Recently restored, this magnificent 15C palace today houses the Ludovisi-Boncompagni collection: in the first half of the 17C, Cardinal Ludovico decided to embellish his villa with a mass of statuary by the greatest artists of the age (including Bern..

Recently restored, this superb brick octagonal room (its cupola recalling that it served as a planetarium in the 1920s) was probably a frigidarium (cold room in baths complex) or ancillary area. Today it houses some important Antique statuary: the R..

Often copied, this is the Jesuit church par excellence. It combines the solemnity and simplicity of the Counter-Reformation with some incredibly exuberant interior decoration from a century later, at the very height of Baroque movement. Baciccia's f..

Rome’s most elegant square with tall façades in warm tones derives its name from the Spanish embassy based here in the 17C. It is dominated by its famous Trinità dei Monti steps (the Spanish Steps), near to which stands the Barcaccia Fountain (17C)..

With its 138 steps and perfect perspective, this monumental staircase is a Baroque masterpiece. The architect Francesco de Sanctis played with dimensions here, broadening out and narrowing the steps to emphasise the height effect. This gracious and m..

Founded by Constantine, the basilica was totally rebuilt during the Baroque period and 18C. Galilei’s façade gives access to a rather cold and solemn interior by Borromini and followers of Bernini. In contrast with the nave, the transept is awash wit..

This is a huge cemetery, where more than 500 000 people are buried, including all the 3C popes. Its main attraction is the extraordinary wall paintings of the Sacraments Room , dating from the end of the 2C or start of the 3C.

The catacombs were the private cemetery of Emperor Domitian’s niece Domitilla, and include an underground church.

These catacombs seem to have been excavated around a core of three mausoleums which are open to visitors.

Designed and partially built by Michelangelo from 1536, the square is bordered by three palaces and a balustrade overlooking the statues of the Dioscuri; in the centre Michelangelo placed the statue of Marcus Aurelius (today a copy stands in its plac..

Piazza del Campidoglio is bordered by numerous palaces, including Palazzo Senatorio, built in the 12C and remodelled between 1582 and 1602 by Giacomo della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi (today Rome’s town hall).

Based at the Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo , although part of the collection (notably items excavated in the rome region) are now on display at the Montemartini Power Station. Among the masterpieces are: the equestrian statue of Marcus ..

This imposing building was erected in 135 AD as Emperor Hadrian's family mausoleum, and was converted into a chapel by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6C. It acquired a brick layer and keeps under Pope Nicholas V (15C) and octagonal bastions under Alex..

Inaugurated in 80 AD, the Flavian amphitheatre or Colosseum is the biggest in the Roman world (527m in circumference and 57m high). Three levels of arcades enclose this impressive arena built on part of the site occupied by Nero’s Golden House. 50 00..

Rome’s finest and best preserved triumphal arch stands in front of the Colosseum . Erected in 315 to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius, it is abundantly decorated with scenes removed from 2C monuments. Recent research has shown that i..

Lying alongside Via dei Fori Imperiali are the ruins of this forum begun by Trajan in 113. Construction was an ambitious project; part of the Quirinal Hill nearest the Capitol was removed, requiring the excavation of some 30m of soil. The forum is co..

This makes for a magnificent scene, bristling with columns, triumphal arches, battered walls, temples converted into churches, and crisscrossed by paved streets, bearing witness to 12 centuries of history. Before starting a detailed exploration of th..

Just below the Basilica Julia stand the three fine Corinthian columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the rising profile of their white marble evoking the magnificence with which Augustus sought to endow the city. The temple recalls the legend of..

The Temple of Saturn comprises a 1C BC platform and eight 4C columns (the temple having been rebuilt after a fire). Saturn was the god of agriculture and the weather; at the winter solstice, celebrations took place in his honour and in anticipation o..

In this round temple built in the late 6C BC, the famous Vestals were in charge of keeping the sacred fire burning. Nearby is the Atrium Vestae, where the priestesses lived. The code they adhered to was strict: recruited at the age of 10, they served..