Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Rome has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Piazza del Campidoglio by night, for panoramas over the Forum and the Palatine, or the top of the Spanish Steps for a view over the Centro Storico to St Peter’s.
- Arts and culture
- Rome’s importance to Western civilisation is inscribed in its imposing historical sites: the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Forum, St Peter’s and the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel. Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is a mansion housing a gallery of 15th- to 18th-century art; Villa Borghese boasts a magnificent art collection and spectacular grounds. Rome’s many layers of history are illustrated by the Basilica di San Clemente near the Colosseum where a 12th-century church is built on top of a 4th-century Christian building, in turn built on a 2nd-century pagan temple. It’s possible to visit all three levels.
- Something for nothing
- A stroll at sunset in the lush Pincio Gardens, above Piazza del Popolo.
- Shopping
- Via Condotti, starting at the base of the Spanish Steps, is Rome’s most prominent shopping street; Via Frattina runs parallel, along the same lines. Via del Corso sells younger styles. More interesting shopping can be found near Piazza del Popolo. On Via Nazionale, you’ll find leather stores and a handful of boutiques. Via Sistina is good for small, stylish outlets. Porta Portese open-air fleamarket in Trastevere is the largest in Europe, open on Sundays from 05h until around 14h. A stroll round the lively fruit and vegetable market in Campo de’ Fiori near Piazza Navona is a great way to spend the morning.
- Daytripper
- The catacombs along the Via Appia Antica are the ancient communal burial ground of the city, covering several kilometres of tunnels carved out of the soft rock. The catacombs of San Callisto are the most famous and it's possible to take a guided tour.
- Activities
- Train as a gladiator with Gruppo Storico Romano (www.gsr-roma.com). There’s an air of the Colosseum about the Stadio Olimpico, the home of Rome’s two soccer teams: AS Roma and Lazio. A ticket to a weekend game between September and May costs from €20. You can buy tickets at Orbis in Piazza dell’ Esquilino; remember to take some ID.
Diary
April Good Friday: a torchlit procession from Via Crucis up the Monte Palatino re-enacts the 14 stations of the cross. Easter Sunday The Pope’s blessing from the balcony of St Peter’s (www.vatican.va). 1 May Spring music festival in Piazza San Giovanni. May/June Dolce Vita Jazz Festival at the Palma Club (www.lapalmaclub.it) and the Parco della Musica. 29 June Feast day of Rome’s patron saints, Peter and Paul, when the city shuts down. September Contemporary-photography festival FotoGrafia (www.fotografiafestival.it). Also, La Notte Bianca: all-night music, dance and theatre (www.lanottebianca.it). RomaEuropa Festival: theatre, music and dance events (www.romaeuropa.net). 25 December Christmas blessing from the Pope, delivered at noon.
