The rear elevation is Della Porta and Vignola’s work, while the facades on the side streets and the square are Sangallo the Younger’s work. On the other hand, Michelangelo completed the cornice. Palazzo Farnese has been renamed ‘The Nut’ because of its shape.
The Atrium
Consists of a wide central nave and two narrower side aisles divided by ancient granite columns from the Baths of Caracalla’s excavations.         
The Staircase.
This Staircase leads to the upper floor, the noble one. It is a grand staircase formed by majestic ramps that allow a magnificent ascent.
The Red Salon.
At the time called the “philosophers’ salon”, this room housed until 1787 the ancient busts of Greek philosophers and poets. This collection is now in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.
The Salone Bianco is known as the ‘Chamber of Queen Christina’ who stayed here between 1655 and 1656. The coffered ceiling bears the arms of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese.          
The Yellow Salon and the Signature Salon.
The coat of arms of Cardinal Alessandro’s and four symbols referring to the Farnese family: Pegasus, a ship, Farnese lilies and a shield are depicted on the coffered ceiling.  In the Hall of Signatures, there are frescoes that Domenichino painted in 1603 depicting Apollo and Hyacinth’s myths and Adonis and Narcissus’s death, which were later transformed into flowers: the hyacinth, narcissus and anemone. This motif represents the Farnese family.
The Camerino Farnese.
Carracci’s first work in Rome, commissioned by Odoardo Farnese, was the Cardinal’s Cabinet, also known as the Camerino Farnese. The vaulted ceiling decorated with frescoes between 1595 and 1597 depicts the cardinal virtues shown as a philosopher prince. This work is now in the Gallery of the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.
The Farnese Gallery.
The Gallery is the most famous room in Palazzo Farnese. Annibale Carracci, Agostino Carracci and Domenichino frescoed it between 1597 and 1604. The Gallery is narrow (about six metres) and just over twenty metres long. The vault’s decorations have their theme the gods’ loves and are taken almost exclusively from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The central part depicts the wedding procession with the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne on two chariots pulled by tigers and accompanied by dancing figures.
The Hall of Hercules. This room takes its name from Hercules’ statue that was present here for centuries before being brought to the Archeological Museum of Naples and the entire Farnese collection.

Palazzo Farnese has been the headquarters of the French Embassy since 1871.

Opening Hours

It is possible to visit Palazzo Farnese by booking on the website: www.inventerrome.com/index.php/it/visitare-palazzo-farnese.
Visits are offered in French, Italian or English.

Reservation is compulsory

Address: Piazza Farnese 00186 Rome
Opening hours:
Wednesday and Friday afternoon. A professional guide conducts visits.

You can visit the Sangallo atrium, the courtyard, the garden, the Salone d’Ercole and the Carracci gallery.

The cost of the visit is €11 per person.

Distance 2 minutes

The square is bordered by the buildings that stood on the remains of the ancient Stadium of Domitian, whose shape and size the square retains. This ancient structure’s remains are located 5-6 metres below today’s street level and can still be seen and visited.  In the Stadium that Domitian had built in 86 A.D., were held athletic competitions and horse races. And over the centuries Piazza Navona has been the scene of popular festivals, races and jousts.  The modern name of the square derives from the word Agones, which means ‘games’ in Latin.

The current appearance of Piazza Navona was established in the 17th century when the noble Pamphili family, who lived in the area, commissioned the most influential architects of the time to monumentalise the site to make it a unique spaces in the city.

Dominating the square is the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, begun by Carlo and Girolamo Rainaldi and completed by Borromini, who made it one of the most magnificent Baroque architectures in Rome. Next to the Church is Palazzo Pamphilj. Opposite the palace stands the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, formerly known as San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, built for the Jubilee of 1450.

Three fountains enrich the square: the Fountain of the Moor, so-called because of the statue of the Ethiopian wrestling with a dolphin, the Fountain of the Calderari, also known as the Fountain of Neptune, both works by Giacomo della Porta and, in the centre, the imposing Fountain of the Four Rivers, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Fountain represents as a large travertine cliff, on the corners of the ridge are placed the monumental marble statues of the four rivers representing the then known continents: the Danube for Europe, the Ganges for Asia; the Nile for Africa, with its veiled head (an allusion to the unknown sources); the Rio de la Plata for America.

The Domitian Stadium Archaeological Area is open to the public
Friday to Monday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday until 20:
Purchasing the ticket directly from the site
www.stadiodomiziano.com

TICKETS :
Full price € 8,50: 18 – 64 years old (audio guide included)*.
Reduced € 6,50: 12 – 17 years old / over 65 years old (audio guide included)*.
Junior € 4,50: 8 – 11 years old (audio guide included)*.
Duration of the visit with audio guide 40 minutes.

Distance 4 minutes

The History   

Commissioned by Pope Julius II, from whom it takes its name and built by Bramante in the early 16th century, Via Giulia is the first and longest straight road, born to connect all papal institutions government. The Sacchetti, the Ricci and the Chigi,  ant all the most important families of the time, built their houses along Via Giulia. The area became populated with gardens and palaces.  Via Giulia also became the residence of many artists who set up their workshops in the street; Raphael, Cellini and Borromini lived there. In contrast to the rich palaces in the area near Ponte Sisto, there were also prostitutes’ houses, hospices for pilgrims or the poor, charitable institutions for orphans and single mothers. Via Delle Zoccolette is famous because it owes its name to the young girls who found shelter in one of the street’s institutions.

Over the centuries,  new palaces, churches and fountains will continually enrich the exclusive street. Until the second half of the nineteenth century, with the construction of the Tiber walls, the houses along the river disappeared. Many palaces were downsized or even eliminated, and the gardens surrounding them.

Despite these upheavals, Via Giulia still retains all its aristocratic charm.

Along Via Giulia        

Just before reaching Ponte Sisto, on our right, the sumptuous Via Giulia begins and immediately introduces us to its wonders, introducing us to the Fontana del Mascherone, built at the behest of the Farnese family around 1626. The Fountain consists of a rectangular basin and a Mascherone of Roman age. A few metres further on, behind the gate at number 186, we can see Palazzo Farnese’s rear facade, built in the second half of the 16th century by Vignola.

The Arch of the Farnese Palace above Via Giulia  According to Michelangelo’s project was supposed to connect Palazzo Farnese and its gardens to Villa Farnesina, the other side of the Tiber.

After the arch is the Church of S. Maria dell’Orazione e Morte, built around 1538 to bury the “poor dead”, without identity found in the countryside or drowned in the Tiber

The façade is full of columns and pillars; the doors and windows are decorated with winged skulls, and a plaque recalls “Hodie mihi, cras tibi”, that is “Today to me, tomorrow to you”. The interior decorations show continuous “macabre” references that always refer to life after death.

