The Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums make up
the richest and most extensive
museum collection in the
world. The Raphael Stanze and
the Sistine Chapel are worth
the price of entrance alone.
Pantheon
The most complete ancient
Roman structure in the city,
the Pantheon, finished around
125AD, is still to be marveled
at for its enormous dome.
Inside, you can visit the tomb
of Raphael.
Porta Portese Flea Market
The Porta Portese flea market
straggles all the way down Via
Portuense to Trastevere train
station, a riot of antiques,
bric-a-brac, old clothes and
pure junk.
The Church of Sant'Ignazio
In the centro storico, the
church of Sant'Ignazio has a
marvelous and often overlooked
trompe l'oeil false cupola,
covered in figures in various
states of action and repose.
The Church of San Clemente
With a Mithraic temple in its
lower levels, an earlier
Christian church above, and a
medieval basilica above that,
San Clemente is Rome's unique
history in microcosm.
The Galleria Borghese
Just opened after a drawn-out
(even by Italian standards)
refurbishment, the Galeria
Borghese is one of the city's
finest small collections, with
a fantastic array of Bernini
statues.
Giolitti
In the heart of the old city,
Giolitti may be Rome's best
place to enjoy great ice
cream, with no fewer than
seventy flavours on offer
until 2am each morning.
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is perhaps the
closest Rome has to a central
square: go to be a tourist,
stroll past the pavement
artists and check out
Bernini's typically grandiose
Fountain of the Four Rivers.
The Church of Immaculate
Conception
A must for fans of the
macabre, the Church of
Immaculate Conception has the
bones of some 4000 Capuchin
monks set out in patterns on
the walls or simply left as
skeletons and wrapped in their
original gowns.
