanders past major monuments such as the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
But, when the sun sets, unexpected magic happens. A stroll in the cool of the evening brings out all the romance of the Eternal City. Sit so close to a bubbling fountain that traffic noise evaporates. Jostle with kids to see the gelato flavors. Watch lovers straddling more than the bench. Jaywalk past polizia in flak-proof vests. And marvel at the ramshackle elegance that softens this brutal city for those who were born here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. These are the flavors of Rome, best tasted after dark.
This walk is equally pleasant in reverse order. You could ride the Metro to the Spanish Steps and finish at Campo de’ Fiori, near many recommended restaurants. To lengthen this walk, you could start in Trastevere; see directions on here.
• Start this walk at Campo de’ Fiori, my favorite outdoor dining room (especially after dark—see “Eating in Rome,” here). It’s a few blocks west of Largo Argentina, a major transportation hub. Buses #40, #64, and #492 stop at both Largo Argentina and along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a long block north of Campo de’ Fiori. A taxi from Termini Station costs about €8.
Campo de’ Fiori: One of Rome’s most colorful spots, this bohemian piazza hosts a fruit and vegetable market in the morning, cafés in the evening, and pub-crawlers at night. In ancient times, the “Field of Flowers” was an open meadow. Later, Christian pilgrims passed through on their way to the Vatican, and a thriving market developed.
Lording over the center of the square is a statue of Giordano Bruno, an intellectual heretic who was burned on this spot in 1600. The pedestal shows scenes from Bruno’s trial and execution, and reads, “And the flames rose up.” When this statue honoring a heretic was erected in 1889, the Vatican protested, but they were overruled by angry Campo locals. The neighborhood is still known for its free spirit and anti-authoritarian demonstrations.
Campo de’ Fiori is the product of centuries of unplanned urban development. At the east end of the square (behind Bruno), the ramshackle apartments are built right into the old outer wall of ancient Rome’s mammoth Theater of Pompey. This entertainment complex covered several city blocks, stretching from here to Largo Argentina. Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Theater of Pompey, where the Senate was renting space.
The square is surrounded by fun eateries, great for people-watching. Bruno faces the bustling Forno (in the left corner of the square, closed Sun), where take-out pizza bianco is sold hot out of the oven. On weekend nights, when the Campo is packed with beer-drinking kids, the medieval square is transformed into one vast Roman street party.
• If Bruno did a hop, step, and jump forward, then turned right on Via dei Baullari and marched 200 yards, he’d cross the busy Corso Vittorio Emanuele; then, continuing another 150 yards on Via Cuccagna, he’d find...
Piazza Navona: This oblong square retains the shape of the original racetrack that was built around A.D. 80 by the emperor Domitian. (To see the ruins of the original entrance, exit the square at the far—or north—end, then take an immediate left and look down to the left 25 feet below the current street level.) Since ancient times, the square has been a center of Roman life. In the 1800s, the city would flood the square to cool off the neighborhood.
The Four Rivers Fountain in the center is the most famous fountain by the man who remade Rome in Baroque style, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Four burly river gods (representing the four continents that were known in 1650) support an Egyptian obelisk. The water of the world gushes everywhere. The Nile has his head covered, since the headwaters were unknown then. The Ganges holds an oar. The Danube turns to admire the obelisk, which Bernini had moved here from a stadium on the Appian Way. And Uruguay’s Río de la Plata tumbles backward in shock, wondering how he ever made the top four. Bernini enlivens the fountain with horses plunging through the rocks and exotic flora and fauna from these newly discovered lands. Homesick Texans may want to find the armadillo. (It’s the big, weird, armor-plated creature behind the Plata river statue.) The Plata river god is gazing upward at the Church of St. Agnes, worked on by Bernini’s former student-turned-rival, Francesco Borromini. Borromini’s concave facade helps reveal the dome and epitomizes the curved symmetry of Baroque. Tour guides say that Bernini designed his river god to look horrified at Borromini’s work. Or maybe he’s shielding his eyes from St. Agnes’ nakedness, as she was stripped before being martyred. But either explanation is unlikely, since the fountain was completed two years before Borromini even started work on the church.
Piazza Navona is Rome’s most interesting night scene, with street music, artists, fire-eaters, local Casanovas, ice cream, and outdoor cafés that are worthy of a splurge if you’ve got time to sit and enjoy Italy’s human river.
• Leave Piazza Navona directly across from Tre Scalini (famous for its rich chocolate ice cream), and go east down Corsia Agonale, past rose peddlers and palm readers. Jog left around the guarded building (the Palazzo Madama, where Italy’s senate meets), and follow the brown sign to the Pantheon, which is straight down Via del Salvatore.
The Pantheon: Sit for a while under the portico of the Pantheon (romantically floodlit and moonlit at night). The 40-foot, single-piece granite columns of the Pantheon’s entrance show the scale the ancient Romans built on. The columns support a triangular Greek-style roof with an inscription that says “M. Agrippa” built it. In fact, it was built (fecit) by Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 120), who gave credit to the builder of an earlier structure. This impressive entranceway gives no clue that the greatest wonder of the building is inside—a domed room that inspired later domes, including Michelangelo’s St. Peter’s and Brunelleschi’s Duomo (in Florence).
If it’s open, pop into the Pantheon for a look around (interior described on here). If you have extra time, consider detouring to several interesting churches near the Pantheon (listed on here).
• With your back to the Pantheon, veer to the right, uphill toward the yellow sign that reads Casa del Caffè at the Tazza d’Oro coffee shop on Via Orfani.
From the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain: Tazza d’Oro Casa del Caffè, one of Rome’s top coffee shops, dates back to the days when this area was licensed to roast coffee beans. Locals come here for a shot of espresso or, when it’s hot, a refreshing granita di caffè con panna (coffee slush with cream).
• Continue up Via Orfani to...
Piazza Capranica is home to the big, plain Florentine Renaissance-style Palazzo Capranica (directly opposite as you enter the square). Big shots, like the Capranica family, built towers on their palaces—not for any military use, but just to show off.
• Leave the piazza to the right of the palace, heading down Via in Aquiro.
The street Via in Aquiro leads to a sixth-century B.C. Egyptian obelisk taken as a trophy by Augustus after his victory in Egypt over Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The obelisk was set up as a sundial. Follow the zodiac markings to the well-guarded front door. This is Italy’s parliament building, where the lower house meets; you may see politicians, political demonstrations, and TV cameras.
• To your right is Piazza Colonna, where we’re heading next—unless you like gelato...
