Step by step we apporoached to the most thrilling part of this guide – places of interest:
Main Tourist Attractions
Fontana di Trevi
Piazza di Trevi
A superb wall of gods and goddesses and falling water set in the heart of three tiny streets, Trevi is a thing of joy to behold. Nicola Salvi's splendidly theatrical design for the Eternal City's largest and most famous fountain is relatively new by Roman standards, completed only in 1762 and inspired by Roman triumphal arches. This romantic icon has been the star of many films set in Rome like Three Coins in the Fountain, Roman Holiday, and La Dolce Vita. There is still the wishful tradition that travelers who throw a coin into the fountain before leaving Rome will return to Rome (the money is collected periodically and donated to the Italian Red Cross). The fountain was restored for the first time from 1989 to 1991.
Il Gelato di San Crispino
Via Acaia 56
+39 6-704-504-12
Gelato, like coffee, is one of the sublime pleasures of Roman life. And this magic shop, the essence of simplicity with only a counter and a place to stand, has been the indisputable king of this supreme dessert. Service is by number and everyone happily waits. The shop's signature flavor, gelato di San Crispino, is a form of crema, the basic white Italian ice cream, but with the inspired addition of honey from their own bees. The yummy zabaglione looks like fresh eggs and tastes like a Marsala wine (twenty-year-old reserve), both of which it contains. Their scotch flavor uses an eighteen-year-old single malt. Every flavor is made from scratch, and around 15 to 20 are offered at a time.
Sistine Chapel
Viale Vaticano
+39 6-698-833-33
In 1508, Michelangelo began work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in the Vatican Palace. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is entirely covered by his sublime frescoes. Commissioned by Pope Julius II to fresco the more than the 10,000 square feet of the ceiling, Michelangelo very reluctantly agreed and then took about four tortuous years to complete this resplendent masterpiece, between 1508 and 1512. The design combines Old and New Testament figures, as well as themes from pagan prophecy and Church history. The frescos were restored from 1980 to 1994. You may have an easier time viewing the Sistine Chapel if you bring along a pair of binoculars as well as a pocket mirror. Also, remember the dress code, which is strictly enforced: no shorts, mini-skirts, or bare shoulders allowed.
Terme di Caracalla
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
+39 6-575-8626
The dramatic ruins of ancient Rome's most luxurious and beautiful public baths, the Baths of Caracalla, suggests their past grandeur. This is the best preserved and most splendid of the Imperial Roman baths in the city. The massive brick-built baths are an architectural masterpiece. Their complex design included huge vaulted rooms, domed octagons, porticoes, as well an intricate heating system and hydraulic plant beneath ground level. Inaugurated by Caracalla in 217, the baths were used until the 6th century. An ancient equivalent of a very posh athletic club, the baths were open to all, although men and women used them separately and bathed in the nude. Roman citizens bathed, socialized, and worked out in vast pools and lavishly decorated halls and libraries.
Historic Attractions
Capitoline Hill
The Capitoline Hill is the smallest but most famous of the seven hills of Rome. Already inhabited in the Bronze Age, it was the political and religious center of ancient Rome, and since the end of the 11th century has been the seat of the civic government of the city. On its southern summit stood the Temple of Jupiter (remains of which still exist), the single most venerated temple in Rome. Today's city council meets in the Renaissance loveliness of Palazzo Senatorio. Rome's position as a modern capital is seen in the colossal Victor Emmanuel Monument, or "Wedding Cake," which obstructs the view of the Capitol from Piazza Venezia. The Wedding Cake is a white marble monument dedicated to Italy's first king and was completed in 1911. The present arrangement of the peach-and honey-colored Capitol buildings on the hill dates from the 16th century, when Michelangelo created a beautiful piazza reached by a dramatic stepped ramp, the Cordonata. At the top is Piazza Del Campidoglio, sumptuously designed by Michelangelo to give grandeur to the center of Rome. A third building, Palazzo Nuovo, was also designed by Michelangelo. In 1734, Pope Clement XII Corsini decreed that the building be turned into the world's first public museum. The Palazzo dei Conservatori is rich with sculpture, and the art galleries on the second floor hold works by Veronese, Guercino, Tintoretto, Rubins, Caravaggio, Van Dyke, and Titian.
