Introduction
Rome, capital city of Italy, 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 'centro storico' contains
the greatest concentration of Classical Roman and Christian sites
in a comparatively small area, but almost every palazzo, piazza
and park has its own heritage, permeated with history, from Etruscan
to Renaissance and more recently through cinema classics by filmmakers
such as Frederico Fellini and Vittorio de Sica.
Rome is halfway down Italy's western coast, about 20km (12mi)
inland. It's a vast city, but the historic centre is quite small.
Most of the major sights are within a reasonable distance of the
central railway station, Stazione Termini. It is, for instance,
possible to walk from the Colosseum, through the Forum, up to
Piazza di Spagna and across to the Vatican in one day, but you
wouldn't really want to. All the major monuments are west of the
train station, but make sure you use a map. While it can be enjoyable
to get off the beaten track in Rome, it can also be very frustrating
and time-consuming.
The Palatine Hill and the
Forum are the centre of ancient Rome. Via del Corso runs north
from the Forum to Piazza del Popolo, with the Spanish Steps and
the Trevi Fountain just to its east. The Vatican is northwest
of the Forum, across the River Tiber.
Most of the budget places
to stay are clustered around Stazione Termini; this area is rife
with pickpockets and gangs of thieving children, so beware - do
your best to look like you know where you're going (pretend you're
John Travolta strutting along to 'Staying Alive'). It is only
slightly more expensive and definitely more enjoyable to stay
closer to the city centre. Good-quality, reasonably priced meals
can be found in the trattorie around Piazza Navona and in Trastevere.
Fiumicino airport is about
26km (16mi) southwest of the city. Stazione Termini is just northeast
of the Palatine Hill and the Forum. The main bus station is just
outside Termini. |
| Rome
Italy Attraction Guide |
Forum
The commercial, political and religious centre of ancient Rome,
the Forum spreads along the valley floor between the Capitoline
and Palatine hills. It was constructed over about 900 years, with
Republican buildings sitting in juxtaposition with temples from
the Imperial era. The site's disrepair and disintegration into
pastureland mirrored the fall of the Roman Empire, and excavations
have been underway since the 18th century.
The Forum is entered from the piazza leading from the Colosseum
- that house of horrors cum marble quarry, also known as the Flavian
Amphitheatre. You immediately enter another world: the past. Columns
rise from grassy hillocks, and repositioned pediments and columns
aid the work of the imagination. Just some of the many must-sees
include the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Temple of Saturn, the
House of the Vestals, the Temple of Antoninus & Faustina and
the Arch of Titus.
From the Forum, you can climb the Palatino - where the wealthy
and powerful built their palaces and personal temples. A layer
of medieval churches and Renaissance gardens and villas transformed
the hilltop ruins into a magical, ivy- and agapanthus-covered
land of grottos and secret vistas. Look out for the House of Livia,
the Domus Augustana, the Palace of the Flavians and the ruins
of the Baths of Septimus Severus. You can look down on ruins of
the Circus Maximus, though not much remains of what was once a
chariot racetrack that held more than 200,000 spectators.
Random Roman Relics
Marcus Agrippa's Pantheon is one of the world's most sublime architectural
creations: a perfectly proportioned floating dome resting on an
elegant drum of columns and pediments. It was built in 27 BC,
and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 120 AD. The temple has been
consistently plundered and damaged over the years; it lost its
beautiful gilded bronze roof tiles in Pope Gregory III's time.
Look for the tombs of Raphael and Victor Emmanuel I. The Baths
of Caracalla are the best-preserved imperial baths in the city.
Covering 10 hectares, the baths could hold up to 1600 people and
featured shops, gardens, libraries and gym facilities.
The Appian Way, the more than two-millennia-old road that runs
all the way from Rome to Brindisi, is littered with monuments,
in particular the Circus of Maxentius, and Roman tombs, such as
the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. The route is also known for its catacombs
- tunnels carved into the volcanic rock that were the meeting
and burial places of Rome's persecuted early Christians. The atmospheric
tunnels are not for the claustrophobic, overweight or chronically
unfit.
Holy See
Not many religions actually own a country, but Catholicism isn't
just any religion, and the Holy See - or Vatican City - isn't
any ordinary country. Headed up by his holiness, the tiny enclave
in the heart of Rome is the administrative and spiritual capital
of Roman Catholicism, and the world's smallest independent state.
During the working week, the population increases fivefold as
residents of Rome cross the 'border' to do the Lord's work.
Despite its importance to the devout - there are an estimated
one billion Catholics worldwide - it's not all bells and smells
at the pope's house. Scandal and intrigue have accompanied the
office of the papacy for almost two millennia, and plenty of that
scandal occurred within the Vatican buildings. But even without
a dubious relationship with the Nazis, corruption and rumours
of Mafia murders, the Vatican would remain a spectacular destination
for history buffs, religious types and art-lovers alike. The Vatican
is probably per square foot the richest country in the world,
making up for their total lack of natural resources with an astonishing
collection of priceless art treasures.
Castel Sant' Angelo
Reached by one of the world's most beautiful bridges - Bernini's
billowing, angel-clad Pont Sant' Angelo - this strange, circular
tank of a building was originally constructed as the mausoleum
of Emperor Hadrian. It was converted into a papal fortress in
the 6th century, and is linked by underground passages to the
Vatican palaces. Several popes have felt the need to take advantage
of the secret routes in times of threat. The mausoleum is now
an interesting museum, and its evocative atmosphere is heightened
by the knowledge that it was from here that Puccini's Tosca plunged
to her death.
