visit Rome in 2 days
- 1st day
- 2nd day
visit Rome in 4 days
- 1st day
- 2nd day
- 3rd day
- 4th day
visit Rome in 3 days
discover Rome:
- Water in Rome
- Along the Tiber
- Medieval Rome
- Egyptian Obelisks
- The historic squares
- Baroque Rome
- Renaissance in Rome
- Villas and gardens
- Arches ancient Rome
- Castelli wine
- Colli Albani wine
- Colli Lanuvini wine
- Frascati wine
- Montecompatri wine
- Velletri wine
Rome travel guides
Colosseum - Photo (c)
gizax
Visit Rome in 3 days.
We advise the visitor to ROME to spend his first evening visiting Piazza
Venezia, going up Michelangelo's monumental staircase to the Capitol,
through its marvelous Piazza and out on to the Rupe Tarpea (Tarpean Rock) to
look over the Forum under its floodlighting; the marbles, the columns, the
arches and the dark mass of the Palatine in the background
If you are not in the mood for a i sound and light show, don't lose
patience. Wait for it to finish and silence will return and you will join
thousands of visitors who have come before you, many of them famous in
history: the Emperor Charles V, for instance, or Montaigne; John Milton,
Chateaubriand and Goethe; Edward Gibbon, Shelley and Byron. They all in
their time gazed at that comparatively small space of ruins, and in some way
or other, that view altered their lives and ours.
On our first morning we will begin our first tour from Piazza Venezia once
more. In front of us the white mass of the Victor Emmanuel Monument, built
between 1885 and 1911; the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added after World
War. To the right of the piazza, the powerful outline of Palazzo Venezia
(15° century), once the seat of the Venetian ambassadors to the Holy See.
The interior is very fine, with courtyard and loggias attributed to Giuliano
da Maiano: in its splendid halls there is the Museum of Palazzo Venezia,
with some fine paintings sculpture, weapons etc. In the right wing of the
Palace, under the great tower, we have the graceful
Basilica of San Marco.
Now cross the road and go round the right hand corner of the Victor Emmanuel
Monument to the steps leading to Santa Maria in Aracoeli (1250) with its
rich interior of nave two aisles, with many works of art such as the tombs
carved by Bregno and Donatello paintings by Cavallini and Benozzo Gozzoli,
outstanding frescoes by Pinturicchio. Leaving the church on the south side,
a few paces brings us to Piazza dei Campidoglio, a masterpiece of
architecture and planning by Michelangelo (1536); in the centre is the
Palace of the Senate, to which Michelangelo added the fountain and the
double ramp of steps. On either side are the two palaces he designed; to the
right, the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the New Museum, an archaeological
collection of fundamental importance, with the Conservator! Museum and the
Capitoline Picture Gallery. To the left is the Palace of the Capitoline
Museum, one of the richest collections of Classical art. In the middle of
the Piazza, the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the
Emperor-philosopher (cent.).
Going down the ancient Clivus Argentarius behind the Capitol we get our
first view over the Forum, passing the ancient Mamertine Prison, where the
Catiline conspirators and Vercingetorix were killed and where legend says
St. Peter and St. Paul were imprisoned. We now come to the majestic rums of
Caesar's Forum, which we skirt as we enter the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
This we cross, going towards the two domes of Santa Maria in Loreto and
Santo Nome di Maria, before which is Traian's Forum; in the centre of this
rises the extraordinary Traian's Column, erected in memory of the Emperor's
exploits in Dacia (now Rumania) (101-106 AD).
There are more than 2500 figures in the spiral frieze which runs up the
Column: this is the most imposing example of Roman sculpture. Returning
along the Via din Fori Imperiali, keeping on this side of the road, we come
to a vast semi-circular ruin, which is that of Traian's Markets, the great
trade centre of Imperial Rome.
