Antiquarium Romano:
Museum of Roman antiquities housed in the Casino dei Salvi on the Celio,
including the wooden doll of the young Roman girl Crepeia Trifena.
Ara Pacis Augustae:
Altar of peace consecrated in 13 BC by the emperor Augustus to celebrate
his victories in Spain and Gaul.
Arch of Constantine:
Triumphal arch decorated with fragments from older Roman monuments,
erected in AD 315 in honour of Constantine's victory over Maxentius.
Area Sacra di Largo Argentina:
Four temples from the Republican era, including the supposed site of
Caesar's murder.
Baths of Caracalla:
Vast romantic ruins of the massive bath complex opened in 217 and in use
into the early middle ages.
Baths of Diocletian:
Largest of the ancient Roman baths, sections of which now house a museum
(see Planetarium) and the church of Sta Maria degli Angeli designed by
Michelangelo.
Bocca della Verità:
Ancient drain cover with human features, the mouth of which was believed
to close on the hand of anyone bearing false witness. Found in the
portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
Borghese
Gallery:
The Borghese Gallery hosts one of the most important art collections in
the world put together by the Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the early
17th Century and displayed in his suburban villa of the same name.
Important sculptures of Bernini (Rape of Proserpine, David, Apollo and
Daphne, Enea e Anchise) and Canova (Pauline Bonaparte).
Due to
the large number of visitors it is advisable to make a reservation: call
+39 06.328.10 (Mon-Fri; 9.30am-6pm).
Reservation can also be made directly at the ticket office one day in
advance. If you do have not a reservation you can always try the waiting
list. Go to the Galleria Borghese early in the morning (around 8.30-9am)
to see if you can get any ticket. If they are all sold then give your
name to the person at the ticket office to be placed on a waiting list
for the day. Try also to be there one hour before entrance times (which
are: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm). You may be able to put your name among the
first in the waiting list of the hour.
Botanical Gardens:
Large gardens on the slopes of the Janiculum, famous for its palms and
yuccas and collection of orchids.
Barracco Museum:
Important collection of ancient sculpture, including Assyrian, Greek,
Etruscan and Roman pieces.
Saint Peter's Basilica:
Largest Basilica in the world containg Saint Peter's sepulchre and the
tombs of the popes. Treasury includes monumental bronze effigy of Sixtus
IV.
Vatican Museums:
Papal collections of ancient sculpture, Renaissance artworks as well as
Egyptian, Etruscan, Ethnological museums. Included in the itinerary are
the Stanze painted by Raphael and the Sistine chapel with Michelangelo's
ceiling and Last Judgment.
Protestant Cemetery:
Famous graves include those of the Romantic poets Keats and Shelley, as
well as that of Antonio Gramsci, the founder of the Italian Communist
Party. Views of the Pyramid of Caius Cestius.
Campidoglio:
The ancient Capitol Hill with piazza and complex of buildings designed
by Michelangelo, including the Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo Senatorio and
Palazzo dei Conservatori (see Musei Capitolini).
Musei Capitolini and Picture
Gallery:
Classical sculpture and busts, many excavated from the emperor Hadrian's
villa at Tivoli. Famous works include the Etruscan she-wolf and the
Dying Gaul. In the picture gallery paintings by Veronese, Caravaggio and
Pietro da Cortona.
Museo della Civiltà Romana:
Casts and reproductions illustrating the history of Rome from its
beginnings to the age of Justinian. Includes the famous model of Rome at
the time of Constantine.
Museo Ebraico:
History of the Jewish community in Rome.
Museum of Folklore:
Scenes of daily Roman life down the centuries, paintings by Roesler
Franz.
Keats and Shelley Memorial House:
Documents and relics of the Romantic poets, the room where Keats died in
1821.
Museum of the Walls:
History of the Roman fortifications, walk along the Aurelian Wall
between Porta San Sebastian and Via Cristoforo Colombo.
Palazzo Venezia:
Museum of decorative arts from the Renaissance.
Planetarium:
Former Octagonal Room of the baths of Diocletian with some Classical
sculpture, including the Seated Boxer.
Museum of Musical Instruments:
Musical instruments from the ancient times to 19th century.