Christian Rome
Rome is full of very special churches. The Church of Santa Maria
Antiqua is the oldest church in the Forum, and the nearby Church
of San Pietro in Carcere is on the site of the Mammertime Prison,
where St Peter is believed to have been imprisoned and to have
created a miraculous stream of baptismal water. On the Aventine
Hill, a beautiful yet marginally less visited spot, the 5th-century
Church of Santa Sabina has lovely carved wooden doors. Santa Maria
Maggiore dates from the 5th century but has a baroque façade
and Romanesque bell tower. San Giovanni in Laterano is Rome's
cathedral and home to the preserved heads of Sts Peter & Paul.
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme dates from the 4th century but was
remodelled in the baroque style; it contains what are thought
to be fragments of the true cross. Santa Maria in Cosmedin is
one of the finest medieval churches in Rome and is also famous
for the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), an ancient
Triton mask set into an exterior wall. Legend has it that if you
put your right hand into the mouth while telling a lie, it will
snap shut. San Clemente defines just how stratified the city's
history is. The 12th-century church at street level was built
over a 4th-century church, which was in turn built over a Roman
house containing a temple to Mithras, and the foundations are
believed to date from the time of the Republic.
Capitoline Hill
Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio is the star attraction here.
Designed in 1538, the piazza is a classic of Renaissance town
planning. It's bordered by three palaces - the Palazzo dei Conservatori,
the Palazzo dei Senatori and the Palazzo Nuovo - and formerly
featured a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. The Conservatori
and Nuovo now house the Museo Capitolino, just bursting with classic
statues: Boy with Thorn ('in his side'), Dying Gaul and the Capitoline
Venus. The Capitoline overlooks the Forum, and it was from here
that ancient Rome was governed.
Piazzas & Hang-Outs
Rome's marvellous collection of piazzas make great resting places
on your walks around the city. Vast and beautiful, Piazza Navona
was laid out on the ruins of Domitian's stadium. It's lined with
baroque palaces and holds three fountains, including Bernini's
Fountain of the Rivers. In Renaissance times, the piazza was flooded
on festive occasions and used to stage mock naval battles. Perhaps
Rome's most popular spot to hang out and be pickpocketed or hassled
is the Piazza di Spagna, at the foot of the Spanish Steps. The
Keats-Shelley Memorial House is nearby, and the piazza is graced
by Bernini's boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain. Elegant Via Condotti
(shoppers' heaven) runs into the piazza, and Rome's oldest café,
Caffè Greco, can be found at No 86.
One of the most popular places to hang out
isn't a piazza but a fountain - the Trevi Fountain. It attracts
more tourist coins than any other fountain in Rome, due to the
clever rumour that a thrown coin will ensure your return to the
Eternal City. Piazza del Quirinale offers stunning views of Rome
and St Peter's, while the Piazza Venezia is overshadowed by 'the
Typewriter', otherwise known as the Victor Emmanuel Monument.
Piazza Barberini features the fantastic Triton Fountain. Via Veneto
was the place to be in the 1950s and '60s, when the truly astonishing
Swedish import Anita Ekberg personified La Dolce Vita. It's a
shadow of its former self today, but it still has fashionable
pretensions. It's also home to a bizarre attraction that is definitely
more morta than vita: the creatively decorated Santa Maria della
Concezione dei Capuccini, with rococo decorations and pyramidal
stacks created solely from the bones and skulls of the monks'
long-departed fellows. The Campo de' Fiori is a lively piazza
which is home to a daily (except Sunday) flower and vegetable
market. The magnificent Renaissance Farnese Palace is just off
the piazza. |
| Rome
Italy Transportation |
Rome Transportation
Getting to Rome
is easy. As well as the international airport, Rome has excellent
bus and train links with hundreds of destinations throughout Italy
and the rest of Europe
Arriving by Air
Italy's capital
city is served by Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport (FCO).
Getting Around Rome
The city centre
has an extensive public transport network. Although there are
only two metro lines, they are complemented by buses, trams and
a comprehensive urban and suburban train network. Rome's bus service
is operated by ATAC and COTRAL, with the ATAC buses generally
serving the city centre and most of the suburbs while COTRAL buses
service the outer suburbs and outlying regional areas. Both buses
and trams run between 6:00 am to midnight everyday and operate
every 10 to 45 minutes, depending on the route.
Rome - Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport
Rome Leonardo da
Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport (FCO) is located sixteen miles (twenty-six
kilometres) miles) southwest of Rome city center. A modern, busy
Airport, Rome Leonardo da Vinci served Italy's capital city with
both international and domestic flights.
Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino)
Airport has excellent passenger facilities within its three terminals.
These include a bureaux de change, numerous ATMs, bars, restaurants
and first-class shopping centers that include duty-free. Terminal
A also houses an Executive Center, providing a wide range of facilities
for the business traveler.
For those looking to hire
a car on arrival in Rome, there are many car rental companies
represented at Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport. Car
hire companies include Avis, Italy by Car, Europcar, Hertz, Maggiore
Budget and Sixt.
Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino)
Airport has good passenger car parking facilities. There are four
multi-storey car parks at FCO that are directly linked to the
terminals via pedestrian walkways. In addition, a long-term car
park is situated on the motorway running between Rome and Fiumicino.
A shuttle-bus service runs between the long-term car park and
Rome Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Airport every 15 minutes.
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