Forum
This huge conglomeration of temples, basilicas, porticoes, and public squares was constructed by the emperors of the first and second centuries A.D., partly as a result of increasing congestion of buildings as well as overcrowding in the Roman Forum. The purpose of this expansion north was the same as that of the Forum: to serve as a judicial, religious, and commercial center. Julius Caesar was the first to expand the city center and built his Forum during the decade before his death in 44 B.C. In it he placed the Temple of Venus Genetrix in honor of the victory of Pharsalus (48 B.C.). His example was followed by his successors, most of whom erected temples in memory of some outstanding event in Roman history for which they took credit.
Forum of Trajan
Mercati Traianei, Via IV Novembre
+39 6-6710-3613
In front of the churches the Forum of Trajan, built between A.D. 107 and A.D. 113, is the last and most splendid of the Imperial Fora. In the center was an equestrian statue of Trajan. Adjoining on the west, were the Greek and Latin libraries with Trajan's Column between them, and, still farther west, beneath the area of two churches, the Temple of Trajan. Trajan's Column, almost perfectly preserved, is generally considered to be the masterpiece of Roman sculptural art and was carefully restored in 1980-88. It was dedicated to Trajan by Hadrian in memory of his conquest of the Dacians, the inhabitants of what is now Romania. The Torre delle Milizie, behind the Markets of Trajan, is a massive brick-built tower, a rather conspicuous feature against the skyline of Rome, and one of the most important civic medieval buildings to have survived in the city. In 1312, the emperor Henry VII stayed here. A passageway leads towards Trajan's Column, in front of which are the extensive remains of the Basilica Ulpia, dedicated to the administration of justice, and the largest in Rome.
Piazza del Popolo
Piazza di Spagna
A vast cobbled oval standing at the apex of the three long straight roads (Via di Ripetta, the Corso, and Via del Babuino), Piazza del Popolo forms a majestic symmetrical antechamber to the heart of Rome. Twin neoclassical facades stand on either side of the porta del Popolo; an Egyptian obelisk rises grandly in the center; and the matching domes and porticoes of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto flank the beginning of Via del Corso. The obelisk, Rome's second most ancient, from the 12th or 13th century B.C., was brought to Rome in the time of Augustus to adorn the sun in the Circus Maximus after the conquest of Egypt. On it hieroglyphs celebrate the glories of the pharaohs Rameses II and Merenptah. Almost a century later Pope Alexander VII commissioned Carlo Rainaldi to build the twin Santa Marias, surrounding the obelisk are 19th-century massive marble lions and fountains. In the 19th century, the piazza was turned into a grandiose oval by Giuseppe Valadier, the designer of the Pincio Gardens. He also encased Santa Maria del Popolo in a neoclassical shell to allow its south facade to fit in better with the overall appearance of the piazza. Its flank rises on the site of a chapel erected by Paschal II in 1099 over the tombs of Domitia family, which were believed to be the haunt of demons because Nero was buried there. The interior was renovated by Bernini and holds many important works of art.
Piazza Navona
This is Rome's most beautiful Baroque piazza, which occupies the site of the Stadium of Domitan. Its form, preserving the dimensions of the Roman building that probably hold some 30,000 spectators, represents an astonishing survival of history within the modern city. Some of its arches are still visible below the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. The agones were athletic contests held in the stadium from the first century. The name, too, is derived from the athletic games, the Agoni Capitolini, held here after the stadium was inaugurated in A.D. 86. Historic festivals, jousts, and open-air sports took place here, and it was also used as a marketplace from 1477 until 1869. From the 17th century to the late 19th century, the piazza was flooded every weekend in August for the entertainment of the Romans. Today, the piazza draws visitors not only to its vibrant street life but also to its three dazzling fountains.
