Casa di Goethe

Located a short walk west of the Colosseum, this well-preserved monumental arch was erected (soon after 315) to commemorate the victory of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. In general design, the Arch of Constantine imitates the century-earlier Arch of Septimius Severus (nearby in the Forum). The three arches are decorated utilizing mainly materials plundered from other imperial monuments by Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The quality of its sculptural decoration, however, betrays the slow degradation that Classical Roman sculpture had experienced in the 3rd century AD.

This is the island located in the middle of the Tiber River (Il Fiume Tevere) that separates Central Rome and Trastevere. It boasts both a major hospital, called Fatebenefratelli, and a small synagogue that was secretly used in the Second World War when Rome's main synagogue nearby was closed down. It also has a café and gelateria on the Rome side. It is a nice way of getting to and from Trastevere. Be sure to get photos from Ponte Garibaldi as Isola Tiberina truly is beautiful. The island is 270 m long and up to 67 m broad. According to the legend envoys were sent to the temple of Asklepius in Epidauros in Greece in 291BC in order to get relief from an epidemic in Rome. The envoys brought one of the holy snakes back with them. The snake swam to the Tiber Island thus determining the place where a temple for Asklepius was built. The successor of the Asklepius sanctuary is the Church San Bartolomeo which was built by the German Emperor Otto III around the year 1000. The Ponte Rotto is what is left from the ancient Pons Aemilius, the oldest stone bridge over the Tiber erected around 180 BC. The bridge was partly destroyed during a flood in 1557, re-erected by Pope Gregor XIII and finally pulled down in 1598. In 62 BC the Senatorial road construction office replaced the wooden footbridge by the Ponte Fabricio.

An underrated way to see fantastic art made after the Renaissance. Mainly Italian artists, notably De Chirico, but Cézanne, Degas, Kandinsky, Man Ray, Modigliani, Monet, Pollock and Van Gogh are also represented.

Completed in 179 BC.

A great little cathedral to visit, lovingly looked after by Irish Dominicans. There is an excavated older church below the medieval church you enter and a Mithraeum (temple to Mithras, whose cult was very popular with Roman soldiers from the 1st to 4th century AD) below that. The only place in Rome to hear the underground river that flows beneath the city.

This is the attractive park on the hillside directly west of the Colosseum. Visible ruins in the area come from the Baths of Trajan. These baths were built on the top of the ruins of Domus Aurea - the Golden House of Nero (the Colosseum was built on the drained site of Nero's lake). The area underneath the park contains an enormous area from Nero's villa. It was restored at great expense in the 1980s and 1990s, opened to the public, and then closed again after a few years when it began to leak!

The house in which the famous English poet John Keats succumbed to consumption, now preserved as a memorial to his life and that of his friend Shelley, both of whom are buried in Rome's Protestant Cemetery (see Testaccio).

Church built on the site of three Roman pagan temples, which can be explored underground for a small fee paid at a desk near the church entrance.

This is not, contrary to popular belief, one of the original seven hills that Rome was founded on. It is the second highest after Monte Mario, though, and offers incredible panoramic views of the city as long as the authorities remember to prune the trees on the hillside (if they are too tall you can walk a few meters down the hill for views that are just as good). On the other side of the piazza there is also a nice view of the dome of St. Peter's. The Piazza and the street leading up the hill are dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi who led Italian troops against the French here in 1849. There are also several commemorative statues.

Parco Savello is the name of the grounds and orange grove next to the Santa Sabina church at the top of the Aventino and also where you have one of the best views of the city. Families gather here to sit under the dozens of orange trees. The "Giardino degli Aranci" is also a well known spot for lovers at night. The best views are arguably from Janiculum hill, just across the Tevere (Tiber) river. Immediately below you, the Tiber snakes its way through the city, and directly beyond it you can see the lively medieval quarter of Trastevere. Beyond that is the majestic dome of St. Peter's Basilica, with the historic centre of Rome visible to the right.

