Rome - Sights and attractions

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Rome, the 'Eternal City', is the capital of Italy and of the Lazio (Latium) region. It's the famed city of the Seven Hills, La Dolce Vita, the Vatican City and Three Coins in the Fountain.

Top 10 things to do in Rome!

Here you'll find various famous landmarks and attractions of Rome. You can find all kind of interesting facts and information about some of the city's most remarkable landmarks.

The Colosseum

A very famous Italian landmark is the Colosseum in Rome. It was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre after its builders, the emperors Vespasian and Titus, both of the Flavian family. Construction began around 70 BC in a low lying area between the Palatine, Esquiline, and Caelian Hills that had once formed the pond of Nero's Domus Aureus. The amphitheatre probably came to be called the "Coliseum" because a colossal statue of Nero once stood near it. Its opening was celebrated with 100 days of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

Vatican City

Situated within the city of Rome in Italy, the Vatican is the world's smallest state. Vatican city is the center of Catholicism, and encompassing the Vatican City state, as well as the surrounding Roman neighborhoods of the Vaticano, Prati, and Monte Mario, this small slice of the city is packed with more history and artwork than most cities in the world. Officially, there are about 800 citizens making it the smallest nation in demographic size on the globe. The Vatican even fields a soccer team composed of the Swiss Guard who hold dual citizenship. Read more...

The Pantheon

This ancient temple is celebrated for its large dome, was as a temple to all the gods of the Roman state religion. It has a giant oculus forever open to the sky.

Galleria Borghese

Also known as the "queen of all private collections in the world", the art collection housed by the Galleria Borghese, started by Cardinal Scipione in the seventeenth century, exhibitsmasterpieces fromTitian, Bernini, Correggio and Canova. A lovely display in a beautiful villa setting, which concentrates on the quality rather than the size of its collection. It also houses some of Caravaggio paintings, well worth the admission charge.

Roman Forum

The Forum is much less crowded than the Colosseum and, from a historical perspective, much more interesting. Its humble beginning, more than 3,000 years ago, was as a swampy cemetery for the original village on Palatine Hill. Now you'll see only ruins and fragments, an arch or two, and lots of overturned boulders.

St. Peter's Basilica

The centre of the Catholic world, this magnificent basilica with its Michelangelo designed dome has an awe-inspiring interior. This place is huge, but everything is in such proportion that the scale escapes you. The present basilica, mostly completed in the 1500s and 1600s, is predominantly High Renaissance and baroque. Inside, the massive scale showcases some of Italy's greatest artists: Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Maderno.

Capitoline Museum

This Museum was built in the 17th century, based on an architectural sketch by Michelangelo. Highlights include the ancient Colossus of Constantine statue, The Dying Gaul, a magnificent marble sculpture that copies a bronze Greek original of the 3rd century BC and the Capitoline Venus. It also contains the remarkable original gilt bronze equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Museo Nazionale Romano

On the site of the Roman baths this museum houses an enormous collection of statues, etc. 7 euros gives admission to all four of Rome's National Museums, including Palazzo Massimo

Ostia Antica

Originally a colony of Rome, Ostia grew to become the major port of the city. It was situated on the mouth of the Tiber. The town's growth started in the late Republic, but expanded rapidly under the Emperors Claudius and Trajan.

Catacombs of St. Domitilla

The Catacombs of Domitilla are considered to be the best preserved of all Roman catacombs. This is the only catacomb where you'll still see bones.