Rome Travel Guide

The eternal city of Rome, constructed of ruins and in whose name the Caesars sought to claim the world, opens for the visitor as a living museum. The centuries peel back with each new vista in this great city of gladiators, lunatic drivers and well-rounded pasta posteriors. Vespas, nippy little Fiats and red sports cars speed past trendy sidewalk bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. The chillingly stark facades of the Stadio Olimpico complex bring back Mussolini’s attempts to reinvent the architecture of the Caesars.

For a taste of the Baroque, visitors need only climb the famous Spanish Steps, walk through the Piazza Navona or toss a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Renaissance splendour is perhaps best revealed in the Pope’s residence, the Vatican Palace, or in Michelangelo’s efforts on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. From early Christian Basilicas to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the sequence of history trails back to the height of the Roman Empire.

It may sound like a city of contrasts, but Rome’s timeless magic lies in its ability to blend the old with the new. Empires have risen and fallen, old gods have been replaced with new ones, but Rome remains.

Getting Around

The historic centre of Rome is compact and manageable on foot and most of it is closed to normal traffic. Driving in Rome is an experience to be avoided so if arriving by car it’s best park it and use public transport to get around. The network of buses, trams, metro and trains covers the whole city from 5.30am to midnight (metro to 11.30pm) and night buses take over until about 5am covering the main routes. The metro only has two lines, but is the easiest and fastest way to get around and is convenient for several attractions. The bus service is cheap and reliable, albeit slow due to traffic congestion. Tickets cover all forms of transport and must be pre-purchased and validated at the start of every journey; they are valid for unlimited bus and tram rides and one metro or train ride within 75 minutes. Day and week passes are also available. Taxis are notoriously expensive and display a list of surcharges; they are difficult to find on the streets or even at taxi stands and are best ordered by the hotel concierge or at restaurants, but remember that the meter gets switched on immediately so the time it takes to arrive is added to the bill. If picking one up on the street use only the official yellow and white taxis, make sure the meter is on and have small change handy.

Attractions

Capitoline Hill:

Capitoline Hill was the original capitol of the ancient city and continues to serve as the seat of the city’s government. The main feature of the area is Michelangelo’s Piazza del Campidoglio, a testimony to the superiority of Renaissance town planning. The piazza is bordered by three palaces: the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the twin structures of the Palazzo dei Senatori and Palazzo Nuovo which house the Musei Capitolini, containing the largest collection of classical statues in the world. Among the notable statues found here are the Dying Gaul and the Satyr, the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus and Remus and the Spinario. Paths cut along the side of the hill from the Campidoglio giving way to panoramic views of the ancient sites of the Forum and Colosseum.

  Opening Time: Museums open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 8pm Admission: €6.20

Pantheon:

The stately Pantheon is one of the world’s most inspiring architectural designs. Fittingly built as a temple to the Gods by Hadrian in 120AD, its perfectly proportioned floating dome rests seductively on sturdy marble columns. The only light source flowing through the central oculus was used by the Romans to measure time (with the aid of a sundial) and the dates of equinoxes and solstices. The south transept houses the Carafa Chapel and the tomb of Fra Angelico rests under the left side of the altar.

 Address: Piazza della Rotonda Telephone: (06) 6830 0230 Opening Time: Monday to Saturday between 8.30am and 7.30pm and Sunday from 9am to 6pm Admission: Free

Roman Forum (Foro Romano):

The site of ancient Rome’s commercial, political and religious centre retires in the valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills. The Forum’s main thoroughfare, Via Sacra, slices through the old market square and former civic centre. To make sense of the ruins and relics of the old Republic it is helpful to consult a map of the area. Some of the best preserved and most notable monuments include the impressive Arch of Septimus Severus - a construction designed to celebrate Roman victory over the Parthinians - and the former atrium of the House of the Vestal Virgins and Temple of Vesta. Also of note are the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, and the Arch of Titus, built to celebrate Titus’ destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. To the right of the arch are stairs snaking up the Palatine hill through a series of terraces to the Farnese gardens. The scented avenue festooned with roses and orange trees gives way to a vista over the Forum.

