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Rome: 3.000 years of glory

You can be anywhere in the world, but no city of this world is comparable to Rome. A city with 3.000 years of history that was the first great metropolis in the world, and the most important center of ancient civilization, which to get influence on society, culture, language, art, philosophy, literature, architecture and religion in later centuries.


What today is the capital of Italy, a long time ago was the capital of the Roman Empire, but its size over the centuries has remained intact, and for understand this, just to quote a famous phrase that is known to all Italians «All roads lead to Rome». With this sentence you'll see the grandeur of this city, because Rome was not built after Italy, but all Italy was to be built around Rome, and for this reason that all the roads are channeled to Rome.

It is the city with the largest group of historical and architectural heritage of the world, and from 1980 Rome is World Heritage Site of UNESCO.


Apart from this brief summary of history, it simultaneously created another of type religious, because Rome is the only city in the world to have within it a foreign state, Vatican City, which is why it is also called «The capital of two states».


If you still questioning yourself – ‘What to do and see in Rome?’ we can support you with the full list of different advices on how to spend your time in this glorious city! But instead of quite popular ‘Top 10 things to do in Rome’ we would like to support you with not less than Rome’s top 20, as there are so many different attractions that it is hard to stop yourself describing only ten!

What to do when in Rome, PrivateGuide's  top 20

The greatest monument of Rome is the Colosseum (1), a colossal that you can not lose, was built in 80 AD to hold at that time the the gladiators who challenged to a duel in front of 50,000 people, today is the first tourist destination of the city, because it is a sacrilege to go to Rome without seeing the Colosseum. Visiting it you feel the atmosphere and you can almost hear the cries of the gladiators and the lions' roars that once fought inside them, while outside you will find the centurions, characters with typical costumes of those years with whom you can talk and if you want, you can also give you some pictures or some video offering them a small cash reward. But the biggest advice about the Colosseum, is also to walk around it during the night, this is because the effect of the lights makes it even more attractive, charming and romantic.

St. Peter's Square (2) is the largest basilica in Rome and is the official site where was proclaimed each new Pope, a place of considerable significance for the religious world, and in addition to being the center of Catholicism, is also the biggest church in the world. In this place you will see the passage of the Pope's Swiss Guards in their distinctive costumes, and walking in Via Nicolo Piccolomini, a street in front of St. Peter's Square, you will realize something extraordinary that will leave you stunned and without explanation: for a strange optical effect that is created in fact, the dome of St. Peter gets smaller as you approach and while you are away is magnified.

If you are in St. Peter, however, there is a fundamental step that you can not absolutely renounce because it is one of the seven wonders of the world: the Sistine Chapel (3). The frescoes and Last Judgement paintings by Michelangelo Buonarroti are works of world famous, and you can admire them with ecstasy, looking up. They have been deliberately painted at the top because when you raise your head to see them, you are obligated to open the mouth in amazement stems from their extraordinary beauty.

In the Vatican however, the Vatican Museums (4) are one of the strong rings of Rome and the Papal States, and who knows the history of the Church knows in fact that it has reigned for centuries in the world and during this time has collected and guarded the treasures of inestimable value. The Museums have exactly this meaning, that of encompass these priceless works to make them see from all visitors of the world. If you want to visit then we will give you a clever advice, you go on the website of the Vatican Museums and reserve your ticket directly online, so you can will avoid long waiting lines of tourists which form outside the entrance.

The Imperial Forums (5) are located in the heart of Rome, and they were built by the emperors; for centuries they were the political and economic center of the city. You can visit them all together because they are close to each other and in addition you can also see Trajan's Markets (6), admire them while walking along the Forum, you will imagine how could be Rome thousands of years ago during economic exchanges at the time.

Navona Square (7) is one of the most famous squares of Rome, it has the shape of an ancient stadium, and was built by the pope. Looking at the famous Fountain of four Rivers you can see that it is turned towards the church in a gesture of disgust because Bernini, the author of the fountain, was the enemy of Borromini, who designed the churches.

Spagna's Square (8) is the famous square with the stairway of Trinita dei Monti, where taking place some fashion shows, and where you can see hundreds of people sitting on the stairs. The square has a beautiful promenade that will guide you until the balcony of the Pincio (9), from here you can watch Rome in all its majesty and, if you want, you can take a ride on the rickshaw.

The Mouth of Truth (10) is a mask of marble famous for being also appeared in many movies like «Roman Holiday» with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, where the custom is to put the hand in the Mouth of Truth.

The Caracalla's Terme (11) are the Terme of the Roman Empire and you can find them near the Circus Maximus, another historical site located a few steps; at the time the Terme, wanted by the Emperor could host up to 1,500 people .

The National Gallery of Ancient Art (12) is divided into Barberini Palace and Corsini Palace, and if you are a lover of fine arts, here you will find all the works of great masters that you can see sitting comfortably as Caravaggio, Raffaello, Tintoretto, Tiziano, Rubens and many others.

