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| Rome
Sightseeing |
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Overview
There is simply so much to see in Rome with the beautiful Vatican
City alone easily swallowing up an entire weekend. Most
visitors are overwhelmed and remain torn between running from sight
to sight in order to ‘see’ everything or lingering over
a couple of monuments and museums. The latter option is strongly
recommended. It is best to punctuate the cultural trips with ice
creams, coffees and serene walks in the city’s parks and one
of the loviest is the Villa Borghese. As for most
holy sites, clothing that covers up midriffs, shoulders and legs
is recommended, particularly when visiting the Vatican.
The centro storico is the obvious starting point,
with the greatest concentration of classical and Christian sites
located in a fairly small space. Stumbling upon ancient frescoes,
Renaissance fountains and beautiful piazzas are part of the pleasures
of wandering through Rome’s streets.
Rome has over 400 churches and four major basilicas, St
Peter’s, St John Lateran, St
Mary Major and St Paul’s. However,
it is San Clemente, which is located on the Via
San Giovanni in Laterano that encapsulates the multi-layered labyrinth
of Rome. At street level, there is a 12th-century basilica with
beautiful mosaics. Down another level is a well-preserved Roman
basilica. Deeper still are more ancient Roman remains, until finally,
at the lowest level, is the temple to the oriental cult of Mithras.
The Ministry of Culture organises the Settimana
dei Beni Culturali (Cultural Week; telephone number: (06) 67231),
which is usually held in late March or early April and which allows
free entry to all state-owned museums, public monuments and excavation
sites.
Tourist Information
Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Roma (APT)
Via Parigi 5
Telephone numbers: (06) 488 991 or 3600 4399 (call centre). Fax
number: (06) 481 9316.
Website: www.romaturismo.com
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 0900 hrs -1900 hrs.
Other APT branches are at Termini station
and Fiumicino airport and there are ten other green
tourist information booths dotted around the city in strategic points
(open daily 0930 hrs -1930 hrs).
Another useful source of information is the Anglo-centric Enjoy
Rome, Via Marghera 8A (telephone number:(06) 445 1843), near
Termini station. The Ente Nazionale per il Turismo (ENIT),
Via Marghera 2 (telephone number: (06) 49711), provides information
on Italian areas outside of Rome and the Latium region.
Passes
Various tourist passes are available. Roma
Caput Mundi, Piazza di Trevi 86 (telephone number: (06) 678
6136) run the Itinere Card, which is a booklet
of tickets providing admission to a number of less known museums
and archaeological sites which includes Capitoline Museum,
Forum of Trajan and Trajan Markets,
Circus of Maxentius, City Museum of Modern
and Contemporary Art, Museum of Roman Civilisation
and Museum of Folklore. The pass, valid for a week, costs
€12.91 and can be purchased from Roma Caput Mundi.
Roma Vision
(telephone number: (06) 4695 4695) has now introduced a card called
ReadyRoma. This one-week pass costs €41 and
includes the Itinere Card, a tour by boat, a ride
on a historic tram and two passes for buses that cover the city’s
most interesting sites, including the catacombs on the Via Appia.
They also offer cheaper one-day options. Cards are available from
Roma Vision, who have stands at Termini station,
Piazza del Colosseo, Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore and Piazza San
Giovanni.
Two other passes are the Museum Card and the Archaeological
Card (telephone number: (06) 3996 7700, information). The
first allows entrance to the National Roman Museum’s four
sites which are Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps,
Baths of Diocletian and Crypta Balbi.
The second allows entrance to those sites plus the Colosseum,
the Palatine, the Baths of Caracalla, the tomb of Cecilia Metella
and Villa dei Quintilli. The passes cost €9 and €20
respectively and are valid for seven days from the first day of
use and can be purchased from any of the participating monuments
or museums.