San Pietro in Vincoli
Piazza di San Vincoli
+39 6-488-2865
According to tradition, the two chains used to bound St. Peter while he was being held in the depths of the Mamertine Prison were taken to Constantinople. In the fifth century, Empress Eudoxia deposited one in a church in Constantinople and then sent the other to her daughter, Eudoxia, in Rome. She in turn gave hers to Pope Leo I, who had this church built to house it. Some years later the second chain was brought to Rome, where it linked miraculously with its partner. The chains are still here, displayed below the high altar, but the church is best known for Michelangelo's Tomb of Pope Julius II.
Sant'Agnese in Agone
Piazza Navona
+39 6-679-4435
Of special interest is the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, an ancient church built on the ruins of the brothel which, according to Christian tradition, marks the spot where St. Agnes was exposed naked to force her to renounce her faith. A marble relief in the crypt shows the miraculous growth of her hair, which fell around her body to protect her modesty. She was martyred on this site and is buried in the catacombs that bear her name along the Via Nomentana.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Piazza della Minerva 42
+39 6-67-9280
Few other churches hold within their walls such an impressive display of Italian art. Dating from the 13th century, the Minerva is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. Built on the ancient ruins of the Temple of Minerva, the simple T-shaped vaulted building acquired rich chapels and works of art by which its numerous patrons wished to be remembered. Take in the Cosmatesque 13th-century tombs and the exquisite works of 15th-century Tuscan and Venetian artists. The more monumental style of the Roman Renaissance is beautifully represented in the tombs of the 16th-century Medici popes, Leo X and his cousin Clement VII, and in the richly decorated Aldobrandini Chapel. Near the steps of the choir is the celebrated sculpture called Risen Christ, started by Michelangelo but completed by Raffaele da Montelupo in 1521. There are also works of art from the baroque period, including a tomb and bust by Bernini.
Spanish Steps
Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti
Via Due Macelli leads into the long and irregular Piazza di Spagna, for centuries the illustrious center of artistic and literary life. It has attracted the likes of Keats, Stendhal, Balzac, Wagner, Liszt, Goethe, Gogol, Berlioz, Baudelaire, Henry James, the Brownings, and James Joyce. The piazza exudes a sophisticated, cosmopolitan atmosphere, always crowded with natives and travelers alike. In the narrow heart of the piazza is the Fontana della Barcaccia, the masterpiece of Pietro Bernini. The design (a leaking boat) is well adapted to the low water pressure of the fountain. The theatrical Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti, or Spanish Steps, were built from 1723 to 1726 by Francesco de Sanctis to connect the piazza with the church of the Trinita dei Monti and the Pincio. The spectacular monumental flight of 137 steps (recently restored) that rise between picturesque houses, has always been an adored haunt of Romans and foreigners. It is the genius of 18th-century town planning. Every day there is a display of flowers for sale here, and the steps are covered with tubs of robust azaleas at the beginning of May.
St. Peter's
+39 6-698-84466
St. Peter's is perhaps the most imposing church in Christendom and draws pilgrims from all over the world. Though neither a cathedral nor the mother church of the Catholic faith (S. Giovanni in Laterano), it is the composite work of some of the most illustrious artists of the 16th century and a masterpiece of the Italian High Renaissance. Orientated towards the west and approached through its monumental piazza, the church has its fitting culmination in Michelangelo's dome. Michelangelo's dome is unquestionably an architectural piece of genius. Simple and dignified, and flooded with light, it rises immediately above the site of St. Peter's tomb and creates a unity to the majestic interior. Perhaps the most astonishing marble sculpture on earth is Michelangelo's Pieta, finished when the artist was only twenty-five. It is now protected by glass since it was damaged in 1972. Some feel it is the most moving of all his sculptures and is the only one inscribed with his name.
