Piazza Venezia sits right at the heart of Rome, making it an ideal place to begin exploring the city. Though it may feel more like a sprawling traffic circle than a traditional public square, its lively energy and historic surroundings make it a hub where the old meets the new. Stand here for a few moments, and you’ll witness the constant flow of cars, buses, and scooters weaving their way around the plaza, all set against a stunning backdrop of monumental architecture.
Dominating the scene is the colossal Vittorio Emanuele II Monument—a dazzling white marble edifice that locals affectionately call "the Wedding Cake" or "the Typewriter." Built to honor the first king of unified Italy, it's impossible to miss with its grand staircases, soaring columns, and bronze statues. Climb to the terraces for sweeping views of the city, or simply marvel at its grandeur from below.
Just to the west of the square stands the formidable Palazzo Venezia. This Renaissance palace has played a starring role in Rome’s history, most notably during the 20th century when Benito Mussolini used its first-floor balcony to deliver passionate speeches to the crowds below. Today, the building houses a museum, but its legacy as a stage for history is palpable to anyone passing by.
More than just a busy intersection, Piazza Venezia is a gateway to some of Rome's greatest treasures. With the Capitoline Hill just next door and the bustling streets of the city radiating in all directions, it's a place where you can feel the pulse of Rome—past and present—coming together in spectacular fashion.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Venezia
Although started in the 2nd century, San Callisto has had many more recent burials, including 16 popes. The burial arcades are almost 20 km long.
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!
Completed in 1762 to a design by Nicola Salvi, this spectacular Baroque fountain features a mythological sculptural composition of Neptune, god of the sea, flanked by two Tritons: one Triton labours to control a violent sea-horse, the other controls a pacified creature, both symbolising the dual nature of the world's oceans. The location of the Trevi fountain marks the terminus of the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct, completed in 19 BCE in order to supply the Baths of Agrippa, and is so named on account of its position at the junction of three roads (tre vie). The legend says that one who throws a coin in the fountain shall one day return to Rome. The coins in the fountain are regularly collected to finance charities. The fountain has been made even more famous by the 1954 film, Three Coins in the Fountain, and by a famous scene in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita. According to popular superstition and custom, throwing coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain is a practice endowed with good luck. Throwing one coin ensures that the thrower will return to Rome; throwing two coins will ensure that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy); throwing three coins, finally, ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome itself. The fountain is one of Rome's most famous attractions, but the square isn't exactly as large as St. Peter's, therefore it might be packed with crowds almost like at a rock festival. For this reason it's reportedly also a pickpocket hotspot, so do watch your pockets and bags here!
The remains of the ancient Roman archives, where Cicero and Seneca did research. Visible from the Forum and accessible through the Capitoline Museum.
Ballroom-like church which crowns part of the Capitoline Hill. Don't be fooled by the plain stone exterior.
Inaugurated in 217 AD and used until the 6th Century. The baths were big enough for 1600 bathers at a time. Impressive and well-preserved. Used for operas in summer months (see Opera di Roma for details) and was the location for the famous "three tenors" concert in July 1990, at the time of the World Cup (soccer).
A 19th-century addition to the square, made to balance the Fontana del Moro.
The enormous building at the southeast end of the Circus Maximus is the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). From its roof are undoubtedly the best views of Rome, but you will need to know someone who works there to get past the strict security.
Built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, this vast structure may appear to be solid white marble but actually contains many rooms inside. There are two permanent museums, one on Italian Reunification and one on emigration from Italy, as well as other spaces that host rotating exhibitions. A walk through the Flag Room leads to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Good views from half-way up but you can also pay €10 (€2 concessions) and take a lift all the way to the top.
In the Middle Ages pilgrims on their way to St. Peter's had to pass through the Via dei Coronari in order to cross the Tiber at Ponte St. Angelo. The street got its name from the people who sold rosaries to the pilgrims. It follows the ancient Via Recta which led from what is today Piazza Colonna to the Tiber. In the 15th century Pope Sixtus IV initiated the construction of private buildings. Today, several houses dating back to the 15th and 16th century may be seen. House nr. 156/157 is said to have been the House of Fiametta, the mistress of Cesare Borgia.
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).