Attractions in Rome

The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre) is simply the ultimate icon of Imperial Rome. It remains the largest ancient amphitheater ever built, an absolute masterpiece of ancient Roman engineering, and the brutal epicenter of bloody gladiatorial combat.

St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) is the, unquestioned center of the Catholic world. It is the largest, most staggering, and overwhelmingly opulent church ever built in human history, standing as the ultimate masterpiece of Renaissance and Baroque engineering.

Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four prestigious major papal basilicas in Rome. Crowning the Esquiline Hill, it is spectacularly preserved and holds the distinction of being the first major church in the West dedicated explicitly to the Virgin Mary.

The Pantheon is an absolute, staggering miracle of ancient Roman engineering. Standing perfectly intact in the heart of Rome for nearly 2,000 years, it remains the most flawless, breathtaking architectural legacy of the ancient classical world.

San Giovanni in Laterano is the highest-ranking church in the Catholic world—it is actually the official cathedral of Rome and the seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome, outranking even St. Peter's Basilica.

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is the largest, most spectacular, and celebrated Baroque fountain in the world. Dominating a tiny square, this massive, theatrical monument of white travertine and crashing turquoise water is a masterpiece of Roman art.

The Roman Forum (Foro Romano) is simply the most significant archaeological site in Europe. For over a millennium, this sprawling, currently ruined valley served as the political, religious, commercial, and legal beating heart of the massive Roman Empire.

The Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) is simply the most famous and important road of the ancient world. Stretching miles out of Rome, this remarkably preserved cobblestone highway is lined with towering pine trees, ruined monuments, and ancient catacombs.

San Paolo Fuori le Mura is a vast, vast papal basilica located (historically) outside the ancient Aurelian Walls of Rome. It is the second-largest church in the city, second only to St. Peter's.

Lying perfectly in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the Circus Maximus is a wildly vast, elongated grassy park spanning an incredible 600 metres. It was the absolute largest sporting stadium ever built in human history.

Castel Sant'Angelo is a massive, towering cylindrical fortress deeply entrenched on the banks of the Tiber. Originally built as a tomb, its incredibly layered history saw it function as an impenetrable fortress, a brutal prison, and an opulent papal palace.

Sitting right next to the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine is the largest, most spectacular, and most preserved triumphal arch in ancient Rome. It serves as a monumental, symbolic bridge between the classical Roman world and the rising Christian empire.

Rising above the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill (Palatino) is the mythological and historical birthplace of Rome itself. It is a massive, atmospheric archaeological park largely covered by the staggering ruins of the colossal Imperial Palaces.

The Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) are the most sweeping, elegantly theatrical, and famous staircase in Europe. Cascading down incredibly gracefully from the Trinita dei Monti church, they form the aristocratic heart of modern Rome.

St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) is the massive, awe-inspiring masterpiece of Baroque urban design. It is created to physically and spiritually overwhelm every single person who steps into its massive ellipse.

The Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla) represent the absolute pinnacle of ancient Roman public infrastructure. These towering, massive brick ruins provide the most spectacular, awe-inspiring sense of the sheer, staggering scale of imperial Roman architecture.

The Domus Aurea (The Golden House) is Emperor Nero’s infamous, mind-bogglingly opulent, sprawling ancient palace complex. buried underground across the Oppian Hill, it acts as a staggering, eerie subterranean testament to limitless imperial megalomania.

Sunk deep beneath the Appian Way, the Catacombs of San Callisto form the most massive, important, and sprawling ancient Christian underground burial complex in Rome. It is a hauntingly silent, atmospheric labyrinth stretching for over 20 kilometres underground.

Anchoring the northern edge of Piazza del Popolo, this significant Renaissance and Baroque church is a treasure trove of fine art, famous for seamlessly housing masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Bernini.

tucked away inside the winding, dark cobblestone labyrinth of the Jewish Ghetto, Piazza Mattei is arguably the most enchanting, romantic tiny square in all of Rome.

Piazza Navona is the most elegant, theatrical, and romantic square in Rome. Defined by its massive sweeping shape, towering Baroque fountains, and bustling café culture, it represents the perfection of 17th-century Roman urban design.

Il Gesù is the massive, overwhelmingly powerful mother church of the intellectual, militaristic Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). It is famous as the first truly Baroque facade in the entire world, revolutionizing Catholic architecture globally.

Dominating the beautiful Piazza Colonna located on Via del Corso, the Column of Marcus Aurelius is a soaring, detailed ancient monument. Often confused with Trajan's Column, it is a massive, spiraling masterpiece of fierce Imperial Roman military storytelling.

San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St. Lawrence Outside the Walls) is one of the historic Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. It is a complex, fascinating architectural hybrid of two distinct ancient basilicas smashed together.

The Pyramid of Cestius is one of the most unexpected, jaw-dropping sights in Rome. It is a massive, soaring, incredibly sharp 36-metre-tall ancient Roman pyramid built directly into the city's defensive Aurelian Walls near the Ostiense district.

