Basilica dei SS Cosma e Damiano
Ancient Rome
Backing onto the Roman Forum, this 6th-century basilica incorporates parts of the Foro di Vespasiano and Tempio di Romolo, visible at the end of the nave…
Must-see attractions in Rome
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
A wonderful spot to enjoy a glowing Roman sunset, this piazza, which is dominated by the imposing presidential palace of Palazzo del Quirinale, marks the…
Southern Rome
Discovered when excavating the grounds of a private villa to build a swimming pool, the remains of this Roman villa give a sense of how a gracious ancient…
Ancient Rome
Towering over the Foro di Traiano, Trajan's column (AD 113) is adorned with a microscopically-detailed spiral frieze illustrating the Romans' victorious…
Southern Rome
Among Rome’s largest and oldest, these wonderful catacombs stretch for about 17km. They were established on the private burial ground of Flavia Domitilla,…
Ancient Rome
Home to the emperor Augustus' wife Livia, the Casa was built around an atrium leading onto what were once reception rooms, decorated with frescoes of…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
High-rolling shoppers and window-dreamers take note: this is Rome’s smartest shopping strip. At the eastern end, near Piazza di Spagna, Caffè Greco was a…
Ancient Rome
The Casa di Augusto, Augustus’ private residence, boasts superb ceiling and wall frescoes. These are further enhanced by audio narrations and video…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Many of the vaunted viewpoints along Gianicolo (aka Janiculum) are obscured by trees, but this lesser known overlook at the north end has sweeping views…
Ancient Rome
One of the few obviously recognisable buildings on the Palatino, the sunken stadio (stadium) was probably used by the emperors for private games and…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Officially called the Parco Savello but known to every Roman as the Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden), this walled park is a romantic haven. Head down…
Southern Rome
Part of the Villa di Massenzio complex, this is Rome’s best-preserved ancient racetrack – you can still make out the starting stalls used for chariot…
Ancient Rome
On the Palatino, the 16th-century Orti Farnesiani is one of Europe's earliest botanical gardens. A viewing balcony at the garden's northern flank commands…
Ancient Rome
This panoramic lift will whisk you to the top of the Vittoriano for sweeping 360-degree views of the city from the Terrazza delle Quadrighe.
Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura
Southern Rome
The largest church in Rome after St Peter’s (and the world’s third-largest), this vast basilica stands on the site where St Paul was buried after being…
Basilica di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
One of Rome’s four patriarchal basilicas, San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls) has an unusually restrained interior. It was the only…
Chiesa di Santa Maria in Aracoeli
Ancient Rome
Atop the steep 124-step Aracoeli staircase, this 6th-century Romanesque church sits on the highest point of the Campidoglio. Its richly decorated interior…
Centro Storico
Designed by Bramante in 1508 as part of an urban development program ordered by Pope Julius II, Via Giulia is one of Rome's most charming streets, an…
Southern Rome
This Orwellian quarter of wide boulevards and linear buildings was built for an international exhibition in 1942, and although war intervened and the…
Rome
Designed by starchitect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2002, Rome's flagship cultural centre is an audacious work of architecture consisting of three…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Lorded over by the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphilj is Rome’s largest landscaped park – many a Roman's favourite place to escape the city noise and…
Ancient Rome
The forums of Trajan, Augustus, Nerva and Caesar are known collectively as the Imperial Forums. They were largely buried when Mussolini bulldozed Via dei…
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Trastevere’s focal square is a prime people-watching spot. By day it’s full of chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists; by night it’s the domain...
San Giovanni & Testaccio
With its grassy banks and colourful flower beds, this leafy park is a wonderful place to escape the crowds and enjoy a summer picnic. At its centre is a…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
The guided tours of this opulent palace are among the city's best, introducing visitors to the residence and art collection of the patrician Colonna…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
The city’s largest cemetery dates from the Napoleonic occupation of Rome (1804–14), when an edict ordered that the city’s dead must be buried outside...
Centro Storico
Towering over Piazza Colonna, the 30m-high Colonna di Marco Aurelio was completed in AD 193 to honour Marcus Aurelius’ military victories. Its vivid…
Centro Storico
The brainchild of Irish gallerist Lorcan O'Neill, this contemporary art gallery calls the former 17th-century stables of Palazzo Santacroce home. It…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Built after the barbarians’ invasion of Rome, the remarkably well-preserved Porta San Paolo once served as a southern gate in the 3rd-century Aurelian…
Centro Storico
For one of Rome’s most picture-perfect scenes, head to this dark archway just off Campo de’ Fiori. The arch in itself isn’t especially memorable...
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
The emperor Hadrian built the Ponte Sant’Angelo in 136 to provide an approach to his mausoleum, but it was Bernini who brought it to life, designing the…
Ancient Rome
Now incorporated into Palazzo Venezia, the early-4th-century Basilica di San Marco stands over the house where St Mark the Evangelist is said to have…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Stretched out on the slopes of the Aventine Hill, this idyllic garden boasts more than 1100 of the rarest roses, coaxed into life each spring by a team of…
Centro Storico
A stark contrast to the ancient and stoic city around it, Dorothy Circus Gallery is devoted entirely to pop surrealism, a punchy art movement that draws…
Ancient Rome
On the western side of the Colosseum, this monumental triple arch was built in AD 315 to celebrate the emperor Constantine's victory over his rival…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
In ancient times, this little park on the slopes of the Gianicolo (Gianicolo Hill) was believed to be a sanctuary dedicated to nymphs. It's equally…
Ancient Rome
Dedicated to the eponymous emperor and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, the 23m-high Arco di Settimio Severo was built in the Roman Forum in AD 203 to…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This house next to the Spanish Steps is where English poet John Keats died of tuberculosis aged only 25. Its bookshelf-lined rooms, practically unchanged…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Famous for its brilliant Byzantine mosaics, which have been preserved in their original state, this small 9th-century church is dedicated to St Praxedes,…
Ancient Rome
In the centre of Piazza del Campidoglio, this equestrian bronze statue is a copy of a 2nd-century sculpture in the Capitoline Museums.