 CHURCHES and NOBLE PALACES

Adjacent to the Church of S. Maria dell’Orazione e Morte is Palazzo Falconieri, which first belonged to the Ceci family and then, through various passages, to the Falconieri who entrusted its restoration to Francesco Borromini. The Church of Santa Maria Degli Orefici, designed by Raphael and built by Baldassarre Peruzzi. Next are a series of small palaces, including Palazzo Baldoca-Muccioli at number 167 and Palazzo Cisterna at number 163. Immediately after, there is the Church of St Catherine of Siena, built-in 1526 to a design by Baldassarre Peruzzi. On the opposite side, at number 4, palazzo Lecca de Guevara. At n°16 is palazzo Varese, designed by Carlo Maderno. At number 38, we find the portal of palazzo Ghisleri. At number 65 there is the Church of Spirito Santo dei Napoletani, by Domenico Fontana.

At Vicolo Della Moretta, there is the Church dedicated to S. Filippo Neri, also called S. Filippino, because of its small size.

The next part of Via Giulia, after Vicolo delle Prigioni, is dominated by the massive building of the Carceri Nuove. Furthermore, immediately after the Juvenile Prison wanted by Pope Leo XII, designed by Valadier, immediately after the Criminal Museum, a curious and exciting museum dedicated to the most heinous crimes and criminals. At number 59 is the Church of S. Maria del Suffragio, designed by Rainaldi. At the corner of Via dei Bresciani and Vicolo del Cefalo is an extravagant building, with large stones and seats facing the street and known in Rome as “I sofà di via Giulia”: these are the remains of the unfinished Palazzo dei Tribunali della Curia, designed by Bramante.

Do not miss a visit to the Confalone auditorium in the street of the same name and the Spada Chapel in Via di Monserrato, 54-58.

Returning to Via Giulia, at number 64 is the Church of S. Biagio degli Armeni.   At No. 66 is Palazzo Sacchetti, perhaps the most valuable palace on Via Giulia, built by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, who lived there until the year of his death in 1546. On the opposite side, the seventeenth-century palazzo Ricci Donarelli, and at number 85 is what tradition considers Raphael’s house, “but this is only a legend”. At number 79, the 16th-century Palazzo Medici Clarelli, also designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.

At the confluence of Via Giulia and Piazza dell’ Oro stands the Church of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini.  Jacopo Sansovino designed the Church, which began construction in the early 1500s. The Church took a century to complete and was continued, in fact, by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Giacomo Della Porta and Carlo Maderno, to whom we owe the characteristic elongated dome (1614), for which the Romans christened it ‘the sucked confetto’.

There are no pavements on Via Giulia, but the street is paved with cobblestones, which adds to its charm and period character. The only drawback is that when it rains, the street becomes a puddle.

Continuing along Via Giulia, you can reach St Peter’s Basilica, which was the project’s initial purpose, and Castel Sant’Angelo.

Distance 1′ 

THE DOME    

The dome was designed by Michelangelo, who had been working on the construction of the Basilica since 1547. At the end of his long life (he died at the age of 89 in 1564), the building’s direction passed to his pupil Giacomo Della Porta, who raised the vault of the dome by about 7 metres and completed the work. The dome has an internal diameter of 42.56 metres and a height at the top of the cross of 136.57 metres; the lantern is 17 metres high.

Reaching the top of St. Peter’s Dome offers incomparable emotions and suggestions impossible to describe. There is no more exciting place than this. From the dome, you have a unique view of the city. But be careful, the climb is not only imposing and allows you to admire the dome, Michelangelo’s drawings and some beautiful mosaics, but it is also quite difficult.

The first part steps are quite comfortable, towards the end with the shrinking of the environment become increasingly narrow and a bit’ high and need breath, but above all, you should not have claustrophobia.

 THE SQUARE

Gian Lorenzo Bernini completed the square in 1667.

 The colonnade of St. Peter’s Square has an elliptical shape  to signify  as

 Bernini himself said: “since St. Peter’s Church is almost the matrix of all the others, it had to have a portico that would show that it was receiving Catholics with open arms to confirm them in their belief, Heretics to unite them in the Church and Infidels to enlighten them in the true faith”.

The colonnade is composed of 284 columns of Doric order and surmounted by 140 statues of saints over three metres high and six large coats of Alexander VII Chigi’s arms.   Standing on the porphyry disks in the square, you can see all the columns lined up entirely one behind the other as if by magic they had moved.

With the opening of Via Della Conciliazione, a new, wide access road to the Vatican Basilica was built, enhancing the majestic view of St. Peter’s dome, but profoundly altering Bernini’s original and evocative design.

The square dimensions are extraordinary: it is 320 metres deep with a central diameter of 240 metres.  On either side of the Obelisk, placed in the centre of the square by Domenico Fontana, are two large fountains by Bernini and Maderno.

The Obelisk that stands in the centre was brought to Rome from Alexandria by Caligula. The Vatican obelisk is the only Obelisk in Rome that has never fallen. Pope Sixtus V wanted it in the centre of the square to give it greater visibility. On the base of the Obelisk can be read: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat, Christus ab omni malo plebem suam defendant (Christ victorious, Christ King, Christ Emperor, may Christ defend his people from all evil). It is an exorcistic and propitiatory formula used in the Middle Ages to ward off illness.

The Obelisk is 25 metres high. At the top of the Obelisk, Julius Caesar‘s ashes in a bronze globe rolled in gold. The large sphere was removed in 1585 and is now on display in the Capitoline Museums.  Of the 13 ancient obelisks in Rome, it is the second largest after the Lateran, and the only one without symbols.

On the pavement of St Peter’s Square is inlaid a sundial. The shadow cast by the Obelisk marks the movements of the sun. At noon on the zodiac signs and the two discs at either end, you can see the two solstices, summer and winter.

 THE FACADE

Carlo Maderno designed the entrance and façade who completed them in 1614. The façade is 114.69 metres wide and 48 metres high and surmounted by thirteen statues (almost 6 metres high) with the Blessing Redeemer statue in the centre. The façade has five entrances leading to the interior of the Basilica.  Of the five doors, the middle one is remarkable, with 15th-century doors by Filarete.  The Holy Door, whose opening officially starts the Holy Year, is the last one on the right.

The atrium created between 1608 and 1612.is considered one of Carlo Maderno’s most valuable works. At the back, in the left vestibule, is the equestrian monument of Charlemagne, while in the right vestibule is the statue of Emperor Constantine on horseback, made by Bernini in 1670.