Named after St. Francis of Assisi, who stayed nearby. Inside the Paluzzi-Albertoni chapel is one of Bernini’s masterpieces, the statue of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni. The column in front of the church comes from the ruins of Veii (see Rome/North).

The Collegio Romano was a college of the Jesuit order. Many popes, cardinals and bishops were educated here. Since 1870 it has been a secular (non-monastic) school. The coat of arms on the doorway is that of Pope Gregory XIII (1572–1585). The tower was erected in 1787 and served as an observatory. Until 1925 all clocks in Rome were set after that of the Collegio Romano.

It was built in 27 BCE, by Augustus' right hand man Marcus Agrippa, and later remodeled by the Emperor Hadrian (AD 125-128). This ancient temple was built as a temple to all the gods of the Roman state but has served as a Christian church since the 7th century. It is the only building from the Graeco-Roman world which has remained substantially intact and in continuous use throughout to the present day, and as it is still a functioning church, silence is requested during your visit. The Pantheon is celebrated for its large dome. From inside you'll see traces of the former bronze ceiling, melted down during the reign of Pope Urban VIII to make weapons for the fortification of the Castel Sant' Angelo. The hole in the center of the ceiling, though, is an original feature designed for architectural reasons (the dome would collapse without it.) If it happens to be raining, you should definitely go to the Pantheon to see the rain pouring into the building through the hole in the ceiling. There are holes in the ground that drain the water. The spectacular doors are Romans, but not the original. The original bronze beams of the pronao were melted down by Pope Urban VIII and might have been used to create Bernini's Baldacchino, or canopy, in Saint Peter's. The dome is the largest masonry dome in the world, larger than that of Saint Peter. The building now appears to be built in a depression, but this was not the original appearance. The street level at the sides and rear has risen about 10 metres (33 ft) since its construction due to the accumulation of debris from 2,000 years of settlement. This has necessitated the maintenance of the deep trench that keeps the building from being buried. The Pantheon was free for many years, but fees began being charged in 2023.

This church can be an interesting deviation if you are passing through its neighbourhood. It is believed to be the grave of the Saints Ciro and Giovanni, killed during the time of the Emperor Diocletian. The original name was Abba Cyrus and through Appaciro and then Appacero it finally became Pacera, very close to today's Passera. The building is on top of a 3rd century building still visible in the lower floor and in the underground. The main part of the building dates back to the 9th century as do the frescoes on the higher floor. Some of the frescoes have been restored. Downstairs there is a small quadrangular room and the underground, where the remains of the two Saints are supposed to be. There are still visible 3rd century traces of Roman frescoes; in front of the stair you can enjoy a small bird, the Justice, and an athlete while in the vault some eight apex stars. Bus 128,780,781,775 (first stop in Via della Magliana).

Perhaps the most fascinating building in Rome. The core of the structure began life as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, built between 135 and 139 AD. Subsequent strongholds built on top of the mausoleum were in turn incorporated into a residence and castle by medieval Popes. The building was used as a prison until 1870 but now houses a museum. Opera buffs will be exhilarated to visit the balcony from which Tosca leaps to her death. Film buffs will recognise it as a setting from Angels and Demons.

A small piazza just behind the Pantheon. The centerpiece is a statue of an elephant by Bernini with an ancient obelisk on its back.

Since 1871 this has been the French Embassy. This 16th-century palace contains an important fresco cycle by Annibale Carracci and houses a library of collections by the French school in Rome, particularly on Roman archaeology. Note the two beautiful fountains in the piazza.

Minor basilica in 17th-century baroque style with good art inside. In a smaller Italian city, this might be a prime attraction, but in Rome, with its abundance of great churches, this is merely a pleasant church of secondary interest to visit if you are in the area.

Where the building of the Italian Government, Palazzo Chigi is situated. Also there is a marvelous carved column—hence the name—dating back to Imperial Rome.