San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) is a 5th-century basilica on the Oppian Hill, founded to house one of Christianity's most venerated relics — the chains that bound St. Peter in Jerusalem. Today it is visited above all for Michelangelo's Moses, one of the most powerful sculptures of the Renaissance.

Piazza del Popolo ("People's Square") is a vast, sweeping, elegantly Neoclassical oval plaza. For over a thousand years before trains and airplanes, this massively dramatic, monumental space served as the very first thing travelers saw when entering Rome from the north.

Anchoring the iconic, chaotic central square of the Trastevere neighborhood, the historic Basilica di Santa Maria is considered one of the oldest dedicated Christian churches in Rome, dripping with glittering gold mosaics.

The massive Baroque church of Sant'Ignazio is a monumental testament to human ingenuity and the mastery of optical illusion (trompe l'oeil). It is basically a staggering, theatrical architectural magic trick located in the historic center.

Hidden in a peaceful courtyard in Trastevere, Santa Cecilia is a profoundly moving, historic church dedicated to the patron saint of music, built over the ancient Roman house where she was notably martyred.

Dominating a sweeping, beautifully symmetric square in the historic center, Palazzo Farnese is widely considered the absolute pinnacle of High Renaissance palace architecture in Rome. It is a massive, incredibly imposing structure that currently houses the French Embassy.

Santa Maria della Vittoria is a small, outwardly unassuming Baroque church located near Piazza della Repubblica. However, it explodes with theatrical opulence inside and is globally famous for housing the single most dramatic sculpture of the Roman Baroque period.

hidden in an unassuming side street right near the massive Santa Maria Maggiore, the 9th-century Basilica di Santa Prassede is a magnificent, Byzantine jewel box bursting with some of the finest, vivid medieval mosaics in Rome.

San Clemente is recognized as the ultimate "lasagna" of Roman history. It is a staggering, mind-bending archaeological site where you can physically descend straight down through three distinct, massive levels of different historical eras.

majestically crowning the sacred Capitoline Hill, the Piazza del Campidoglio is considered one of the most beautiful, perfect, harmonious urban squares in the world, designed by Michelangelo.

Tucked into a small square near Piazza Navona, San Luigi dei Francesi (St. Louis of the French) is the proud national church of France in Rome. While its ornate facade is impressive, the entire world visits this church constantly for one single, profound reason: Caravaggio.

Isola Tiberina is the charming, uniquely boat-shaped island sitting squarely in the middle of the fast-flowing River Tiber. As the smallest inhabited island in the world, it is defined by ancient bridges, heavy folklore, and a 2,000-year history of medical care.

Looming heavily near the Jewish Ghetto, the Teatro di Marcello is a massive, incredibly striking ancient Roman open-air theater. Often deeply confused with the Colosseum by passing tourists, its architecture is utterly unique because it seamlessly features an aristocratic Renaissance palace completely built into its upper floors.

Sitting elevated on the Janiculum Hill, San Pietro in Montorio is a elegant church commanding breathtaking views of Rome, famous for the tiny, flawless architectural masterpiece hiding in its adjacent courtyard.

Ponte Milvio (Milvian Bridge) is one of the most historically ancient, pivotal bridges in Rome. Spanning the River Tiber far north of the historic center, it is famous for its monumental ancient battles and its (recent) tradition as the romantic bridge of "love locks."

Largo di Torre Argentina is a massive, fascinating sunken archaeological square sitting right in the middle of a busy modern transit hub. It contains the ruins of four ancient republican temples and, most significantly, the exact location where Julius Caesar was assassinated.

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana — universally known as the "Square Colosseum" — is the defining icon of the EUR district and one of the most arresting examples of Italian Rationalist architecture in existence. Its four identical travertine facades, each pierced by 54 arches in a 6×9 grid, reinterpret the ancient Colosseum in pure geometric form.

Hidden behind a massive ancient pyramid in the gritty Testaccio neighborhood, the Non-Catholic Cemetery (Cimitero Acattolico) is romantic, lush, and peaceful. It is the final resting place for foreigners, heretics, and exiles who died in Rome.

Piazza della Rotonda is the bustling, chaotic, romantic massive square sitting in front of the sweeping portico of the Pantheon. It represents the quintessential, energetic heart of the deep Roman historical center.

Dominating Piazza Venezia, the Altar of the Fatherland (Vittoriano) is a colossal, glaringly white marble monument built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.

Piazza del Quirinale crowns the highest of Rome's Seven Hills, offering a sweeping view westward across the city's rooftops toward the dome of St. Peter's. The square is the ceremonial seat of Italy's President and one of Rome's most elegant open spaces.

Hidden silently inside a unassuming 16th-century palace courtyard behind the Trevi Fountain, the Galleria Sciarra is Rome's absolute greatest secret masterpiece of flamboyant, colorful 19th-century Art Nouveau architecture.

The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) is a massive, incredibly famous ancient marble mask mounted in the portico of the beautiful medieval church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It is the absolute centerpiece of one of Rome's most enduring and beloved legends.

Tucked away in a unassuming alley near the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the Arco dei Banchi is a atmospheric, historic Renaissance archway dripping with the dark, chaotic banking history of Papal Rome.