Colosseum
The symbol of Italy’s capital. Once, it was an arena with complex mechanisms for spectacular battles between muscular gladiators and wild beasts, and the Colosseum stands could hold 50,000 bloodthirsty spectators! This grand structure truly impresses, both from the outside and inside. A ticket to the Colosseum costs 12 euros, is valid for one day, and in addition includes entry to Palatine Hill and the area of the Imperial Forums. But best of all-both for the Hill and the Forums-is to take a look from above from the street Fori Imperiali; the emotions are the same, and the effort spent is many times less.
Pantheon
Not far from Piazza Navona is the Pantheon-the Temple of all the Gods, also known as the resting place of famous figures such as Raphael and Vittorio Emanuele. The enormous dome of the Pantheon is considered an engineering and architectural masterpiece: its diameter is 45 meters, and the dome has no single supporting pillar. In the middle there is a wide circular opening, from which light enters the temple. Tourists are often lured into the Pantheon by the chance to see a real column of light exactly at noon-so dense that it’s almost tangible. However, please note that this column can be seen only in summer, when the sun is high in the sky.
Trevi Fountain
The famous Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful in Rome, is not just a statue in a basin, but an entire sculptural-and-water composition that occupies a small, yet distinct, area. In the center of a small pond with emerald water, framed in stone, stands the majestic Neptune on a chariot in the form of a huge sea shell, giving directions to sea horses and water streams. If you throw a single coin into the Trevi Fountain, you are sure to return to Rome; the second coin will help you meet an Italian man, and the third guarantees a prompt wedding. By the way, every day the Trevi Fountain increases its earnings by an average of 1500 euros thanks to the coins tossed into it. In a week, Neptune’s income is about 11 thousand euros!
Roman Forum
Once, in the valley between Rome’s seven hills, a swamp churned and frogs croaked. In the 7th century BC, the marsh was drained and large-scale construction began of political, economic, administrative, and religious institutions; that is why it was here, during the Republican era and partly during the time of the Great Empire, that the center of public life for Romans was located: arches honoring military victories, temples, courthouses and oratories, basilicas, and other architectural structures. Today, alongside the restoration of monuments, archaeological excavations continue on the site of the Roman Forum. You can stroll along special walkways among the ruins of temples and half-preserved columns, and visit the Forum Museum near the Arch of Titus - Antiquarium Forense, where the treasures discovered during the excavations are gathered: fragments of statues and temples, tombs, and pottery.
Palatine
According to legend, it was on this elevation that the legendary brothers Romulus and Rem were raised by a she-wolf, and later Great Rome was founded. Here, magnificent palaces of Roman emperors were built and fell with the passage of time, as were the villas of wealthy citizens and the papal chambers, which considered it prestigious to live 70 meters above the valleys, with air that was especially clean compared to the lowlands. Here you can see what remains of the imperial halls of Septimius Severus and Tiberius, Augustus and Flavius, Romulus’ hut, the Temple of Apollo, as well as marble pavilions, fountains, and the flower meadows of the Farnese Gardens-Europe’s first botanical garden, created in 1550 by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. And in the largest of the palaces-Domitian’s-there is now the Antiquarium museum, showcasing discoveries made on the Palatine Hill and the area of the Roman Forum during archaeological excavations: ceramics, frescoes, mosaics, sculptures, and fragments of buildings.
