Rome Attractions Guide: Ancient Rome, Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Vatican

Spotlight

Rome

Attractions

The hardest part about visiting Rome is figuring out where to start. Unlike Paris, the Italian capital doesn't revolve around its river (in fact, you'll traverse the city and forget about the Tiber's existence). And since there is no organic center – and the historical center is massive – first-time visitors should have a comfortable (but stylish) set of walking shoes, a detailed (but discrete) map, and set out early.

While the best way to see Rome is undoubtedly by foot, Rome's subway system makes a viable secondary option. Consisting of two lines that intersect at the bustling Termini railway station, the metro is fast and affordable but, thanks to the layers of history lying beneath Rome itself (ruins from millennia past), it doesn't cross under some of the city's most tourist-trampled parts. Diminutive buses navigate the narrow lanes (buy tickets – 1€ – from the ubiquitous tobacco shops and then validate them aboard the bus, in the yellow boxes). Taxis are a reliable (and generally trustworthy) way of getting around; they're easiest to hail at taxi stands, which can be found under the blue TAXI signs at Largo Argentina, Piazza Venezia, Piazza San Silvestro, Termini Station, the Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, and other places around central Rome.

Helpful green tourist information kiosks, run by the city's tourist board, are sprinkled throughout Rome (Mon-Sat 9am-7pm; www.romaturismo.com) and are staffed by an English-speaking staff who'll gladly map out directions.

For private tours, Vatican Art Walks (from 45€; www.vaticanartwalks.com) not only specializes in the Vatican and art, but also the entire city, taking tourists through ancient, medieval, Renaissance, or contemporary Rome.

Ancient Rome
Rome has been on the grand tour for centuries, and everyone from artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and Brunoleschi to writers like D.H. Lawrence and Goethe have gravitated here to see the ruins of the Forum and what was considered the caput mundi (capital of the world); they'd return home, their notebooks loaded with sketches of antique buildings and their creative spirit newly inspired. Today, the ancient Forum is a fascinating field full of marble stumps and ancient palace outlines bound to give you a sense of the city's former glory.

The best place to start is on the Palatine Hill (Via di San Gregorio 30; 9am to 1hr before sunset; €10), once the place for Rome's wealthy and power wielding and crammed with antique ruins from millennia past. Admission grants you access to both the Palatine and the Colosseum. Tip: the ticket line is much shorter at the former. Below Palatine, the Foro Romano, or Roman Forum (Via dei Fori Imperiali; 9am-1 hour before sunset; free), with its ruined temples and half-standing columns is split by the busy Via dei Fori Imperiali, a street constructed by Mussolini to parade the glories of fascism. One side finds Trajan's Forum, where the amazing Trajan's Column tells the story of Rome's conquest of the Dacians (modern-day Romanians) with wrap-around comic book–like relief sculptures.

For one of the best views of Rome, climb the steps of the stark white Vittoriano (Piazza Venezia; daily 9.30am-4.30pm, 5.30 in summer; free), an early-20th-century monument to Italy's first king which tries to evoke ancient city architecture, though most locals consider it an eyesore. Next door, the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) was home to important temples in ancient times and is one of the most important of the city's seven famed hills. It got a serious makeover in the 1530s when Michelangelo was given the task of redesigning it – the small square at the top boasts perfect Renaissance proportions and harmony, as well as a great view of the city. For lovers of ancient sculpture, the twin palaces located at the top of the Compidoglio, known collectively as Musei Capitolini (Piazza del Campidoglio 1; Tues-Sun 9am-8pm; 06/8205-9127; €6.50; www.museicapitolini.org), house one of the world's greatest collection of ancient sculpture as well as works from the Baroque master, Bernini.

Michelangelo fans will want to head up the busy avenue Via Cavour and take a right up the first stairway after Via degli Annibaldi and find San Pietro in Vincoli (Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli 4A; daily 7.30am-noon, 3.30-6pm; free) where some come to venerate the chains that supposedly once held St. Peter. Art lovers, however, come to gawk at Michelangelo's monumental sculpture of Moses that was meant to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius II; the pope's untimely death prevented its completion.

Campo de' Fiori and the Ghetto
From Piazza Venezia, (the busy roundabout/square in front of the Vittoriano monument), walk toward the Tiber River (or left if you were facing the square from Capitoline Hill) to find one of Rome's quietest but most alluring neighborhoods: the Ghetto. The small Jewish community living here – for over 2000 years – is one of Europe's oldest, and their neighborhood is a mishmash of colossal ruins, winding medieval lanes, a few Jewish sites, and the occasional Catholic church. Besides a stroll through the area's atmospheric streets, one of the main attractions in the Museo d'Arte Ebraica (Lungotevere Cenci; 06/0668-75051; €4), which exhibits everything from Torah mantles to Papal decrees that excluded Jews from taking part in normal Roman life.