Key Attractions
Foro Romano (Roman Forum)
The Roman Forum is currently a heap of marble fragments,
columns and floor layouts. An imagination is required to recreate
the former marketplace that was the commercial, political, and social
heart of ancient Rome and the symbolic centre of an Empire stretching
to Greece, Carthage and Sicily. Fire, barbarians and pillaging builders
in medieval and Renaissance times contributed to the Forum’s
present state of disrepair but the Forum was only revealed during
the excavation work of the 19th century. A bird’s-eye view
is gained from behind Piazza del Campidoglio, while
a closer look can be had from along Via Sacra that
runs through the centre of the Forum. Among the best preserved and
most fascinating monuments are the AD203 triumphal Arch
of Septimius Severus which was built to celebrate victory
over the Parthinians and the remains of Caesar’s rostra, from
where his great speeches were declaimed. Another feature is the
former atrium of the House of the Vestal Virgins
and the adjacent Temple of Vesta, a circular building
where the vestal virgins were entrusted in keeping the eternal flame
alight. Just up from the Arch of Titus in the Forum
is the Palatine where the palaces of the Roman emperors stood.
Largo Romolo e Romo, Via dei Fori Imperiali
Telephone number: (06) 699 0110.
Transport: Metro Colosseo; bus to Via dei Fori Imperiali or Piazza
Venezia.
Opening hours: Daily 0900 hrs-1830 hrs (April-October), daily 0900
hrs-one hour before sunset (November-March).
Admission: Free or €8 for a Palatine and Colosseum combined
ticket.
Colosseo (Colosseum)
Located near to Via Sacra and the fourth-century
Arco di Costantino (Arch of Constantine), lies
the gigantic oval of the Colosseum at 186m (620ft)
long and 153m (510ft) wide and about 47m (157ft) high. Emperor
Vespasian began construction in AD72 and work was completed
eight years later by his son Titus.
It was the scene for entertainment that one can hardly understand
with gladiatorial conquests between men, lions and wild beasts,
with death guaranteed. The ‘games’ were finally outlawed
in the fifth century. The stadium has been pillaged over the centuries
and rocked by earthquakes.
Today, only its skeletal framework remains, with the winding passages
used to force animals up to the battlefield within the arena and
formerly underground which is now exposed.
Piazza del Colosseo
Telephone number: (06) 700 4261.
Transport: Metro Colosseo; bus to Piazza del Colosseo.
Opening hours: Daily 0900 hrs-1930 hrs (April-October); daily 0900
hrs-two hours before sunset (November-March).
Admission: €8 (ticket also allows entry to the Palatine).
Pantheon
One of the best preserved and most beautifully proportioned of Rome’s
ancient monuments, the Pantheon has become an emblem
of the city. Built by Hadrian between AD119 and AD128, as a temple
to the gods, the Pantheon was converted to a Christian
church in AD608 and the key to its miraculous survival. The radius
of the dome is exactly equivalent to the height and a nine-metre
(30ft) hole, known as the oculus, in the dome’s centre allows
light into the building. Statues of the deities would once have
decorated the interior. Now the focal point of interest is the tomb
of Raphael. Most astonishing of all are the large
brass doors, which belonged to the original Roman building.
Piazza della Rotonda
Telephone number: (06) 6830 0230.
Transport: Bus to Largo Argentina or Via del Corso.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 0830 hrs -1930 hrs, Sunday 0900 hrs-1800
hrs.
Admission: Free.
Cappella Sistina
& Musei Vaticani (Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums)
An awe-inspiring glimpse of Michaelangelo’s
depiction of The Creation is well worth the queues and crowds which
go hand-in-hand with a visit to the Vatican City.
Michaelangelo
grudgingly accepted Julius II’s commission to paint frescoes
on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which was
built as a private chapel of the popes between 1475 and 1480. Work
began in May 1508, the frescoes were unveiled in August 1511, and
completed in October 1512. 21 years later, a reluctant Michaelangelo
painted the Last Judgement on the wall located
behind the altar, adding his own aged face below the figure of Christ.
Pope Pius IV was scandalised by the display of
nudity and the offending genitalia had to be concealed by hastily
painted loincloths and most have been removed during restoration
work. In fact, the recent restoration of the Old Testament scenes
has caused great controversy. Although eclipsed by Michaelangelo’s
artistry, the Renaissance paintings that line the walls are fine
works, created by the famous masters – including Michaelangelo’s
own teacher called Ghirlandaio.
The Vatican Museums alone could easily take a day or two of a trip
to Rome. Highlights include the Stanze di Raffaello
(Raphael’s Rooms), the Etruscan Museum, depicting
Italy before the Romans, and the Pio-Clementino Museum which contains
the world’s largest collection of Classical statues.
Viale Vaticano 100
Telephone number: (06) 6988 4947. Fax number: (06) 6988 5061.