A one-block detour to the left (past Albergo Nazionale) brings you to Rome’s most famous gelateria. Giolitti’s is cheap for takeout or elegant and splurge-worthy for a sit among classy locals (open daily until past midnight, Via Uffici del Vicario 40); get your gelato in a cone (cono) or cup (coppetta).
Piazza Colonna features a huge second-century column. Its reliefs depict the victories of Emperor Marcus Aurelius over the barbarians. When Marcus died in A.D. 180, the barbarians began to get the upper hand, beginning Rome’s long three-century fall. The big, important-looking palace houses the headquarters for the prime minister’s cabinet.
Noisy Via del Corso is Rome’s main north-south boulevard. It’s named for the Berber horse races—without riders—that took place here during Carnevale. This wild tradition continued until the late 1800s, when a series of fatal accidents (including, reportedly, one in front of Queen Margherita) led to its cancellation. Historically the street was filled with meat shops. When it became one of Rome’s first gas-lit streets in 1854, these butcher shops were banned and replaced by classier boutiques, jewelers, and antique dealers. Nowadays the northern part of Via del Corso is closed to traffic, and for a few hours every evening it becomes a wonderful parade of Romans out for a stroll (see the “Dolce Vita Stroll,” earlier).
• Cross Via del Corso to enter a big palatial building with columns, which houses the Galleria Alberto Sordi shopping mall (with convenient WCs). Inside, take the fork to the right and exit at the back. (If you’re here after 22:00, when the mall is closed, circle around the right side of the Galleria on Via dei Sabini.) Once out the back, head up Via de Crociferi, to the roar of the water, lights, and people at the...
Trevi Fountain: The Trevi Fountain shows how Rome took full advantage of the abundance of water brought into the city by its great aqueducts. This fountain celebrated the reopening of several of ancient Rome’s aqueducts in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. After a thousand years of surviving on poor-quality well water, Romans could once again enjoy pure water brought from the distant hills east of the city.
This watery Baroque avalanche by Nicola Salvi was completed in 1762. Salvi used the palace behind the fountain as a theatrical backdrop for the figure of “Ocean,” who represents water in every form. The statue surfs through his wet kingdom—with water gushing from 24 spouts and tumbling over 30 different kinds of plants—while Triton blows his conch shell.
The magic of the square is enhanced by the fact that no streets directly approach it. You can hear the excitement as you draw near, and then—bam!—you’re there. The scene is always lively, with lucky Romeos clutching dates while unlucky ones clutch beers. Romantics toss a coin over their shoulder, thinking it will give them a wish and assure their return to Rome. That may sound silly, but every year I go through this tourist ritual...and it actually seems to work.
Take some time to people-watch (whisper a few breathy bellos or bellas) before leaving. There’s a peaceful zone at water level on the far right.
• From the Trevi Fountain, we’re 10 minutes from our next stop, the Spanish Steps. Just use a map to get there, or follow these directions: Facing the Trevi Fountain, go forward, walking along the right side of the fountain on Via della Stamperia. Cross busy Via del Tritone. Continue 100 yards and veer right at Via delle Fratte, a street that changes its name to Via Propaganda before ending at the...
Spanish Steps: Piazza di Spagna, with the very popular Spanish Steps, is named for the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican, which has been here for 300 years. It’s been the hangout of many Romantics over the years (Keats, Wagner, Openshaw, Goethe, and others). In the 1700s, British aristocrats on the “Grand Tour” of Europe came here to ponder Rome’s decay. The British poet John Keats pondered his mortality, then died of tuberculosis at age 25 in the pink building on the right side of the steps. Fellow Romantic Lord Byron lived across the square at #66.
The wide, curving staircase is one of Rome’s iconic sights. Its 138 steps lead sharply up from Piazza di Spagna, forming a butterfly shape as they fan out around a central terrace. The design culminates at the top in an obelisk framed between two Baroque church towers.
The Sinking Boat Fountain at the foot of the steps, built by Bernini or his father, Pietro, is powered by an aqueduct. Actually, all of Rome’s fountains are aqueduct-powered; their spurts are determined by the water pressure provided by the various aqueducts. This one, for instance, is much weaker than Trevi’s gush.
The piazza is a thriving scene at night. Window-shop along Via Condotti, which stretches away from the steps. This is where Gucci and other big names cater to the trendsetting jet set. It’s clear that the main sight around here is not the famous steps, but the people who sit on them.
• Our walk is finished. If you’d like to reach the top of the steps sweat-free, take the free elevator just outside the Spagna Metro stop (to the left, as you face the steps; elevator closes at 21:00). A free WC is underground in the piazza near the Metro entrance, by the middle palm tree (10:00-19:30). The nearby McDonald’s (as you face the Spanish Steps, go right one block) is big and lavish, with a salad bar and WC. When you’re ready to leave, you can zip home on the Metro (usually open until 23:30, Fri-Sat until 1:30 in the morning), or grab a taxi at either the north or south side of the piazza.
▲St. Peter-in-Chains Church (San Pietro in Vincoli)
▲▲Palatine Hill (Monte Palatino)
▲▲Trajan’s Column, Market, and Forum
Museum of the Imperial Forums (Museo dei Fori Imperiali)
Map: Capitoline Hill & Piazza Venezia
▲▲▲Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini)
Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church
Piazza di Pietra (Piazza of Stone)
▲▲▲St. Peter’s Basilica (Basilica San Pietro)
▲▲▲Vatican Museum (Musei Vaticani)
▲▲▲Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese)
Map: Borghese Gallery--Ground Floor
Etruscan Museum (Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia)
Church of Santa Maria del Popolo
▲▲Catacombs of Priscilla (Catacombe di Priscilla)
From the Spanish Steps to the Ara Pacis
▲▲Museo dell’Ara Pacis (Museum of the Altar of Peace)
▲▲▲National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano Palazzo Massimo alle Terme)
▲Baths of Diocletian (Terme di Diocleziano)
▲Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
Church of San Giovanni in Laterano
Museum of the Liberation of Rome (Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma)
Church of Santa Maria Maggiore
▲Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Near Trastevere: Jewish Quarter
Synagogue (Sinagoga) and Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico)
Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla)
I’ve clustered Rome’s sights into walkable neighborhoods, some quite close together (see “Rome’s Neighborhoods” map on here). Save transit time by grouping your sightseeing according to location. For example, the Colosseum and the Forum are a few minutes’ walk from Capitoline Hill; a 15-minute walk beyond that is the Pantheon. I like to tour these sights in one great day, starting at the Colosseum and ending at the Pantheon.