It is a majestic sight; behind the Markets rises the Torre delle Milizie, or
Knights' Tower, which is medieval; on the right there is the small 15°
century palace, with loggia, of the Knights of Rhodes. Keeping in this
direction we pass Augustus' Forum, Nerva's Forum whit its massive columns,
and arrive at the Torre dei Conti, another medieval fortress on the corner
of the Via dei Fori Imperials and Via Cavour
Go up Via Cavour to the point where there is a flight of steps to the right,
leading up through an ancient arch into the square of San Pietro in Vincoli
(St. Peter in Chains); this church contains Michelangelo's Moses, carved for
the unfinished tomb of Julius II. Return to Via Cavour through the narrow
streets of what, in ancient Rome, was the ill-famed district of the Suburra
and go back towards the Forum, crossing Via dei Fort Imperiali, to enter the
Forum itself:
as you enter, on the left arc the superb vaults of the Basilica of
Maxentius, on the right, the great Emilian Basilica, beyond which is the
Curia and then the Arch of Septimius Severus, under the precipitous walls of
the Capitol. shall not describe this magnificent scene - there is no lack of
printed guides. Turning left, we are on the Via Sacra which began by the
graceful House of the Vestals and rose to the solitary splendour of the Arch
of Titus
Going towards the Arch of Titus along the Via Sacra, we see on the left the
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, transformed into a church, and the round
Temple of Romulus, also now a church. Farther on stands the white church of
Santa Francesca Romana, with a fine 12° century campanile. To the right, the
wooded slopes of the Palatine, one of the seven hills, and the dwelling
place of the Emperors. Climb up to the right of the Arch of Titus to the
Farnese Gardens laid out by Cardinal Farnese in the 16° century, and the
impressive Stadium of Domitian. Going down from the Palatine along the
Triumphal Was'(now under the more modest name of Via San Gregorio) we arrive
at the Arch of Constantine, beyond which rises the most famous monument of
ancient Rome, the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum.
(72-80 AD).
As it will now be lunchtime, we suggest lunching in one of the restaurants
along the Appian Way. Going along Via San Gregorio between the Palatine, on
one side and the Celian on the other,one emerges into a wide crossroads.
Here is the Obelisk of Asian brought to Rome in 1937. On the right, the
Circus Maximus and beyond it the Aventine. Here bear left through a broad
avenue of trees with the Baths of Caracalla (217 AD) on the right.
Straight on now to enter the Via di Porta San Sebastiano passing the Arch of
Drusus and the impressive Porta San Sebastiano (5° cent.); straight on over
the crossroads, by the little church of Quo Vadis and we are on the Appian
Way.
To reach one of the restaurants near at hand one takes the Via Ardeatina for
a short stretch. Then one can turn back and follow the Appian Way once more,
this fascinating archaelogical zone with the background of the Alban Hills,
past tombs and acqueducts and suburban villas. At about 2 kms. (1 1/2 mi.)
is the entrance to the Catacombs of St Calixtus, the largest of the Cristian
catacombs and, about 500 yards farther on, the Basilica of San Sebastiano
(also with catacombs), in a landscape composed of greenery and imposing
ancient ruins. The most fascinating stretch of the Appian Way itself begins
from here, after the circular tomb of Caecilia Metella, which the family of
Caetani transformed into a feudal manor-house in the 13° century. After
following the Appian Way for a mile or two, turn back and take the Via delle
Sette Chiese, which brings you to San Paolo fuori le Mura (St. Paul outside
the Walls), the largest church in Rome after St. Peter's, built in 314 AD
but destroyed by fire in 1823 and rebuilt according to the original plan. Of
the original church there are the wonderful Tabernacle by Arnolfo di Cambio
(13° cent.), the splendid Venetian mosaics of the apse, and the Romanesque
cloister with a tinge of Oriental atmosphere Returning towards Rome by the
Via Ostiense we arrive at Porta San Paolo, with a stretch of the original
Aurelian Wall and the Pyramid of Cams Cestius, a tomb of the Augustan
period, beside which lies the enchanting Protestant Cemetery, where Keats
and Shelley are buried. We now run along Via della Piramide Cestia and the
Viale Aventino to arrive once more on the Via dei Trionfi in the direction
of the Colosseum. This tune, at the church of San Gregorio, we fork right to
climb on to the Celian Hill as far as the Via Claudia, to the point where
Santa Maria in Domnica (next the garden of the 16° century Villa
Celimontana) and Santo Stefano Rotondo, a circular church of the 5th
century, stand. Via di Santo Stefano brings us to San Giovanni in Laterano
(St. John Lateran) with the severe Lateran Palace, once a Papal residence,
containing an important Archaeological Museum, next the lateral Facade of
the Basilica of St. John Lateran: the West Front faces on to Piazza di Porm
San Giovanni, monumental and theatrical, with the ancient city walls running
along one side. St. John Lateran with facade by Galilei (1735) and 17°
century interior by Borromini is the cathedral of Rome. Visit the
picturesque 13° century cloister and the central plan Baptistery (5°
century). Turning back towards the Colosseum along Via di San Giovanni in
Lateratio, we pass, first, Santi Quattro Coronati, which looks like a
medieval fortress from the outside, but rich inside has fine frescoes and
perhaps the most beautiful cloister in Rome and then San Clemente, a 12°
century church built over a 6th century one, with fine mosaics, 9° century
frescoes and others by Masolino da Panicale.