 THE INTERIOR

The Church is 187 metres long, 58 metres wide at the aisles’ level and 140 metres wide at the level of the transept; the maximum height of the vault in the nave is 46 metres (like a 15-storey building!). It has a central nave and two smaller side aisles. On the nave floor, a few metres from the entrance are the Rota Porphyretica, a porphyry disc on which Charlemagne knelt to receive the imperial crown from Leo III on Christmas Eve 800.

Proceeding towards the altar, you can see, marked on the floor, the bronze letters with which the lengths of the largest churches in the world. On the last pillar to the right, a famous bronze statue of St Peter seated and blessing – introduces the dome, whose luminous interior was decorated with mosaics by Cavalier d’Arpino in 1605

In the inner faces of the pillars are carved the niches that hold four colossal statues: St Longinus, the soldier who opened Jesus’ side with a lance and later converted to Christianity, a work by Bernini in 1638; St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, who brought the cross and nails of martyrdom to Rome; St Veronica, who is said to have wiped Christ’s face with a cloth on the road to Calvary, and finally St Andrew, brother of Peter, crucified in Greece.
At the centre of the Church,  the famous bronze Baldachin 29 metres high, an early work by Bernini, executed between 1624 and 1632.  The Baldachin surmounts the papal altar consists of four colossal twisted columns decorated with spiral grooves, olive and laurel branches, and angular statues of extraordinary elegance, culminating in a gilded bronze sphere. Note the bees (the heraldic emblem of the Barberini family, indicating their perseverance). Inside is a golden dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. On the marble bases supporting the columns, a woman’s face is depicted seven times, from conception to a child’s birth, represented in the last frieze. It is a work by the young Borromini to magnify the Mater Ecclesia, Mother Church of all other churches. To make the Baldacchino was used, the bronze that covered the dome of the Pantheon.

The dome rises majestically above the canopy. The Latin inscription at the base of the dome reads: “You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church, and to you, I will give the keys to the kingdom of heaven”.

Inside the Basilica there are numerous works of great artistic and religious value. On the way back to the entrance, in the first Chapel of the right aisle, you can admire the most famous of the masterpieces inside St. Peter’s, Michelangelo’s Pietà, a marble work created by the artist when he was only 23 years old. In succession is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, executed by Bernini in 1674; the funeral monument to Gregory XIII (1572-1585); the monument to Clement XIII by Canova. The Altar of the Chair, another masterpiece by Bernini. The bronze Chair of Peter. The funerary monuments to Paul III by Guglielmo della Porta (left), and that to Urban VIII by Bernini. Another sculpture of great artistic importance is the one dedicated to Alexander VII, Bernini’s last work, created when the artist was eighty years old. The skeleton, which appears below the red drape, and the hourglass symbolise the passing of time and death’s inevitability.

VATICAN CAVES and S.T. PETER’S TREASURE
An integral part of the Basilica is in the Vatican Grottoes, located between the floor of the Constantinian Basilica and the present one: here are the tombs of many Pontiffs Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. From the caves, where chapels, statues, monuments and tombs follow one another, you can access the Pre-Constantine Necropolis.  In this place, together with mausoleums from the 2nd-4th centuries, there is a modest monument, but the foundation of the Church of Rome: the tomb of Peter, in which, according to tradition, the remains of the Apostle are preserved. Recent archaeological investigations seem to confirm this.

Visit
Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica is free of charge, and you can book a guided tour. Just a few steps from St Peter’s Basilica are the Vatican Museums with thousands of works of art collected over more than five centuries.

Access to the Dome
Elevator up to the terrace level and continue on foot (320 steps) Ticket 10€

 Foot up  551 steps Ticket 8 €.

Distance 1,5 km 16′

Trastevere is beautiful to discover by day and experience by night. Trastevere is beautiful to discover by day and experience by night. Here, if you know how to choose, you can spend beautiful evenings having fun and enjoying good food. However, there are not many good trattorias and even fewer excellent restaurants. But I think I can suggest some useful addresses. Trastevere is a district with a long history, dating back as far as Etruscan times, but until Augustus, this area remained outside the city proper; it was only at the end of the Republican era that Trastevere began to be an inhabited area. In the imperial age, it became a vast district inhabited by workers and artisans and ordinary people.  The district has preserved its original characteristics for centuries, showing every evidence of its appearance and the unmistakable sign of poverty and precariousness distinguished from the rest of the city. A disorderly cluster of houses and hovels distributed in a tangle of narrow streets and dark alleys around primitive churches.
These streets retained their principal character even in later centuries. No cardinals or high-ranking people ever lived here. Apart from a few rare exceptions, the district was never involved in the construction of sumptuous churches, nor were aristocratic palaces built here; at most, modest people lived here.  In recent decades, Trastevere has become a prestigious and much sought-after area while retaining its popular character. Trastevere has remained unchanged over the centuries until the opening at the beginning of the last century of the ‘Viale del Re’, then ‘Viale del Lavoro’, now Viale Trastevere, which distorted its soul, dividing Trastevere into two parts. The neighbourhood is vast, and the things to see are potentially endless. Alleys, Churches, Sights
Trastevere is a place to be experienced on foot. The best thing to do is walk around, look around and explore the district without a particular destination. In Trastevere Everywhere you go, you will find suggestive places! Like the Church of San Cosimato, and its almost secret but charming cloister. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, and its mosaics, Sant’Agata in Trastevere. And then towards via della Lungara in a less frequented part of Trastevere you can visit the Botanical Garden, Villa Farnesina, the Palazzo and Galleria Corsini and the Church of Ss. Rufina and Seconda of the 12th century, San Giacomo alla Lungara or Settignano, Santa Maria della Luce IV century.
Towards the Janiculum
San Pietro in Montorio and the small temple by Bramante.South beyond Viale Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Cecilia, 11th century San Benedetto in Piscinula, 5th century San Crisogono, 11th century San Francesco d’Assisi a Ripa Grande, San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi, and these are just some of the infinite treasures of Trastevere.
Distance 5′