The core of ancient Rome, where the grandest monuments were built, is between the Colosseum and Capitoline Hill. Among the ancient forums, a few modern sights have popped up.
This 2,000-year-old building is the classic example of Roman engineering. Used as a venue for entertaining the masses, this colossal, functional stadium is one of Europe’s most recognizable landmarks. Whether you’re playing gladiator or simply marveling at the remarkable ancient design and construction, the Colosseum gets a unanimous thumbs-up.
Built when the Roman Empire was at its peak, in A.D. 80, the Colosseum represents Rome at its grandest. The Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum’s real name) was an arena for gladiator contests and public spectacles. When killing became a spectator sport, the Romans wanted to share the fun with as many people as possible, so they stuck two semicircular theaters together to create a freestanding amphitheater. The outside (where slender cypress trees stand today) was decorated with a 100-foot-tall bronze statue of Nero that gleamed in the sunlight. In a later age, the colossal structure was nicknamed a “coloss-eum,” the wonder of its age. Towering 150 feet high, it could accommodate 50,000 roaring fans (100,000 thumbs). This was where ancient Romans—whose taste for violence was the equal of modern America’s—enjoyed their Dirty Harrys and Terminators. Gladiators, criminals, and wild animals fought to the death in every conceivable scenario.
The Romans pioneered the use of concrete and the rounded arch, which enabled them to build on this tremendous scale. The exterior is a skeleton of 3.5 million cubic feet of travertine stone. (Each of the pillars flanking the ground-level arches weighs five tons.) It took 200 ox-drawn wagons shuttling back and forth every day for four years just to bring the stone here from Tivoli. They stacked stone blocks (without mortar) into the shape of an arch, supported temporarily by wooden scaffolding. Finally, they wedged a keystone into the top of the arch—it not only kept the arch from falling, it could bear even more weight above. Iron pegs held the larger stones together; notice the small holes—the result of medieval peg poachers—that pockmark the sides.
The exterior says a lot about the Romans. They were great engineers, not artists, and the building is more functional than beautiful. (If ancient Romans visited the US today as tourists, they might send home postcards of our greatest works of “art”—freeways.) While the essential structure of the Colosseum is Roman, the four-story facade is decorated with mostly Greek columns—Doric-like Tuscan columns on the ground level, Ionic on the second story, Corinthian on the next level, and, at the top, half-columns with a mix of all three. Originally, copies of Greek statues stood in the arches of the middle two stories, giving a veneer of sophistication to this arena of death.
Only a third of the original Colosseum remains. Earthquakes destroyed some of it, but most was carted off as easy pre-cut stones for other buildings during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Cost and Hours: €12 combo-ticket includes Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (see here), open daily 8:30 until one hour before sunset—for specifics, see “Hours” on here, last entry one hour before closing, Metro: Colosseo, tel. 06-3996-7700, archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en.
Avoiding Lines: Crowds tend to be thinner (and lines shorter) in the afternoon (especially after 15:00 in summer); this is also true at the Forum. You can save lots of time by buying your combo-ticket in advance (coopculture.it) or by having the Roma Pass (see here). Buy either of these at the less-crowded Palatine Hill entrance, 150 yards away on Via di San Gregorio (facing the Forum, with Colosseum at your back, go left down the street). You can also buy a Roma Pass at the tobacco shop in the Colosseo Metro station, the I Fori di Roma visitors center on Via dei Fori Imperiali (see here), or other sights around town.
It’s also possible to bypass the ticket lines by booking a guided tour or renting an audioguide or videoguide (get in the much shorter lines for Tours or Visite Guidate), or by hiring a private walking-tour guide. For more on these options, see “Tours,” later.
Warning: Beware of the greedy gladiators. For a fee, the incredibly crude, modern-day gladiators snuff out their cigarettes and pose for photos. They’re officially banned from panhandling in this area, but you may still see them, hoping to intimidate easy-to-swindle tourists into paying too much money for a photo op. (If you go for it, €4-5 for one photo usually keeps them appeased.) Also, look out for pickpockets and con artists in this prime tourist spot.
Getting There: The Colosseo Metro stop on line B is just across the street from the monument. Buses #53, #85, #87, and #175 stop along the Via dei Fori Imperiali near the entrance, the Colosseum, and Piazza Venezia.
Getting In: If you need to buy a ticket or sign up for a guided tour, follow the signs for the appropriate line. With a combo-ticket or Roma Pass in hand, look for signs for ticket holders or Roma Pass.
Information: Tel. 06-3996-7700, archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en.
Tours: A dry but fact-filled audioguide is available just past the turnstiles (€5.50/2 hours). A handheld videoguide senses where you are in the site and plays related video clips (€6). Official guided tours in English depart nearly hourly between 10:00 and 17:00, and last 45-60 minutes (€5 plus Colosseum ticket, purchase inside the Colosseum near the ticket booth marked Visite Guidate; if you’re lost, ask a guard to direct you to the desk).
A 1.5-hour “Colosseum, Underground and Third Ring” tour takes you through restricted areas, including the top floor and underground passageways, which are off-limits to regular Colosseum visitors. While interesting, this tour certainly isn’t essential to appreciating the Colosseum. Although it’s possible to sign up for the tour at the Colosseum’s guided tours window, it’s strongly advised you reserve at least a day in advance, either by phone or online. The tour is operated by CoopCulture, a private company (€8 plus Colosseum ticket, coopculture.it). Call 06-3996-7700 during business hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-14:00 (closed Sun, no same-day reservations). After dialing, wait for English instructions on how to reach a live operator, then reserve a time and pay with a credit card.
Private guides stand outside the Colosseum looking for business (€25-30/2-hour tour of the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill). If booking a private guide, make sure that your tour will start right away and that the ticket you receive covers all three sights: the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill.
You can also download a free Rick Steves audio tour of the Colosseum to your mobile device; see here.
Services: There’s a WC (often crowded) inside the Colosseum.
If you are a Christian, were raised a Christian, or simply belong to a so-called “Christian nation,” ponder this arch. It marks one of the great turning points in history: the military coup that made Christianity mainstream. In A.D. 312, Emperor Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius in the crucial Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The night before, he had seen a vision of a cross in the sky. Constantine—whose mother and sister had already become Christians—became sole emperor and legalized Christianity. With this one battle, a once-obscure Jewish sect with a handful of followers became the state religion of the entire Western world. In A.D. 300, you could be killed for being a Christian; a century later, you could be killed for not being one. Church enrollment boomed.
