• Rome, Italy
    Piazza Navona

Rome

Rome is magnificent and overwhelming at the same time. It's a showcase of Western civilization, with astonishingly ancient sights and a modern vibrancy. As you peel through its fascinating and jumbled layers, you'll find the marble ruins of ancient times, tangled streets of the medieval world, early Christian churches, grand Renaissance buildings and statues, Baroque fountains and facades, 19th-century apartments, 21st-century traffic, and nearly three million people. Visit St. Peter's, the greatest church on earth, learn something about eternity by touring the huge Vatican Museums, ramble among the rabble and rubble through ancient Rome's Colosseum and Forum, savor the sumptuous Borghese Gallery, and take an early evening stroll with Rome's beautiful people. 

At a Glance

▲▲▲ Colosseum Huge stadium where gladiators fought.

▲▲▲ Roman Forum Ancient Rome's main square, with ruins and grand arches.

▲▲▲ Capitoline Museums Ancient statues, mosaics, and expansive view of Forum.

▲▲▲ Pantheon The defining domed temple.

▲▲▲ St. Peter's Basilica Most impressive church on earth, with Michelangelo's Pietà and dome.

▲▲▲ Vatican Museums Four miles of the finest art of Western civilization, culminating in Michelangelo's glorious Sistine Chapel.

▲▲▲ Borghese Gallery Bernini sculptures and paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian in a Baroque palazzo.

▲▲▲ National Museum of Rome Greatest collection of Roman sculpture anywhere.

▲▲ Trajan's Column and Forum Tall column with narrative relief, plus nearby forum ruins.

▲▲ Baths of Caracalla Impressive ruins of a lavish bath complex (never crowded).

▲▲ St. Peter-in-Chains Church with Michelangelo's Moses.

▲▲ Dolce Vita Stroll Evening passeggiata, where Romans strut their stuff.

▲▲ Catacombs Underground tombs, mainly Christian, some outside the city.

▲▲ Church of San Giovanni in Laterano Grandiose and historic “home church of the popes,” with one-of-a-kind Holy Stairs across the street.

▲ Museo dell'Ara Pacis Shrine marking the beginning of Rome's golden age.

▲ Palatine Hill Ruins of emperors' palaces, Circus Maximus view, and museum.

▲ Arch of Constantine Honors the emperor who legalized Christianity.

▲ Imperial Forums Museum and Trajan's Market Museum displaying discoveries from the Imperial Forums, housed in the tremains of Trajan's Market.

▲ The Roman House at Palazzo Valentini Remains of an ancient house and bath brought to life through a sound-and-light tour.

▲ Piazza del Campidoglio Square atop Capitoline Hill, designed by Michelangelo, with a museum, grand stairway, and Forum overlooks.

▲ Victor Emmanuel Monument Gigantic edifice celebrating Italian unity, with Rome from the Sky elevator ride up to 360-degree city view.

▲ Trevi Fountain Baroque hot spot into which tourists throw coins to ensure a return trip to Rome.

▲ Castel Sant'Angelo Hadrian's Tomb turned castle, prison, papal refuge, now museum.

▲ Baths of Diocletian/Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli Once ancient Rome's immense public baths, now a Michelangelo church.

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