There’s very little that hasn’t been said or written about Rome. It’s one of those fabled destinations that conjures memories of elegance, grandeur and deep history. Once the capital of the mighty Roman empire, this city and the culture that it propagated has influenced all of our western ideologies, religions, languages, governments, mathematics, science, architecture and militaries. As such, it can seem overwhelming when planning a trip to this magnificent city. But don’t worry. Read below for some key places of interest that you shouldn’t miss out on when planning a trip to Rome.

Places You Must See

Alter of the Fatherland

This impressive national monument was built to commemorate the unification of Italy for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire (1,300 years earlier) under the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. The structure houses exhibitions and a museum dedicated to the history of Italian unification, also known as the risorgimento. This monument complex was the first place that we visited when we landed in Rome, and it was quite a site. There is no cost to enter and you can climb up the 196 steps to the very top of the building in order to get panoramic views of Rome.

Pantheon

Built in the 1st century CE, the pantheon, with its imposing columns and circular dome is one of the best preserved of all ancient Roman buildings. Originally, constructed over 2,000 years ago, it is now used as a church and is the final resting place of the great king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II.

Colosseum

The colosseum is an architectural masterpiece and an iconic landmark reminiscent of the gladiatorial contests that took place during ancient Rome. Just like the packed football/soccer stadiums of our modern era, ancient Romans would gather here and cheer on their favorite athletes. It was always a dream of ours to visit the colosseum and for us, this was the best part of our trip to Rome. For information on hours and ticket prices see: https://parcocolosseo.it/visita/orari-e-biglietti/

Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is a large archaeological park that is located right next to the colosseum. It houses the well-preserved ruins of several important government and commercial buildings which served as the center of day-to-day life in ancient Rome. You can easily spend an entire day just walking among the ruins, envisioning the excitement of life in what must have been the downtown area of the most powerful empire at the time. For information on hours and ticket prices see: https://parcocolosseo.it/visita/orari-e-biglietti/

St. Peters Basilica

Located inside Vatican City, Saint Peter’s Basilica is the largest and most important catholic church in the world. According to tradition, the original church was built on top of Saint Peter’s grave with the modern basilica that exists now being designed by renaissance artist Michelangelo. Equally fascinating is that over 100 tombs of former popes and European royalty are located in the basilica. Entrance is free but as you can imagine, there is usually a long line.

Sistine Chapel

This is perhaps the most famous chapel in the world, best known for Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes (the most famous being The Creation of Adam). It only costs 17 Euro ($21 USD) to purchase a ticket which grants access to the chapel as well as the Vatican Museums. Please note, no photography or video is allowed inside the Sistine Chapel.

Trevi Fountain

This is the most famous fountain in the world as it has appeared several times throughout pop culture and no trip to Rome is complete without seeing this magnificent work of Baroque art. Using water from an ancient Roman aqueduct that continues to supply the city, the Trevi fountain is decorated with mythical sculptures, horses, and a rock façade with water that cascades into a large pool below. We went at night and it is truly a masterpiece that no words, picture or video can fully capture. Only an emotion such as shock and awe is appropriate. Nostalgically, this was our last stop in Rome, so we decided to follow tradition and toss a coin into the fountain, ensuring that someday we will return (our heart is there right now as we write this).

Wrapping things up

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all of the places that Rome has to offer. This is an almost 3,000 year old city with very well preserved ruins and a culture that respects that history. For somebody like Julian (who once dreamt of being an archaeologist and loves anything related to ancient Rome), you could be here an entire year and still not see everything that the city has to offer. But of course, for the average traveler/tourist working with a tight itinerary the above list should serve as a good starting point.