 Address: Via dei Fori Imperiali Telephone: (06) 3996 7700 Opening Time: Daily 9am to 7.30pm (April to September) and 9am to 4.30pm (October to March) Admission: Free

St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro):

The Basilica lies above the reputed site of St. Peter’s tomb. It is an overwhelming interior containing notable sculptures including Michelangelo’s Pieta, which is protected by bullet-proof glass since the damaging attack on it in 1972. In the central aisle stands Arnolfo da Cambio’s bronze statue of St Peter, its foot worn down by the constant flow of pilgrims’ kisses. Proudly resting above the papal altar is Bernini’s Throne of St Peter. The Vatican Grottoes, containing papal tombs, can be reached by steps from the statue of St Longinus. The Necropolis is located one level below the grottoes. This is the legendary site of St Peter’s tomb and advance permission has to be obtained to view it.

 Address: Piazza San Pietro Telephone: (06) 6988 1662 Website: www.stpetersbasilica.org Transport: Metro Ottaviano or bus to Piazza del Risorgimento Opening Time: Daily between 7am and 7pm (April to September) and 7am to 6pm (October to March). Dome: 8am to 6pm (until 5pm in winter). Necropolis: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Admission: Free. Dome: €4 (€5 with lift); Necropolis: €10

The Colosseum:

This enduring symbol of ancient Rome tenaciously clings to its foundations as the site of former gladiatorial conquests. Its architecture boasts an impressive array of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns and an underground network of cells, corridors, ramps and elevators that were used to transport animals from their cages to the arena. The magnificence of the original structure has been eroded through the years of pillaging and earthquakes so that only a skeletal framework remains.

 Address: Piazza del Colosseo Telephone: (06) 700 4261 Transport: B line metro to Colosseo station; bus 60, 75, 85, 87, 175, 810 or 850; electric minibus 117; tram 3 or 8 Opening Time: 9am to 7.30pm (April to August), 9am to 7pm (September), 9am to 6.30pm (October), 9am to 4.30pm (November to 15 February), 9am to 5pm (16 February to 15 March), 9am to 5.30pm (16 March to end March) Admission: €8

The Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums:

The Sistine Chapel’s famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo looms above the frescoes on the side walls that were painted by an illustrious team of artists that included Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Roselli, Pinturicchio, Signorelli and della Gatta. The altar wall is covered by Michelangelo’s Last Supper, revealing the figure of Christ hovering above centre and flanked by Mary and other saintly figures. The Vatican Museums provide an inspiring visit to one of the world’s greatest collections of art. The galleries stretch over four miles (6km) and include the magnificent Raphael rooms, the Etruscan Museum and the Pio-Clementino Museum, which boasts the world’s largest collection of Classical statues.

 Address: Viale Vaticano Telephone: (06) 6988 4947 Email: musei@scv.va Website: www.vatican.va Transport: Metro to Musei Vaticani or Ottaviano station; tram 19 or bus 32, 81 or 98 to Piazza del Risorgimento Opening Time: Monday to Friday 8.45am to 4.45pm, Saturday 8.45am to 1.45pm (8 March to 29 October and 27 December to 6 January); daily 8.45am to 1.45pm, last entry at 12.20pm (7 January to 6 March and 2 November to 24 December) Admission: €12, concessions €8. Free on the last Sunday of every month

The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna:

The graceful steps built in 1725, elegantly curve their way from the Piazza di Spagna to the Church of Santa Trinit dei Monti, a pastel tinted neoclassical building. The shopper’s paradise of Via Condotti leads back from the Spanish steps to Via del Corso, and during spring the steps are decorated with pink azaleas. At the foot of the steps lies Bernini’s boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain and to the right is the unassuming Keats-Shelley Memorial House.

  Transport: Take Metro Linea A to the Spagna stop; bus 60 and 492 to Piazza Barberini or 117 to Piazza di Spagna

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi):

The tiny Piazza di Trevi has been immortalised through this fountain built for Pope Clement XII. The statues adorning this watery display represent Abundance, Agrippa, Salubrity, the Virgin and Neptune guided by two tritons. Tossing a coin into the fountain is supposed to guarantee a return trip to Rome.

  Transport: Take the bus to Piazza San Silvestro

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