The restored arch is like an ancient museum. It’s decorated entirely with recycled carvings originally made for other buildings. By covering it with exquisite carvings of high Roman art—works that glorified previous emperors—Constantine put himself in their league. Hadrian is featured in the round reliefs, with Marcus Aurelius in the square reliefs higher up. The big statues on top are of Trajan and Augustus. Originally, Augustus drove a chariot similar to the one topping the modern Victor Emmanuel II Monument. Fourth-century Rome may have been in decline, but Constantine clung to its glorious past.
Built in the fifth century to house the chains that held St. Peter, this church is most famous for its Michelangelo statue of Moses, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II. Although the artist worked on the tomb in fits and starts for over 40 years, it was never completed. (Note that this isn’t the famous St. Peter’s Basilica, which is at Vatican City.)
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Sept 8:00-12:30 & 15:00-19:00, Oct-March 8:00-12:30 & 15:00-18:00, modest dress required; the church is a 10-minute uphill walk from the Colosseum, or a shorter, simpler walk from the Cavour Metro stop.
Visiting the Church: Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to build a massive tomb, with 48 huge statues, topped with a grand statue of this egomaniacal pope. The pope had planned to have his tomb placed in the center of St. Peter’s Basilica. When Julius died, the work had barely been started, and no one had the money or necessary commitment to Julius to finish the project.
In 1542, some of the remnants of the tomb project were brought to St. Peter-in-Chains and pieced together by Michelangelo’s assistants. Some of the best statues ended up elsewhere, such as the Prisoners in Florence and the Slaves in the Louvre.
Check out the much-venerated chains under the high altar, then focus on mighty Moses. Moses and the Louvre’s Slaves are the only statues Michelangelo personally completed for the project. Flanking Moses are the Old Testament sister-wives of Jacob, Leah (to our right) and Rachel, both begun by Michelangelo but probably finished by pupils.
The powerful statue of Moses—mature Michelangelo—is worth studying. Moses has received the Ten Commandments. As he holds the stone tablets, his eyes show a man determined to stop his tribe from worshipping the golden calf and idols...a man determined to win salvation for the people of Israel. Why the horns? Centuries ago, the Hebrew word for “rays” was mistranslated as “horns.”
This is ancient Rome’s birthplace and civic center, and the common ground between Rome’s famous seven hills. As just about anything important that happened in ancient Rome happened here, it’s arguably the most important piece of real estate in Western civilization. While only a few fragments of that glorious past remain, history seekers find plenty to ignite their imaginations amid the half-broken columns and arches. For details on visiting the Forum, see my self-guided walk on here.
Cost and Hours: €12 combo-ticket includes Colosseum and Palatine Hill (see here), open daily 8:30 until one hour before sunset—for specifics, see “Hours” on here, last entry one hour before closing, audioguide-€5, Metro: Colosseo, tel. 06-3996-7700, archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en.
The hill overlooking the Forum is jam-packed with history—“the huts of Romulus,” the huge Imperial Palace, a view of the Circus Maximus—but there’s only the barest skeleton of rubble left to tell the story.
We get our word “palace” from this hill, where the emperors chose to live. It was once so filled with palaces that later emperors had to build out. (Looking up at it from the Forum, you see the substructure that supported these long-gone palaces.) The Palatine museum contains statues and frescoes that help you imagine the luxury of the imperial Palatine. From the pleasant garden, you’ll get an overview of the Forum. On the far side, look down into an emperor’s private stadium and then beyond at the grassy Circus Maximus, once a chariot course. Imagine the cheers, jeers, and furious betting.
While many tourists consider Palatine Hill just extra credit after the Forum, it offers an insight into the greatness of Rome that’s well worth the effort. (And, if you’re visiting the Colosseum or Forum, you’ve got a ticket whether you like it or not.)
Cost and Hours: €12 combo-ticket includes Roman Forum and Colosseum—see here, open same hours as Forum and Colosseum, audioguide-€5, guided tours may be available—ask, Metro: Colosseo, tel. 06-3996-7700, archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en.
Getting In: The main entrance is on Via di San Gregorio (facing the Forum with the Colosseum at your back, it’s down the street to your left). You can also enter Palatine from within the Roman Forum—just climb the hill from the Arch of Titus.
Services: WCs are at the ticket office when you enter, up the hill near the stadium, at the museum in the center of the site, and hiding among the orange trees in the Farnese Gardens.
This 2,500-year-old cistern-like prison is where, according to Christian tradition, the Romans imprisoned Saints Peter and Paul. Though it was long a charming and historic sight, its artifacts have been removed, and today it’s run by a commercial tour-bus company charging €5 for a cheesy “multimedia” walk-through. Don’t go in. Instead, stand outside and imagine how this dank cistern once housed prisoners of the emperor. Amid fat rats and rotting corpses, unfortunate humans awaited slow deaths. It’s said that a miraculous fountain sprang up inside so Peter could convert and baptize his jailers, who were also subsequently martyred.
The legendary “Mouth of Truth” at the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin draws a playful crowd. Stick your hand in the mouth of the gaping stone face in the porch wall. As the legend goes (and was popularized by the 1953 film Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn), if you’re a liar, your hand will be gobbled up. The mouth is only accessible when the church gate is open, but it’s always (partially) visible through the gate, even when closed. If the church itself is open, step inside to see one of the few unaltered medieval church interiors in Rome. Notice the mismatched ancient columns and beautiful cosmatesque floor—a centuries-old example of recycling.
Cost and Hours: €0.50 suggested donation, daily 9:30-17:50, closes earlier off-season, Piazza Bocca della Verità, near the north end of Circus Maximus, tel. 06-678-7759.
As Rome grew from a village to an empire, it outgrew the Roman Forum. Several energetic emperors built their own forums—which stood in a line from the Colosseum to Trajan’s Column—complete with temples, shopping malls, government buildings, statues, monuments, and piazzas. While the Roman Forum (which gets all the touristic focus) was built with no grand plan over 1,200 years, these new imperial forums were distinct modules, with a cohesive plan stamped with the emperor’s unique personality. Julius Caesar built the first one (46 B.C.), and over the next 150 years, it was added onto by Augustus (2 B.C.), Vespasian (A.D. 75), Nerva (A.D. 97), and Trajan (A.D. 112). What you see today are mostly the remains of Trajan’s great building campaign.