Villa Giulia:
Museum of the Etruscan civilization exhibited in the suburban villa of
built in 1550-1555 for pope Julius III by Vignola, Vasari and others.
Archeaeological finds from Cerveteri.
Castel Sant'Angelo:
The ancient mausoleum of the emperor Hadrian (c.AD 130) converted into a
papal fortress and prison in the Middle Ages. Museo di Castel
Sant'Angelo houses a collection of arms and armour from the ancient
times to the Reniassance.
Catacombs of Saint Agnes:
Among the best preserved of the ancient underground cemetries along the
Via Nomentana, with many inscriptions.
Catacombs of Priscilla:
The catacomb of
Priscilla, named in all the ancient liturgical and topographic sources,
has its modern entrance on the Via Salaria through the cloister of the
monastery of the Benedictines of Priscilla.
It was known as the "Queen of the Catacombs" in antiquity. Address:
Via Salaria, 430 00199 Roma - tel.: 06-86206272 fax.:
06-86398134 email:
info.priscilla@flashnet.it
Catacombs of Saint Callixtus:
Extensive underground galleries on five levels, the ancient burial place
of the first popes.
Catacombs of Saint Sebastian:
Subterranean Christian cemetry under the Basilica of famous martyr.
Mamertine Prison:
Ancient Roman prison, where Saints Peter and Paul were traditionally
imprisoned.
Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps:
Busy meeting place of Romans and visitors. The flight of 137 steps was
built in the 18th century to connect the piazza with the church of
Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio hill. Sites include the Fountain of
the Leaking Boat designed by Bernini's father Pietro, the Column of the
Immaculate Conception (1857) erected to celebrate the official
establishment of this dogma by Pius IX, and the nearby Keats-Shelley
Memorial House.
Circus Maximus:
Largest circus in ancient Rome, used primarily for chariot races.
Città del Vaticano:
Since the Lateran Treaty (1929) the smallest independant sovereign state
in the world covering less than 2 km2. The residence of the Pope and the
site of St Peter's, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.
Column of Marcus Aurelius:
Erected (c.AD 180) in honour of the emperor's victories over the Germans
and Sarmatians by his wife Faustina.
Column of Trajan:
Dedicated to the emperor Trajan by his successor in honour of his
victories in Dacia.
Colosseum:
The amphitheatre begun AD 72 by the emperor Vespasian and continued by
his successor Titus on the site of the gardens of Nero's Golden Palace.
Forum Romanum and Palatine Hill:
Vast archaeological site, the heart of the ancient city, dating from the
period of the kings to the emperors. Important buildings include the
Curia, the temples of Vespasian, Antoninus and Faustina, the House of
the Vestals, the Basilica of Constantine and the arches of Septimius
Severus and Titus.
Trajan's Market and Forum:
Ruins of massive complex of 150 shops and market place.
Fountain of the Four Rivers:
Bernini's baroque fantasy of the rivers personifes supporting an
Egyptian obelisk moved to Rome by the emperor Domitian.
Triton Fountain:
Bernini's masterpiece of the Triton sea-god blowing waters through a
conch shell situated in the centre of the busy Piazza Barberini.
Trevi Fountain:
Niccolò Salvi's rococco masterpiece, depicting the sea-god Oceanus and
his tritons completed in 1762. A coin thrown into the waters is believed
to guarantee a return visit to Rome.
Gallery of Modern Art:
Italian masterpieces from the 19th and 20th centuries, including among
others Balla, Boccioni, De Chirico, Modigliani and Severini. Works by
foriegn artists include Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, Klee and Kandinsky.
Villa Borghese:
Suburban villa of Cardinal Scipione Borghese (17C), important sculpture
by Bernini (Rape of Proserpine, David, Apollo and Daphne) and Canova (Pauline
Bonaparte).
Galleria Doria Pamphili:
Private collection including works by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio,
Velasquez and Bernini. Private apartments.
Galleria Spada:
Works by Titian, Reni, del Sarto, illusionistic colonnade by Borromini.
Mausoleum of Augustus:
Circular funerary monument of the Julia-Claudian dynasty.
