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Rome, one of the greatest cities on earth!  Countless tourists come to Rome each year to admire its treasures of art, architecture and history.  Rome combines a sense of living history with a bustling, lively capital city.  It is endlessly fascinating, utterly compelling and a feast for the eye with fountains, churches, palaces and ancient monuments at every turn.

Rome is best explored on foot. Take time to wander through the streets and see everything this magical place has to offer.  The historic heart of Rome is quite compact, bordered by the Tiber river to the west and the central train station, Stazione Termini, to the east.  Places like the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica instantly conjure up images of beauty and perfection.

Situated in a valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, the Roman Forum was the commercial, political and religious heart of ancient Rome. Wander among the ruins of its temples, basilicas and churches. Construction on the Colosseum started in 72 AD.  This enormous amphitheatre had seating for more than 80,000 people and was the setting for fierce gladiator combats.  The Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) was built between 1475 and 1483 for Pope Sixtus IV as a private papal chapel.  It is world-famous for its ceiling frescoes and the Last Judgment on the end wall.  Both painted by Michelangelo, they have recently been restored and the warmth and vibrancy of the colours shines through.  The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved buildings of ancient Rome.  Originally built in 27 BC, the temple you see today dates back to 120 AD.

Designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732, the Trevi fountain is one of Rome’s most famous landmarks. The fountain is serviced by one of Rome’s oldest aqueducts.  The Spanish steps are another great Roman landmark. Built in 1725 to unite Via del Babuino with Via Felice, they are a mesmerizing mix of curves, straight flights, and vistas and terraces interspersed with pots of flowers. The Vatican City is an independent city within Rome with its own currency, postal service and army. It is also home to St Peter’s Basilica.  Vast and beautiful, St. Peter’s can hold more than 60,000 people and houses Michelangelo’s wonderful Pieta.

For excellent trattorie and pizzerie head for the Piazza Navona and the San Lorenzo and Testaccio areas.  Trastevere and Campo de’Fiori also have excellent, good value restaurants.  Pubs, bars and excellent ice cream parlours are to be found citywide. Intending clubbers should head for Testaccio and fashion lovers for the Via Veneto.

Roma, Caput Mundi!  Of course the Eternal City is on everyone's To Do List.  For first-time visitors, we remind you not to miss the newly-renovated Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter's, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, Piazza Navona, the Borghese Gallery, and the outdoor market at Campo de' Fiori.  Save some time for designer shopping at the Spanish Steps, and don't forget to toss your coin into Trevi Fountain!  Return visitors will also find loads of fascinating tips in this section of our site, including a hunt for thirteen ancient obelisks, a guide to many secret cloisters, a day at the races, and a short outing to the ruins of an ancient city that we consider much more entertaining and educational than Pompeii. 

But there is much, much more to Lazio than just Rome!  Do you like the mountains, the beach, Renaissance papal villas, wineries, Etruscan ruins, health spas or secluded Franciscan hermitages?  Then schedule a few more days in this region, because it has everything you've been looking for. Start with a day in the Castelli Romani, right on Rome's doorstep - we'll tell you how you can absorb 2000 years of history without staying in the city. Just south of there, on the way to Naples, is the world-class spa town of Fiuggi, surrounded by a host of picturesque hill towns like the one featured in the movie For Rosanne.  Or head east to Rieti, where you can visit the tiny monasteries St. Francis built, birthplace of the nativity scene and the Christmas tree. You can even sleep at a couple of them, if you like, or try some skiing in the beautiful mountains that loom overhead. 

Territory:
The region, with undulated hills, stretches from the western buttresses of the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The landscape is varied and presents flatlands, on the coastline and in the hinterland, ridges and calcareous highlands. Latium has four very ancient volcanic distincts, where the craters of extinct volcanoes form the lakes of Bolsena, Vico, Bracciano, Albano and Nemi.  Cities: Rome, capital of Italy, as well of the region. Other important cities are Frosinone, Latina, Viterbo and Rieti.  Art: Latium is the cradle of Roman civilization and it is incredibly rich in outstanding relics of the different periods.  The traces of the Etruscan civilization are remarkable and can be found at Veio, Vulci, Tarquinia and Cerveteri.  The region has always been the center of an intensive artistic life, which, from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, has had as cardinal point the presence of the Church (the Vatican City, seat of the papacy, is in the heart of Rome).  Museums: In Rome, the National Museum houses the most important archaeologic collections in the world, while the Capitoline Museum holds the oldest classic sculptures. In the Museum of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Greek and Roman sculptures. Etruscan vases, paleochristian sarcophagi can be admired. The Pinacoteca Capitolina houses remarkables pictorial works.  In the Museum of Rome there are civic documents, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Tourists should not omit a visit to the Barracco Museum, with Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian and Etruscan relics arid to the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo.  The Doria Pamphili Gallery houses a highly valuable private pictorial collection Moreover, there are: the National Gallery of Ancient Art; the Borghese Museum and Gallery; the National Museum of Villa Giulia.  The imposing complex of the Vatican Museums contains numberless outstanding masterpieces.

To be visited:
In the center of Rome, we can admire the Roman Forum, the imposing arid universally known Colosseum and the Cathedral of St. Peter.  Visitors can admire the archaeologic excavations, visit the quaint quarter of Trastevere, go to Tivoli to see Villa Adriana.