The real creator of the Ghetto was Paul IV Carafa, who on 14 July 1555, with the bull “Cum nimis absurdum”, wanted to separate the houses of the Jews from those of the Christians, enclosing the area with a wall and three gates, on Piazza Giudia near S.Angelo in Pescheria and near S. Gregorio de Quattro Campora.
In 1586 pope Sixtus V enlarged the Ghetto towards the Tiber. The real creator of the Ghetto was Paul IV Carafa, who on 14 July 1555, with the bull “Cum nimis absurdum”, wanted to separate the houses of the Jews from those of the Christians, enclosing the area with a wall and three gates, on Piazza Giudia near S.Angelo in Pescheria and near S. Gregorio de Quattro Campora. In 1586 pope Sixtus V enlarged the Ghetto towards the Tiber.
The entrances were closed from dusk to dawn; The gates opened only for those who had a special permit or those who had to exercise the only two trades allowed: street sale of rags and loans to usury.
For more than three centuries, the Roman Ghetto was an urban unicum, overcrowded, degraded, bringing disease and death. Social differences were inevitable: wealthy families lived in houses far from the river, while the poorest lived there. Here the dark, sunless dwellings were frequently submerged by the waters, in a perpetual state of mud and damp.  In 1848 Pius IX erased the shame of the “Ghetto” by ordering the walls and gates to be knocked down.
The Ghetto was finally abolished only after 1870. Most of the old streets, alleys and buildings were demolished by 1888. Historically, the area of the district encompasses the site where the great Circus Flaminius once stood.
Even today, it is possible to see many Roman times’ testimonials on the older buildings’ walls. Among the Roman remains in this district are the remains of the Portico d’Ottavia, built in the 2nd century B.C. and modified a hundred years later by Emperor Octavian Augustus, who dedicated it to his sister Octavia, and Transformed, in the Middle Ages, into a fish market. An inscription in Latin is still visible today: ‘the heads of the fish longer than this marble plaque must be given to the Conservators up to and including the first fins’. ‘The Conservators were the civic administrators’.
Parts of the original paving can still be seen at the portico’s foot, showing that the former ground level was much lower than it is today. Behind the elaborate stand, three tall columns were belonging to the temple of Apollo Sosianus, dating from around 430 BC. Next to the temple is a two-storey theatre, built at the end of the 1st century B.C. and dedicated to Marcellus, nephew of Octavian Augustus. The theatre initially had three levels, but what is striking about these impressive ruins is that an entire palace is on top of them. The theatre mutated into a fortress in the 12th century, and by the 14th century, it became the property of the powerful Savelli family.
At the very end of the district, next to the theatre is the Church of San Nicola in Carcere. The Church founded in the early Middle Ages; its left side preserves some columns of a small pre-existing temple. Today, many columns, capitals and cornices found in the excavations lie in the area between the theatre and the temples.
Situated at the northern end of the small district, Torre Margana, one of Rome’s surviving medieval family towers, dominates the winding alleyways network below, which give this part of Sant’Angelo an appearance still very close to the original.
Within the walls of the Ghetto, thousands of Jews were forced to live in old, tiny houses, but just outside its gates, wealthy families lived in sumptuous palaces. One of them is Palazzo Costaguti, whose main entrance originally opened onto Via della Reginella. But since after the establishment of the Ghetto this alley led to the infamous enclosure, the owners bricked up the door and opened another one just around the corner, in the small Piazza Mattei where the famous Fountain of the Turtles stands, as well as Palazzo Mattei, consisting of five separate palaces, built between the late 15th and early 17th centuries.
Although most of the alleys that were once part of the Ghetto have disappeared, the plan of the innermost part of the district is still reasonably faithful to the original. Many houses dating from the late 1400s to the mid-1500s along the northern side of Via Portico d’Ottavia maintain their original appearance.

Continuing out of the Rione, you can reach the Fori Imperiali and the Colosseum in a few minutes if you go left, the Bocca della Verità and the Circo Massimo if you go right.

Distance 5′ minutes – 400 m
Where to eat in the Ghetto
In the Ghetto, of course, the main attraction is the Judaic-Roman cuisine with its traditional recipes, where the symbol is the artichoke.
Discover our suggestions Discover the best restaurants

The Colosseum made of white travertine rose on four floors. In the first three, there were columns and niches, in each of which there was a statue. On the last level, where there were only windows, masonry and wooden supports support a huge tarpaulin (velarium), which served to protect the spectators from the sun and the rain.
The arena, 76m x 46m, was made of wood and covered with sand. There was a dense series of tunnels. In the basement were kept the beasts and stored the stage equipment. If you want you can go down into the belly of the monument, and visit these rooms that still preserve the state they were in at the end of the 5th century A.D. During the Roman Empire and under the motto “Panem et circenses” the Colosseum was in operation for more than 500 years, and its last shows happened in the 6th century.
Starting from the V century, with the abolition of the gladiatorial games by Valentinian III, the Colosseum underwent a slow and progressive decline. It became a shelter for animals, a place for handicraft workshops and houses. For centuries the Colosseum has been plundered and used as a quarry for materials. To construct St Peter’s Basilica and civil buildings such as Palazzo Barberini, the marble of the facade and some internal parts of the Colosseum have been used.

In our time only one-third of the original construction remained.

Until the end of ancient times, Colosseum hosted shows of great popular appeal, today it is itself a spectacle and a symbol of human ingenuity that has survived anything and everything.
In addition to being a World Heritage Site, in July 2007 it was included among the New Seven Wonders of the World, along with the Great Wall of China, the ancient Jordanian city of Petra, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru, the Mayan Pyramid of Chichen Itza, Mexico, and the Taj Mahal, India.

VISITING THE COLOSSEUM

The Colosseum is open to the public every day, except 25 December and 1 January, from 8:30 in the morning to afternoon-evening (5:00 p.m. in winter, 7:30 p.m. in summer).

Ticket – full price € 16,00 + € 2,00 booking fee

The ticket is valid for 24 hours and also allows entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. (Colosseum Archaeological Park)

All the Archaeological Park areas of the Colosseum (Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Imperial Forums) are accessible with a single ticket.
The visit is possible only and exclusively with compulsory online reservation.

www.parcocolosseo.it

Tickets On-Line
https://parcocolosseo.it/en/visit/opening-times-and-tickets

Romepass circuit

The Colosseum is part of the Roma Pass museum circuit and benefits from all the Card advantages.

Distance: 2.5Km –  25min.

The Trevi Fountain was built by Pope Clement XII in 1732, based on architect Nicola Salvi’s design. The Fountain, entirely leaning against Palazzo Poli’s back, is 20 metres wide and 26 metres high and rises over the large basin like a broad cliff. The central part develops like a triumphal arch, with a large niche and Corinthian columns at the sides. The top centre is an inscription ‘CLEMENS XII PONT MAX’, reminding us that Clement XII commissioned the construction. The centre is the statue of Ocean driving a shell-shaped chariot, pulled by two winged sea horses, one angry and the other peaceful, guided by two tritons, one young and the other adult, to highlight the different characteristics of the age of man and nature.

