Rome attractions

Most visitors to Rome pass through the Piazza Venezia intersection, home to the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, at least once. This busy, sprawling intersection has a vast grassy island at its center, making it a square, but its function is to keep the Eternal City’s car and bus traffic flowing, rather than act as a leisure space.

One of the mainstays of daily life in Italy is shopping at the market, and the market, for many Romans, means Campo de’ Fiori. This historic square in the city center hosts one of the largest and most famous outdoor food markets each morning,, offering visitors the perfect opportunity to rub elbows with locals.

Bohemian Trastevere is one of Rome’s most historic and picturesque neighborhoods—a maze of cobbled streets lined with enticing restaurants, fashionable sidewalk cafés, and lively bars. Across the river from the center of Rome (hence the area's name, which means “across the Tiber”), it's home to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the site of one of Rome’s oldest churches (from AD 340) and a majestic 15th-century fountain. Other neighborhood sights include the beautiful Santa Cecilia in Trastevere church, dating from the 5th century, and Villa Farnesina, filled with stunning frescoes—including two attributed to Raphael.

One of Rome’s most visited squares, Piazza di Spagna is home to two major landmarks: the Spanish Steps and the Fontana della Barcaccia, a 17th-century baroque fountain designed by Bernini. Surrounded by designer shops such as Prada, the piazza is a prime destination for people watching and a popular meeting point for travelers.

Situated in a former Borghese family villa, Rome’s Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) houses much of the eponymous family’s vast collection of antiquities, paintings, and sculptures across 22 rooms and two floors. Highlights include paintings by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Rubens, as well as several Bernini sculptures.

Hidden underground in Rome's outskirts, the second-century Catacombs of Rome (Catacombe di Roma) are some of the world's oldest burial tunnels, dating from around the 2nd to 5th centuries. The history-filled underground tunnels include early Christian symbols, often in the form of frescoes and sculptures. The Catacombs of Priscilla contain the oldest known depiction of the Virgin Mary, while the bone-adorned Capuchin Crypt houses a piece by Renaissance painter Caravaggio.

The first modern civic square in Rome, Piazza del Campidoglio was designed by Michelangelo in 1536. Perched at the top of the Capitoline Hill overlooking the Roman Forum, the space is lined by the monumental Cordonata staircase and three Renaissance palaces, now home to city hall and the Capitoline Museums.

Long-ago travelers from the north once got their first glimpse of Rome from Piazza del Popolo, and the square’s scenic overlook offers a dramatic view of the city today. Art enthusiasts come to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, home to works by Raphael, Bernini, and Caravaggio.

Though this ancient open-air theater resembles a mini-Colosseum, it was built nearly 100 years earlier during the final years of the Roman Republic. Named by the Emperor Augustus in 11 BC after his deceased nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the theater may be the oldest surviving of its kind in the world.

Don’t be fooled by the name—Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo was built as a tomb, not a castle. Commissioned by emperor Hadrian in AD 139, this imposing cylindrical mausoleum held the ashes of Hadrian and subsequent Roman emperors until becoming a fortress in AD 401. In the 14th century, a fortified corridor between the castle and St. Peter’s Basilica was built, and it became a papal residence. Today, it’s home to the Castel Sant'Angelo National Museum (Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant'Angelo) and its collection of art, archaeological finds, and weaponry.

Though Rome’s Jewish Ghetto no longer officially exists (it was abolished in 1882), the neighborhood is still the center of Rome’s Jewish community, the oldest in Italy. The city’s 19th-century synagogue— home to the Jewish Museum of Rome— is here, as are winding lanes lined with kosher restaurants, markets, and butchers.Like many cities in Europe, Rome required its Jewish residents to live in a separate, walled-off neighborhood during the Middle Ages. The Roman Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto Ebraico di Roma) was established in 1555, when the city erected walls around this area in the historic center; these barriers were torn down only after the ghetto was abolished in 1882. Today, despite its unhappy history, the Jewish Ghetto is now one of Rome’s most beautiful neighborhoods.

By far the most famous attraction in this square set between the Forum Boarium and the Tiber River is the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità), located beneath the portico of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Featured in the 1953 filmRoman Holiday, this massive ancient marble mask is one of Rome’s top attractions.

The ruins of this ancient Roman city, now theHerculaneum Archaeological Park (Parco Archeologico di Ercolano), live in the shadow of their more famous neighbor, Pompeii. But many enthusiasts consider this smaller site—one of Italy’s most important UNESCO-listed spots—to be equally interesting and engaging.