Visiting the Ruins: The ruins are always visible and free to look at from viewpoints at Piazza Venezia, along Via dei Fori Imperiali, and at Via IV Novembre. Trajan’s Forum, with its impressive column and market, is the main sight to see. To view other (heavily ruined) forums, stroll down Via dei Fori Imperiali. Visiting here is especially nice, because the once-busy street is now closed to private car traffic. If you want a close-up look at some excavated statues and more information about the forums, you can pay admission to the Museum of the Imperial Forums (see listing later). If not paying to go in, the best original ancient street is perfectly viewable from Via IV Novembre.
Rome peaked under Emperor Trajan (ruled A.D. 98-117), when the empire stretched from England to the Sahara, from Spain to the Fertile Crescent. A triumphant Trajan returned to Rome with his booty and shook it all over the city. He extended the Forum by building his own commercial, political, and religious center nearby, complete with temples, law courts, and a semicircular shopping mall.
Trajan’s Column, rising 140 feet, is the world’s grandest column from antiquity. Decorated with a spiral relief of 2,500 figures trumpeting the emperor’s exploits, it has stood for centuries as a symbol of a truly cosmopolitan civilization. At one point, the ashes of Trajan and his wife were held in the base, and the sun glinted off a polished bronze statue of Trajan at the top. (Today, St. Peter is on top.)
Nestled into the cutaway curve of Quirinal Hill, Trajan’s Market was likely part shopping mall, part warehouse, and part administration building and/or government offices. For now the conventional wisdom holds that at ground level, the 13 tall (shallow) arches housed shops selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers to people who passed by on the street. The 26 arched windows (above) lit a covered walkway lined with shops that sold wine and olive oil. On the roof (now lined with a metal railing) ran a street that likely held still more shops, making about 150 in all. Shoppers could browse through goods from every corner of Rome’s vast empire—exotic fruits from Africa, spices from Asia, and fish-and-chips from Londinium.
The extensive remains of Trajan’s Forum (on the northeast side of Via dei Fori Imperiali) start at Trajan’s Column and run about 120 yards southeast toward the Colosseum. It’s mostly rubble today, except for Trajan’s Market, rising up the flank of Quirinal Hill.
The museum, housed in buildings from Trajan’s Market, features discoveries from the forums built by the different emperors. Though its collection of statues is not impressive compared to Rome’s other museums, it’s well displayed, and it’s your only chance to get up close to Trajan’s Market and Forum. Focus on the big picture to mentally resurrect the fabulous forums.
Cost and Hours: €9.50, Tue-Sun 9:00-19:00, closed Mon, last entry one hour before closing, tel. 06-0608, mercatiditraiano.it. Skip the museum’s slow, dry €4 audioguide (you’ll find some English descriptions within the museum); enter at Via IV Novembre 94 (up the staircase from Trajan’s Column).
Of Rome’s famous seven hills, this is the smallest, tallest, and most famous—home of the ancient Temple of Jupiter and the center of city government for 2,500 years. There are several ways to get to the top of Capitoline Hill. If you’re coming from the north (from Piazza Venezia), take Michelangelo’s impressive stairway to the right of the big, white Victor Emmanuel Monument. Coming from the southeast (the Forum), take the steep staircase near the Arch of Septimius Severus. From near Trajan’s Forum along Via dei Fori Imperiali, take the winding road. All three converge at the top, in the square called Campidoglio (kahm-pee-DOHL-yoh).
This square atop the hill, once the religious and political center of ancient Rome, is still the home of the city’s government. In the 1530s, the pope called on Michelangelo to re-establish this square as a grand center. Michelangelo placed the ancient equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius as its focal point. Effective. (The original statue is now in the adjacent museum.) The twin buildings on either side are the Capitoline Museums. Behind the replica of the statue is the mayoral palace (Palazzo Senatorio).
Michelangelo intended that people approach the square from his grand stairway off Piazza Venezia. From the top of the stairway, you see the new Renaissance face of Rome, with its back to the Forum. Michelangelo gave the buildings the “giant order”—huge pilasters make the existing two-story buildings feel one-storied and more harmonious with the new square. Notice how the statues atop these buildings welcome you and then draw you in.
The terraces just downhill (past either side of the mayor’s palace) offer grand views of the Forum. To the left of the mayor’s palace is a copy of the famous she-wolf statue on a column. Farther down is il nasone (“the big nose”), a refreshing water fountain. Block the spout with your fingers, and water spurts up for drinking. Romans joke that a cheap Roman boy takes his date out for a drink at il nasone. Near the she-wolf statue is the staircase leading to a shortcut to the Victor Emmanuel Monument.
Rome of ancient Rome’s most famous statues and art are housed in the two palaces (Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo) that flank the equestrian statue in the Campidoglio. They’re connected by an underground passage that leads to the Tabularium, an ancient building with panoramic views of the Roman Forum.
Cost and Hours: €12, Tue-Sun 9:00-20:00, closed Mon, last entry one hour before closing, audioguide-€5, tel. 06-8205-9127, museicapitolini.org.
Visiting the Museums: Enter at the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which is on your right as you face the equestrian statue (you’ll exit from the Palazzo Nuovo, on your left).
With lavish rooms and several great statues, the worthwhile Palazzo dei Conservatori claims to be one of the world’s oldest museums, founded in 1471 when a pope gave ancient statues to the citizens of Rome. Many of the museum’s statues have gone on to become instantly recognizable cultural icons, including the 13th-century Capitoline She-Wolf (the little statues of Romulus and Remus were added in the Renaissance). Don’t miss the Boy Extracting a Thorn and the enchanting Commodus as Hercules. Behind Commodus is a statue of his dad, Marcus Aurelius, on a horse. The greatest surviving equestrian statue of antiquity, this was the original centerpiece of the square (where a copy stands today). Christians in the Dark Ages thought that the statue’s hand was raised in blessing, which probably led to their misidentifying him as Constantine, the first Christian emperor. While most pagan statues were destroyed by Christians, “Constantine” was spared.
The museum’s second-floor café, Caffè Capitolino, has a splendid patio offering city views. It’s lovely at sunset (public entrance for non-museum-goers off Piazza Caffarelli and through door #4).
The Tabularium, built in the first century B.C., once held the archives of ancient Rome. (The word “Tabularium” comes from “tablet,” on which Romans wrote their laws.) You won’t see any tablets, but you will see a stunning head-on view of the Forum from the windows. The Palazzo Nuovo houses mostly portrait busts of forgotten emperors. But it also has two must-see statues: the Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus (both on the first floor up).