There are also two reliefs alluding to the legend of the spring and the history of the aqueduct and four statues that, in order: looking from the left, symbolise the Abundance of Fruit, the Fertility of the Fields, the Gifts of Autumn and the Amenity of the Meadows. In the side niches Salubrity and Abundance statues. Two allegorical figures are extolling the beneficial effects of water:  On the right, the Virgin points out the spring to the Roman soldiers. On the other side, Agrippa ordering the start of construction work on the aqueduct. The statues of Salubrity and Abundance, placed in the side niches, complete the decorations.

According to tradition, the tourist who throws a coin into the Fountain will surely return to Rome.

When to visit the Trevi Fountain

Whichever way you look at it, the Trevi Fountain will magically appear before your eyes, filling them with wonder. The Fountain is always beautiful, even during the busiest hours of the day, but superb at night. It is only a 12-minute walk from home, so you choose the time of day that suits you best.

Distance: 1.5 km 15 min Bus 62

SANTA MARIA DEL POPOLO

Santa Maria del Popolo is one of the most significant buildings of the Roman Renaissance, not only for its architectural features but also for the paintings and sculptures it houses. The Church arose from a small chapel built at the behest of Pope Paschal II. Rebuilt in the 15th century at the time of Pope Sixtus IV, it was modified in the 17th century and is associated with Bramante, Sansovino, Pinturicchio, Mino Da Fiesole, Raphael, Bernini and Caravaggio. Caravaggio’s works include The Conversion of St. Paul and The Crucifixion of St. Peter, which together with Annibale Carracci’s Assumption, adorn the Cerasi chapel to the left of the high altar.

The Church

Inside there are numerous tomb slabs on the floor, dating from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The chapels abound in funerary monuments and works of art. The most important of these is the Chigi Chapel, designed by Raphael for the banker Agostino Chigi from 1513 and completed in 1656 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Raphael made the cartoons for the dome’s mosaics and the design for the pyramid tombs of Agostino Chigi. The statue of Jonah was made by Lorenzetto to a design by Raphael, while Habakkuk and the Angel and Daniel in the lion’s den are the work of Bernini. The altarpiece is by Sebastiano del Piombo and Salviati.

Cerasi Chapel: Caravaggio 

The Chapel, near the altar, houses two masterpieces by Caravaggio: the Crucifixion of St Peter, painted around 1601, and the Conversion of St Paul, from the same period. The two canvases, painted in oils, were commissioned from Caravaggio in September 1600 by Tiberio Cerasi. To Annibale, Carracci was commissioned to paint the altarpiece depicting the Assumption of the Virgin.

Free admission
Workdays and Saturdays 8.30 – 12.00 / 16.00 – 18.00

Distance 2 km bus 628

TERME di CARACALLA
Viale Terme di Caracalla, 52

Among the most imposing and fascinating complexes of ancient Rome, Terme of Caracalla are still impressive today owing to their extensive walls whose ruins are often considerably high.
Mandatory reservation.

Distance 3,5 Km   Bus 628 from Piazza Venezia

 Roma Pass

 PARCO ARCHEOLOGICO DELL’APPIA ANTICA

Entrances: Via Appia Antica, 161, Via Appia Nuova, 1092, Via Appia Antica, 153

Via Appia Antica seduces with its picturesque views and enchanting atmosphere, the Appia Antica Way with its outstanding monuments is the faithful witness to the ages.

Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella is the most impressive funeral monument built along the Appia Antica’s third mile. It has become symbolic and erected on a hill to commemorate the Roman noblewoman. She was daughter and wife of the two of the most distinguished Roman families of the late Republican age.

 Villa dei Quintili is the largest villa of Roman suburbs overlooked the countryside with its cryptoporticus, lavatories, and small terraced baths, thereby creating a spectacular scenery that has been partly brought to light today.

Villa di Massenzio and Mausoleo di Romolo: the archaeological complex, which extends between the second and third mile the Appian Way, consists of three principal constructions: the Palace, the Roman Circus and the Dynastic Mausoleum. All were designed as an interlinked architectural unit to celebrate Emperor Maxentius.

CUMULATIVE TICKET: Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella e Castrum Caetani + Villa dei Quintili.

www. romapass.vivaticket.it.

 Distance 7,5 Km          Bus 118 from Piazza Venezia

PARCO ARCHEOLOGICO di OSTIA ANTICA
Viale dei Romagnoli, 717 (Ostia Antica)

The wide area of the excavations overlooks the “Tiber River Gate”, connecting Rome to the sea. The ancient city testifies to the imposing Roman buildings and reaffirm the commercial and economic importance of the ancient capital of the world.

ROMA PASS

Distance: 25 Km   Bus 30 To Piramide + Train Roma Lido (To Ostia Antica)

VILLA ADRIANA  TIVOLI      
Emperor Hadrian built this country villa for himself and his court, and it bears unique testimony to the grandeur and architectural and decorative characteristics of the period. Today it exists as an immense park, extending over 80 hectares and dotted with several Roman ruins and spas and houses from the 1700s and all set in an environment charged with ancient fascination.

The grounds also contain the “Teatro Marittimo”, an artificial island that was a private residence of the Emperor and other exciting locations such as “Canopo”, a huge rectangular pool encircled by sculptures recall the Serapeo. Excavations, still in course, have brought to light an intricate system of roads which lead to the imperial residence.

Full € 10,00 Free Under 18 years old
Ticket on line www.coopculture.it/ticket.

Distance 40 km Bus 64 to Termini, +Metro B to Ponte Mammolo, + Bus Cotral Roma Tivoli via Prenestina to Villa Adriana.

Trastevere è bella da scoprire di giorno e viverla la notte.

Qui se saprete scegliere, potrete trascorrere  delle magnifiche serate all’insegna del divertimento e della buona cucina. Anche se le buone  trattorie non sono tante ed ancora più raro qualche ottimo ristorante. Ma penso di essere in grado di suggerirvi qualche buon indirizzo.