The Trevi Fountain (13) is the most famous fountain in Rome, where the tradition want that you throw a coin for express the desire to return to Rome again; but has become even more famous because it was the protagonist of one of the most famous movie scenes in the movie «La Dolce Vita» by Federico Fellini, a film of 1960, where Anita Ekberg walk in the fountain and invites Marcello Mastroianni to follow her.

Monte Mario (14) is one of the seven hills of Rome, probably the best known of all because in addition to its breathtaking panoramic of Rome, is located the Astronomical Observatory where, through appointment, you can see the stars and combine a visit to the Astronomic and Copernican Museum.

The Palatino (15)is another of the seven hills of Rome, near the Roman Forum and is practically a big open-air museum can be visited during the day, particularly noteworthy is that the legend recounts that the city of Rome had its origins on the Palatine.

Piazza Venezia (16) is a prominent square at the foot of the Campidoglio, it is exactly here that the major cross streets of the center of the capital, and this is where you will find the Altar of the Nation, another centerpiece of the eternal city. In Rome, people humorously call it «the typewriter»; on its sides you will always find the presence of two guards, but just behind it you can also see the true symbol of Rome, the statue of the she-wolf suckling Romolo and Remo, and from that point if you're history lovers, will certainly recognize the window through which overlooked Benito Mussolini.

Piazza Venezia also includes The balcony of the Vittoriano, another of the places not to miss in Rome, because if you are fond of landscapes, then this view is really well worth. It is so prestigious for its military value that the steady climb of people have requested the installation of a glass elevator that leads directly to the roof of the monument.

Fun around Rome
Rome is a perfect city for young people, both day and night, in fact, its beauty and its tourist attractions make it an desirable destination even for the Italians themselves, who chose it for the weekend and all kinds of events. So, what else you can to do in Rome?

One of the inevitable places where you can go shopping in Rome is Porta Portese, born 3,000 years ago as a classic flea market (17), today is the largest Roman market and also the most frequented by citizens and tourists. It's ideal to visit on Sunday morning, because you will savoring the atmosphere of Roman stalls and sellers, prices are popular and affordable for everyone, but you should be careful to bags and wallets, because even if the area is guarded by police, there are some Eastern Europe children (Romania and Bulgaria in particular), who try to rob people.

Another area of relaxation and recreation that you can find is the EUR, a large architectural and urban structure as a whole district, where on sunny days you can lie down on the grass in the company of thousands of people who are relaxing around the lake, have a picnic or rent a small boat to take a boat trip on your own while you enjoy the scenery around you.

The romantic Rome
What to do in Rome, Italy if you looking for some romantic time spand? Talking about romance, two of the biggest attractions are the «Rose Garden»(18) and «the garden of oranges», both located in the heart of the city, near the Circus Maximus: the first is a site containing more than 1,000 varieties of roses different in quality, color and fragrance; the second instead is the traditional destination of lovers who enjoy the scenery and the romantic atmosphere of the place.

And since you are there, there is a breathtaking view that all Romans know and therefore also the tourists should know, this view is that the keyhole of the front door of the Villa of the Knights of Malta (19). Looked at this simple hole, you can capture the most beautiful frame of the whole of Rome, including St. Peter's dome framed by arches of plants.

Curiosity and advice 
We conclude this article full of advice and suggestions on ‘what to do when in Rome’ with the tips about the city, very useful information to tourists who visit it during their holidays and during the whole year.

One of the first advice is for shoppers, because Rome's fashion is at par with many other cities around the world. The center of Rome is of course the meeting point of Italian fashion, in fact, the central area is called The Triangle of the Roman Fashion and is equivalent of 3 famous streets that meet each other: they are the Via Condotti, Via Frattina and Via del Babuino.

If you are in Trastevere, one of the most beautiful and fascinating neighborhoods of Rome which deserves to be lived and looking at the clock you see that it's almost 12 o'clock, so hurry up and go to the Gianicolo, because from there you can watch the ceremony that occurs every day where traditionally a cannon is fired with blanks, but we suggest you to go also in the evening, to enjoy an impressive night view of the capital at night and perhaps, if you are a couple of tourists, waiting the romantic sunrise directly to the Gianicolo.

Being tourists, however, also means a lot of walking, and if one day during your stay you will be tired of walking, but you also want to visit Rome, then on Sunday morning you can take the bus number 87 and without traffic you can take a sightseeing tour in total relax to see how beautiful it is Rome. We advise you just Sunday morning because it is the day of the week in which the center of the city is closed to traffic and may only circulate pedestrians and bicycles.

If you want a picture with the Centurions out of the Coliseum, there is not a fee, just ask before you bid or to themselves. Walking quietly for St. Peter's Square but not lie down on the steps because you risk being arrested, that is belonging to the Vatican State. 


And - Come back again! (20)


Written by our travel expert in Rome 
Fabio Gasparrini

Keywords (tags), separate by comma: Rome, 10 things to do, what to do when in Rome

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