The Colosseum
Piazzale del Colosseo
+39 6-700-4261
The Colosseum stands loftily as the enduring symbol of Rome's eternity. Its original name, Flavian Amphitheatre, commemorated the family name of Vespasian, who began the building, and of his son Titus, who completed it. Deadly gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights were staged free of charge by the emperor and wealthy citizens for the amusement of the public. In 1312, the Colosseum was presented to the Senate and the people of Rome by Emperor Henry VII. By 1500, it had become a quarry for building material. In 1749, however, Benedict XIV pronounced it sanctified by the blood of martyrs. Pius VII, Leo XII, Gregory XVI, and Pius IX carried out restorations. The elliptical amphitheater is built of travertine outside and of brick and tufa in the interior. Despite being pillaged for centuries, the Colosseum preserves its stunning grandeur and the northeast side appears almost undamaged. When Mussolini created wide, paved roads to circle the city's ancient monuments, he also created the path for their devastation. Today, the Colosseum faces serious damage due to the constant rush of traffic and pollution that surround it.
The Gesu
Piazza del Gesu
+39 6-678-6341
The Counter Reformation inspired the vivacious, lavish Baroque architecture in this Jesuit Church. The layout proclaims the church's two major functions: a large nave with side pulpits for preaching to rousing crowds and a main altar as the centerpiece for the celebration of the mass. In the heavily decorated interior, with its longitudinal plan, all focus is upon the altar. But the plan is also cross-shaped with transepts; the right one is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, one of the first Jesuit missionaries, and the left to St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the movement in 1540. The latter is commemorated in a gorgeous late 17th-century tomb and altar, which is covered with marble, bronze, and lapis lazuli.
The Ghetto
Via del Portico d'Ottavia
Jews were originally brought to Rome as slaves, but they became increasingly appreciated for their financial and medical talents during the Roman Empire. On July 25, 1556 Pope Paul IV ended the period of tolerance and forced some 5,000 Roman Jews into a high-walled enclosure near the Tiber, creating what is now called the Ghetto. The segregated inhabitants were allowed out during the day, but the gates were locked at night. On Sundays they were driven into the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria to listen to Christian sermons, a practice only abolished in 1848, when the walls were torn down. The houses demolished in 1888. The area then south of Via del Portico 'Ottavia was reconstructed around the new synagogue. Restrictions followed, although to a lesser degree than in other European countries, relaxing only after the unification of Italy and rising again during World War II. Now the Ghetto is a vibrant marketplace with restaurants, bakeries, shopping, all redolent of a certain Jewish flavor. Lines form at the neighborhood bakery, Il Forno del Ghetto, late each afternoon when the ricotta e visciole fruitcake is ready. There are medieval houses to see which survived from the old Ghetto, one of which is at the end of Via del Portico d'Ottavia (No. 1), called the Casa di Lorenzo Manilio. It has an inscription dating the house to 2221 years after the foundation of Rome, 1468, and decorated with ancient Roman sculptural fragments. This area is extremely safe, partly because of the 24-hour security provided by police who guard the main Rome synagogue (bombed in 1982) and partly because the Ghetto has reached a certain glamour and chic. The Synagogue, on Lungotevere Cenci, is a majestic structure built by Vincenzo Costa and Osvaldo Armanni. Many Roman Jews still live in the area between Lungotevere Cenci, Via Catalana, and Via del Portico d'Ottavia, and it remains the heart and soul of the Jewish community.
The Imperial Fora
The five Imperial Fora, of Caesar, of Augustus, of Vespasian, of Nerva, and of Trajan, occupy the vast area between the Roman Forum and the lower slopes of the Quirinal and Viminal. They are traversed by the wide Via dei Fori Imperiali, opened in 1933 by Mussolini and lined with gardens. From Piazza Venezia it runs in a straight line to the Colosseum past the Fora of Trajan and Augustus on the left and the Forum of Caesar on the right. It then crosses over the Fora of Nerva and the Fora of Vespasian. During the construction of this thoroughfare, built to add dignity to Fascist military parades, numerous 16th-century buildings were demolished, the Velia Hill leveled, and the Imperial Fora was quickly and inconclusively excavated. Although the area immediately around the ruins is not open to the public (except the Forum of Trajan), they can be seen from the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the semicircular balconies of Trajan's Markets, accessible from the Museo dei Fori Imperiali.
