Overview to Rome: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Rome Information
- Eating & drinking in Rome
- Night life in Rome
- Getting around in Rome
- Things to do in Rome
- Where to stay in Rome
- Rome street map
Rome is like a vast living, breathing museum; around every corner there’s another breathtaking piece of ancient architecture, beautiful church or sleepy piazza to stumble across and lose yourself in.
It’s hard to think of Rome without picturing the Colosseum, the city’s enormous - and enormously iconic - amphitheater. To the south of the city center, it stands, as it has for the last 2000 years or so, as one of the world's most breathtaking monuments.
Like the nearby Forum, it looms over the city, silent and brooding, as a symbol of the power and might of the Roman Empire. Over on the leafy slopes of the Palatine Hill, meanwhile, other Roman remains - including government buildings, temples and the Imperial palaces - lie in evocative ruins.
And the themes of history and power continue in the form of the city’s other great empire: the Catholic Church. Its presence can be seen in the churches, convents and monasteries that feature in almost every piazza across the length and breadth of the city.
It’s hard not to be stunned, though, by the peculiar spiritual and aesthetic intensity felt within the walls of the Vatican City. St Peter's Basilica would be noteworthy for its sheer size alone, while Michelangelo‘s Sistine Chapel, is simply dazzling.
But aside from the numerous sights, the more day-to-day aspects of life in the city are a romantic’s dream. Finding a café in the shade of a quiet piazza on a hot afternoon and watching the city go about its business is, in many ways, just as interesting.
Rome is also as much a city of markets as of monuments: scruffy flea markets (Sundays on Porta Portese), food and flower markets (Campo de Fiori) and book markets (Mercato delle Stampe) compete with countless others on a daily basis.
Around the Via del Corso, meanwhile, there are elegant boulevards and smart shopping districts full of fashionable boutiques. There are also some excellent parks to the north of the city, such as the Pincio Gardens and the nearby Villa Borghese.
For a truly unforgettable way to end a day in this most delightful of cities, head for the Spanish Steps. The sight of the sun setting in a riot of color over the city, and the majestic churches lighting up in the mounting gloom around you, is absolutely spectacular.
