Rome useful tips and information
Rome It is a fantastic city, an open-air museum that fills your eyes every moment, you have the sensation of walking in the midst of history, in the past where there was culture, artistic works, streets, flavors.
What to visit in Rome
The classic tour of the most famous monuments is: Saint Peter, Imperial Forums, Coliseum, Spanish Steps, Navona Square: tour that should do, even the 110 open bus that leaves from Termini Station. I remember that Vatican City is not just St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums.
Here are two lesser known perspectives: when you do Via di Porta Angelica pass at some point in front of Porta S.Anna, one of the entrances to the Vatican City.
At this entrance you will always find the Swiss Guards. If you stand in front of the entrance and see in front of you you will notice that immediately after the entrance itself there is a small church on the right.
That is there church of Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri, the parish of the Vatican City.
If you politely ask the Swiss Guards and you signal them they make you go to church, it is very small but it is a small favor.
Everyone knows the Vatican Walls on the right (looking at the Basilica) because they are the ones that lead to the metro, to the Vatican Museums.
Instead try to follow the walls on the left, then looking at the Basilica follow the colonnade on the left, enter Piazza del Sant'Ufficio (where there is the gate and there are other Swiss Guards: if you look over the internal square you will see the Nerves Room, recognizable by the "eye" glass window).
Exit the square and at the traffic lights turn immediately right (just around the corner there is a fountain), continue along the walls, pass a kiosk and a newsstand, follow the walls to the end: you will come to a "dead end" and at the entrance of Peugino, another entrance from the Vatican City used mainly by employees.
From that entrance there is the best view of the dome ever.
From the square, in fact, the dome is in a certain sense "covered" by the facade of the Twine and the fact that it is set back from the facade itself does not allow you to fully appreciate it.
Furthermore i most characteristic neighborhoods to walk around are i Monti, Parione and Regola districts (the first starts from a side street of via Cavour, the road that arrives at Termini Station, the others extend from here), the area of Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. Finally, a truly curious neighborhood is the Coppedè district, between via Salaria and Nomentana, entrance from piazza Mincio.
4 most beautiful and characteristic villages to visit around Rome
It is very small but really cute.
Panoramic points of Rome
- Janiculum: the walk to the Janiculum you do it on foot and there is a panoramic view from S. Pietro al Vittoriano andAventine.
Part from Trastevere or up close Villa Sciarra, along the way you also meet the Temple of Bramante.
It is not a long walk but if you don't want to walk there is also a bus, the 115 or the 870 that gets on.
Every day the cannon placed on the terrace at the top of the hill fires a blank shot, to announce to the Romans that it is 12 o'clock.
Many people attend the ceremony. The most panoramic point is Piazza Garibaldi.
- Pincio: the walk starts from above Spanish Steps and comes above Piazza del Popolo, entering inside Villa Borghese.
You can enjoy a view of Rome throughout the walk, you can enjoy a wonderful view of Piazza del Popolo with its two twin churches from the terrace: from there go down the stairs and you are immediately in the center.
- Aventine Hill: I suggest you go to the "Orange Garden“, From which you can enjoy a spectacular view of the Tiber, with an attached romantic legend.
- Victorian: from the top of the Vittoriano you can enjoy a splendid view of the Roman forums. - Dome of St. Peter: the view from which you can enjoy is spectacular.
- Monte Mario: located in the north-west of Rome, behind the Foro Italico, has many entrances, including those in via Gomenizza 81, via dei colli della Farnesina, via parco della vittoria.
From the terrace on top of the mountain there is a beautiful view of the Roman hills and the Tiber. It includes a beautiful park and 3 villas, including the one that houses the astronomical observatory (which can be visited on request).
- Castel S.Angelo: it has terraces on various floors that overlook the Tiber, from which you can enjoy splendid views - Palatine: given its elevated position, you can enjoy an excellent view of the Roman Forum, on the one hand, and on the Circus Maximus.
- Villa Borghese hot air balloon: you can enjoy a spectacular view from up there but it costs a lot.
Rome underground the catacombs
Among the most famous catacombs are to visit: the Domus Aurea of ​​Nero, Domus del Celio.