Monument to Victor Emmanuel II:
Inaugurated in 1911 to celebrate Italian unity, built in dazzling white
botticino marble, known as the "the Wedding Cake".
Palazzo Colonna:
Private collection of art works with pieces by Tintoretto, Rubens, Van
Dyck.
Palazzo Barberini:
Painting collection including works by Caravaggio, Raphael (La Fornarina),
ceiling by Pietro da Cortona celebrating the Barbarini family.
Palazzo Corsini:
Gallery of mainly 17th and 18th century works including Caravaggio (John
the Baptist), Rubens, Guercino.
Pantheon:
Circular temple dedicated to "All the Gods", rebuilt by the
emperor Hadrian c.AD 120. Transformed into the Christian church Sta
Maria ad Martyres in the Middle Ages. Tombs of Raphael and Victor
Emmanuel II.
Monte Testaccio:
Mound entirely composed of potsherds dumped here from the Augustan
period onwards, now surrounded by restaurants, cafés, clubs and the
ex-Mattatoio cattle market cultural complex.
Piazza Navona:
Built over the ancient site of Stadium of Domitian used for atheltic
games. Famous for the market at Christmas, numerous cafés, the church
of Sant'Agnese in Agone and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.
Pincio Hill:
Fashionable public gardens laid out by Valadier in 1809-14, views across
the city to St Peter's.
Pyramid:
Funerary monument of the tribune Gaius Cestius built c.12 BC.
Ponte Sant'Angelo:
Pedestrian bridge decorated with ten statues of angels with instruments
of the Passion.
Ponte Cestio:
Roman bridge (c.46 BC) joining Trastevere with Tiber island.
Ponte Fabricio:
Oldest Roman bridge (c.62 BC).
Ponte Sisto:
Pedestrian bridge erected by Pope Sixtus IV for the jubilee in 1475.
Porta del Popolo:
Designed by Bernini for the triumphal entry into Rome of Queen Christina
of Sweden in 1655.
Porta Maggiore:
Built by the emperor Claudius in AD 52 with archaeological remains
including the Tomb of the Baker M. Virgilius Eurysaces with a frieze
depicting the stages of bread-making.
Porta Pia:
Gateway commissioned in 1561 by Pope Pius IV from Michelangelo.
Chiesa Nuova:
Rebuilt by Saint Philip Neri in the late 16th century. Three paintings
by Rubens, vault decorated by Pietro da Cortona.
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini:
Church of the Florentines designed by Sansovino and continued by
Sangallo and della Porta.
Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura:
Paleochristian basilica with apse mosaics (7C).
Santa Costanza:
Paleochristian mosaics on the barrel vault of the ambulatory (4C).
San Stefano Rotondo:
Circular church (5C) decorated with frescoes depicting scenes of the
early Christian martyrdom by Tempesta and Circignani (16C).
Sant'Andrea al
Quirinale:
Bernini's oval masterpiece
(1658-70). Tomb of St Stanislaus Kostka.
Sant'Andrea della Valle:
Largest dome in Rome after St Peter's, paintings by Domenichino, tombs
of Popes Pius II and III, the setting for the first act of Puccini's
opera Tosca.
Sant'Ignazio:
Begun as the church of the Collegio Romano to celebrate the canonisation
of St Ignatius of Loyola. Andrea Pozzo's illusionistic masterpiece
across the ceiling of the nave and transept.
Church of Gesù:
Principal Jesuit church in Rome built by Vignola and Giacomo della
Porta, vault fresco by Bacciccia and sumptuous tomb of St Ignatius.
Sant'Agnese in Agone:
Concave facade by Borromini for the church built on the site of the
brothel in which St Agnes was exposed.
Santa Croce in Gerusalemme:
Traditionally founded by Constantine's mother St Helen to house relics
of the True Cross, vault mosaic according to designs by Melozzo da Forlì
(c.1480).
San Giovanni in Laterano:
The cathedral of Rome founded by Constantine and redesigned by Borromini
(1646-49). Cloister (c.1222-32) and Baptistery (c.315-24).
Scala Santa and the Chapel of the Sancta Sanctorum:
Staircase, traditionally believed from the house of Pontius Pilate in
Jerusalem, leads to private chapel where the most sacred relics of the
Church were kept in the Middle Ages.