Website: www.vatican.va
or www.christusrex.org
Transport: Metro Ottaviano; bus to Piazza del Risorgimento.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 0845 hrs-1545 hrs with last entry
at 1420 hrs (April-October); Monday-Saturday 0845 hrs-1345 hrs with
last entry at 1220 hrs (November-March); last Sunday of month 0845
hrs-1345 hrs with last entry at 1220 hrs.
Admission: €10, free last Sunday of the month.
Basilica
di San Pietro (St Peter’s Basilica)
St Peter’s Basilica is located above a former shrine, which
is said to mark the burial ground of the saint. Despite its venerable
age of 1000 years, Pope Julius II pulled down the
original structure in 1506 and with his architect Bramante in tow
built a shiny new basilica. Construction lasted 120 years, during
that time a team of architects and artists, including Alberti,
Bramante, Raphael, Peruzzi, Sangallo the Younger
and Michaelangelo, struggled over this enormous
edifice. Michaelangelo was responsible for the
huge dome and supporting drum but died in 1564, before work was
finally completed in 1590.
The basilica’s interior is an unashamed display of the power
of the Church. Amid the grandeur and in the first chapel on the
right lies Michaelangelo’s Pietà
(1498/9). Arnolfo da Cambio’s bronze statue
of St Peter (1296), in the central aisle, has become
famed for its foot worn to a nub by pilgrims’ kisses. Bernini’s
Throne of St Peter (1665), above the papal altar and made
with bronze purloined from the Pantheon on the Pope’s orders,
dominates the far end of the nave.
Optional extras include a trip into the dome, the Vatican
Gardens (pre-booked guided tours only), and the Vatican
Grottoes, containing papal tombs. Access to the Necropolis
below the Grottoes is allowed with written permission only.
Piazza San Pietro
Telephone number: (06) 6988 1662 (pilgrim and tourist information
centre).
Transport: Metro Ottaviano; bus to Piazza del Risorgimento.
Opening hours: Daily 0700 hrs -1900 hrs (April-October); daily 0700
hrs-1800 (November-March).
Admission: Free.
St Peter’s Dome
Opening hours: Daily 0800 hrs-1745 hrs (April-October); daily 0800
hrs-1645 hrs (November-March).
Admission: €4 (without lift); €5 (with lift).
Necropolis
Opening hours: Applications should be made to the Ufficio Scavi
(telephone number: (06) 6988 5318; fax number: (06) 6988 5518; e-mail:
scavi@fsp.va) several days prior
to visit.
Admission: €9.
Vatican Gardens/Vatican Guided
Tours Office
Teephone number: (06) 6988 4466. Fax numberl: (06) 6988 5100.
Opening hours: Organised tours can be booked several days in advance.
Admission: €9.
Fontana di
Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
A string of legends surround the Trevi Fountain, which is located
amid the labyrinthine streets off Via del Tritone. It is said that
a virgin came across a three-way (tre-vie) spring, causing the original
fountain to be built. More recently, Anita Ekberg immortalised the
fountain in the famous scene of Fellini’s La Dolce
Vita (1959). According to myth, a coin cast in these waters
will ensure a return visit to Rome. The Baroque extravaganza was
designed by Nicolò Salvi for Pope Clement XII and completed
in 1762. The statues – representing Abundance, Agrippa,
Salubrity, the Virgin and Neptune guiding
a chariot drawn by sea horses, appear as a cast of characters performing
a melodrama, with a Renaissance palace for their backdrop and craggy
rocks in the foreground.
Piazza di Trevi
Transport: Bus to Piazza San Silvestro.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.
The Spanish
Steps and Keats-Shelley Memorial House
The Piazza di Spagna district is little changed
from 18th-century prints depicting the area which is still dominated
by the elegant double steps known as the Spanish Steps.
These were designed in 1723-26 by Francesco de Sanctis
to link Via del Babuino with Via Felice – the first great
street planned by Sixtus V (1585-90). Reminiscent of the grand ascent
to the Sacré Coeur in Paris, the steps lead up to the 16th-century
Trinitá dei Monti. From here, spectacular
views over the city rooftops more than warrant the steep climb.
The Spanish Steps acquired their name from the neighbouring Spanish
Embassy but the area is more intimately associated with italy –
even acquiring the name of Ghetto de l’Inglesi
(English Ghetto). The tourists on the Grand Tour of the 18th and
19th centuries which included Keats, Shelley, Byron and the Brownings
all helped to establish the district’s reputation as a cosmopolitan
artistic quarter.
