Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
The first modern construction in Rome's historic centre since WWII, Richard Meier's glass-and-marble pavilion houses the remnants of the Ara Pacis…
Must-see attractions in Rome
Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This is one of Rome’s richest Renaissance churches, with a particularly impressive collection of art, including two Caravaggios: the Conversion of St Paul…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
This solemn basilica, one of Rome's most beautiful early Christian churches, was founded by Peter of Illyria around AD 422. It was enlarged in the 9th…
Basilica di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
One of Rome’s four patriarchal basilicas, San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura (St Lawrence Outside the Walls) has an unusually restrained interior. It was the only…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
Overlooked by St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican’s central square was laid out between 1656 and 1667 to a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Seen from above,…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Built for Cardinal Ricci da Montepulciano in 1540, this sumptuous Renaissance palace was purchased by Ferdinando de' Medici in 1576 and remained in Medici…
Centro Storico
Designed by Bramante in 1508 as part of an urban development program ordered by Pope Julius II, Via Giulia is one of Rome's most charming streets, an…
Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Altemps
Centro Storico
Just north of Piazza Navona, Palazzo Altemps is a beautiful late-15th-century palazzo housing the best of the Museo Nazionale Romano’s formidable…
Rome
Designed by starchitect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2002, Rome's flagship cultural centre is an audacious work of architecture consisting of three…
Centro Storico
An imposing example of Counter-Reformation architecture, Rome's most important Jesuit church is a fabulous treasure trove of baroque art. Headline works…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Lorded over by the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphilj is Rome’s largest landscaped park – many a Roman's favourite place to escape the city noise and…
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Trastevere’s focal square is a prime people-watching spot. By day it’s full of chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists; by night it’s the domain...
San Giovanni & Testaccio
With its grassy banks and colourful flower beds, this leafy park is a wonderful place to escape the crowds and enjoy a summer picnic. At its centre is a…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
The guided tours of this opulent palace are among the city's best, introducing visitors to the residence and art collection of the patrician Colonna…
Museo Nazionale Romano: Terme di Diocleziano
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Able to accommodate some 3000 people, the Terme di Diocleziano was ancient Rome's largest bath complex. Now an epigraphic museum, its exhibits provide a…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
Entry to the dome is to the far right of the basilica's main portico, where you also buy your ticket. A small lift can take you halfway up, but it’s still…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
The city’s largest cemetery dates from the Napoleonic occupation of Rome (1804–14), when an edict ordered that the city’s dead must be buried outside...
Centro Storico
Towering over Piazza Colonna, the 30m-high Colonna di Marco Aurelio was completed in AD 193 to honour Marcus Aurelius’ military victories. Its vivid…
Centro Storico
The brainchild of Irish gallerist Lorcan O'Neill, this contemporary art gallery calls the former 17th-century stables of Palazzo Santacroce home. It…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Built after the barbarians’ invasion of Rome, the remarkably well-preserved Porta San Paolo once served as a southern gate in the 3rd-century Aurelian…
Centro Storico
For one of Rome’s most picture-perfect scenes, head to this dark archway just off Campo de’ Fiori. The arch in itself isn’t especially memorable...
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
The emperor Hadrian built the Ponte Sant’Angelo in 136 to provide an approach to his mausoleum, but it was Bernini who brought it to life, designing the…
San Giovanni & Testaccio
Stretched out on the slopes of the Aventine Hill, this idyllic garden boasts more than 1100 of the rarest roses, coaxed into life each spring by a team of…
Centro Storico
A stark contrast to the ancient and stoic city around it, Dorothy Circus Gallery is devoted entirely to pop surrealism, a punchy art movement that draws…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
In ancient times, this little park on the slopes of the Gianicolo (Gianicolo Hill) was believed to be a sanctuary dedicated to nymphs. It's equally…
Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Centro Storico
Built on the site of three pagan temples, including one dedicated to the goddess Minerva, the Dominican Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva is Rome’s…
Basilica dei SS Quattro Coronati
San Giovanni & Testaccio
This brooding fortified church harbours some lovely 13th-century frescoes and a delightful hidden cloister, accessible from the left-hand aisle. The…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This house next to the Spanish Steps is where English poet John Keats died of tuberculosis aged only 25. Its bookshelf-lined rooms, practically unchanged…
Rome
Housed in three villas – Casino Nobile, Casina delle Civette and Casino dei Principi – this museum boasts an eclectic collection of sculpture, paintings,…
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Designed by Carlo Rainaldi, this is one of two 17th-century baroque churches that preside over Piazza del Popolo.
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Famous for its brilliant Byzantine mosaics, which have been preserved in their original state, this small 9th-century church is dedicated to St Praxedes,…
Centro Storico
The plain white facade of this early Renaissance church, built in the 15th century and renovated in the late 1700s, gives no indication of the impressive…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Perched atop the Quirinale Hill, one of Rome's seven hills, this former papal summer residence has been home to the Italian head of state since 1948…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This church and convent complex safeguards what is possibly Rome's strangest sight: crypt chapels where everything from the picture frames to the light…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This massive piazza was laid out in 1538 to provide a grandiose entrance to what was then Rome's main northern gateway. It has since been remodelled…
Chiesa di San Francesco d’Assisi a Ripa Grande
Trastevere & Gianicolo
St Francis is said to have stayed here in 1219, and in his cell you can still see the rock that he purportedly used as a pillow and his crucifix. Rebuilt…
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pace & Chiostro del Bramante
Centro Storico
Tucked away in the back streets behind Piazza Navona, this small baroque church boasts a columned semicircular facade by Pietro da Cortona and a…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Formerly the private grounds of Palazzo Corsini, Rome’s 12-hectare botanical gardens are a little-known, slightly neglected gem and a great place to…
Chiesa di Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Originally known as the 'papal church' due to its proximity to the papal residence on Quirinal Hill, this 17th-century church safeguards the hearts and…
Centro Storico
With its stuccoed ornamental facade and handsome courtyard, this grand palazzo is a fine example of 16th-century mannerist architecture. Upstairs, a small…
