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Rome Attractions and Sights
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Rome
 The Greater Rome area is full of attractions for all ages. Piazzas,
churches, ruins and architectural masterpieces are only part of the Eternal
City’s magnetism. For art lovers, Rome is the world’s richest city. Rome
also teems with sound, starting before dawn lasting into the night. Church
bells meld with honking horns to create a cacophony that somehow seems
fitting for bustling streets lined with modern-day boutiques, shops, produce
stalls and other kiosks now standing alongside antiquities. For the new
millennium, Rome went all out to scrape away decades of grime and pollution,
revealing more of the city’s original glory and making classic attractions
-- from the Colosseum to Trevi Fountain and Piaza Navona -- sparkle again.
Whether filthy or clean, Rome’s monuments stand as an ever-present reminder
of its status as one of the greatest centers of Western civilization when
all roads once led to Rome.
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Circus Maximus
 In its day, the elongated oval of Circus Maximus provided a 250,000-seat
arena for Ben-Hur-style gladiator action and was second only to the
Colosseum as an impressive structure of ancient Rome. Circus Maximus now in
ruins was plundered by medieval and Renaissance builders looking for marble
and stone.
In the Circus Maximus, unlike the amphitheaters of the day, men and women
could sit together. The Circus Maximus also had the ancient equivelant of
the skyboxes you see now in stadiums for professional sports. The Emperor
had a reserved seat, as did senators, knights, those who financially backed
the race, those who presided over the competition, and the jury that awarded
the prize to the winners. The last race held at the Circus Maximus was in
549 A.D., nearly a full millenium after the track's construction.
Between Via dei Cerchi and Via del Circo Massimo
The Colosseum
 The
Coliseum (Coloseum, Colosseum), was built during the reign of Emperor
Vespasiano c. 72 AD and dedicated in 80 AD by his son Titus. The popular
name of Coliseumcame about because the immense oval stadium was situated
next to a colossal statue of Nero. The original name of this ancient Roman
sports arena, the largest arena of its kind, is The Amphitheatrum Flavium.
Over 160 ft high with eighty entrances, the Coliseum could hold upwards
of 50,000 spectators. Public events such as gladiator fights, mock naval
battles and wild animal hunts were held at the Coliseum. During the staged
fights as many as 10,000 people were killed. Fighters were slaves, prisoners
or volunteers. Spectators saw persecuted Christians killed by lions. After
404 AD gladiatorial battles were no longer held, but animals such as lions,
elephants, snakes and panthers continued to be massacred in the name of
sport until the 6th century.
Piazzale del Colosseo, Via dei Fori Imperiali. (06) 700-4261
Golden House of Nero
After Rome burned in the deadly blaze of A.D. 64 -- historians have yet
to prove Nero set it, much less fiddled -- the emperor seized some 200 acres
of the central charred city to erect one of history’s most opulent palaces,
with a 150-foot statue of himself in the nude at the entrance. Successors
destroyed much of the golden palace, but remains are again on view after a
15-year restoration re-opening in 1999. The Colosseum area was once a lake
reflecting the Golden House. The word grotto comes from this palace,
believed built underground.
Via della Dommus Aurea. (06) 3974-9907
The Pantheon
 Built in 27 B.C. and rebuilt in second century A.D, the Pantheon (All the
Gods) is the lone ancient Roman building remaining intact. This perfect
square resting in a cylinder measuring 142 feet wide and 142 feet high ranks
among the world’s architectural wonders thanks to spatial concept.
Michelangelo studied its once-gilded dome before designing the cupola of St.
Peter's. Walls are 25 feet thick, and bronze doors weigh 20 tons each. More
than a century ago, Raphael's tomb was discovered here. Buried nearby are
Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Italy, and his successor, Umberto I.
Piazza della Rotonda. (06) 6830-0230
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National Gallery
Palazzo Barberini ranks as one of Rome’s most outstanding baroque
palaces. Within and on view are the lavish rococo apartments and the Gallery
of Decorative Art, which is part of the National Gallery of Ancient Art. The
Collection of bronze urns with engraving is outstanding.
Palatine Hill
South of the Forum and overlooking it, Palatine Hill is the oldest
inhabited site in Rome, with remains unearthed from the 9th century BC.
Hidden corners and shaded lanes make the Palatine a fine place to wander on
foot.
Trevi Fountain
 Trevi Fountain, on a piazza of Via del Tritone, is a striking oasis of
rest featuring mythical sea creatures and cascading waters. As if not
sufficiently immortal on its own, films like Three Coins in a Fountain and
Fellini’s La Dolce Vita have made it one of the world’s best known wishing
wells. Legend dictates that you can ensure return to Rome by tossing a coin
into the fountain, one of the most trafficked sites in the city.
| Recommended Hotel
nearby |
 Barberini Hotel Rome 
The Barberini Hotel is located in the historical centre of Rome between Via
Veneto and the famous Trevi fountain. The hotel lies between the Triton Fountain
of Barberini Plaza and Quirinale Gardens. The elegance of its setting and the
high quality of its services get married with an advanced technology that grants
the best comfort. In a pleasant and refined setting, Barberini Hotel offers 35 comfortable
bedrooms, entirely soundproofed and facilitated with modern amenities. Specially
adapted rooms for the physically challenged are also available. Offering a comfortable setting, the breakfast room provides delicious buffet
breakfast for you to relish. You can also sip a drink at the onsite American
Bar. The terrace at the hotel is a warm and exclusive meeting point, from where
you can enjoy superb views of the eternal city. The warm and comfortable style
of its setting together with professional staff will give you a really pleasant
stay.
>> click here for last minute offers
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>> click here for year round hotel reservation
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St. Peter’s Basilica
The saga of St. Peter’s dates to the year AD 319 when Emperor Constantine
built a basilica over where the tomb of St. Peter. The Basilica is said to
be near where the Circus of Nero was in ancient times. After near collapse
in the 15th century, a long, labored reconstruction began. Five of Italy’s
greatest Renaissance artists died while toiling away on the new St. Peter’s
-- Bramante, Raphael, Peruzzi, Sangallo the Younger and Michelangelo. Inside
the great church is Michelangelo’s Pieta.
St. Peter’s Square. (06) 698-5318
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums serve as a huge warehouse for treasures from
antiquity and the Renaissance, held within lavish palaces, apartments and
galleries leading to the renowned Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums occupy
a part of the papal palaces built from the 1200s onward. Access to ticket
windows is via a fabulous spiral ramp. Among highlights are the Borgia
Apartments, Egyptian-Gregorian Museum, Ethnological Museum, Raphael Rooms,
Pinacoteca, Raphael Salon and the Vatican Library.
Vatican City, Viale Vaticano. (06) 6988-4341
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