Trastevere è un quartiere dalla lunga storia, che parte addirittura dal tempo degli Etruschi, ma fino ai tempi di Augusto questa zona è rimasta al di fuori della città vera e propria; e soltanto alla fine dell’età repubblicana Trastevere cominciò ad essere un’area abitata. Diventando in età imperiale un immenso quartiere abitato da operai ed artigiani e gente del popolo.  Il rione ha conservato per  secoli le caratteristiche originali, mostrando con ogni evidenza  il suo  aspetto ed il segno inequivocabile di povertà e di precarietà che lo distinguevano dal resto della città. Un ammasso disordinato di case e casupole distribuite in un groviglio di strette vie e vicoli bui intorno a primitive chiese.
Queste vie hanno mantenuto  in loro carattere fortemente  popolare anche nei secoli successivi. Qui non  risiedettero mai cardinali, o persone di alto rango, il  rione a parte qualche rara eccezione  non fu mai interessato dalla costruzione di chiese sontuose né tantomeno vi furono creati palazzi aristocratici, al massimo ci andarono a vivere figure  di modesto livello.  Solo negli ultimi decenni Trastevere è diventata una zona prestigiosa ed anche molto ambita pur conservando il suo carattere popolare. Trastevere è rimasta immutata nei secoli fino all’ apertura all’inizio dello scorso secolo del “viale del Re”, poi “viale del Lavoro” oggi  viale Trastevere, che ne ha stravolto l’anima  dividendo Trastevere in  due parti mai più rinsaldate.

Il quartiere è molto grande e le cose da vedere sono potenzialmente infinite.

Vicoli, Chiese, Angoli Suggestivi
Trastevere è un luogo che va vissuto a piedi. La cosa più bella da fare è passeggiare, guardarsi attorno ed esplorare il rione senza una meta precisa. Ovunque andrete a Trastevere troverete luoghi suggestivi!.
Come la Chiesa di San Cosimato, ed il suo Chiostro quasi segreto ma incredibilmente bello. La Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, e i suoi mosaici, Sant’Agata in Trastevere.
E poi Verso via della Lungara in una parte di Trastevere meno frequentata potrete visitare l’Orto Botanico,  Villa Farnesina,  il Palazzo e Galleria Corsini e la chiesa di Ss. Rufina e Seconda  del XII secolo, San Giacomo alla Lungara o in Settignano, Santa Maria della Luce IV secolo.
Verso il Gianicolo
San Pietro in Montorio ed il tempietto del Bramante.

A Sud oltre Viale trastevere
La Basilica di Santa Cecilia, San Benedetto in Piscinula XI secolo, San Crisogono V secolo, San Francesco d’Assisi a Ripa Grande XI secolo, San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi, e questi sono solo alcuni degliinfiniti tesori di Trastevere.

HISTORICAL CENTRE

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA DEL POPOLO
Piazza del Popolo 12 www.santamariadelpopolo.com

CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO
Piazza di S. Agostino www.agostiniani.it/comunita-agostiniane-provincia/basilica-s-agostino-roma/

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA SOPRA MINERVA
Piazza della Minerva 42 www.santamariasopraminerva.it

BASILICA SANT’ANDREA DELLA VALLE
Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II.  www.santandrea.teatinos.org

CHURCH OF SANT’IVO ALLA SAPIENZA
Corso Rinascimento 40 www.sivosapienza.eu

CHURCH OF SAN LUIGI DEI FRANCESI
Piazza di S. Luigi de’ Francesi www.eglisesfrancaisesarome.it

CHURCH OF SANT’AGNESE IN AGONE
Piazza Navona www.santagneseinagone.org/

SAN GIROLAMO della CARITA
Via di Monserrato, 54-84, www.chiesasangirolamo.org/

SANTA MARIA DELLA PACE
Arco della Pace 5 (Piazza Navona) www.chiostrodelbramante.it/

SANTA MARIA IN ARACOELI
Scala dell’Arce Capitolina, 12 (Campidoglio) www.sanmarcoevangelista.it/

CHURCH OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
Piazza Sant’Ignazio www.santignazio.gesuiti.it/

COLOSSEUM

BASILICA OF SAN GIOVANNI IN LATERANO
Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 4, www.vatican.va/sangiovanni/basilica

BASILICA OF SANTA CROCE IN GERUSALEMME
Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme www.santacroce.it

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
P.za di Santa Maria Maggiore www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/sm_maggiore/it

BASILICA OF SANTA PRASSEDE
Via di Santa Prassede 9 www.santaprassede.wordpress.com/

SAN PIETRO IN VINCOLI
Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli, 4/a, www.lateranensi.org/sanpietroinvincoli/

BASILICA OF SAN CLEMENTE
Via Labicana, 95, www.basilicasanclemente.com

SANTI QUATTRO CORONATI
Via dei SS. Quattro, 20, www.monacheagostinianesantiquattrocoronati.it/

SANTO STEFANO ROTONDO
Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, 7 www.cgu.it/it/santo-stefano-rotondo/

SANTI GIOVANNI E PAOLO
Piazza Dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo, www.basilicassgiovanniepaolo.it

ROMAN FORUM

BASILICA OF SAINTS COSMA AND DAMIANO
Via dei Fori Imperiali 1 www.cosmadamiano.com

BASILICA OF SAINT FRANCESCA ROMANA
Piazza di Santa Francesca Romana, 4, (Roman Forum)

APPIA ANTICA – CARACALLA – AVENTINE

BASILICA OF SAINT SEBASTIAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS
Via Appia Antica, 136 www.sansebastianofuorilemura.org

SAINT NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 28 www.nereoachilleo.it

SAINT SABINA
Piazza Pietro D’Illiria, 1 https://www.turismoroma.it/basilica-di-santa-sabina-allaventino

SANTA PRISCA
Via di Santa Prisca, 11 www.santaprisca.it

BASILICA OF SAN BONIFACIO AND SANT’ALESSIO
P.za di Sant’Alessio, 23, www.santalessiocrs.it

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN COSMEDIN
Piazza della Bocca della Verità, 18, www.cosmedin.org

TRASTEVERE

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE
Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere www.santamariaintrastevere.it

CHURCH OF SAN BENEDETTO IN PISCINULA
Piazza in Piscinula, 40, www.sanbenedettoinpiscinula.it/

BASILICA OF SANTA CECILIA IN TRASTEVERE
Piazza di Santa Cecilia 22 www.benedettinesantacecilia.it/htm/Basilica.html

SAN PIETRO IN MONTORIO
Piazza di S. Pietro in Montorio, 2 www.sanpietroinmontorio.it

TERMINI/QUIRINAL

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI E DEI MARTIRI
Piazza della Repubblica www.santamariadegliangeliroma

CHURCH OF SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE
Via del Quirinale 23 www.turismoroma.it /church-of-san-carlo-alle-quattro-fontane

CHURCH OF SANT’ANDREA AL QUIRINALE
Via del Quirinale, 30, www.santandrea.gesuiti.it

SAN BERNARDO ALLE TERME
Piazza di S. Bernardo, 105,

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA
Via Venti Settembre, 17 www.turismoroma.it/chiesa-di-santa-maria-della-vittoria

