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Rome: Everywhere Else

For the next few posts, I'm going to list everything by neighborhood that I want to see Rome. I'm going to be looking for attractions/tourist traps and the hidden gems that only Italians know. I'm starting near the Tiber River and going to outerlying neighborhoods.


Vatican City

  • Castel Sant'Angelo - 2nd century castle built as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian (which my friend Taylor would love to see since he loves that guy).
  • The Vatican Museums - there are several museums within the Vatican City. You can see all of them with one ticket (of course with what time you have). I found a list of museums here in Frommer's guide and these are my top-Vatican museum choices:
    • Egyptian-Gregorian Museum - all the Egyptian artifacts like sarcophagi, mummies, statues of goddesses, etc. sounds wicked cool!
    • Ethnological Museum - an assemblage of art collected from all over the world and all the rooms are based on region/ethnicity. apparently there's an impressive China section.
    • Pinacotecca - aka the"Picture Gallery"; houses 11th to 19th century paintings and tapestries. there are works by Giotto there that I'd like to see.
    • Pio Clementino Museum - includes lots of Greek and Roman sculptures.
    • Sistine Chapel - kinda self explanatory.

Ancient Rome
  • Roman Forum - this was the Roman hang-out spot for almost everything (cremating Caesar, purchasing a "harlot", sacrificing victims, or just talking. *** Gotta see the view of the Forum from the Capitoline. Great picture opportunity! ***
  • Il Colesseo (The Colosseum) - Of course I need to see this!  I'll see this even if it's not in my "official" itinerary since it's near my school. 
  • Palatine Hill - a hill that oversees the Colosseum and the Forum. A ticket from here will let you see all three. Apparently this was where the first settlers of Rome under Romulus set up their huts. Cool!
  • Circus Maximus - Medieval and Renaissance stadium for chariot races and other sports. It's now formless (meaning there's nothing there) but you can see the path around the grasses that now grow there. I'll see this even if it's not in my "official" itinerary since it's near my school.
  • Baths of Caracalla - a ruin of public baths from the 3rd century. 
  • Piazza Navona - a baroque site that's not ruined by modern buildings. shaped similar to the Circus Maximus and for the same reason with chariot races.
  • Pantheon - obviously a must.
  • Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) - A fountain that depicts personifications of the four greatest rivers in the world and you'd have to guess which one is which. Seems fun.

Piazza del Popolo & The Spanish Steps


  • Spanish Steps - a very good meet up area. You can take the metro and get off at the Piazza di Spagna). Just good to know. 
    • there's a notable upscale shopping area near here which would be fun for window shopping
  • Trevi Fountain
  • The Appian Way - one of the original Roman highway but the most famous
  • Catacombs
    • Catacombs of St. Domitilla - apparently the only catacombs with bones still