The Palatine
+39 06-699-0101
The Palatine was where the primitive city was founded, and magnificent imperial palaces were later built over its slopes, so that the word Palatine came to be synonymous with the "palace of the emperor" (hence "palace"). A park, with a profusion of wild flowers and beautiful trees now embraces the ruins. It is considered one of the most romantic and alluring areas in the center of the city, amazingly removed from the traffic-flooded streets at the foot of the hill. Although there are many remains of ancient Rome to see atop the Palatine Hill, the cool breezes and stunning views of Rome are reason enough to make the steep climb from the Forum below. The hill, actually a square plateau rising between the Tiber and the Forum, contains some of the oldest and "newest" Roman ruins. The northern slopes of the Palatine, in the area nearest to the Forum, were for centuries considered one of the most fashionable and prestigious residential areas. During the Republic many prominent citizens lived here, including Cicero, Mark Antony, Catulus, and Hortensius. Remains of these residences have recently been unearthed. Paths and steps lead up to the Farnese Gardens, still very beautiful and covering the site of the so-called Domus Tiberiana, very little of which is visible. To the east extends the vast area of the Palace of Domitian, which occupies nearly the whole of the Palatium. The complex includes the Domus Flavia, (official palace), the Domus Augustana (imperial residence), and the Stadium. Overlapping the Domus Flavia on the east are the vast remains of the Domus Augustana, the private residence of Emperor Augustus. Only the bases of the columns survive. To the east of the Domus Augustana lies the Stadium.
The Pantheon
Piazza Della Rotonda
+39 6-6830-0230
This remarkable 2,000-year-old building is one of the largest surviving temples and one of the best-preserved monuments of ancient Rome. Dedicated to all the gods (Pantheon), it was conceived and venerated as a secular Imperial monument as much as a shrine. In 609, it was converted into a church, the first temple in Rome to be Christianized. The Pantheon's Interior of the Dome is quite different in structure from any other church in Rome and its magnificence will leave you breathless. And only from inside can its true scale and beauty be understood. The opening at the top of the dome, the oculus, provides the only light. The height and diameter of the interior are the same: 140 feet. The diameter of the dome is the largest masonry vault ever built. Inside the Pantheon lies the body of the artist Raphael in the Tomb of Raphael.
The Roman Forum
+39 6-699-0110
The heart and cradle of the ancient world, this is the place where Julius Caesar once walked and the place to which all roads once led. It was once filled with stately and magnificent buildings: temples, palaces, and shops. It was the epicenter of all political, economic, social, and religious life, on which countless cities in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa were modeled. Today it is a graveyard of ruins, marble fragments, isolated columns, a few desolate arches, and scattered stones spans in the center of modern Rome. Important excavations are being carried out in various parts of the Forum, so some areas are inaccessible. To really appreciate the layout of the Forum before touring its bewildering series of temples and basilicas, it may be best to view if from the Capitoline Hill, from the terrace at the bottom of Via del Campidoglio, or from the Belvedere de Monte Tarpeo. The Palatine also offers an advantageous view. From there you can glimpse the Via Sacra--the main thoroughfare of the Forum and the oldest street in Rome. Don't miss the Basilica Aemilia, built in 179 B.C. The open space in front of the Basilica Aemilia is the original Forum. As the meeting place of the entire population, as well as a market place, the Forum was kept free of obstructions in Republican days. Spend the day exploring the ancient temples in the lower Forum; the triple Arch of Septimius Severus; the Temple of Vesta, where the Vestal Virgins kept alive the scared flame; ruins of private houses and shops; and the Basilica Nova, which is the largest monument in the Forum and one of the most impressive examples of Roman architecture in existence.
