Top Tourist Attractions in Rome

Rome, Italy’s capital is a cosmopolitan city with a rich historical heritage. It has been the center of the world’s greatest civilization the Roman Empire and boasts of globally influential art, architecture and culture. Ancient ruins of about 3000 years still stand tall and attract visitors from all over the world. Rome is truly an Eternal City as it exists parallel with the old world wonders. The top tourist attractions in Rome are outlined below.

The Colosseum:
The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre built by the Romans and was capable of holding 50,000 spectators who could enter from about 80 entrances. It is a major tourist spot in Rome and what is left of this magnificient architecture is the interior arena.

St. Peter’s Basilica
St. Peter’s Basilica is a huge church with a height of 120 m. It stands on the spot where St. Peter, the first pope was crucified and buried. Many great artists such as Michelangelo have designed the church. It is the center of the Catholic world and attracts many tourists.

The Pantheon
The Pantheon is one of the best preserved Roman buildings. The Pantheon is more than 2000 years old and was built as a temple for Roman Gods. The Pantheon dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.

Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums in the Vatican City stores the world’s most important relics. The museums were built under the patronage of Pope Julius II in the 6th century. Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling with the famous Last Judgement scene between 1508 to 1512. Other attractions in the Vatican Museums are the spiral staircase, the Raphael Rooms and the beautiful chapel.

Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a sculptural composition of Neptune, god of the sea and flanked by two tritons. It is located at the crossroad of three roads (tre vie) and hence the name Trevi. It represents the terminus of the ancient Acqua Virgo aqueduct. It is believed that anyone who drops a coin in the fountain will return to Rome one day.

The Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps were built in 1721-1725 with French funding to connect the Bourbon Spanish Embassy to the French church, Trinita dei Monti. It is a monumental stairway with 135 steps. Local and tourists gather here and is usually a crowded spot. In May every year the stairway is decorated with azaleas. At the foot of the steps is the famous Spanish Square.

The Roman Forum
The Roman Forum was the heart of Rome where triumphant processions, elections, public speeches were held. It lies in a small valley between Palantine and Capitoline Hills.

Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo was initially a mausoleum of the Emperor Hadrian, built around AD135. Consequently it housed the pope, served as a prison and now it has been turned to a museum.

Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is what is left of the Stadium of Domitian built by Emperor Domitian in the end of the 15th AD. The stadium was massive and was used for festivals and sporting events. Today, Piazza Navona is a square where people gather to relax, shop and watch street performers.

Campo de’ Fiori
Campo de’ Fiori is a rectangular square used as a vegetable market during daylight and at night it turns into a party centre for college students and tourists. Visitors flock to this market every morning to buy fresh produce like vegetables, meat, fish, spices and flowers. Long back, the square was a meadow full of flowers and hence the name Campo de’ Fiori..