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Rome Attractions
Starting the day with a delicious cappuccino and pastry; exploring the vibrant market at Campo de' Fiori; discovering the Baroque art legacy of Bernini and Borromini; dining al fresco in an elegant rooftop restaurant; absorbing the incomparable setting and sounds of opera at the Baths of Caracella; taking the shade of the Borghese Gardens; savouring gelato on an evening stroll between Rome's elegant piazzas or over sunset from atop the Pincio or the Janiculum - just a few quintessential Roman experiences.
The romance of Rome seduced the Grand Tourists of the 19th century and Italy's capital continues to do the same today, with the sensual pleasures of countless beguiling attractions, heart-stirring art and architecture, delightful cuisine, classy boutiques and the exuberant character of its people blending in an irresistible combination.
Rome is one of Europe's treasures; a city so steeped in history its legacy is hard to avoid. The city resembles a vast open-air museum where the present persists on top of the past, as it has for more than two-and-a-half millennia. With so many monuments, museums and masterpieces to view, the decision on where to begin can be overwhelming. The Eternal City has more cultural attractions than the average visitor can hope to appreciate in one visit, with hundreds of galleries, churches, museums, palazzi, ruins, castles, and tombs. A little of Rome's faded grandeur may have been wiped away after the major renovations for the new Millenium, but the result is that Rome now looks better than it has for decades.
Touring classical Roman and Christian sites such as The Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill can be accomplished in a day as they are all concentrated in a relatively small area, but Rome is hardly a whistlestop tour destination as almost every palazzo, piazza and park has its own heritage, permeated with history, from Etruscan to Renaissance and more recently through cinema classics by film-makers such as Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica.
Other unmissable attractions include the Trevi Fountain (made famous by Anita Ekberg in a classic scene from 'La Dolce Vita') the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo, world-famous churches such as Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano and Il Gesu and of course the Vatican City, boasting the awesome St. Peter's Basilica and vastly opulent Vatican Museums. (open daily, except Sundays). One of Rome's best collections of ceiling frescoes is housed at Palazzo Barberini on the Quirinale.
At night, Rome's monuments take on an even more imposing aspect, seductively lit for an incomparable backdrop when dining al fresco in the city's famous piazzas, walking its romantic streets or stopping atop one of the city's famous hills. For an equally memorable experience, take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens, offering wonderful panoramas of the city.
There is also much to see below ground: Rome's collection of subterranean churches, burial grounds and grottos are renowned, the most famous being the Coliseum where archaeologists are still digging up gladiator and animal bones secreted below. Take a look beneath the Vatican City, Nero's Domus Aurea and the Basilica of San Clemente.
Appealing excursions from Rome include the baths and temples at Ostia - the ancient port of Rome - the ancient medieval town of Tivoli and the Roman castles (Castelli Romani) hilltowns south of the city.
Colosseo (Colosseum)
Piazza del Colosseo, 00184 Rome
Tel: +39 06 3996 7700
Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Rome
Scalla di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinitą dei Monti, 00187 Rome
Basilica di San Pietro (St Peter's Basilica)
Piazza San Pietro, 00193 Rome
Cittą del Vaticano (Vatican City)
Vatican Hill, 00120 Rome
Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel)
Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome
Tel: +39 06 6988 4947
Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museums)
Viale Vaticano, 00165 Rome
Tel: +39 06 6988 4947
Piazza Navona
Junction of Via della Cuccagna and Corsa Agonale
Via di Sant'Agnese, 00186 Rome
Foro Romano (Roman Forum)
Between the Capitol, the Imperial Forums, the Colosseum and the Palatine, Rome
Tel: +39 06 699 0110
Panteone (Pantheon)
Piazza della Rotunda, 00186 Rome
Tel: +39 06 6830 0230
Castel Sant'Angelo (Saint Angelo's Castle)
Lungotevere Castello 50, 00193 Rome
Tel: +39 06 687 5036
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano, 00152 Rome
Tel: +39 06 6988 6452
Santa Maria Maggiore
Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore, 00185 Rome
Tel: +39 06 446 5836
Museo e Galleria Borghese (Borghese Museum)
Piazza Scipione Borghese 5, off Via Pinciana, Rome
Tel: +39 06 854 8577
Terme di Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla)
Via delle Terme di Caracalla 52, Rome
Tel: +39 06 575 8626
Palazzo Barberini (National Gallery of Classic Art)
Via Barberini 18, Rome
Tel: +39 06 328 101
Keats-Shelley Memorial House
Piazza di Spagna, 26, Rome
Tel: +39 06 6784235
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