Via del Carcere Tulliano
+39 6 6-710-3065
At the beginning of Via dei Fori Imperiali, beyond the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, the steep Via di San Pietro in Carcere (open only to cars with special permits) diverges right to climb above the Mamertine prison to the Capitol. Well beneath the level of the road can be seen the remains of the Forum of Caesar, first of the Imperial Fora, and said to have been more beautiful than the Roman Forum. The focal point of this new forum was the Temple of Venus Genetrix, from whom Julius Caesar claimed descent. The high base remains and three of its Corinthian columns have been re-erected. From Via di San Pietro in Carcere a well-preserved stretch of the Clivus Argentarium, the Roman road that ran between the Capitoline and the Quirinal Hills, is open to pedestrians. It descends to the little church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, which was used as a dungeon in Roman times for criminals awaiting execution. This is the place where, according to Christian tradition, St. Peter and St. Paul were imprisoned.
Arts, Culture and Science Attractions
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Via di Conciliazione 4
+39 06-3611064 or +39 06-6780742
This is Rome's official symphony orchestra, affiliated with a conservatory. Orchestra and chamber concerts are held here.
Auditorium del Foro Italico
Piazza Lauro de Bosis
+39 06-36-865625
Home of Rome's RAI orchestra, this auditorium often hosts various classical concerts.
Fondazione Keats-Shellley Memorial
Piazza di Spagna 26
+39 06-678-4235
English romantic poet John Keats lived in what is now a museum honoring him and his great contemporary friend, Shelley. Visit his tiny rooms, preserved as they were when he died here in 1821. Also on display is a lock of his hair and his deathbed correspondence with his sister. More scholarly exhibits include facsimiles of original manuscripts and an extensive collection of books concerning Keats, Shelley, and Byron. Touted as "the most famous relic of English literature," a silver reliquary once owned by Pope Pius V (who excommunicated Queen Elizabeth) holds locks of Milton's and Elizabeth Barrett Browning's hair.
Museo Baracco
Via dei Baullari 1
+39 06-688-06848
Housed in a little Renaissance town house, this museum features a varied collection of sculptures and ancient Mediterranean civilizations.
Museo Borghese
Piazza Scipione Borghese 5
+39 06-854-8577
The gallery, Galleria Borghese, houses the magnificent Apollo and Daphne, Bernini's most famous masterpiece depicting the nymph Daphne fleeing the sun god Apollo at the moment of Daphne's dramatic transfiguration into a tree. There is an impressive collection of paintings and sculpture founded by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, which includes classical works as well as some masterpieces by Raphael, Caravaggio, and Canova.
Palazzo Altemps
Piazza Sant'Apollinare 46
+39 06-683-3759
One of Rome's greatest collections of classical antiquities is kept in this 16th-century building. Opened in 1997, it houses the collections of ancient Roman and Egyptian sculpture of the Museo Nazionale Romano. Look particularly for the Ludovisi Sarcophagus and the Galata. The palace's splendid courtyard and gorgeously frescoed ceilings and loggia create a sumptuous setting for the sculptures.
Palazzo Barberini
Via delle Quattro Fontane 13
+39 06-481-4591
Inside the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica you'll find some beauties by Raphael, particularly La Fornarina, believed to be his mistress. The painting has also been attributed to the master's pupil, Giulio Romano, who also painted the Madonna and Child. There are also Caravaggios, Titians, and Berninis, among numerous others. The works of art date mainly from the 13th to the 16th century.
Palazzo Doria Pamphili
Piazza del Collegio Romano 2
+39 06-679-7323
Among the masterpieces in the art gallery of this magnificent family palazzo is the portrait of the Pamphili Pope Innocent X by Diego Velazquez. There are also important works by Caravaggio, such as the powerful Rest on the Flight to Egypt. Most of the great names of the Renaissance are represented on this gallery's crowded walls.
