O que ver em Rome

It is the only building from the Graeco-Roman world which has remained substantially intact and in continuous use throughout to the present day, and as it is still a functioning church, silence is requested during your visit. The Pantheon is celebrated for its large dome. From inside you'll see traces of the former bronze ceiling, melted down during the reign of Pope Urban VIII to make weapons for the fortification of the Castel Sant' Angelo. The hole in the center of the ceiling, though, is an original feature designed for architectural reasons (the dome would collapse without it.) If it happens to be raining, you should definitely go to the Pantheon to see the rain pouring into the building through the hole in the ceiling. There are holes in the ground that drain the water. The spectacular doors are Romans, but not the original. The original bronze beams of the pronao were melted down by Pope Urban VIII and might have been used to create Bernini's Baldacchino, or canopy, in Saint Peter's. The dome is the largest masonry dome in the world, larger than that of Saint Peter. The building now appears to be built in a depression, but this was not the original appearance. The street level at the sides and rear has risen about 10 meters since the original construction due to the accumulation of debris from 2,000 years of settlement. This has necessitated the maintenance of the deep trench that keeps the building from being buried.

The number of people admitted is limited to 360 every 2 hours, so it is best to make a reservation on-line [http://www.ticketeria.it ] well in advance for the time slot you want. Cameras and photography ARE allowed. Allow plenty of time to get from the metro to the museum - from the metro stop you can't see the museum and there are no signs, so it can take awhile to find (taxis can drop you off at the entrance to the park but you will still have to walk a bit from there). Plan to arrive at the museum at least 15 minutes prior to your entry time, to obtain your ticket from Will Call and to deposit purses, strollers, backpacks, bottles, and other bulky items in the cloak room. If you are late for your reservation the museum may not allow you to use your ticket. Originally, the gallery was one of the most magnificent private art collections in the world. It was founded by Cardinal Scipione Borghese. At the beginning of the 19th century Prince Camillo Borghese sold great parts of the collections to Paris where today they belong to the most valuable exhibits of the Louvre. Since 1902 the villa and the gallery are owned by the Italian state.

If you are very short of time, it will take at least an hour to visit the Sistine Chapel.The Museum is usually the most hot and crowded on Saturdays, Mondays, the last Sunday of the month, rainy days, and days before or after a holiday but, basically, it is crowded every day and if you want to see the gems that it contains you will have to tolerate the crowds or sign up to very expensive private tours after the museum is closed to everyone else [http://www.viator.com/Rome-attractions/Vatican-tours-tickets/d511-a115?pref=02&aid=g5193]. Dress code: no short shorts or bare shoulders. There are often lengthy queues from the entrance that stretch around the block in the early morning. Non-guided visitors should join the queue that is to the left as you are facing the entrance; the queue on the right is intended for guided group visitors. You can [https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do book online] in advance and with a booking you can skip the queue. Audio-guides are available from the top of the escalator/ramp for €7. Two people to share a single unit plugging in a standard set of earphones.

It is a nice way of getting to and from Trastevere. Be sure to get photos from Ponte Garibaldi as Isola Tiberina truly is beautiful. The island is 270 m long and up to 67 m broad. According to the legend envoys were sent to the temple of Asklepius in Epidauros in Greece in 291BC in order to get relief from an epidemic in Rome. The envoys brought one of the holy snakes back with them. The snake swam to the Tiber Island thus determining the place where a temple for Asklepius was built. The successor of the Asklepius sanctuary is the Church San Bartolomeo which was built by the German Emperor Otto III around the year 1000. The Ponte Rotto is what is left from the ancient Pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge over the Tiber erected around 180 BC. The bridge was partly destroyed during a flood in 1557, re-erected by Pope Gregor XIII and finally pulled down in 1598. In 62 BC the Senatorial road construction office replaced the wooden footbridge by the Ponte Fabricio.

The location of the Trevi fountain marks the terminus of the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, completed in 19 BCE in order to supply the Baths of Agrippa, and is so named on account of its position at the junction of three roads (tre vie). The legend says that one who throws a coin in the fountain shall one day return to Rome. The coins in the fountain are regularly collected to finance charities. The fountain has been made even more famous by the 1954 film, Three Coins in the Fountain, and by a famous scene in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita. According to popular superstition and custom, throwing coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain is a practice endowed with good luck. Throwing one coin ensures that the thrower will return to Rome; throwing two coins will ensure that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy); throwing three coins, finally, ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome itself.