San Gregorio Magno:
Medieval church redesigned for Scipione Borghese, to the left of the
church three chapels of Santa Silvia, Sant'Andrea and Santa Barbara.
Santa Maria della Vittoria:
Rededicated after Catholic victory at the Battle of the White Mountain
(1620), theatrical Cornaro Chapel designed by Bernini (1645) with the
altarpiece of St Teresa in Ecstacy.
Santa Maria in Trastevere:
Probably the first church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin, remodelled in
1140. Apse mosaics (12C), Romanesque campanile.
Santa Maria Maggiore:
Ancient Christian basilica remodelled down the centuries. Mosaics (5C),
tombs of Popes Sixtus V, Paul V, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Tallest campanile
in Rome (1337).
Santa Maria in Aracoeli:
Franciscan church on the Capitoline Hill approached by a monumental
staircase (1348). Buffalini Chapel by Pinturicchio (c.1486).
San Pietro in Vincoli:
Originally built as a shrine for the chains of St Peter. Tomb of Julius
II with Michelangelo's Moses.
Santa Sabina:
Early Christian basilica with monumental wooden doors (5C). Cloister
(1216-25).
Santa Susanna:
Remodelled late Mannerist interior with frescoes by Baldassare Croce
(1595).
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane:
Miniature masterpiece by Borromini built on an oval plan for the
Trinitarian order (17C).
San Clemente:
Two churches superimposed over early Imperial Roman streets, warehouses
and Mithraeum (3C). Lower church of Pope Gregory the Great (6C) with
ruined decoration. Upper church (12C) with the chapel of Saint Catherine
with frescoes by Masolino da Panicale (with Masaccio?), apse mosaics.
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura:
Final resting places of Saints Lawrence and Stephen. Triumphal arch
mosaic (6C). Cloister (12C).
San Pietro in Montorio:
Traditionally believed to have been the site of Peter's crucifixion on
the Janiculum Hill. Borgherini chapel with frescoes by Sebastiano del
Piombo according to designs by Michelangelo.
Sant'Agostino:
Paintings by Caravaggio (Madonna of Loreto), Guercino, Raphael (Isaiah).
Tomb of Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine.
San Luigi dei Francesi:
Contarini Chapel with paintings by Caravaggio (Life of St Matthew),
chapel of Saint Barbara with frescoes by Domenichino.
Santa Maria del Popolo:
Early Renaissance church redesigned by Bernini for Pope Alexander VII.
Cesarini Chapel (Caravaggio and Carracci), choir designed by Bramante
with vault frescoes by Pinturicchio. Chigi Chapel designed by Raphael
with later statues by Bernini.
Santa Maria in Cosmedin:
Medieval church with cosmatesque floor and campanile (12C).
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva:
Gothic church of the Dominicans built on the ruins of a temple to
Minerva. Michelangelo's Risen Christ, Carafa Chapel with frescoes by
Filippino Lippi, tombs of Fra Angelico and St Catherine of Siena.
Santa Prassede:
9C church built on the site of the house where Peter is traditionally
believed to have stayed in Rome, mosaics from 9C in Chapel of San Zeno
and apse.
SS Giovanni e Paolo:
12C convent built on the remains of the Temple of Claudius. Campanile.
SS Nereo e Achilleo:
Built on the site of the Oratory of the Fasciola, the bandage that fell
from Peter's ankles after his escape from the Mamertine prison. Frescoes
by Pomerancio.
Saint Paul's Outside the Walls:
Largest church in Rome after St Peter's, destroyed by fire in 1823. Tomb
of the Apostle, 13C cloister.
Theatre of Marcellus:
Dedicated by the emperor Augustus c.13 BC in memory of his his nephew.
Tempietto:
Circular shrine erected on the exact site of St Peter's martyrdom
designed by Bramante c.1508
Villa Doria Pamphili:
Largest park in Rome created in the middle of the 17th century.
Villa Borghese:
Public gardens and park, including the Lake Garden, where boats may be
rented and the Zoological Garden.
Villa Farnesina:
Suburban retreat of the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi, decorated by
Raphael (Galaltea) and his workshop. |