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
Largo Villa Perett 2
+39 06-489-03501
This 19th-century palace in early baroque style houses part of the collections of antiquities belonging to the Museo Nazionale Romano. Here you'll find spectacular examples of masterful paintings and mosaics that decorated ancient Rome's palaces and villas. Don't miss the fresco that came from the villa that Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus, owned outside Rome.
Puppet Theatre
Via di Grotta Pinta 2
+39 06-58-96201
These puppet shows are in English on Sundays at 5pm.
Rome Opera Ballet
Piazza Beniamino Gigli 8
+39 06-481601 or +39 167-016665
The Rome Opera Ballet performs regularly at the Teatro dell'Opera, often with international leading guest stars. Rome is regularly visited by classical and modern ballet companies from Russia, the United States, and Europe.
San Francesco a Ripa
Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi
+39 06-581-90-20
St. Francis of Assisi lived here in a hospice when he visited Rome in 1219, and his stone pillow and crucifix are preserved in his cell. The baroque church is also rich in sculpture. Not to be missed in the Altieri chapel is Bernini's late work, the magnificent Ecstasy of Beata Ludovica Albertoni, showing her in a state of almost mystical ecstasy.
San Luigi dei Francesi
Piazza Sam Luigi dei Francesi
In the last chapel on the left are three ravishingly dramatic works by Caravaggio, who was a visionary in his mastery of light and dark. The coin machine will light up his Calling of St. Matthew, Mathew and the Angel, and Matthew's Martydom. The artist's patron, Cardinal Francesco Francesco del Monte, who commissioned these works, defended their value from the indignation of the clergy of San Luigi, who frowned upon the artist's unruly lifestyle.
Sant'Agostino
Piazza di Sant'Agostino
Caravaggio's celebrated Madonna of the Pilgrims can be discovered here. The painting caused quite a stir because it featured pilgrims with dirt on their soles of their feet.
Santa Maria del Poppolo
Piazza del Poppolo
This church has one of the richest collections of art in Rome. Located on the site of a chapel erected by Paschal II in 1099 over the tombs of the Domitia family, which were believed to be the haunts of demons because Nero was buried there. It was rebuilt in 1227 and again under Sixtus IV. The interior was later renovated by Bernini. You'll be delighted to find Raphael's High Renaissance masterpiece, the Cappella Chigi, a fusion of architecture, sculpture, and painting. There are also two superb Caravaggios: Crucifixion of St. Peter, which uses dramatic foreshortening to highlight the great effort in turning the saint's crucifix upside down, and Conversion of St. Paul. The most striking of the church's many Renaissance tombs are the two by Andrea Sansovino behind the main altar.
Santa Maria della Pace
Piazza Santa Maria della Pace
Within the church can be found two Renaissance gems: Raphael's frescoes of the Sibyls and the cloister designed by Bramante, the very first expression of High Renaissance style in Rome. Only open for guided visits, the cloister is used in the summer for concerts.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Piazza della Minerva
One of the only Gothic-style churches in Rome, the compelling attractions are Michelangelo's Risen Christ and the tomb of the 15th-century artist Fra Angelico. Have coins ready for the light (luce) boxes that illuminate the Cappella Carafa in the right transept, where gorgeous frescoes by Filippino Lippi are well worth it. In front of the church you'll see Bernini's elephant bearing an Egyptian obelisk.
Sinagoga Ebraica
Lungotevere Cenci 9
+39 06-68-40-061
This is an Italianate synagogue built shortly after the Ghetto walls were torn down in 1870. The service is entirely in Hebrew. Sephardic services are held in the basement. Plaques on the outside walls of the synagogue commemorate Jews who died during the Holocaust and the 1982 bombing of the building. A Holy Ark in marble dating from 1523, but incorporating some Roman fragments, was demolished from 1908 to 1910, but has been reconstructed and is temporarily exhibited in the vaults of the synagogue. The Jewish Museum (06 68 40 061) in the Sinagoga contains sacred objects from the 17th-century Jewish community, as well as a plan of the 1555 ghetto. Seventeenth- and 18th-century torahs and concentration relics are also on display. The collection was hidden in a mikvah (a Jewish ritual bath) during the nine-month Nazi occupation of Rome. Tours are possible by request, including entrance to the attached synagogue, which is as large and ornately decorated as any of the churches in Rome.