The church atop Capitoline Hill is old and dear to the hearts of Romans. It stands on the site where Emperor Augustus (supposedly) had a premonition of the coming of Mary and Christ standing on an “altar in the sky” (ara coeli). The church is Rome in a nutshell, where you can time-travel across 2,000 years by standing in one spot.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Oct 9:00-12:30 & 15:00-18:30, Nov-March 9:00-12:30 & 14:30-17:30, tel. 06-6976-3839.
This vast square, dominated by the big, white Victor Emmanuel Monument, is a major transportation hub and the focal point of modern Rome.
With your back to the monument (you’ll get the best views from the terrace by the guards and eternal flame), look down Via del Corso, the city’s axis, surrounded by Rome’s classiest shopping district. In the 1930s, Benito Mussolini whipped up Italy’s nationalistic fervor from a balcony above the square (it’s the less-grand balcony on the left). Fascist masses filled the square screaming, “Four more years!”—or something like that. Mussolini created the boulevard Via dei Fori Imperiali (to your right, capped by Trajan’s Column) to open up views of the Colosseum in the distance. Mussolini lied to his people, mixing fear and patriotism to push his country to the right and embroil the Italians in expensive and regrettable wars. In 1945, they shot Mussolini and hung him from a meat hook in Milan.
With your back still to the monument, circle around the left side. At the back end of the monument, look down into the ditch on your left to see the ruins of an ancient apartment building from the first century A.D.; part of it was transformed into a tiny church (faded frescoes and bell tower). Rome was built in layers—almost everywhere you go, there’s an earlier version beneath your feet. (The hop-on, hop-off 110open Bus stops just downhill from here.)
Continuing on, you reach two staircases leading up Capitoline Hill. One is Michelangelo’s grand staircase up to the Campidoglio. The steeper of the two leads to Santa Maria in Aracoeli, a good example of the earliest style of Christian church (described earlier). The contrast between this climb-on-your-knees ramp to God’s house and Michelangelo’s elegant stairs illustrates the changes Renaissance humanism brought civilization.
From the bottom of Michelangelo’s stairs, look right several blocks down the street to see a condominium actually built upon the surviving ancient pillars and arches of Teatro di Marcello.
This oversize monument to Italy’s first king, built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country’s unification in 1861, was part of Italy’s push to overcome the new country’s strong regionalism and create a national identity. The scale of the monument is over-the-top: 200 feet high, 500 feet wide. The 43-foot-long statue of the king on the horse is one of the biggest equestrian statues in the world. The king’s moustache forms an arc five feet long, and a person could sit within the horse’s hoof. At the base of this statue, Italy’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (flanked by Italian flags and armed guards) is watched over by the goddess Roma (with the gold mosaic background).
Cost and Hours: Monument—Free, daily 9:30-18:30, a few WCs scattered throughout, tel. 06-679-3598. Elevator—€7, Mon-Thu 9:30-18:30, Fri-Sun 9:30-19:30, ticket office closes 45 minutes earlier, WC at entrance, tel. 06-6920-2049; follow ascensori panoramici signs inside the Victor Emmanuel Monument or take the shortcut from Capitoline Hill (no elevator access from street level).
Visiting the Monument: To see the “Vittoriano” (as locals call it) up close, simply climb the front stairs, or go inside from one of several entrances: midway up the monument through doorways flanking the central statue, on either side at street level, and at the base of the colonnade (two-thirds of the way up, near the shortcut from Capitoline Hill). The little-visited Museum of the Risorgimento fills several floors with displays (well-described in English) on the movement and war that led to the unification of Italy in 1870. A section on the lower east side hosts temporary exhibits of minor works by major artists (free to enter museum, exhibits around €10, tel. 06-322-5380, comunicareorganizzando.it). A café is at the base of the top colonnade, on the monument’s east side.
Best of all, the monument offers a grand view of the Eternal City. You can climb the stairs to the midway point for a decent view, keep climbing to the base of the colonnade for a better view, or, for the best view, ride the Rome from the Sky (Roma dal Cielo) elevator, which zips you from the top of the stair climb (at the back of the monument) to the rooftop for the grandest, 360-degree view of the center of Rome—even better than from the top of St. Peter’s dome. Once on top, you stand on a terrace between the monument’s two chariots. You can look north up Via del Corso to Piazza del Popolo, west to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, and south to the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Helpful panoramic diagrams describe the skyline, with powerful binoculars available for zooming in on particular sights. It’s best in late afternoon, when it’s beginning to cool off and Rome glows.
Besides being home to ancient sights and historic churches, this neighborhood gives Rome its urban-village feel. Wander narrow streets, sample the many shops and eateries, and gather with the locals in squares marked by bubbling fountains. Exploring is especially good in the evening, when the restaurants bustle and streets are jammed with foot traffic. For a self-guided walk of this neighborhood, from Campo de’ Fiori to the Trevi Fountain, see my “Heart of Rome Walk” on here.
Getting There: The Pantheon neighborhood is a 15-minute walk from Capitoline Hill. Taxis and buses stop at a chaotic square called Largo Argentina, a few blocks south of the Pantheon—from here you can walk north on either Via dei Cestari or Via di Torre Argentina to the Pantheon. Buses #40 and #64 carry tourists and pickpockets frequently between the Termini train station and Vatican City (#492 serves the same areas via a different route). Bus #87 connects to the Colosseum. The elettrico minibus #116 runs between Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Barberini via the Pantheon.
For the greatest look at the splendor of Rome, antiquity’s best-preserved interior is a must. Built two millennia ago, this influential domed temple served as the model for Michelangelo’s dome of St. Peter’s and many others.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Sat 8:30-19:30, Sun 9:00-18:00, holidays 9:00-13:00, closed for Mass Sat at 17:00 and Sun at 10:30, audioguide-€5, tel. 06-6830-0230. You can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of the Pantheon; see here.
When to Go: Visit before 9:00, and you’ll have it all to yourself. Don’t go midday, when the Pantheon is packed.
Visiting the Pantheon: Because the Pantheon became a church dedicated to the martyrs just after the fall of Rome, the barbarians left it alone, and the locals didn’t use it as a quarry. The portico is called “Rome’s umbrella”—a fun local gathering in a rainstorm. Walk past its one-piece granite columns (biggest in Italy, shipped from Egypt) and through the original bronze doors. Sit inside under the glorious skylight and enjoy classical architecture at its best.
The dome, 142 feet high and wide, was Europe’s biggest until the Renaissance. Michelangelo’s dome at St. Peter’s, while much higher, is about three feet narrower. The brilliance of this dome’s construction astounded architects through the ages. During the Renaissance, Brunelleschi was given permission to cut into the dome (see the little square hole above and to the right of the entrance) to analyze the material. The concrete dome gets thinner and lighter with height—the highest part is volcanic pumice.
