Largo di Torre Argentina

This church, which was commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, marks the point where, according to tradition, St. Peter was crucified. Particularly interesting for Irish visitors as it contains the graves of three Gaelic Chiefs who fled Ireland in 1607.

A strange building, constructed by Reginald Pole, an English cardinal and later Archbishop of Canterbury, allegedly on the spot where he was able to escape from assassins sent by the English King Henry VIII.

According to the legendary passio, two brothers, John and Paul, who were officials at the imperial court, suffered martyrdom in 362 in their home on the Caelian hill, during the reign of emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus. This basilica dedicated to these two Roman officers was erected starting from 398 and was used first as a domus ecclesiae by the Christian community.

Between the Pantheon and Via del Corso. A stunning example of Baroque art. The ceiling frescoes are especially fine, including a trompe l'oeil dome by the master Andrea Pozzo.

In addition to Santa Maria in Cosmedin there is a lot to be seen around this piazza. Opposite the church is the round temple dedicated to Hercules Invictus (the Unconquered Hercules), and not far from that the rectangular Fortuna Virilis, both constructed in the 1st Century. Opposite, to the back of the piazza is the Arch of Argentari and behind that the church of San Giorgio in Velabro, the front of which was repaired after being damaged by a terrorist bomb in July 1993.

A very ancient church named after a saint who was in 1969 removed from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints for the lack of details of her life. But the church retains the name and is well worth visiting for an excellent 4th-century mosaic and attractive decorations on the facade. Visiting hours are short, but if you arrive close to 11:30, try talking to the attendant if you see him, and he might let you visit for a few minutes. The church is small, so 15 minutes should be long enough to see and absorb everything.

By Bernini, in the very centre of Piazza Navona. Incorporates an Egyptian obelisk and symbolises four of the world's great rivers (the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube and the Plata), representing the four continents known at the time.

This little church is hard to find but well worth the extra effort although it is often closed when you get there. One of Borromini's masterpieces. It is located only a block from Piazza Navona, but not usually visible from the street, as you must enter the courtyard of an old palazzo to reach the church. Sant'Ivo is a small church the dome of which is shaped like the Star of David, but with every other point rounded. The steeple seen from the outside looks like it has a staircase wrapped around it that ascends to heaven. As the church was commissioned by the Barberini family that produced a number of popes and whose family symbol was the bee—some say the steeple resembles the stinger of the insect.

The contours of the ancient stadium, built in the 6th Century B.C., are still visible in what is now a park in the shadow of the Palatine. Circus Maximus was primarily devoted to chariot races and was used for this purpose until around 550 AD. The stadium could seat up to 150,000 people. Originally built of wood, it burnt down twice, on the second occasion starting the great fire when the Emperor Nero was said to fiddle while Rome burned. It was in one of the tunnels here that Caligula met his end. Excavations began in 2009 at the east end of the circus and are likely to go on for some years.

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.

Home of the Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation and Benedictine monks studying in Rome. Visit the monastic produce shop and listen to the best Gregorian chant in Rome during Vespers (19:15 each evening).

Built in the 17th century to a design based on an architectural sketch by Michelangelo. Highlights include the ancient Colossus of Constantine statue (the Colosseum was probably named for another giant statue, the Colossus of Nero which stood near the Flavian Amphitheatre as the Colosseum was originally known), The Dying Gaul, a magnificent marble sculpture that copies a bronze Greek original of the 3rd century BC and the Capitoline Venus. It also contains the remarkable original gilt bronze equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius (the one in the piazza is a replica).