The city of Rome is certainly dominated by the Colosseum which is the largest Roman amphitheater in the world, it certainly represents the undisputed king of all monuments: the Colosseum Archaeological Park, which holds the primacy of tourism in the capital and which includes, in addition to Flavian Amphitheater, also the Roman Forum – the oldest center of Roman civilization – the Arch of Constantine and the Palatine Hill, the hill of aristocratic residences first and then of the imperial palaces such as the Domus Aurea and the Domus Flavia.
In addition to the Roman Forum, the Imperial Forums are also included among the Roman Forums, which include the Forum of Caesar, the Forum of Augustus, the Temple of Peace, the Forum of Nerva and the Forum of Trajan with the remains of the Basilica Ulpia , Trajan’s column and the famous markets.
As far as the basilicas are concerned, however, a visit to St. Peter’s cannot be missed, which for the majesty of the facade by Carlo Maderno, the dome by Michelangelo and the square by Bernini reigns unchallenged among the first attractions to visit in Rome together to the Vatican Museums which house some of the richest art collections in the world, including: the Pinacoteca which contains works by painters such as Giotto, Leonardo, Raffaello, Caravaggio, a collection of modern religious art with artists such as Francis Bacon, Carlo Carrà, Salvador Dalì, Paul Gaugin, Wassily Kandinsky, Vincent van Gogh, not to mention the magnificence of the Vatican Palaces which house rooms of unique artistic and architectural value such as the Sistine Chapel, the Gallery of Maps and the Raphael Rooms.
Once in the Borgo Pio area you cannot miss a visit to Castel Sant’Angelo, built in 130 at the behest of Hadrian as a burial place for himself and his family until over the centuries its history was increasingly intertwined with papal affairs, given also the proximity to St. Peter’s Basilica, until it became part of the Polo Museale del Lazio in 2014 and today houses a rich gallery of ceramics, sculptures and paintings as well as offering a magnificent view towards Corso Vittorio II.
In addition to St. Peter’s, the other three basilicas that enjoy the title of ‘major’ in Rome and represent a stop not to be missed during a stay in the Eternal City are: S. Giovanni in Laterano, which is the first in Rome since St. Peter belongs to the Vatican City, S. Paolo fuori le Mura and S. Maria Maggiore, all three of early Christian origin but full of Renaissance and Baroque renovations that make them rich in history and therefore necessary to visit to also understand the evolution of taste in art over the centuries.
Then there is an infinite number of other churches among which perhaps the Baroque ones represent one of the most sumptuous moments for the city of Rome: among them S. Luigi dei Francesi with the Contarelli Chapel and the works of Caravaggio, S. Andrea della Valle designed at the from the 16th century by Giacomo della Porta and Carlo Maderno, with the Baroque façade by Carlo Rainaldi, the Church of Jesus by Vignola and Giacomo Della Porta with the illusionistic decoration of the vault by Giovan Battista Gaulli, the church of Sant’Ignazio by Loyola also with the amazing quadrature of the Jesuit painter Andrea Pozzo and the church of S. Ivo alla Sapienza admirable work by Borromini of 1642 which is grafted onto the pre-existing 16th century courtyard by Pirro Ligorio and Giacomo Della Porta.
Among the hills, the Campidoglio occupies a place of excellence, which has always housed the most important state buildings in the history of Rome – until Michelangelo intervened on the square in 1534, giving it its current arrangement – and which today houses the Capitoline Museums, born from the antiquarian collections of the various popes starting from 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV gave the city a collection of important bronzes which he had placed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, thus giving life to the oldest museum in the world which was open to public visits from 1734 to will of Pope Clement XII.
Another of the seven hills that deserves particular attention is the Aventine Hill, an area where it is possible to admire the only Pyramid of the city, the tomb of the praetor Caius Cestius built in 12 BC. immediately after the conquest of Egypt by the Empire, where you can climb up to one of the most panoramic places in Rome such as the Orange Garden and where you can enjoy a particular view of St. Peter’s dome through the hole of the lock of the gate of the Priory of the Knights of Malta.
As for the squares – which are crucial places for the city of Rome in terms of urban planning – the five not to be missed are Piazza Venezia with the Vittoriano, Piazza di Spagna, where the Trinità dei Monti church triumphs, Piazza Navona with the fountain dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini and the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone by Borromini, piazza della Rotonda dominated by the Pantheon and piazza del Popolo with the church of Santa Maria del Popolo originally from the 11th century but restored by Bernini in 1660 in which possible to admire masterpieces such as the Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter by Caravaggio, as well as several frescoes by Pinturicchio, the Assumption by Annibale Carracci, as well as the architecture of Raffaello Sanzio and Bramante and the two twin churches, Santa Maria in Montesanto (1675) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1678) which give life to the famous Trident, formed by via del Corso, via del Babuino and via di Ripetta.
Among the fountains, the undisputed queen is the Trevi Fountain, built by Nicola Salvi close to Palazzo Poli and completed in 1732 by Giuseppe Panini, while the famous central nucleus with the statues of the god Ocean, two sea horses and two tritons is the work of Pietro Bracci, one of the greatest late Baroque sculptors now buried in the Pantheon. Perhaps the most famous and visited among the 20 things to see in Rome.
Also worth a visit is the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, the so-called ‘Fontanone’, which triumphs on the slopes of the Gianicolo, where it is also possible to enjoy one of the most extensive views over the city.
Always closely linked to the theme of water, other impressive architectures that cannot be missed in a Rome itinerary are the baths: the most authentic are the imposing Baths of Caracalla on the Aventine, while the complex of the Baths of Diocletian on the Esquiline stands today with the addition of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri and the adjoining Carthusian cloister by Michelangelo in the mid-16th century.
Among the parks of the city it is worth spending a day at Villa Borghese, both for the view that can be enjoyed from the terrace of the Pincio and for the innumerable museums inside the gardens, first of all the Galleria Borghese, which houses a high number of works by famous painters and sculptors such as Caravaggio, Tiziano, Raffaello, Bernini and Canova, not to mention the magnificent Italian and English gardens that can be admired throughout the park. A very short distance away, also the National Gallery, 20,000 works of modern and contemporary art with an invaluable heritage of Italian and foreign masterpieces.
Two other parks that preserve a large share of the city’s heritage are undoubtedly the Appia Antica Regional Park where it is possible to admire the ancient Via Appia – the queen viarum as the Romans called it – seven of the ancient Roman aqueducts that have remained here wonderfully preserved, the important funerary complex dating back to the 2nd century of the tombs of the via Latina and a series of imperial villas including the villa delle Vignacce and the villa dei Quintili; the other park that is worth a small trip out of Rome is the archaeological park of Ostia Antica which boasts countless ancient Roman structures such as warehouses, religious buildings, a theatre, baths and triumphal gates, all enriched by two-tone mosaic decorations of rare value.
Among the 20 things to see in Rome, the masterpiece of contemporary architecture designed by Zaha Hadid, the MAXXI, National Museum of XXI Century Arts, could not be missing, which transports Rome into the contemporary world. Concrete, metal and glass together give life to a structure with fluid and sinuous lines, which seen from above recalls (and it is no coincidence) the bends of a river: a tribute to the Tiber, without which the Eternal City would not exist. Based on the pre-existing buildings of a now disused barracks in the Flaminio district, the museum has been carrying on the dialogue between the past and the future since 2010 with its important collections of contemporary art and architecture.