Teatre delle Marionette degli Accettella
Via Giovanni Genocchi 15
+39 06-51-39405
This is a children's cabaret theater with performances on Saturday and Sunday. It is closed during August.
Teatro Agora 80
Via della Oenitenza 33
+39 06-68-807107
Teatro Agora 80 features professionally produced English-language productions, as well as productions in other languages.
Teatro Argentina
Largo Argentina 52
+39 06-680-04601
This is Rome's most important theater, dating from 1730. Many famous operas were first performed here. At the 1816 premiere of the "Barber of Seville," Rossini spewed forth invective toward his unappreciative audience. The audience then pursued him through the streets. Many of Verdi's masterpieces were first produced here also. The theater is now noted for drama productions and Teatro di Roma is the resident company. Teatro Argentina is also the head of many drama and music festivals taking place throughout the year in Rome.
Teatro Colosseo
Via Capo d'Africa 5a
+39 06-7004932
Teatro Colosseo has new alternative plays (Italian or translated into Italian). The theater also produces an English-speaking theater night, featuring recent works from American and British playwrights.
Teatro dei Satiri
Via di Grotta Pinta 19
+39 06-68-71639
The puppet shows here are often in English, but it is closed during the summers.
Teatro dell'Opera
Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1
+39 06-48-1601 or +39 167-016665
Summer performances take place in Piazza di Siena in Villa Borghese. The theater also runs the seasonal concerts at Stadio di Olimpico and Terme di Caracalla (primarily in summer). Also look out for summer Operafestival di Roma (06 569 1493) and occasional performances during the year at the Teatro Valle, the Teatro Manzoni, and the Loggia della Villa Medici.
Teatro Flaiano
Via S. Stefano del Cacco 15
+39 06-6796496
The plays here are mostly in Italian. Love! Valor! Compassion! made its debut at Teatro Flaiano.
Teatro Ghione
Via delle Fornaci 37
+39 06-72294
Teatro Ghione has theatrical and musical events, such as classical concerts with renowned international performers and composers.
Teatro Ghione
Via delle Fornaci 37
+39 06-72294
Teatro Ghione hosts theatrical and musical events, such as classical concerts with renowned international performers and composers.
Teatro Mongiovion
Via Giovanni Genocchi 15
+39 06-86-01733
This theater has traditional puppet shows in Italian from Tuesday through Friday at 10am. There are also weekend performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 4:30pm.
Teatro Nazionale
Via del Viminale 51
+39 06-485498 or +39 06-4870614
Teatro Nazionale features mostly original Italian plays and Italian versions of international playwrights.
Teatro Olimpico
Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17
+39 06-323-4890
This is a newer auditorium with good acoustics. It hosts classical music, theater, and dance events.
Teatro Sistina
Via Sistina 129
+39 06-4826841
Teatro Sistina hosts Rome's most ebullient cabaret for mainstream musicals.
Vatican Museums
Viale Vaticano
+39 06-698-83333
One of the world's most illustrious art collections include the breathtaking Vatican Palace, which contains the Sistine Chapel, the "Stanze" decorated by Raphael, and the largest collection of ancient sculpture anywhere in the world, amongst other superlative treasures. The collections are so extensive and their layout is so complicated that it is close to impossible to see them all in a single visit. If you have time, it is an excellent idea to go straight to the Sistine Chapel at its opening, 8:45am, in order to experience this special pleasure in relative peace, and then return to the Quattro Cancelli to begin the detailed tours. There are four one-way tours to choose from.