Rome’s busy Largo di Torre Argentina square is three things in one: An important transportation hub set along the Via di Torre Argentina thoroughfare through the heart of the historic center; the site of the ancient Roman Area Sacra, containing some of the oldest ruins in the city; and a popular cat sanctuary. 

The Tiber River has run through Italy's capital city since ancient Roman times, and Tiber Island (Isola Tiberina) has a history that’s just as long. Once the site of the ancient temple of Aesculapius, the Greek god of medicine, the island is where Romans have sought healing for centuries.

Raphael's Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) are four interconnected halls inside the Vatican Museums, each decorated with sumptuous frescoes by painter Raphael (1483–1520). These High Renaissance masterpieces are second in fame and beauty only to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in the whole of the enormous Vatican collection.

The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore)—among the first churches in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary—sits on the summit of Esquiline Hill. An extraterritorial property of the Vatican, it is one of the city’s four major basilicas and has one of the best preserved Byzantine interiors in Rome.

One of the most striking features in Rome’s Jewish Ghetto, the Portico of Octavia was an elegant colonnaded courtyard built by Emperor Augustus around 27 BC and dedicated to his sister, Octavia. Just a few of its original 300 columns and ruins of the entrance gate still stand, but it remains a highlight of this historic neighborhood.

The Vittoriano monument, among the most famous landmarks in Rome, is home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Vittoriano Museum Complex (Complesso del Museo Vittoriano). This is where some of the city’s most important art exhibitions are held each year, so it’s a particularly interesting for art enthusiasts.

The Baths of Caracalla (Terme di Caracalla), known as the Thermae Antoninianae in Roman times, are one of the largest and best preserved ancient thermal complexes in the world. Visit the impressive remains of the ground floor to get an idea of the vast complex, which housed the most sumptuous baths of its time.

Cross the Tiber River via the Ponte Sisto bridge and Piazza Trilussa welcomes you to the bohemian neighborhood of Trastevere. The cobbled square is named after a 19th-century Roman poet and today is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike during the evenings. Groups linger on the piazza’s stone steps to people watch and take in the neighborhood’s vibrant atmosphere.

As the cradle of Christianity, Rome is home to some of the oldest churches in the world. Among the most important is the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere), with a facade and interior covered in golden mosaics from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Sitting atop Rome’s Quirinal Hill, Piazza Barberini is home to two 17th-century fountains designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini: the ornately sculpted Triton Fountain near the entrance to Palazzo Barberini and the small yet delightful Fountain of Bees. A stop at this bustling square is a must for lovers of baroque art.

Lovers of trompe l'oeil optical illusions will appreciate the ornate ceilings decorating the 16th-century Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola). Painted by Andrea Pozzo, these compositions use perspective to create cupolas and domes on the flat ceiling surface and are among the most captivating baroque masterpieces in Rome.

Rome’s Olympic Stadium (Stadio Olimpico) seats more than 72,000 spectators, and when the city’s deeply beloved A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio soccer teams hold their home matches here, there isn’t an empty seat in the house. But the stadium isn’t just for "football" fans; rather, the venue is also used for rock concerts and other sporting events.

Though Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo) is not one of the seven hills of ancient Rome, its history is long and its attractions worthwhile. Visit San Pietro in Montorio church, see the monumental Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, and wander the hidden university botanical garden, but the hill's main draw is its sweeping views of the city.

One of the most intricate ancient landmarks in Rome, the enormous Trajan's Column (Colonna di Traiano) near Quirinal Hill was built in the second century to commemorate Emperor Trajan’s victory over the Dacians. The triumphal column is decorated with bas relief carvings that constitute a diary of battle scenes.

Home to luxe residences, splendid villas, and two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites—the Renaissance palace of Villa d'Este and the ruins of Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)—the town of Tivoli offers respite from nearby Rome. Highlights include extravagant gardens, refreshing water fountains, and ancient architectural styles.

An elegant public space in Rome, Capitoline Hill is the site of Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo. This piazza overlooking the Roman Forum includes an open square, three Renaissance palace museums and Cordonata, a monumental staircase. The square’s three palazzi house the Capitoline Museums, likely the first public museum.

The Basilica of St. John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the most important of the four major papal basilicas in Rome and is seat of the bishop of Rome: the Pope. One of the most important Catholic churches in the world, the archbasilica is decorated with rich mosaics, Cosmatesque floors, and 12 baroque statues of the apostles.