This wonderfully harmonious architecture greatly inspired Raphael and other artists of the Renaissance. Raphael, along with Italy’s first two kings, chose to be buried here.
The Pantheon is the only ancient building in Rome continuously used since its construction. When you leave, notice that the building is sunken below current street level, showing how the rest of the city has risen on 20 centuries of rubble.
The Church of San Luigi dei Francesi has a magnificent chapel painted by Caravaggio (free, daily 10:00-12:30 & 15:00-19:00 except closed Thu afternoon, between the Pantheon and the north end of Piazza Navona). The only Gothic church in Rome is the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, with a little-known Michelangelo statue, Christ Bearing the Cross (free, Mon-Sat 7:00-19:00, Sun 8:00-12:00 & 14:00-19:00, on a little square behind Pantheon, to the east). The Church of San Ignazio, several blocks east of the Pantheon, is a riot of Baroque illusions with a false dome (free, Mon-Sat 7:30-19:00, Sun 9:00-19:00). A few blocks away, across Corso Vittorio Emanuele, is the rich and Baroque Gesù Church, headquarters of the Jesuits in Rome (free, daily 7:00-12:30 & 16:00-19:45, interesting daily service at 17:30).
This underappreciated gallery, in the heart of the old city, offers a rare chance to wander through a noble family’s lavish rooms with the prince who calls this downtown mansion home. Well, almost. Through an audioguide, the prince lovingly narrates his family’s story as you tour the palace and its world-class art. Don’t miss Velázquez’s intense, majestic, ultra-realistic portrait of Pope Innocent X (1574-1655), patriarch of the Pamphilj (pahm-FEEL-yee) family. It stands alongside an equally impressive bust of the pope by Bernini. Stroll through a mini-Versailles-like hall of mirrors to more paintings, including works by Titian and Raphael. Finally, relax along with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and let the angel serenade you in Caravaggio’s Rest on the Flight to Egypt.
Cost and Hours: €11, includes worthwhile 1.5-hour audioguide, daily 9:00-19:00, last entry one hour before closing, elegant café, from Piazza Venezia walk 2 blocks up Via del Corso to #305, tel. 06-679-7323, dopart.it/roma.
The square was actually a quarry set up to chew away at the abandoned Temple of Hadrian, dedicated to the emperor responsible for building the Pantheon (look for his bust and a model of the temple in a window on the square). You can still see the holes that hungry medieval scavengers chipped into the columns to steal the metal pins that held the slabs together. Look over the railing to see ground level 1,900 years ago. (The piazza is two blocks toward Via del Corso from the Pantheon.)
The bubbly Baroque fountain, worth ▲▲ by night, is a minor sight to art scholars...but a major nighttime gathering spot for teens on the make and tourists tossing coins. Those coins are collected daily to feed Rome’s poor (for more on the fountain, see here).
Vatican City, the world’s smallest country, contains St. Peter’s Basilica (with Michelangelo’s exquisite Pietà) and the Vatican Museum (with Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel). A helpful TI is just to the left of St. Peter’s Basilica as you’re facing it (Mon-Sat 8:30-18:15, closed Sun, tel. 06-6988-1662, Vatican switchboard tel. 06-6982, vatican.va). The entrances to St. Peter’s and to the Vatican Museum are a 15-minute walk apart (follow the outside of the Vatican wall, which links the two sights). The nearest Metro stop—Ottaviano—is about 10 minutes from either sight.
Modest dress is required of men, women, and children throughout Vatican City, even outdoors. Otherwise, the Swiss Guard can turn you away. Cover your shoulders; bring a light jacket or cover-up if you’re wearing a tank top. Wear long pants instead of shorts. Skirts or dresses should extend below your knee.
There is no doubt: This is the richest and grandest church on earth. To call it vast is like calling Einstein smart. Plaques on the floor show you where other, smaller churches would end if they were placed inside. The ornamental cherubs would dwarf a large man. Birds roost inside, and thousands of people wander about, heads craned heavenward, hardly noticing each other. Don’t miss Michelangelo’s Pietà (behind bulletproof glass) to the right of the entrance. Bernini’s altar work and twisting, towering canopy are brilliant.
Cost: Free entry to basilica and crypt. Dome climb-€5 if you take the stairs all the way up, or €7 to ride an elevator partway (to the roof), then climb to the top of the dome (for details, see “Dome Climb,” later). Treasury Museum-€7 (cash only).
Hours: Church—daily April-Sept 7:00-19:00, Oct-March 7:00-18:00, closed Wed mornings during papal audiences; dome (cupola)—daily April-Sept 8:00-18:00, Oct-March 8:00-16:45 (last entry 30 minutes before closing); treasury museum—daily April-Sept 9:00-18:15, Oct-March 9:00-17:15; crypt (grotte)—daily April-Sept 7:00-18:00, Oct-March 7:00-17:00.
Avoiding Lines: The security-checkpoint lines can get quite long and there’s no sure-fire way to avoid them. Note that the checkpoint can switch locations; it’s typically on the north side of the square, but can be closer to the church or tucked under the south colonnade. Occasionally, St. Peter’s is accessible directly from the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican Museum—a great time-saving trick, but unfortunately not a reliable one (for details, see here). Avoid the worst crowds by visiting before 10:00 or after 16:00. After around 16:00, the area around the altar is often roped off to prepare for Mass. (For a Mass schedule, see “Church Services,” next page.)
Dress Code: No shorts, above-the-knee skirts, or bare shoulders (this applies to men, women, and children). Attendants strictly enforce this dress code, even in hot weather.
Getting There: Take the Metro to Ottaviano, then walk 10 minutes south on Via Ottaviano. The #40 express bus drops off at Piazza Pio, next to Castel Sant’Angelo—a 10-minute walk from St. Peter’s. The more crowded bus #64 is convenient for pickpockets and stops just outside St. Peter’s Square to the south (get off the bus after it crosses the Tiber, at the first stop past the tunnel; backtrack toward the tunnel and turn left when you see the rows of columns). Bus #492 heads through the center of town, stopping at Largo Argentina, and gets you near Piazza Risorgimento (get off when you see the Vatican walls). A taxi from Termini train station to St. Peter’s costs about €11.
Information: The TI on the left (south) side of the square is excellent (Mon-Sat 8:30-18:15, closed Sun, free Vatican and church map). Tel. 06-6988-1662, saintpetersbasilica.org (this unofficial site provides a detailed map and latest opening hours and Mass times).
