Rome is a city filled with stunning ancient architecture, art and locations. So much so, it can be difficult to decide what to go see. There are tons of accomodation options from renting an Air BnB, hostels to swanky hotels. There is also easy airport transfers and a lot of your sight seeing can be done on foot if you’re accommodation is close enough. Depending on your interests you will want to see different things, but to give you a hand here is the top 5 sites in Rome you should visit.
1. Colosseum
Arguably one of the more famous Roman monuments the Colosseum, is the largest amphitheatre ever built. Sometimes called Amphitheatrum Flavium the structure, used for gladiatorial fights, public spectacles and classic mythological dramas, has stood for almost 2000 years. Estimated to have been able to hold from 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and the building is a massive 48m high oval measuring 189m long and 156m wide. The Colosseum, though damaged, stands as an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.
2. Roman Forum
Situated to the west of the Colosseum the Roman Forum was the centre of Roman life and is surrounded by the ruins of several important buildings including, the Regia, the Temple of Vesta, the Vulcanal, the Commitium and Curia Julia. The site, its ruins and layers of excavations are a great destination for tourists. The numerous places to visit here could probably take up an entire holiday by themselves.
3. St Peter’s Square and St.Peter’s Basilica
A city within a city, Vatican City is the home of the Catholic Church and its most important building is St Peter’s Basilica. This building, one of Catholicism’s most holy shrines, is reached through St Peter’s Square, an interesting destination in of itself. The massive church, the largest in the world, is a glorious piece of Renaissance architecture designed by several great artists, including Michelangelo. Taking over a hundred years to build it was completed in 1626. Many relics and pieces of art are housed here and most can be viewed by the public.
4. Pantheon
Back to Roman sites, the Pantheon is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings. It was built around 1900 years ago and has been in constant use since that time. Now a church, the building was originally a temple to all of the Roman gods, with a then unique design, a stone replacement for the original wooden structure. The oculus, a hole in the centre of the ceiling of the dome, shines a beam of light that moves in a reverse sundial effect. The interior itself is decorated in a circle and square motif, assumed to have some form of significance at the time of construction, though there has been some modifications to the structure over the years of its use.
5. Fountain of Trevi
Given the almost innumerable sites to see in Rome a good one to visit is the Fountain of Trevi. This beautiful Baroque depiction of the god Neptune, designed by Nicola Salvi and made by Pietro Bracci in 1762, is a massive 26.3m high and 49.15m wide structure that sits on the junction of three roads thus the name, tre vie. According to legend if you throw a coin into this fountain you will return to Rome, considering the amount of things to see this would be a great future.
Though this list only scratches the surface of the wonders in Rome, whether you’re backpacking or traveling in luxury, it should give any traveller a great place to start their exploration of this ancient city.