The overall design by Bramante and Michelangelo is Late Renaissance but the façade designed by Maderno and the interior, which owes much to Bernini, are both Baroque in style. The interior is lavishly decorated and contains a large number of tombs of popes and others. There are also several sculptures in side chapels, including Michelangelo's Pietà.To get in, you will first go through a metal detector (after all, this is an important building). Don't be put off if there is a long line in front of the detectors; the whole thing moves quickly. The line is usually shorter in the morning and during mid week. A strict dress code is enforced, so have shoulders covered, wear trousers or a not-too-short dress, and take your hats off. Women must wear scarves or something to cover their heads. You might be required to check your bags at the entrance. Photos are allowed to be taken inside, but not with a flash. Visits to the basilica are still possible while Mass is in progress.

The Fontana della Barcaccia (Old Boat Fountain) on Piazza di Spagna was designed and built in 1627-29 by Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The fountain celebrates the fact that before high walls were built along the banks of the Tiber Rome often used to flood. Once the waters were so high that a boat ended up in the square. The decorations on the fountain imitatie the coat of arms of Pope Urban VII, Barberini who ordered the fountain to be built. A less aesthetic occupant of the square is Italy's first McDonalds, dating back to 1986. Also in the piazza is a column erected in 1856 to commemorate the Immaculate Conception. The column is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary, and rests on a base with statues of Moses, David, Isaiah and Ezekiel. The Pope visits the Piazza every year on December 8th to celebrate Immaculate Conception.

The Colosseum when completed measured 48 m high, 188 m in length, and 156 m in width. The wooden arena floor was 86 m by 54 m, and covered by sand.Expect a long queue and an even longer wait. You can skip the queue if you decide to take a tour, but if you don't want a tour, you can STILL skip the queue. If you walk to the entrance for the Roman Forum, you can buy various one or three-day passes which allows you to bypass the queues. You can also buy tickets online. There are lots of people offering tours in English just outside the entrance to the Colosseum. Inside you can take a tour (English, Spanish, or German) every 30 minutes or so for an additional fee of €4.50 per person. The tours are given by knowledgeable archeologists, but they don't take you to any areas you couldn't visit on your own.

This church was built in 398 over the home of two Roman soldiers, John and Paul, who were martyred for their Christian beliefs in 362. Excavations show that there were several burials on the site, a risky business as burials were illegal at that time. After the church you come to the back entrance of the Villa Celimontana park (jazz festival nightly in late June-August). The modern buildings before you reach the park are owned by Silvio Berlusconi’s television company. By the main entrance of the park note the boat-like fountain known as the “Navicella”. As you exit the main entrance to the left is the church of S. Maria in Domnica, which has some interesting mosaics. Next to this church is the Porta Esquilina, one of the gates from the original Servian walls of Rome. It dates back to the 4th Century BC.

Written records mention a church on this place in 337. What is visible today was built in the 12th century, by order of Pope Innocent III. The facade is decorated with mosaics representing the Virgin Mary and ten unidentified figures. Most probably these mosaics are the work of Petro Cavallini who created the mosaics of the lower apse dated 1290 representing scenes from the life of Mary. The mosaics of the upper apse in byzantine style are even older and date from 1140. The columns of the nave originate from the ancient Baths of Caracalla. The facade of Santa Maria in Trastevere is even more impressive at night when it is illuminated.

Located in a small valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, access to the Forum is by foot only, from an entrance on the Via dei Fori Imperiali. Wheelchair access is available for most of the Forum but be aware that the path is often bumpy due to it containing original stones from the ancient Roman period. The Forum is often less crowded than the neighboring Colosseum, but holds even more history. Tip: It is possible to hire an audioguide for €4 from a small booth just above the Arch of Titus near the Colosseum. These audioguides contain an audio jack meaning that two people can easily share one.

The building is on top of a 3rd century building still visible in the lower floor and in the underground. The main part of the building dates back to the IX century as do the frescoes on the higher floor. Some of the frescoes have recently been restored. Downstairs there is a small quadrangular room and the underground, where the remains of the two Saints are supposed to be. There are still visible III century traces of Roman frescoes; in front of the stair you can enjoy a small bird, the Justice, and an athlete while in the vault some eight apex stars. Bus 128,780,781,775 (first stop in Via della Magliana).

On both sides of the doorway bronze plates describe the "Res gestae", the deeds of the emperor. The urns of Augustus, Marcellus, Octavia, Agrippa, Drusus and other members of the Julian Claudian dynasty were revered here. In the Middles Ages the building served as citadel of the Colonna family. It was destroyed by Pope Gregor IX in 1241. The body of Cola di Rienzo. a popular leader of the people in the mid-14th Century, was burnt in this monument. The Mausoleo di Augusto is not currently open to the public, and is fenced off.

One is that the prefect Sempronius wanted her to marry his son, and condemned her to death when she refused. Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, so he ordered her to be raped but her virginity was miraculously preserved. She was then condemned to be burnt at the stake but the wood would not burn. Another is that she was stripped naked by the Emperor Diocletian because of her refusal to marry but that her hair then grew rapidly to preserve her modesty.

the churches that all Roman Catholic pilgrims were expected to visit. However, at that time it was replaced by the Sanctuary of Divino Amore (see below). Entrance to the catacombs, which are smaller than the others in the area, is to the right of the church entrance. The area where you buy tickets and wait for tours has a good display of sarcophagi from the catacombs. You can rent a bicycle at the catacombs for further exploration of the Appian Way.