From here we reach the Colosseum once more, and then Piazza Venezia. Taking
the Corso to Piazza Colonna and turning right into Via Tritone, we reach
Piazza Barberini and the famous and smart Via Veneto, where we can spend an
amusing evening.
On the second day, we start from Castel Sant'Angelo, once Hadrian's
Mausoleum (135139 AD) and then fortress, Papal reside ce, Prison (from which
Benvenuto Cellini escaped) and now a Museum and Art Gallery. There are some
fine paintings there. Along Via della Conciliazionewe reach Piazza San
Pietro with Bernini's huge colonnade.
The basilica crowned by Michelangelo's Dome is a veritable treasury of art
and history; one can also go up into the dome to see the panorama of Rome
beneath. Besides the church there are also the Museums (pio-Clementino and
Chiaramonti) and the Vatican Art Gallery, the Papal Apartments, the Sistine
Chapel, the Pauline and the Nicolas V Chapels, Raphael's Loggias and Rooms.
A whole morning is hardly enough for the Vatican, and we suggest lunching
nearby and then going up on the laniculum, on the top of which there is a
great piazza with the monument to Garibaldi, One can spend some time here
enjoyng the stupendous view over the city, before going down the other side,
past the Aequa Paola Fountain (1612) and the elegant Renaissance church of
San Pietro in Montorio, with Bramante's masterpiece, the round tempietto
(1502) in the courtyard. And so down to the Lungotevere (all the riverside
embankement drives have this name), where we shall find the famous Farnesina
villa by Peruzzi (1511) with Raphael's Galatea fresco. Via della Lungara
takes us into the heart of the picturesque Trastevere quarter with Santa
Maria in Trastevere, a 12° century basilica with a Romanesque campanile
(splendid apsidal mosaics by Cavallini, 1291). Along Via della Lungaretta we
arrive at Piazza Sonnino and the nearby Piazza G.G. Belli, dominated by the
13° century Palazzo degli Anguiilara (it is said that it was here that
Gregorovius, the German historian, was inspired to write his monumental a
History of Rome in the Middle Ages). In the Tiber at this point we find the
ancient Isola Tiberina, the Tiber Island with the church of San Bartolomco.
Just downstream of the island are the ruins of a Roman bridge of Republican
times and the modern Ponte Palatino. Without crossing this, we dive into the
picturesque narrow streets of Trastevere to reach the Basilica of Santa
Cecilia, an evocative pre-Romanesque church (9° century); a Baroque portal
leads into a silent lonely garden with a fountain; the interior is very rich
in works of art, the Tabernacle by Arnolfo di Cambio, 9° century mosaics in
the apse, an enchanting cloister and, in the Nun's Choir, a fresco of the
Last Judgment, a masterpiece by Cavallini (13° century).
Going back on to the Lungotevere, we cross Ponte Palatine and find ourselves
to another fascinating corner of ancient Rome; to the left, the intact
Temple of Fortune Virile (1° cent. BC), which is rectangular. Beyond this,
on the far side of the square, the church of San Giorgio in Velabro (12°
cent.) with frescoes by Cavallini and attached to it the richly decorated
Arch of the Argentarii. Beside the church, the massive Arch of Janus, all
below the Capitoline Hill. Looking right, there is the round temple of Vesta
so-called, and, on the far side of the road, the beautiful church of Santa
Maria in Cosmedin (8°- 12° century) with the famous Bocca della Verita (a
Mouth of Truth). Crossing over the road we can now go up the Aventine, to
the basilica of Santa Sabina, built in Ravennate style (5° century) one of
the most impressive and unspoiled ancient churches, in Rome, with
interesting mosaics and a 5° century carved wooden door. A short distance
away is the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, the only architectural work of
the engraver, Piranesi, where he let his imagination have ull play. Going
back down the Aventine, we find ourselves at the Circus Maximus, with the
Palatine on the far side. Going back to Santa Maria in Cosmedin we turn
right into the Via del Teatro di Marcello which leads us to this ancient
theatre and the Palazzo Savelli, afterwards Orsini, which was built over its
arena in the 16° century. On the other side of the road is the Tarpean Rock,
from which traitors were thrown in ancient times. Turning left behind the
Theatre of Marcellus brings us to Octavia's Portico, a graceful Roman ruin
with medieval additions; from here we can wander through the streets of old
Rome as far as Piazza del Gesu and the Church of the Gesu (1584) the mother
church of the Company of Jesus (famous Baroque frescoes in the interior).
