Europe Travel Guides

Points of interest

Museo e Galleria Borghese

This 'queen of all private collections' was formed by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the most passionate and knowledgeable art collector of his day. The collection - including works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli and Raphael - and the mansion were acquired by the Italian state in 1902; a lengthy restoration took place in the 1990s.

The ground floor contains some important classical statuary and intricate Roman floor mosaics. But Bernini's spectacular carvings - flamboyant depictions of pagan myths - are the stars. His precocious talent is evident in works such as Pluto and Proserpine and Apollo and Daphne, depicting the moment at which the nymph is transformed into a laurel tree, her fingers becoming leaves, her toes turning into tree roots, while Apollo watches helplessly.

The Caravaggios include the wonderfully naturalistic Madonna dei Palafrenieri (Madonna with the Serpent), whose uninhibited realism led to its rejection by its ecclesiastical commissioners rejecting it.

The paintings on the first floor include masterworks by Bellini, Giorgione, Veronese, Botticelli, Guercino, Domenichino and Rubens, among others.

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Roman Forum

Built over the course of 900 years, the Roman Forum (Foro Romano) was the commercial, political and religious centre of ancient Rome from the Republican era until the 4th century AD. Its importance declined along with the Roman Empire; during medieval times the area was used to graze cattle and extensively plundered for its precious marble.

With the Renaissance came a renewed appreciation of all things classical, and as a result, the Forum provided fresh inspiration for artists and architects.

The area was systematically excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries, and you can see archaeological teams at work in ongoing digs.

The Forum is entered from the piazza leading from the Colosseum. You immediately enter another world: the past. Columns rise from grassy hillocks, and repositioned pediments and columns aid the work of the imagination.

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Capuchin Cemetery

Long after memories of all the rest of Rome's interiors run together in an opulent blur, visitors vividly recall the particulars of the bizarre and macabre chapels of this cemetery, where the decorative elements - from the picture frames to the light fittings - are all made of human bones.

Between 1528 and 1870, the brown-clad Capuchin monks adorned this cemetery with the dried remains of their departed brothers. The message is appropriately pious: 'What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be'. The effect is rather sensational.

There is an arch crafted from hundreds of skulls, vertebrae used as fleurs-de-lys, and light fixtures made of limb bones. The monks who guard the cemetery request a 'compulsory' donation, so have some small notes handy.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concezione, above the cemetery, contains a gorgeous St Michael by Reni (in the first chapel to the right of the door) and Pietro da Cortona's St Paul's Sight Being Restored (first chapel on the left).

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Trevi Fountain

Rome's largest and most famous fountain, Fontana di Trevi was completed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, and immortalised 200 years later by Marcello Mastroianni and a frolicking Anita Ekberg (spilling out of a black strapless gown) in Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

This extravagant baroque work takes up most of the piazza, appears to meld into the palazzo, and depicts Neptune's chariot being led by Tritons with seahorses - one wild, one docile - representing the moods of the sea. Trevi refers to the three roads (tre vie) that converged here.

Water for the fountain is supplied by one of Rome's earliest aqueducts. Work to clean the fountain and its water supply was completed in 1991, but pollution has already dulled the brilliant white of the clean marble.

The famous custom is to throw a coin into the fountain over your shoulder to ensure you return to Rome. A second coin will have you falling in love with an Italian, and the third marrying him or her. Needless to say, the terraces around the fountain are always packed with tourists throwing coins.

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Trastevere

Although its traditionally proletarian nature is changing as the crumbling palazzi become gentrified, a stroll among the labyrinthine alleys of Trastevere still reaps small gems of a bygone past. Washing strung out from the apartments in best Mama-leone tradition has everyone sighing and reaching for the Kodaks.

The lovely Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is the area's heart. It's a true Roman square - by day peopled by mothers with strollers, chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists, by night with artisans selling their craft work, young Romans looking for a good time, and the odd homeless person looking for a bed. The streets east of the piazza is where you'll find the most photographed washing in the world.

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Accademia di Santa Cecilia

Rome's major classical music organisation dates back to the 16th century, when it was founded by - among others - the composer Palestrina. The academy's year-round programme includes a world-class symphonic season and, in the autumn, a series of short festivals dedicated to individual composers. In summer, concerts move to the Auditorium's open-air arena.

The in-house orchestra was directed by the Korean maestro Myung-Whun Chung until October 2005, when Italian Antonio Pappano took over.

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Teatro Ghione

A former cinema, the Teatro Ghione is a small but beautiful theatre near St Peter's that offers a varied programme featuring major international performers. You can catch anything from opera arias to Greek tragedies, Shakespearian comedies and contemporary Italian plays.

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Black Out Rock Club

For those out to rock, this is the place you'll want to be. Black Out has been ploughing its alternative furrow since 1979 and serves up a Molotov cocktail of punk, rock, ska and indie sounds, with occasional live bands.

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La Rosetta

La Rosetta is so excellent it doesn't have to be formal. Pass up a glimpse of the Pantheon to sit inside amid yellow hues and crisp white tablelinen and focus on the matter at hand. Considered one of the top chefs in Italy, Massimo Riccioli serves up classics such as linguine ai frutti di mare (pasta with seafood) and moscardini(baby octopus) with mint.

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Il Bacaro

Gorgeously intimate, pint-sized Il Bacaro is in a characteristic cobbled corner of Rome, and has outstanding grub - exquisite risotto, pasta and secondi. Summer seating is in the little square and shaded by vines. Booking is recommended.

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Da Lucia

In summer sit outside and eat beneath the fluttering knickers of the neighbourhood at this terrific trattoria. Found on a narrow cobbled backstreet, Da Lucia serves up a cavalcade of Roman specialities including trippa alla romana (tripe with tomato sauce) and pollo con peperoni (chicken with peppers). Once upon a time every Roman trattoria was like this.

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Events

During Holy Week (Easter) Catholics from around the world make pilgrimages to Rome's various basilicas and to hear the Pope give his address at the Vatican. On Good Friday there's a procession of the Cross from the Colosseum to Capitoline Hill.

Testaccio is the place to be in summer, when one of Rome's best-preserved areas becomes a stomping ground for the young and hip. A festival of nightclubbery and general coolness goes down every evening from 22:00 . There's lots of outdoor concerts over the summer, including atmospheric jjazz at the Villa Celimontana.

From June to September, the Estate Romana (Roman Summer), encompasses many summer festivals as Rome comes alive with free concerts, outdoor cinema and much more. Tiberina Island, on the Tiber river, hosts bars, stalls, gigs and open-air films in July and August. Trastevere is filled with street theatre, craft stalls and food booths during the Festa di Noantri (20-28 July). In September the city cranks up on coffee and stays awake all night for the Notte Bianca (white night), when museums, galleries and shops open from 20:00 - 08:00 , with free concerts and happenings all over Rome.

Rome's public holidays include Liberation Day (25 April), Labour Day (1 May), the Feast of the Assumption (15 August), All Saints' Day (1 November), the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) and the Feast of Santo Stefano (26 December).

official holidays