Don't miss the view from Piazzale Napoleone I. to the Vatican and Rome from Monte Mario to Gianicolo. Walking through the park from Villa Borghese or along Viale Trinita del Monti is greatly recommended, especcially at sunset. In the park there is an Egyptian obelisk erected by Emperor Hadrianus over the grave of his favourite slave Antinos, who had saved the emperor's life and from then on was adored like a God.

The piazza is used as a marketplace during the day, and party central for college students and tourists at night. When the sky gets dark and the street lamps go on, the Campo de' Fiori fills with people and lovers wander arm in arm in the crowd. Over the buzzing of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter you may hear a young vocalist belt out O Sole Mio at the top of his lungs as change plunks into his accordion case.

robably dating from the 5th century BC; and (in the entrance courtyard), the massive head, hands, foot and kneecap from a colossal statue of Constantine the Great. The palace also contains a Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery) with paintings mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries - highlights include: Caravaggio's Fortune-Teller and his curious John the Baptist; The Holy Family, by Dosso Dossi; Romulus and Remus, by Rubens; and Titian's Baptism of Christ.

The Piazza del Popolo is considered as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. It was enlarged and two streets, the Via di Ripetta and the Via del Babuino were added by order of Pope Sixtus V. In the middle of the square is an obelisk (see below). In 1809-1816, Giuseppe Valadier, Roman architect of French origin, gave the square the its characteristic oval shape.

This massive monstrosity on the banks of the Tiber was built on alluvial soil, which necessitated a concrete platform to support the foundations. Despite this, later settlement of the building led to the need for restoration work in 1970 and it is said to be still sinking. There were many allegations of corruption during its construction, something not unknown in the Rome of today, and this, combined with its appearance, gave rise to its nickname of the Palazzaccio or Ugly Palace.

The area was originally enclosed by walls and gates that were only open during the day. With the end of the Papal States in 1870, the requirement that Jews live in the Ghetto came to an end. The walls were torn down in 1888 and much of the ghetto was demolished. However, there is still much to see, including walls of buildings that incorporate Roman ruins, and there are several good Jewish restaurants.

Don't ignore the church, which is a gem, and has a separate entrance. Its mosaic floor in the Cosmatesque style is more rustic and less intricate than some others (Santa Maria in Trastevere, for example), but its simplicity gives it a solidity not found in the more ornate styles. S.M. in Cosmedin has a fine medieval choir enclosure and the tallest medieval belfry in Rome.

Sant'Ivo is a small church the dome of which is shaped like the Star of David, but with every other point rounded. The steeple seen from the outside looks like it has a staircase wrapped around it that ascends to heaven. As the church was commissioned by the Barberini family that produced a number of popes and whose family symbol was the bee—some say the steeple resembles the stinger of the insect.

Today, the square is an immensely popular place to sip a cappuccino, shop, and watch street performers. Behind the piazza at the northern end, you can still see remains of the Roman athletic stadium well below the current ground level. Amongst the various monuments of the square, look especially for the two Baroque masterpieces by Bernini and Borromini.

A museum has friezes and sculptures from the villa. The nypheum, the tepidarium and the baths may also be visited. At Appia Antica 251 is Santa Maria Nova, a farmhouse that has undergone many reincarnations since being originally constructed on top of a Roman cistern that was probably used by Villa dei Quintili.

Immediately below you, the Tiber snakes its way through the city, and directly beyond it you can see the lively medieval quarter of Trastevere. Beyond that is the majestic dome of St. Peter's Basilica, with the historic centre of Rome visible to the right.

On the other side of the piazza there is also a nice view of the dome of St. Peter's. The Piazza and the street leading up the hill are dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi who led Italian troops against the French here in 1849. There are also several commemorative statues.

In 2006, the bridge began attracting couples who, influenced by a movie, used a lamppost on the bridge to hang padlocks as a sign of their love, locking the padlock to the lamppost, then throwing the key behind them into the river. In 2007 the lamppost collapsed under the weight! Feeling sorry for the lovers the mayor ordered construction of steel posts, where padlocks can once again be hung.

Originally built of wood, it burnt down twice, on the second occasion starting the great fire when the Emperor Nero was said to fiddle while Rome burned. It was in one of the tunnels here that Caligula met his end. Excavations began in April 2009 at the east end of the circus and are likely to go on for some years.

An interesting photographic exhibition in the house traces the development of the Appian Way over the last century. Almost opposite the entrance to the baths is a ruined tower known as the Torre di Capo di Bove.