Turning right into Via del Plebiscite and then immediately left brings us to
the imposing piazza dominated by the Palace of the Collegio Romano. Walking
parallel to the Corso then takes us into the theatrical Piazza Sant'Ignazio
(note the elegant lines of the buildings opposite the church) and keeping on
in the same direction through Piazza di Pietra, with the colonnade of a
Roman temple built into the Rome Stock Exchange, we arrive at Piazza
Colonna, right in the centre of the city with Marcus Aurelius' Column,
similar to that of Trajan, in the centre. Here turn your back on theCorso
and walk through Piazza Montecitorio, Past Palazzo Montecitorio, now the
seat of the Italian Parliament, through Piazza Capranica to the Pantheon,
one of the finest buildings of ancient Rome (1° cent. BC). 1, the interior
Raphael is buried. Going along the right side of the Pantheon, take the
first turning to the right, then left, then right again to arrive in Piazza
Sant'Eustachio, with fine Renaissance and Baroque buildings on every side;
continuing in the same direction, past the palace of the old University -
the Sapienza with a curious spiral lantern by Borromini over the church of
Sant'Ivo-crossing the Corso Rinascimento, we arrive in Piazza Navona, the
finest in Rome, built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus. The church of
Sant'Agnese is by Borromini, while the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers is
by Bernini. In this wonderful piazza the two great rival architects of
Baroque Rome worked together. We suggest eating dinner and spending part of
the evening there.
The third and last day in Rome is devoted to the Renaissance centre of the
city. We begin with Santa Maria Maggiore, founded in the 5th century and
continually altered throughoutthe succeeding centuries, until Fuga built the
present facade in 1743. The interior keeps the lines of the original
building; the Cosmati floor (12° cent.), the carved ceiling attributed to G.
da Sangallo, statues by Arnolfo da Cambia and beautiful 13th century mosaic
in the apse are noteworthy. Behind Santa Maria Maggiore, cross Via Cavour
into the piazza beyond and take the first turning to the left. Here, on the
right, down a flight of steps, is the 4th century church of Santa Pudenziana
(ancient mosaic). From here we reach Piazza della Repubblica (or delFEsedra)
thorugh Via Viminale and Piazza Cinquecento (Station); there is a fine
fountain (1901) in Piazza della Repubblica and beyond it are the Baths of
Diocletian (306 AD), the largest of ancient Rome. In 1561 Michaelangeto
transformed part of them into the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. On
the right of the church is the entrance to the National Roman Museum, the
most important archaelogical collection (statues, mosaics, frescoes) in the
city. Taking Via V. E. Orlando as far as the Baroque Fountain of the Rivers
we arrive in Via Venti Settembre which ends to the N.E. at Michaelengelo's
Porta Pia; turning left we arrive at the Quattro Fontane (Four Fountains)
crossroads and turning right we go down the steep Via Quattro Fontane to the
17° century Palazzo Barberini, with an elegant loggia opening on to the
garden. 11 houses the National Picture Gallery. Crossing over Piazza
Barberini with the Triton Fountain in the centre, we follow the continuation
of Via Quattro Fontane, the elegant Via Sistina, built in the 16° century to
arrive in the piazza in front of the church of Trimta dei Monti (noteworthy
Mannerist canvases by Daniele da Volterra in the interior), at the head of
the marvellous monumental staircase known to English-speaking visitors as
the "Spanish Steps".