But I recommend visiting some too churches that have nice dungeons, such as church of S. Clemente located near the Colosseum.
Also I recommend the The Crypt of Balbi, near Largo Torre Argentina.
To get there, take tram 8. Here are the remains of the theater built by Balbo in 13 BC. After the fourth century AD and throughout the Middle Ages, the spaces were used as tombs, craft shops and religious buildings.
An interesting collection of finds is exhibited. Closed on Mondays. Do not miss the San Crisogono e underground, located in Piazza Sonnino 44.
There is one in the basement early Christian basilica discovered in 1908 during an excavation campaign.
The opening hours are 7.30-11.30 and 16-19, the ticket has a price of 1,55 euros.
To reach it, take tram 8 from Torre Argentina with a stop immediately after Ponte Garibaldi.
It is the second church on the right. Finally visit S.Lorenzo in Lucina and underground.
Opening hours are: 9-12 and 16.30-19.30. On public holidays, however, it is 9.30-13 and 17-20. To reach it from Piazza di Spagna, take Via Frattina until you reach Via del Corso. The square in front of San Lorenzo in Lucina.
Le catacombs of Priscilla they are absolutely not to be missed.
The ordinary ticket costs 5 euros - Reduced 3 euros - while for children up to 6 years the entrance is free.
To reach it there is the bus: 86, 92, 310 - from Termini Station (get off at Piazza Crati). 63 - from piazza Venezia, Largo Argentina, Barberini (get off at piazza Crati).
Parks of Rome
Villa Borghese it also houses the Borghese Gallery, a splendid museum.
Villa Torlonia (you can get there from Termini with the 36 or 90expr, viale Regina Margherita stop), which has two liberty style “casini” with splendid windows. Villa Ada (Via Salaria) e Villa Doria Pamphili: perfect for relaxing walks.
Villa Celimontana, (above the domus del celio) site of a jazz event during the summer.
Museums of Rome
Macro Museum, is a museum of contemporary art, located in via Reggio Emilia.
You can get there by taking tram 19 or 3, Piazza Regina Margherita stop, or the buses that circulate on the Nomentana: 90, 36, etc. or bus 88.
It is an intelligent renovation of the former Peroni brewery, converted into a contemporary art museum.
You pay 1 or 2 euros to enter, it always hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists: a famous artist is always exhibited on the upper floor, while on the first floor there are two young emerging artists, one Italian and one foreign.
Fans of Italian rationalist architecture can take a tour of the EUR district where the Office building (by Minucci) on Palace of the Italian Civilization (by Guerrini, La Padula, Romano) and the Congress Palace (by Libera). You can get there by bus 714 from Termini Station.
Sunday is the famous Porta Portese market (Piazza Porta Portese, tram 3, bus 23 from pzza Risorgimento, 170 from Termini.).
It is the most famous flea market in Rome, a sort of flea market.
Rome and surroundings
Less than an hour by bus from Rome is Tivoli with its two wonders: Villa D'Este e Villa Adriana.
Villa D'Este is a masterpiece of the Italian garden and included in the list UNESCO of the world heritage, with the impressive concentration of fountains, nymphaeums, caves, water games and hydraulic music constitutes a model repeatedly emulated in the European gardens of mannerism and baroque.
While Villa Adriana, built starting from 117 AD by the emperor Hadrian, is the most important and complex Villa left to us from Roman antiquity, larger than Pompei.
It too is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
About half an hour from the center of Rome are the excavations of Ostia Antica, unmissable for fans of ancient Rome.
For fans of Etruscology a destination not to be missed is Cerveteri, reachable in about 70 minutes by train.
The line is the FM5 Rome -Cerveteri. This necropolis winds for more than 2 km on the sides of a sepulchral road.
It is the most important necropolis ofEtruria and one of the most monumental in the whole Mediterranean area.
La necropolis it is immersed in a beautiful park with ancient streets and lanes.
The symbol of the necropolis is the Tomb of the Reliefs, which has a particular decoration of the burial chamber embellished with painted stucco reliefs, very well preserved.
Photo gallery Rome