In Rome, Winkelmann wrote his "Geschichte der Kunst des Altertumns (HIstory of the Art of Antiquity)", which made him the founder of classical archaeology. The painted ceiling of the great hall depicting Mount Parnassus is by the German painter Anton Raphael Mengs who was considered as the greatest painter in Rome in the 18th cent.

ng Gaul, a magnificent marble sculpture that copies a bronze Greek original of the 3rd century BC and the Capitoline Venus. It also contains the remarkable original gilt bronze equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius (the one in the piazza is a replica).

The landscaped gardens also contain the Casina delle Civette, 3rd and 4th century Jewish catacombs and thirteen garden pavilions representing exotic parts of the world, as well as an air-raid shelter built into the catacombs for Mussolini.

Nicolas Poussin was one of the first students, Ingres was director and Fragonard and Boucher were students of the French Academy, but also musicians like Berlioz and Debussy studied here. Today the villa hosts occasional concerts and exhibitions. Its gardens can be visited.

A new building on the same site as Mussolini's was opened in 2006 and has been controversial. The mayor at the time said he would tear down the new structure. The basement of the new building features occasional exhibitions.

You can tour several beautiful rooms that are all decorated with frescoes, including some by Raphael. Particularly entertaining is the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche, the former entrance hall, in which nearly every person represented is without clothes.

ty.org/visiting_Vigna-Radianini.html].Tours are also organized by “Tour in Rome” [http://www.tourinrome.org/index.php?v=privdet&tour_id=13] . At Euros 229 for up to six people for a one and a half hour tour this is clearly a tour for the specialist.

Today, several houses dating back to the 15th and 16th century may be seen. House nr. 156/157 is said to have been the House of Fiametta, the mistress of Cesare Borgia.

As she was singing all the time during her martyrdom she is considered the patron of music. The building of today shows a mixture of various styles, from the porticus of the 12th cent. to the 18th cent. facade.

The twenty rooms include 54 pieces of stained glass replaced, after restoration, in their original positions, 18 pieces of stained glass acquired and displayed on separate frames, and 105 sketches and preparatory cartoons for stained glass in churches in Rome.

In the seventh century the castle and the bridge took on the name Sant'Angelo, when it is said that an angel appeared on the roof of the castle to announce the end of a plague. The statues of ten angels on the bridge reflect its name.

Inside is a copy of a stone said to contain the imprints of the feet of Jesus; the original is maintained in San Sebastiano, further along the Appian Way

If you are in Rome on Corpus Christi (Corpus Domini), which is the Thursday after the 8th Sunday after Easter, an early-evening service is held in San Giovanni by the Pope followed by a procession along Via Merulana to Santa Maria. Good opportunity for a close up view of the Pope.

In general design, the Arch of Constantine imitates the century-earlier Arch of Septimius Severus (nearby in the Forum) - the quality of its sculptural decoration, however, betrays the slow degradation that Classical Roman sculpture had experienced in the 3rd century AD.

Augustus brought the obelisk to the Circus Maximus, where it was rediscovered in 1587, broken into three pieces and was relocated to Piazze del Popolo on the orders of Pope Sixtus V in 1589.

It was restored at great expense in the 1980s and 1990s, opened to the public, and then closed again after a few years when it began to leak!

Opera buffs will be exhilarated to visit the balcony from which Tosca leaps to her death. Film buffs will recognise it as a setting from "Angels and Demons".

At the museum you can also arrange to visit the Tomb of the Scipios (Sepolcro degli Scipiani) and a nearby Roman Columbarium (tomb for cremated remains), the entrance for which is situated 200m back towards Rome along the Via Di Porta San Sebastiano. No wheelchair access.

(Purportedly a jab at Mussolini who excavated the area and is said to have hated cats.)

Good views from half-way up but you can also pay €7 and take a lift all the way to the top.

Opposite, to the back of the piazza is the Arch of Argentari and behind that the church of San Giorgio in Velabro, the front of which was repaired after being damaged by a terrorist bomb in July 1993.

The palace is named after Madama Margerita of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Charles V. Since 1871 it has been the seat of the Italian Senate.

More recently, the image was moved to Rome in the Second World War and is credited with saving the city from destruction, as a result of which Romans vowed to construct this new sanctuary.

In the centre of the square you can admire an exact copy of the Statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback; the original is kept in one of the two museums, to preserve it from pollution.

It is said that she was model for Raphael's portrait La Donna Velata.

Don't miss the medieval cloister, which survived the fire.

The statue is probably an ancient Roman portrait of Hercules.

[http://www.parks.it/parco.veio/Eindex.html]

The origins of the Swiss guards, however, go back much further as the popes had regularly imported Swiss mercenaries during the 1400s.

It retains some marvellous mosaics from the 4th Century.