Beautiful Places In Rome, Italy That Shouldn’t Be Missed

This is your guide to the top 10 beautiful places in Rome, Italy that you need to include if you are planning your next vacation and want to see the big sites.

What Are The Top 10 Things To See In Rome?

It has been said that to experience all that Rome has to offer would take a lifetime, but many of us visit Rome on vacation and only for a week, or less. This is a list of the 10 “must see” sites that you wouldn’t want to miss. I have also linked some additional information on all these sites.

1) The Colosseum

The Colosseum in Rome (il Colosseo) is an amazing structure with a long history that spans more than 2,000 years. The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was considered a gift to the Roman people by the Emperor and it is a gift that still keeps giving, but now to the world.

What Is The Number 1 Attraction In Rome?

It is one of the most important sites in Rome, Italy and it is well worth visiting. Check out this post to see if the Ancient Roman Colosseum is worth visiting, and if that excites you, here are 12 Amazing Secrets Of The Colosseum and more information about if you should visit the Colosseum At Night.

2) Roman Forum

The Roman Forum in Rome, Italy is a rectangular shaped plaza (piazza) that was the center of daily life in ancient Rome. Today, it contains the ruins of many important government buildings, temples to vestal virgins, a basilica and the burial site of Julius Caesar. The forum is located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills in a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting more than 4.5 million visitors a year. Here is a little more information about why the Roman Forum was so important. As long as you are in the neighborhood, here is what you can visit on Palatine Hill.

3) Altare Della Patria

The national monument called the Victor Emmanuel II Monument is known by many names. The names include Mole del Vittoriano, Il Vittoriano, some less favorable names like the Typewriter, the Wedding Cake but my favorite is Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland). One of the reasons there are so many names is because the monument has had many additions over the years. These include the Altar To The Fatherland, The tomb of the Unknown Soldier and it is a symbol of the unification of Italy. While you are there, you should also learn the Piazza Venezia history because it is worth knowing.

4) Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the most dramatic Baroque squares in Rome as well as one of the most symbolic places in the Capital. The piazza is surrounded by buildings that were built on the remains of the Stadium of Domitian (Stadio di Domiziano). The long, oblong square preserves the shape and dimensions of the Stadium which started out as a horse racetrack and athletic training ground when it was built around 80 AD.

What you see today in Piazza Navona  is a little more recent. The renovations of the pizza were performed in the 17th century as a way for the Papacy to change the subject away from scandals and towards the beautification of the public spaces in Rome. 

5) The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is the most spectacular and largest fountain in Rome and it is one of the major Rome tourist attractions. It has become one of the essential stops on a visit to the city because Trevi Fountain amazes not only for its beauty, but also for its fascinating history. Particularly exalted by Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita”, it welcomes hundreds of visitors every day, ready to throw a coin into its precious basin. For more, you can discover the Trevi Fountain coin toss and other amazing secrets.

6) The Vatican And St. Peter’s Basilica

The Vatican And St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world, and the most important one in the Catholic world. It unites the religious faithful and lovers of art and is a major pilgrimage site for the Catholic faithful. It frequently draws crowds of tens of thousands, both in the basilica and its adjoining St. Peter’s Square, which are used for a number of masses and celebrations during the year that are presided over by the pope.

St. Peter’s Basilica is free to enter and open everyday, from April to September from 7:00 am to  7:00 pm, and from October to March from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm. 

7) Vatican Museums And The Sistine Chapel

The museums contain a huge collection of classical sculptures, tapestries and paintings by Renaissance artists like Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Bernini, and da Vinci. The museums also have a collection of modern religious art, with works of artists like Van Gogh, Gauguin, Salvador Dalí, and Pablo Picasso.

What Is Worth Visiting In Rome?

Visiting the Vatican Museums is a unique experience that must be experienced at least once in your life. The visit is a long and interesting trip that will carry you through more than twenty centuries of history and art. The Sistine Chapel, the rooms of Raphael and the art gallery (Pinacoteca) are only a small part of the larger collections. If you are curious, here are 3 things for which the Vatican Museums are best known.

8) The Spanish Steps

You might be wondering: “Why are the Spanish Steps famous?” Well, they are certainly beautiful, grandiose and positioned right in the middle of a popular path for tourists, but for me the fame came from the movies. The film Roman Holiday was shot in Rome at the Cinecittà Studios, with location shots all around town. The striking view of Audrey Hepburn meeting at the Spanish Steps is a classic of Italian and American cinema, and shouldn’t be missed. It remains today one of my favorite Italian movies, even though it is in English.

In addition to my favorite movie, the Spanish Steps are so inspiring that they appeared in books by Tom Clancy and F. Scott Fitzgerald, among others, as well as a long list of movies and TV shows that includes: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Everybody Loves Raymond, To Rome with Love and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The beautiful Piazza di Spagna, Rome is definitely worth visiting.

9) The Pantheon

This is the Pantheon’s third version and it is the only ancient building in Rome in continuous use since its construction. The first version was built during the reign of Emperor Augustus and commissioned by the famous Roman general Marcus Agrippa. Agrippa and the Emperor were friends and he eventually became the son-in-law of the Emperor after marrying his daughter.

The name Pantheon is a dedication to All Gods which speaks to the polytheism of the Roman Empire, but also refers to the statues of the 12 major Roman deities that were placed around the building. The history of artists and kings inside the Pantheon shouldn’t be missed.

10) The Borghese Gallery

What Is The Most Beautiful Area Of Rome?

The Borghese Gallery and Museum (Galleria Borghese) is an art gallery in the Villa Borghese Gardens, which is the most beautiful area of Rome. The building was built using sketches by Scipione Borghese, who used it as a country villa and who later became a Cardinal and the nephew of Pope Paul V.

Scipione Borghese was an early patron of GianLorenzo Bernini and he was an avid collector of paintings by Caravaggio. The collection of Caravaggio paintings in this museum include: Boy with a Basket of Fruit, St. Jerome Writing, Sick Bacchus and a few others. Other well represented artists in this museum include: Titian, Raphael and Rubens. I’m a fan of Bernini, so you might want to read about the ecstasy and the connections of the well known statues of Bernini.

The Most Beautiful Places In Rome

For more useful information about planning a trip, check out some of our other posts about the beautiful places in Rome, Italy so that you can plan your travels with confidence:

• FAQ About Buying Tickets For The Colosseum, Palatine Hill And Roman Forum Tickets.
• Americans Are Obsessed With Italian Culture And Traditions.
• Is Rome Safe For Tourists?
• Why Is The Roman Forum Important Still To This Day?
• How to Stay Safe In Rome When Traveling On Vacation.
• What Is Considered Rude In Italy?
• Try Living La Dolce Vita!
• At Cinecittà Studios Lives The History Of Italian Cinema.
• The Well Known Statues By Bernini In Rome Are Amazing!
• Michelangelo’s Moses Surprisingly Has Horns On His Head.
• The Madonna di Loreto (Caravaggio) Doesn’t Travel At All.
• Santa Maria del Popolo Caravaggio Paintings Inspire All.
• Piazza Navona And The Three Beautiful Fountains In Rome.
• The Altar Of The Fatherland In Rome Can’t Be Missed.