Head north across the Via Arenula and you'll enter the area referred to as Campo de' Fiori, a favored spot for café lounging and, along the Via dei Giubbonari, great shopping. But tourists flock to the neighborhood to visit the square, Piazza di Campo de' Fiori, an intimate public space that's home to a famous morning fruit and vegetable market (Mon-Sat 6am-2pm). The ominous-looking statue in the center of the square is but Giordano Bruno, a 16th-century religious reformer who got on the Church's bad side and was consequently burned in the square. When Italy finally unified in 1860 (much to the Church's protest), the Italian government thumbed their nose at the Church by erecting this sculpture of Bruno.

Next to the Piazza di Campo de' Fiori is Piazza Farnese, a quieter square that's dotted by fountains and dominated by the massive Farnese Palace. The palazzo is now the home of the French embassy (and closed the public) but architecture buffs can gawk at the palace's cornice and balcony, designed by Michelangelo.

Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain
Step across the highly trafficked Corso Vittorio Emanuelle II to loiter in the racetrack-shaped Piazza Navona, used in ancient Roman times as an athletic stadium and today as one of the world's great public spaces. The square is one of the most fashionable places to dine or sip wine and is also a must-see for fans of the Baroque sculptor Bernini, whose 17th-century masterpiece, Fontana dei Quattro Fuimi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) spits water in the center.

Just behind Piazza Navona, the Church of Luigi dei Francesi (Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi; daily 8am-12:30pm, 3:30-7pm; free) boasts a terrific baroque interior, but that's not the main reason to stop inside: Paintings by Caravaggio, that famous 17th-century hothead, grace the walls of the fifth chapel to the left of the altar; his depictions of the life of St. Matthew are among his best paintings in Rome.

Moving east from the square, navigate the maze of streets until you come upon the 1900-year-old Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda; Mon-Sat 9am-7.30pm, Sun 9am-5:30pm; free), the best-preserved building from ancient Rome. The bronze that once graced the exterior was removed by Pope Urban VIII to make the famous Baldacchino in St. Peter's, but the structure of the building still remains. Inside, the fabulous rotunda will amaze even the most hardened traveler, with its huge dome and thick round pillars acting as a facade. The walls are loaded with the tombs of famous Italians, such as the artist Raphael and Italy's first king, Vittorio Emmanuelle II.

Art enthusiasts may be disappointed that Rome doesn't have a Louvre or Uffizi to allow visitors one-stop art gawking, but there is much art to be enjoyed just the same. The city makes you work for it, but you will be well-rewarded for crisscrossing the city, stopping into various galleries that dot the landscape. One of the best art institutions is the Galleria Doria Pamphili (Piazza del Collegio Romano 2; Fri-Wed 10am-5pm; 06/679-7323; €8; www.doriapamphilj.it) east of the Pantheon, near the Via del Corso. The museum could rival the Galleria Borghese and even the Vatican Museum (see below for both) for its collection of works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Velazquez, Titian, Raphael, and Breugel, among others.

Across the Via del Corso, one of the city's best places to stroll and shop (see Where to Shop), is the monumental Trevi Fountain (Piazza di Trevi). Nicolo Salvi's waterworks masterpiece was already an obligatory stop on the Roman tour circuit, but it didn't hurt the fountain's popularity when Anita Ekberg splashed around in it in the Fellini film La Dolce Vita. Throwing a coin into the fountain supposedly assures your return to Rome (and gives money to the Red Cross at the same time). For a change of pace, the Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari (Piazza Scanderbeg 117; daily 9.30am-5.30pm; 06/699-1120; €10; www.pastainmuseum.it) just around the corner is dedicated to all things pasta – certainly one of the best places in town to work up an appetite.

From the Trevi Fountain, gravitate north-east to find one of Rome's most popular attractions, the Spanish Steps. Crowds of people lounge on the 138 steps day and night, people watching with gelato (ice cream) in hand. The baroque church Trinita dei Monti crowns the steps while the Bernini fountain Barcaccia spurts water at the bottom.