Church Services: Mass is performed daily, generally in Italian and in just a small area of the vast church: usually either in the south (left) transept, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (on right side of nave), or the apse (where the 17:00 service is held Mon-Sat). Sunday-morning Mass tends to take place at the main altar. Typical schedule: Mon-Sat at 8:30, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, and 17:00 (in Latin, in the apse); and on Sun and holidays at 9:00, 10:30 (in Latin), 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 16:00, and 17:45.
Tours: The Vatican TI conducts free 1.5-hour tours of St. Peter’s (depart from TI Mon-Fri at 14:15, plus Tue and Thu at 9:45, confirm schedule at TI, tel. 06-6988-1662). Audioguides can be rented near the checkroom (€5 plus ID, for church only, daily 9:00-17:00). Or you can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of St. Peter’s; see here.
To see St. Peter’s original grave, you can take a “Scavi” (excavations) tour into the Necropolis (€12, 1.5 hours, ages 15 and older only, no photos). Book at least two months in advance by phone (tel. 06-6988-5318), email (scavi@fsp.va), or fax (06-6987-3017), following the detailed instructions at vatican.va (click “site map,” then navigate to “Excavations Office”); no response means they’re booked up.
To walk through the Vatican Gardens, you must book a guided tour at (the very) least a day in advance at biglietteriamusei.vatican.va. No response means they’re booked up (€32, 2 hours, usually daily except Wed and Sun, includes entry to Vatican Museum; tours start at 9:30 or 10:00 at Vatican Museum tour desk).
Dome Climb: You can take the elevator or stairs to the roof (231 steps), then climb another 323 steps to the top of the dome. The entry to the elevator is just outside the basilica, on the north side of St. Peter’s (near the secret exit from the Sistine Chapel). Look for signs to the cupola.
Length of This Tour: Allow one hour, plus another hour if you climb the dome (or a half-hour to the roof). If you have less time, skip the crypt and the dome climb, but at least stroll the nave, glance up at the dome and down at the marker of St. Peter’s tomb. Don’t miss the Pietà.
Baggage Check: The free bag check (mandatory for bags larger than a purse or daypack) is outside the basilica (to the right as you face the entrance), just inside the security checkpoint.
Services: WCs are to the right and left on St. Peter’s Square (just outside the security checkpoint and exit), near baggage storage down the steps on the right side of the entrance, and on the roof.
(See “St Peter’s Basilica” map, here.)
Self-Guided Tour: For a quick walk through the basilica, follow these points:
The atrium itself is bigger than most churches. The huge white columns on the portico date from the first church (fourth century). Notice the historic doors (the Holy Door, on the right, won’t be opened until the next Jubilee Year, in 2025).
The purple, circular porphyry stone marks the site of Charlemagne’s coronation in A.D. 800 (in the first St. Peter’s church that stood on this site). From here, get a sense of the immensity of the church, which can accommodate 60,000 worshippers standing on its six acres.
Michelangelo planned a Greek-cross floor plan, rather than the Latin-cross standard in medieval churches. A Greek cross, symbolizing the perfection of God, and by association the goodness of man, was important to the humanist Michelangelo. But accommodating—and impressing—large crowds was important to the Church in the fancy Baroque age, which followed Michelangelo, so the original nave length was doubled. Stand halfway up the nave and imagine the stubbier design that Michelangelo had in mind.
View the magnificent dome from the statue of St. Andrew. See the vision of heaven above the windows: Jesus; Mary; a ring of saints; rings of angels; and, on the very top, God the Father.
Visitors can go down to the foundations of Old St. Peter’s, containing tombs of popes and memorial chapels. The crypt entrance (labeled Grotte or Tombe) is usually beside the statue of St. Andrew, to the left of the main altar. Stairs lead you down to the floor level of the previous church, where you’ll pass the sepulcher of Peter. This lighted niche with an icon is not Peter’s actual tomb, but part of a shrine that stands atop Peter’s tomb. The walk through the crypt is free and quick (15 minutes)—but you won’t see St. Peter’s original grave unless you take a Scavi “Excavations” tour (explained earlier).
The statue of St. Peter, with an irresistibly kissable toe, is one of the few pieces of art that predate this church. It adorned the first St. Peter’s church.
Circle to the right around the statue of Peter to find the lighted glass niche with the red-robed body of Pope John XXIII (r. 1958-1963), who presided over the landmark Vatican II Council that instituted major reforms, bringing the Church into the modern age.
The main altar sits directly over St. Peter’s tomb and under Bernini’s seven-story bronze canopy.
St. Peter’s throne and Bernini’s starburst dove window is the site of a daily Mass (for Mass times, see “Church Services,” earlier).
This marks the exact spot (according to tradition) where Peter was killed 1,900 years ago. When the authorities told Peter he was to be crucified just like his Lord, Peter said essentially, “I’m not worthy” and insisted they nail him on the cross upside-down.
The church is filled with mosaics, some of which are copies of famous paintings. Notice the mosaic copy of Raphael’s Transfiguration.
Michelangelo sculpted his Pietà when he was 24 years old. (A pietà is a work that represents Mary with the body of Christ taken down from the cross.) Michelangelo’s mastery of the body is obvious in this powerfully beautiful masterpiece. Jesus is believably dead, and Mary, the eternally youthful “handmaiden” of the Lord, accepts God’s will...even if it means giving up her son.
The tomb of Pope John Paul II was moved to the chapel of San Sebastian in 2011, after he was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI (a step on the road to sainthood). He lies beneath a painting of the steadfast St. Sebastian, his favorite saint.
For most, the museum-treasury (on the left side of the nave, near the altar) is not worth the admission.
You’re welcome to step through the metalwork gates into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, an oasis of peace reserved for prayer and meditation (on the right-hand side of the church, about midway to the altar).
Outside on the north side of St. Peter’s, an elevator leads to the roof and the stairway up the dome. The dome, Michelangelo’s last work, is (you guessed it) the biggest anywhere. Taller than a football field is long, it’s well worth the sweaty climb for a great view of Rome, the Vatican grounds, and the inside of the basilica—particularly heavenly while there is singing. Look around—Rome has no modern skyline. No building in Rome is allowed to exceed the height of St. Peter’s. The elevator takes you to the rooftop of the nave. From there, a few steps take you to a balcony at the base of the dome looking down into the church interior. After that, the one-way, 323-step climb (for some people, it’s claustrophobic) to the cupola begins. The rooftop level (below the dome) has a gift shop, WC, drinking fountain, and a commanding view.