Top sights in Rome
The top museums, churches, monuments, and experiences of Rome, Italy
www.turismoroma.it
City museums:
www.museiincomuneroma.it
Ancient sites:
archeoroma.beniculturali.it
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Rome Tours & Activities
Vatican Museums ★★★ & Sistine Chapel ★★★ - Rome's most magnificent collection of museums includes Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Raphael Rooms, exquisite ancient Roman sculptures, and a painting gallery stuffed with works by Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Caravaggio, Raphael, Fra' Angelico, and many more....» more
St. Peter's Basilica ★★★ - The capital of Christendom and most magnificent basilica on Earth is a late-Renaissance/early-baroque masterpiece of architecture and decoration, an artistic collaborations across the centuries between the likes of Michelangelo and Bernini, and something of a personal pulpit for the man who lives next door: the Pope... » more
The Colosseum ★★★ - The world's greatest sports arena, where 50,000 of the masses could be amused at a time, and the contests between men—and between man and beasts—could last 100 days or more and involve the slaughter of literally thousands of animals and gladiators. Yes, ancient Rome was a cheery place... » more
The Roman Forum ★★★ and Imperial Fori ★ - Lines of chipped columns, crumbling triumphal arches, broken temple porticoes, the curve of abandoned marketplaces, armless statues patinaed with age—you can wander at will through the ghost city of an ancient Rome that, 2,000 years ago, ruled over the entire known world.... » more
The Pantheon ★★★ - The only ancient Roman temple to survive the millennia intact is also one of the most amazing architectural spaces in Rome, an expansive cylinder swaddled in precious marbles, topped by a vast concrete hemisphere, and pierced by a wide shaft of sunlight from the oculus at the center... . » more
The Spanish Steps ★★★ - A graceful arc of stairs—set off by azaleas in spring and always overflowing with chattering Romans and tourists—is tied in an off-center double-bow to an elegant hillside at the very heart of Rome's trendiest shopping district... » more
The Trevi Fountain ★★ - The world's most famous wishing well is a riot of sculpture and favorite late-night gathering place in Rome.... » more
Piazza Navona ★★ - Sit at a café table on the oblong Piazza Navona square—built atop the oval of an ancient Roman stadium, lined by palaces and churches, and centered on Bernini's fantastic Four Rivers fountain—and just watch the carnival of Roman life spin past you... » more
The Catacombs of the Ancient Appian Way ★★ - These miles of low, dimly lit tunnels carved into the soft tufa honeycomb the earth beneath the Via Appia Antica are wildly popular among tourists. The catacomb tunnels are pigeonholed with tens of thousands of niches where early Christians buried their dead and left some of the world's first Christian art.... » more
A popal audience ★★ - Unlike the Middle Ages, when you had to have excellent connections to see the Bishop of Rome (that's the Pope's real title), these days papal audiences are pretty easy to come by—so long as you're willing to share the moment with several thousand other audience members.... » more
Castel Sant'Angelo ★ - The pope's personal fortress is a giant cylinder of a castle glowering above the Tiber and hiding at its core the tomb of Hadrian and a dozen other ancient Roman emperors.... » more
The Mouth of Truth ★ - An ancient Roman sewer-covering carved into a grotesque face with a gaping mouth that legend holds will bite off the fingers of anyone who dares stick in his hand and tell a lie.... » more
Tips
- Sights By Category
• Top Sights
• Museums
• Ancient sites / ruins
• Churches
• Piazzas and fountains
• Reid's list
• Free sights
• Michelangelo's Rome
• Bernini's Rome
• Caravaggio's RomeBook ahead: There are some sights for which you should definitely reserve tickets ahead of time: The Colosseum (long lines), Borghese Galleries (limited admissions). For others, booking ahead may be wise....
- Freebies: Yes, there are plenty of great museums and ancient ruins, but many of the best sights in Rome are free, from its art-filled churches to its lively piazze (squares) and fountains... » more
- Tours: You can fit in a lot of highlights quickly on a guided tour... » more
Related pages
- Reid's List: My favorite sights from the "B list"
- Rome itineraries: Packing the most into 1, 2, or 3 days in Rome
This material was last updated April 2013. All information was accurate at the time.
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