The Vatican
Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, or Agnostic, it's impossible to be in Rome without paying a visit to the Vatican. A few facts about the place: it's one of the smallest independent nations in the world, occupying less than half a square kilometer; it has a population of 900; and it even has its own postal service. You might not see its most famous resident, the Pope, hanging out in St. Peter's Square, but you will see plenty of priests, bishops, monks, and nuns striding down the streets and squares of Vatican City. To share a room with the head of the Catholic church during your visit, call 06/698-83017 and reserve a spot at his regular Wednesday morning mass.

One reason the Vatican is an obligatory stop for tourists, of course, is because the Vatican Museum (Viale del Vaticano; Mar-Oct Mon-Fri 8.45am-3.20pm, Sat 8.45am-1.20pm, Nov-Feb Mon-Sat 8.45am-12.20pm; 06/6988-3333; €12; www.vatican.va) boasts one of the world's best art collections, including the famed Raphael Rooms and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the latter of which will certainly be a highlight of your trip. Spend some time staring up at the ceiling of the latter (while vying for a space on the benches that line the room) and be sure to study The Last Judgement, Michelangelo's later work on the far wall; you'll find his style had changed and his figures more grotesque and abstract. Tip: To avoid waiting in line in the summer, come after lunch, when you can usually walk right in.

Other parts of the Vatican are equally worthwhile, like beautiful Piazza San Pieto, with its two massive colonnades flanking St. Peter's Basilica (Piazza San Pieto; Apr-Sept 7am-7pm, Oct-Mar 7am-6pm; 06/6988-5435; www.stpetersbasilica.org; free); step inside the basilica for a peek at Michelangelo's Pieta (just inside the door to your right) and climb to the top of the dome (€6) for a spectacular view of the city. With some advance planning, you can also benefit from an exhilarating underground adventure in the Scavi (Piazza San Pietro; reservations must be made at least 25 days in advance at 06/6988-5318; €10; scavi@fsp.va), the excavated necropolis that lies underneath St. Peter's. Guided tours (in English) take groups through what once was an above-ground cemetery, complete with ancient tombs, sculptures, and cobbled streets. The tour culminates with a look at the alleged bones of St. Peter, who was crucified and buried here on what was known as Vatican Hill.

With all the action and attractions at the Vatican itself, it's easy to overlook one of Rome's best sights: the Castel Sant' Angelo (Lungotevere Castello 50; Tues-Sun 9am-8pm; 06/3996-7600; €5), towering over the riverside in front of the Vatican. This "castle" was begun by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 A.D. as his own mausoleum, and later, for short period of times when the pope felt he needed the extra security of a fortress, a papal residence. Many people come for the great views over Vatican City, but be sure to have a look at the Renaissance-era art inside as well.

Further Afield
Roman roads were a vast network of highways, stretching from England to Egypt and from Spain to the Black Sea – the reason behind the saying "all roads lead to Rome." Made of black basalt stone, the roads were built to withstand marauding armies, weather, and, most of all, time.

The mother of all Roman roads was the Appian Way, Rome's first great road – built in the 4th century B.C. – stretching from the capital to Brindisi in southern Italy. From just outside Rome's Porta San Sebastiano (take the Metro to San Giovanni in Laterano and then walk south), the road begins. Just after the gate, you'll find an information office – the Centro Visite Parco Appia Antica (Via Appia Antica 42; Mon-Fri 9.30am-1pm, 2.30-5pm; 06/512-6314; www.parcoappiaantica.org). At first pedestrians share the road with cars, but the further you go, the more tranquil it becomes. Soon, you'll be strolling in what seems to be a country road, passing huge villas, half-standing ancient ruins, and the catacombs of the early Christians. The Catacombs of Domitilla (Via delle Sette Chiese 283; Wed-Mon 8.30am-12pm, 2.30-5pm; 06/511-0342; €5; www.catacombe.domitilla.it) and the others along way are where the early Christians worshipped in secret (and where some of the very first Christian relics were eventually dug up) are a testament to the tenacity of faith.

Another one of Rome's best out-of-the-center sights is the Galleria Borghese (Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5; Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; 06/32-810; www.galleriaborghese.it), up the hill from Piazza del Popolo. The collection dates back to 1608 and includes works by Caravaggio, Bernini, and Raphael, plus several pieces of classical sculpture; advanced bookings are highly recommended. The museum is surrounded by one of the city's biggest city parks – the Borghese Gardens – and is a tranquil retreat from the chaos of Rome. The leafy grounds are well manicured and dotted with umbrella pines, and the park has been recently wired for internet access.