Rome Attractions Guide

The Eternal City is, without doubt, a paradise for any tourist. With every step you take or corner you turn you find monuments, churches, fountains, squares and gardens… Just go with the flow! In this article, we will provide you with some hints about Rome’s areas worth visiting and all the things to do.

TRASTEVERE:
Known as “the most roman” neighbourhood of the city, Trastevere has maintained the typical atmosphere of the last Century. Nevertheless, at night, this quarter turns out to be one of the most lively areas in Rome, thanks to all its restaurants, trattorie, pubs and discos, nestled in picturesque streets and alleys.
The most active area is near Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, whose church was built in 220 A.D. In the vicinity is the famous Galleria Corsini, which exhibits mostly Italian painting collections, whose authors include Guido Reni, Luca Giordano or Canaletto. From this square/piazza, going ahead through Vicolo dei Cinque, you can reach Piazza Trilussa, dedicated to the famous Roman poet Carlo Alberto Salustri and gathering point for young Roman people.

For an accommodation in the neighbourhood of Trastevere, see our apartments in Rome Trastevere.

HISTORICAL CENTRE:
Every church, street and square of the historical centre can tell you something about the Roman history. Here is a little summary of the most important tourist attractions in Rome:

• The Pantheon:
  Circular temple built at the beginning of the Roman Empire, in honour of all gods. The original idea has to be attributed to the Roman general and politician Agrippa (63 B.C.-12 A.D.), who in the year 27 B.C. decided to build this monument. A century and a half later, because of a series of fires, it was rebuilt upon request of Adriano. The Pantheon is an exceptional case in the religious Roman architecture, which has always been based on the Hellenic model, with rectangular plant. The Pantheon, on the contrary, has a circular plant and many characteristics of the Roman civil architecture.
• Piazza Navona:
  It is one of the most gorgeous and characteristic squares of Rome. Its oval shape and its large size (275mx106m) reminds its original function: it was a stadium for Olympic games built by the Emperor Domiziano in 86 A.D. The Moor Fountain, the Four Rivers Fountain by Gianlorenzo Bernini and the Neptune Fountain decorate the centre of this square, surrounded by the Churches of Saint Agnes in Agone and Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore.
• Piazza di Spagna:
  Epicentre of the smartest and most exclusive area of the historical centre, Piazza di Spagna has always been a gathering point, not only for the inhabitants of Rome, but also for tourists and foreign artists, who, in the past, were used to quarter at the hotels and the hostels placed in the surrounding streets and alleys. Its famous staircase, designed in 1700 by Francesco De Sanctis, solved in a very functional and spectacular way the thorny problem of connection of the square, for a long time controlled by the Spanish, whose embassy was placed there, with the “French area”, in the upper part, dominated by the Renaissance church called Trinità dei Monti.
• Piazza del Popolo:
  It is an immense oval square dominated by an Egyptian obelisk, situated among the twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto, the river Pincio (a nice staircase gives access to a viewpoint overlooking the square) and the church of Santa Maria del Popolo.
• Trevi Fountain:
  According to tradition, if you throw a coin into the water of this fountain, you will come back to Rome. It was completed in the 18th Century after the project of Nicola Salvi. In its centre, two newts watch the horse, which pull Neptune’s coach, symbolising the change of mood of the ocean. The low reliefs placed above evoke the legend, according to whom a young girl indicates some thirsty soldiers the spring of the Acqua Virgo, aqueduct which still provides the fountain with water.

For an accommodation in Rome, see our apartments in Rome historical centre.

THE VATICAN:
Anyone visiting Rome must visit the Vatican. Established in 1929, it appears as a fortified little town, due to Leone IV, who decided to palisade this independent State, with the exception of the extreme Eastern part, where the breach of St. Peter’s square delimits the border of Rome.
This square extends in front of the magnificent St. Peters Basilica, most famous artists of Italian Baroque, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Four rows of columns create an amazing set design surrounding the Obelisk, placed in the middle of the square. In the past, the Obelisk decorated Caligola’s Circus, where it is said that St. Peters was martyred and crucified.

For an accommodation in Rome, see our apartments in Rome Vatican.

COLISEUM AND ROMAN FORUM AREA:
This area coincides with the antique centre of the roman public life. For the lovers of archaeology, it represents doubtless an heaven on earth, as it is for the lovers of art.

• The Coliseum:
  It’s the vulgar name of the old Anfiteatro Flavio, built in the 1st Century for the Emperors of the Flavian dynasty. In this place gladiators fought one against the other, and the capability of hosting 50.000 spectators made it the biggest amphitheatre of the Antique Rome.
• The Roman Forum:
  Commercial, religious and judicial centre of the Antique Rome, it constituted the central area around whom the city developed. Nowadays it is famous for its ruins, which clearly show how the spaces were exploited during the Roman Empire. The Roman Forum includes, among the others, the Temples of Jupiter and Romolo.

For an accommodation in Rome, see our apartments in Rome Coliseum.

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