At the foot of the steps lies the boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain,
designed in 1627 by Bernini. To the right stands
the modest Keats-Shelley Memorial House, where
25-year-old John Keats died of tuberculosis in 1821. Exhibits include
pictures and prints, private letters, an urn bearing Shelley’s
ashes and a lock of Keats’ tawny red hair.
Keats-Shelley
Memorial House
Piazza di Spagna 26
Telephone number: (06) 678 4235. Fax number: (06) 678 4167.
Website: www.keats-shelley-house.org
Transport: Metro Spagna.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 0900 hrs-1300 hrs and 1500 hrs-1800
hrs, Saturday 1100 hrs-1400 hrs and 1500 hrs-1800 hrs.
Admission: €3.
Piazza Navona
This dramatic piazza which is lined with cafés and restaurants
lies at the centre of the centro storico. Its oval shape follows
the form of the former stadium, built in AD86, by Emperor
Domitian. During the Renaissance, the site was floodedin
order to stage mock naval battles.
The piazza gained its current form in the mid-17th century, when
Pope Innocent X commissioned Borromini
to design the Church of Sant’Agnese. In front
of the church Bernini built the Fontana dei Quattro
Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), adorned with
powerful figures representing the four great rivers of the world,
the Nile, Danube, Ganges and Rio della Plate.
Transport: Bus to Largo Argentina.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.
Villa &
Galleria Borghese
Located just to the east of the Spanish Steps lies green relief
from sightseeing, the sculpture-scattered gardens landscaped in
the 17th century for Cardinal Scipione Borghese
(nephew of Pope Paul V). This area includes the city zoo,
Piazza di Siena arena, mock ancient temples,
imitation medieval castles and an artificial
lake. The pull of culture may be strong enough to lure
the resting visitor into the Casino Borghese, a
treasure trove of sculpture and antiquities, the Etruscan
Museum in nearby Villa Giulia, with its
remarkable sarcophagus of the reclining ‘Bride and Bridegroom’
from Cerveteri, or the Galleria Nazionale
d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. However, the Galleria
Borghese which is home to Bernini’s most famous work,
Apollo and Daphne and should be seen first (ticket
reservation is obligatory and visitors are only admitted every two
hours).
Galleria Borghese
Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5
Telephone number: (06) 32810. Fax number: (06) 855 5952.
Website: www.galleriaborghese.it
Transport: Metro Spagna; bus or tram to Via Veneto.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 0900 hrs-1900 hrs.
Admission: €6.50 (reservation are required).
Villa
Giulia
Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9
Telephone number: (06) 320 0562.
Transport: Tram 3 or 19.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 0830 hrs-1930 hrs.
Admission: €4.
Galleria
Doria Pamphili
The excessive wealth of the powerful Doria Pamphili
family, a pillar of Rome’s papal aristocracy. The half-British
sibling and heir recalls childhood memories of roller-skating along
the parquet floor of the 18th-century ballroom – tiny indentations
prove the truth of his story retold on the audio tape issued to
guide you around. The rambling palace is still occupied and there
are a number of the private apartments open to the public in the
mornings only for a small additional fee. Works by Correggio,
Caravaggio and Velázquez
are on display here, as well as some amusing pieces by lesser-known
artists.
Piazza del Collegio Romano 2
Telephone number: (06) 679 7323. Fax number: (06) 678 0939.
Website: www.doriapamphilj.it
Transport: Bus to Piazza Venezia.
Opening hours: Friday-Wednesday 1000 hrs -1700 hrs.
Admission: €7.30.
Campo
de’ Fiori
At dawn from Monday to Saturday, stall holders at Rome’s best-loved
fruit and vegetable market set up their wares at Campo de’
Fiori. This down-to-earth square which is surrounded by
tumbledown orange-ochre facades, is a far cry from the more grandiose
piazzas of the centro storico. Here one encounters the friendliness
and spontaneity for which Romani are so renowned. At sunset, some
of the city’s liveliest and most authentic wine bars and trattorie
place their tables out onto the cobbles and locals and visitors
alike flock here to eat and drink below the stars.
Campo
de’ Fiori
Transport: Bus to Largo Argentina.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday from dawn to dusk.
Admission: Free. |
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