A little farther on is Villa Medici (16° cent.) which Napoleon gave to the
French Academy (fine garden) and then Piazzale del Pincio, masterpiece of
Roman nee-classicism, by Valadier. The terrace overlooks Piazza del Popolo,
which forms part of the same design; and before us is St Peter's in the
distance. In the wooded park of Villa Borghese, the largest in Rome, rises
the Casino Borghese, built by o Vasanzio, which houses an important
collection of sculpture (classical, Bernini, the Pauline Buonaparte by
Canova etc.) and painting- Crossing the length of park we arrive at Villa
Giulia, built by Vignola in the 16° century for Pope Julius III which houses
the Etruscan Museum, the most important in the world. Going back along the
Via Flaminia we now reach Porte del Popolo by Vignola and Bernini (1561 and
1655) through which we enter the superb piazza del Popolo, planned together
with the Pincio above by Valadier, with an Egyptian obelisk in the middle
surrounded by four fountains. In the nearby church of Santa Maria del Popolo
frescoes by Pinturic-chio, two famous Caravaggios (Crucifixion of St Peter
and Conversion of St. Paul), paintings by Sebastiano del Piombo and
sculpture by Sansovino, Bregno, Mino da Fiesole and Bernini.
On the far side of the piazza, where the Corso, Via del Babuino and Via di
Ripetta converge, twin churches with theatrical, domes. From
bereonecanseethewhole length of the Corso to the Capitol in the distance.
Taking Via del Babuino, with its line antique shops, or turning off it left
into Via Margutta, the artists' street, we arrive in Piazza di Spagna, Here
we can lunch before resum-ing our tour again down Via Condotti into the
Corset to the Baroque Church of San Carlo al Corso, with its high dome.
Behind the church, in Piazza Augusta Imperatore, is the Mausoleum of
Augustus (27 BC) Further towards the river, in Via Ripetta, in a modern
concrete building, are the friezes of the Ara Pacts Augusta (13 BC). From
here make for Piazza Borghese, full of second-hand book stalls and
print-sellers, and the maiestic Palazzo Borghese. Following Via della Scrota
we reach the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, famous for Caravaggio's
Calling of St Matthew. Going back along Via della Scrota and turning right
into Via Sant'Agostino, we reach the church of this name with another canvas
by Caravaggio. Then we go to Via dei Corona, lively and picturesque with its
many antique shops, and follow it as far as Via del Banco ell Santo Spirito,
which brings us into Corso Vittoriu Emanuele, where there are many
monuments; leaving the river, on the left, we find the Chiesa Nueva, with
the Oratory of the Filippint by Borromini; a little farther on, to the
right, is the austere Palazzo della Cancelleria by Andrea Bregno and
Bramante with courtyard by Bramante (1511). Farther on, to the left, in
Palazzo Massuno delle Colonne by Peruzzi (1536) and on the right, the fine
church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, whose dome is the highest in Rome after
that of St Peter's. Go back along Corso Vittoriu Emanuclc to the Palazzo
della Cancelleria and turn left, to emerge into the picturesque Campo dei
Fiori, centre of city life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (monument to
Giordano Bruno on the spot where he was burned). From here it is a step to
Piazza Farnese, dominated by the Palazzo Farnese, perhaps the finest piece
of Renaissance civic architecture, by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and
Michelangelo, and now the French Embassy. Behind Palazzo Farnesc we are in
the aristocratic Via Giulia, the most elegant street of Papal Rome; it is
worth while walking the whole of its length, to absorb the atmosphereof its
Renaissance architecture- Turning left along Via Giulia brings us to the
Lungotevere, then to Porte Garibaldi, and turning left down Via Arenula, to
Largo Argentina, with Roman Republican temples at its centre. Taking Via de'
Cestari from here brings us to the Pantheon beside which is the Church of
Santa Maria supra Minerva, the only Gothic church in Rome; before it, a
curious obelisk supported on an elephant's back. Going through ViaPie' di
Marino brings us again to the Collegio Romano and the magnificent Palazzo
Doria, the finest Baroque palace in Rome (1734) with its great Picture
Gallery. To the left, in the Corso we see the elegant facade of the church
of San Marcello: taking the street to the left of the church brings us into
Piazza Saint Apostoli with the basilica of the same name. In the Palazzo
Colonna which rises beside it there is a Picture Gallery. From here we go to
Via Quattro Novembre and turn left into Via della Pilotta for the Salim del
Datari; climbing this we emerge into the Piazza del Compote in front of the
Palazzo del Quirinale, first a Papal Residence, then a royal palace, now the
residence of the President of the Republic; the Palazzo della Consulta,
masterpiece by Fuga (1734) stands opposite: in the piazza are the fountain
with its Hellenistic group of the Dioscuri and an Egyptian obelisk. Going
down the same flight of steps and street and turning to the right, we reach
the Trevi Fountain, a most appropriate place to end our last evening in
Rome.
Itinerary partly courtesy of ENIT