The best things to do in Rome
Rome is one of the best cities in the world that you should absolutely discover. Its architecture, food, cultural heritage will just amaze you. Let's discover the best things to do in Rome and why you should add it to your bucket list.
Colosseum
The history of the Colosseum in Rome begins in the sixty-eighth year, when one of the most brutal rulers of the ancient world, Nero, committed suicide. He left a magnificent palace, which the emperor Vespasian decided to destroy, as it cost the city very expensive. In its place, he began to build a public building for citizens of Rome. It took 9 years to build a giant Colosseum amphitheater. More than 100,000 slaves, specially brought to Rome from Judea, were building a Colosseum. Then, for hundreds of years, the most spectacular performances in the history, gladiatorial battles, and naval battles took place here. In the middle of the 14th century, Rome was shaken by a powerful earthquake that led to the destruction of the outer southern wall of the Colosseum. Today, it has become one of the best and most famous sites of the city and the whole Italy. Over 4 million tourists visit Colosseum every year.
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is the former central market, and now the square is located in the ancient part of the city just a few minutes walk from the Coliseum. He was the center of the social and political life of the Roman citizens. The Forum held public assemblies, Senate meetings and the election of magistrates, as well as religious ceremonies and judicial proceedings. Today at the site of the former Forum are only its ruins, however, some of them are perfectly preserved. In particular, the giant columns located in the middle of the forum are simply amazing with their size.
Borghese Gallery
The Borghese Art Gallery is located in the middle of Villa Borghese, which belonged before to the famous princely family. It has 75 halls and more than five thousand works of art, including many rare masterpieces. In addition to visiting the art museum, you can also walk through the park that surrounds the gallery. This is especially nice to do in summer because the museum is located on a hill in the shade of green trees.
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is the biggest and most spectacular fountain in Rome. It is always noisy and crowded here, especially in summer. The construction of the Trevi Fountain was carried out for 30 years, from 1732 to 1762, according to the sketches of the famous Bernini. The creator of this beautiful piece of art is Nikolai Salvi. He made the fountain an organic element of the architectural composition of the entire square. At the same time, the Trevi Fountain is not just a separate monument, but the part of the facade of Palazzo Poli building.
Amalfi trip
Amalfi is one of the most beautiful cities situated on the seacoast of Italy, a famous tourist center and the capital of the Amalfi Republic. In the old days, the city of Amalfi approved the Maritime Code, invented the magnetic compass, successfully traded, fought with Pisa and Genoa. Previously, about 50,000 people lived in this powerful city. Today it is a beautiful sea town, with colorful houses, white villas, flowers everywhere and a magnificent view of the bay. If you have time, be sure to add an Amalfi to your list of the best places to visit in Italy. You can get to Amalfi from Rome by public transport, for example by train or bus. Also, you can book a full-day Amalfi tour from Rome.
Pantheon
The Pantheon was built in the year 27 BC. This was done by order of Mark Agrippa, a relative of Emperor Augustus. Pantheon in ancient Rome is a unique structure that would be difficult to build, even in our time. Indeed, to build 2 thousand years ago the dome with a diameter of 44 meters was not an easy task. The main feature of the Pantheon is that it does not have windows. There is only a hole in the center of the roof, called the "Oculus". This “window” is the only source of light. The diameter of the hole is 9 meters. Entrance to the Pantheon is free and it is open 7 days a week.
Vatican
The Vatican in Rome is a unique “state in the state”, the residence of the Pope of Rome and the center of the entire Catholic world. It was founded according to the Lateran Agreement between the Italian state and the Roman Catholic Church in 1929. It is located on the right bank of the Tiber in the western part of Rome. 44 hectares contain a lot of cultural, architectural and religious artifacts. St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Vatican’s museums are the most popular and visited sites of Vatican. By the way, it is best to visit the Vatican at the beginning of the day, since later there begin huge queues. Especially a lot of people gather in the square on Wednesdays as the Pope performs on this day.
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is one of the most famous and popular tourist sites of Rome, famous for its three fountains, obelisks, and other attractions. Piazza Navona has been known since ancient Rome. Here was the stadium, then the city market, and over the past two hundred years this place in the central part of the Italian capital was built up in the Baroque style. The square has three fountains, obelisk with a height of 16 meters, palaces and ancient churches. Three different fountains: Rivers, Moor and Neptune, are the most remarkable sights of the Piazza.
Pompeii trip
Pompeii is an ancient Roman city in the south of Italy near Naples. As it is known Pompeii was destroyed during the eruption of the volcano of Vesuvius in 79 year. Today, the city is a huge open-air museum. Since 1997, Pompeii has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Pompeii is easily accessible from Rome by train. There are also special shuttle basses that will take you to a “dead city” in a fairly short time. The best solution to discover Pompeii is getting a half-day or full-day tour to Pompeii from Rome with a professional guide.
