The Colosseum rises as a massive, elliptical structure of stone and concrete, immediately recognizable by the four tiers of arches that ring its exterior. Originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre, it was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian…
Best of Rome
This tour guides you through the most famous historic sights in Rome. We highlight ancient structures, grand public squares, and majestic churches as you walk from the Colosseum to St. Peter’s Basilica.
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1. Colosseum
2. Piazza del Campidoglio
The Piazza del Campidoglio is defined by its precise, trapezoidal geometry and a central oval paving design that radiates outward from a bronze equestrian statue. Perched atop the Capitoline Hill, this square sits at the historic center of…
3. Monument to Victor Emmanuel II
The Victor Emmanuel the Second Monument is impossible to miss at the head of Piazza Venezia. It is a massive structure of gleaming, white Botticino marble that stands seventy meters tall and one hundred thirty-five meters wide against the…
4. Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a massive travertine stone facade, eighty-six feet high and over one hundred and sixty feet wide, that dominates the small square where three streets converge. As the dramatic terminal point of the ancient Aqua Virgo…
5. Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps form a monumental, curving travertine staircase of one hundred and thirty-five steps that climbs the steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna below and the Trinità dei Monti church above. While the name links them to the…
6. Pantheon
The Pantheon is defined by a massive concrete dome that has remained the world’s largest unsupported dome for nearly two thousand years. Its most striking feature is the central opening, or oculus, which serves as the only source of light…
7. Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is defined by its unusual, elongated oval shape, which traces the exact footprint of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. Built in eighty-six AD, this arena once held thirty thousand spectators for Greek-style athletic…
8. Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo is a massive, towering rotunda on the banks of the Tiber River. Originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian between one twenty-three and one thirty-nine AD, the structure was built as a grand mausoleum for himself and his…
9. Saint Peter’s Basilica
The dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica rises above the skyline of Vatican City. This structure occupies the site on Vatican Hill where Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles, was buried following his crucifixion in the year sixty-four under…