CHURCH OF SAN VITALE
Via Nazionale, 194/B www.santivitale.com

OTHER AREAS

BASILICA OF SAN PAOLO FUORI LE MURA
Piazzale San Paolo, 1 www.basilicasanpaolo.org

BASILICA OF SAN LORENZO FUORI LE MURA
Piazzale del Verano, 3, www.basilicadisanlorenzo.com

COLOSSEUM AREA

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the most important Roman Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, located on the Esquiline Hill not far from the Colosseum The Church was founded between 432 and 440 Sixtus III. However, legend has it that the Church was based by Pope Liberius on a miraculous snowfall that occurred on 5 August 356. The Basilica retained its Medieval appearance for a long time, but from the 16th century onwards, numerous interventions were carried out to give it its current appearance.
The architects involved in the various renovations were Carlo Rainaldi, Ferdinando Fuga, Beccafumi and Antonio Bazzi, Sodoma. In the Basilica you can admire works attributed to Cavallini, Cimabue or the young Giotto, Flaminio Ponzio, Passignano, Piero della Francesca, Domenico Fontana, Arnolfo di Cambio, the Cavalier d’Arpino and Guido Reni. 
Several members of the Borghese family are buried in the basement of the Cappella Paolina, including Napoleon’s sister Paolina Bonaparte. Gian Lorenzo Bernini is also buried in the Basilica.
The scenic Sforza Chapel, built by Tiberio Calcagni and Giacomo della Porta between 1564 and 1573 to a design by Michelangelo, is remarkable.
On the walls of the nave, above the entablature, are mosaic panels dating back to the 5th century.
BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
 P.za di Santa Maria Maggiore
www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/sm_maggiore/it

SANTA PRASSEDE
Not far from S. Maria Maggiore is Santa Prassede, built-in 822.  No imposing façade, just an insignificant side door. And inside beautiful mosaics. Splendid frescoes on the walls with “Stories of the Passion”, and figures of “Apostles” and an impressive Cosmatesque floor with a central disc of black stone covering a well, where, according to legend, St. Praxedes collected the remains and blood of the martyrs. And hidden behind the nave is the glittering chapel of St Zeno. The chapel of San Zeno is the most important Byzantine monument in Rome.
Basilica Santa Pudenziana al Viminale
It is one of the oldest churches in Rome, built on Senator Pudente, whose guest St Peter is said to have been, and where later (in the 2nd century), a bathhouse was built. Transformed into a basilica between the end of the 4th century and the 5th  was dedicated to Santa Pudenziana (probably sister of Santa Prassede). The Basilica has been restored several times, restorations that have altered its primitive character.
BASILICA DI SANTA PRASSEDE
Via di Santa Prassede 9/Via Urbana 160
www.santaprassede.wordpress.com/

 SAN PIETRO IN VINCOLI
The Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli is located on the Colle Oppio next to the Colosseum.
It was built to house St Peter’s chains: according to legend, Pope Leo I brought them together to compare them, and the chains joined together inseparably. According to tradition, the two chains (bonds) St Peter was bound are still kept under the altar. The vaulted nave features a large fresco by Giovanni Battista Parodi. To the left of the entrance is the tomb of Antonio and Piero del Pollaiolo, with busts depicting the two Florentine artists surmounted by one of their frescoes. But most of all because it houses Michelangelo’s famous Moses. The statue was sculpted in 1513 to adorn the funeral monument of Julius II. The work, first abandoned, was finished after his death. The figure of the prophet, with the Tablets of the Law, is majestic.  The veins and muscles stand out as if the whole statue were throbbing under the impulse of wrath; the face expresses solemnity and fury.
SAN PIETRO IN VINCOLI
Piazza di San Pietro in Vincoli, 4/a,
www.lateranensi.org/sanpietroinvincoli/

FOUR CROWNED SAINTS
Initially built in the 4th century, the Church owes its name to the tradition of the martyrdom of four Roman soldiers who refused to worship the God Aesculapius and five sculptors from Pannonia. For this reason, the Church is the object of particular devotion among stonemasons and marble workers.
The buildings as a whole still retain the austere character they had in the Middle Ages, looking more like a small fortress, and you have to cross a few courtyards to reach it, but when you get to the cloister, here is the first gem, a true oasis of peace.  The 13th-century cloister is probably the most impressive that the marble workers ever left in Rome, and then beyond the courtyard is the Oratory of San Silvestro, with splendid 13th-century frescoes. To gain access to the Oratory and the Cloister, you have to make a symbolic donation to the cloistered nuns who look after this magnificent place.
SANTI QUATTRO CORONATI
Via dei SS. Quattro, 20,
www.monacheagostinianesantiquattrocoronati.it/

SANTO STEFANO ROTONDO
Santo Stefano Rotondo is one of the oldest circular churches in Italy, built in the 5th century. Don’t miss the interior of the small Church, which is absolutely unusual and perfect in its symmetry of concentric circles, with an evocative light filtering through the windows, bringing life to every detail. Then there are the frescoes by Pomarancio, Tempesta and others, impressive for depicting the atrocities inflicted on the Christian martyrs. One of the chapels contains a 7th-century Byzantine mosaic depicting two martyrs who were buried in the Church. Leaving the Church, you can relax at Villa Cellimoontana or continue your walk to the Baths of Caracalla.
SANTO STEFANO ROTONDO
Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, 7 www.cgu.it/it/santo-stefano-rotondo/

BASILICA OF SAN CLEMENTE
The Basilica of San Clemente is one of the oldest basilicas in Rome, built before 385 and dedicated to St Clement, the third pope after St Peter. It consists of two overlapping churches, built on top of Roman buildings from the Republican era and on the remains of a temple of the God Mithras. The interior of the Basilica still retains the typical appearance of an ancient Roman basilica and preserves a critical testimony. This is the fresco of the ‘Legend of Sisinno’, dated between 1084 and 1100, which narrates a miracle of St Clement.
The fresco depicts a scene in which three servants, harangued by their master, the patrician Sisinno. He wants to punish Clement for converting his wife Theodora to Christianity and dragging Clement into chains. In reality, the three, struck by momentary blindness, do not realise they are only carrying a heavy stone column while Clement is free.
The inlaid polychrome marble floor is an excellent example of the Cosmatesque style.
BASILICA SI SAN CLEMENTE
Via Labicana, 95, www.basilicasanclemente.com

SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL
The Basilica of Saints John and Paul owes its name to two Roman officers who were victims of the persecution of Emperor Julian the Apostate who, according to a legend, had them buried in their own house.  It is to the top of the Caelian Hill, overlooking an irregular square, made suggestive by historical testimonies, Rebuilt from the foundations in the 12th century with a high bell tower among the most beautiful in the city. The beautiful coffered ceiling was created in the 16th century, while a large fresco by Pomarancio can be admired in the centre of the apse. About halfway down the nave, a plaque commemorates the place where the saints were martyred. Via del Clivo di Scauro, which runs alongside the Basilica, gives access to the so-called Roman houses of the Caelian, at least five buildings dating from the first to the fourth century, which constitute one of the best-preserved residential complexes of the Roman era.
SANTI GIOVANNI E PAOLO
Piazza Dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo,
www.basilicassgiovanniepaolo.it

TRASTEVERE

BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE
The Basilica was probably the first official place of Christian worship in Rome. According to legend, it was built by Pope Calixtus I in the 3rd century and finished by St Julius.  Decorations were later carried out, but the Church was not substantially altered.
Many parts of the church date back to the 12th century; the mosaics are essential, especially those on the façades and in the apse, created by Pietro Cavallini and depicting the “Life of the Virgin”.  The rich ceiling was designed by Domenichino (1617), and the beautiful painting of the Assumption is his.

BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE
Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere
www.santamariaintrastevere.it

CHURCH OF SAN BENEDETTO IN PISCINULA
The Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula was probably the place where St Benedict stayed. The Church dates back to the 11th century. In the small atrium, there is a fresco of ‘San Benedetto’ dating back to the 13th century; passing through the Cosmatesque door, one comes to a small square enclosure (called the ‘cella di San Benedetto’), with four ancient columns at the corners, which support the vault. The interior consists of three small naves with four ancient columns on each side. Behind the high altar are 14th-century panels.

CHIESA DI SAN BENEDETTO IN PISCINULA
Piazza in Piscinula,
40, www.sanbenedettoinpiscinula.it/
 

BASILICA OF SANTA CECILIA IN TRASTEVERE
St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, was martyred here in 230 AD. The Church was founded before the 5th century on the site of a Roman house, probably that of Valerian, St Cecilia’s husband, and was rebuilt on the commission of Pope Paschal I. In the 12th century, a portico and bell tower were added. It was continuously restored from the 16th century until the 19th. The 18th-century façade is by Fuga, and the portico still has the ancient pink granite and African marble columns. Inside the adjacent convent, Pietro Cavallini’s 13th-century fresco “The Last Judgement” is not missed.

BASILICA DI SANTA CECILIA IN TRASTEVERE
Piazza di Santa Cecilia 22
www.benedettinesantacecilia.it/htm/Basilica.html

GIANICOLO

SAN PIETRO IN MONTORIO
The Church is located in one of the most beautiful places in the capital. On the slopes of one of its hills, the Janiculum, there is an awe-inspiring view of historic Rome. San Pietro in Montorio in itself is a unique historical, artistic and architectural monument. Its foundation in the Middle Ages is due to the traditional memory of the Crucifixion of the Apostle Peter right on the spot where Bramante’s Tempietto was built. This work crowns the entire complex, which today preserves all its charm and makes the ceremonies full of participation in a high cultural and spiritual environment. The interior of the Church has a single nave and a series of side chapels adorned by the skill of renowned artists such as Vasari and Bernini. The evocative Church of San Pietro in Montorio, so-called from “Mons Aureus”, is located in one of the most beautiful places in the capital, on the slopes of the Janiculum Hill, from where there is a magnificent view of historic Rome.
It was erected before the 9th century on the site where St Peter was traditionally believed to have been crucified. The elegant and straightforward Renaissance façade is traditionally attributed to Meo del Caprina but is considered by authoritative critics of the Bregno school. The interior of the Church has a single nave and a series of side chapels adorned by the skill of artists such as Vasari and Bernini. In the first chapel on the right is the ‘Flagellation’ by Sebastiano del Piombo in 1518 to a design by Michelangelo. In the courtyard is Bramante’s famous Tempietto, with a circular plan and sixteen Doric granite columns.

SAN PIETRO IN MONTORIO
Piazza di S. Pietro in Montorio, 2
www.sanpietroinmontorio.it

OTHER AREAS

BASILICA OF ST JOHN LATERAN
It is ‘the Cathedral of Rome’ and the oldest in all of Rome. In fact, it is called the ‘mother of all churches’ and is officially the most important Church in the Catholic world. Most of the popes were crowned here. It was founded by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century and modified by Francesco Borromini in the following centuries, who gave it a more baroque appearance. The present Church is based mainly on the plan of the original Basilica. However, the Basilica has been continuously enriched over the centuries. The mosaic in the apse is by Jacopo Torriti (1289-1291), and Boniface VIII built the Loggia delle Benedizioni (Loggia of Blessings) for the Jubilee of 1300.  Martin V had the interior frescoed by Gentile da Fabriano and Pisanello (1431-1432). Because of the Jubilee of 1650, Innocent X Pamphili entrusted Francesco Borromini with the reconstruction of the interior, of which he wanted to preserve the overall five-nave layout and the prosperous 16th-century coffered ceiling. Between 1732 and 1735, under the pontificate of Clement XII Corsini, the current façade was built to a design by Alessandro Galilei. In addition to the splendid 17th century layout designed by Borromini, the interior features works by Alessandro Algardi, Simone Ghini, Cavalier d’Arpino, Cesare Nebbia, Orazio Gentileschi and Giovanni Baglione.

BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI IN LATERANO
Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 4,
 www.vatican.va/sangiovanni/basilica

BASILICA OF THE HOLY CROSS IN JERUSALEM
The Basilica, also known as the Eleniana or Sessoriana, stands on the area previously occupied by the Sessorium, a residential complex owned by the emperor. The palace would later become the residence of Helena, Constantine’s mother. Constantine had the Basilica built around the middle of the 4th century to house the relics of the Holy Cross, brought to Rome by Helena after a trip to Palestine.
The original Basilica was later renovated and enlarged. The artists who contributed to this work included Melozzo da Forlì and Antoniazzo Romano. A staircase to the right of the ciborium leads down to the Chapel of St. Helena, where the vault contains a magnificent mosaic, a remake of an original dating back to the time of Valentinian III. You can enter the Chapel of Relics (1930) from the presbytery, where fragments of the Holy Cross and other relics are kept. The remarkable Sessorian Library Hall in the adjoining monastery with a vault frescoed by Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1724-1727).
The iron and glass door of the kitchen garden of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, by Jannis Kounellis, was inaugurated on 28 November 2007. Unfortunately, therefore, the kitchen garden cannot be visited.

BASILICA DI SANTA CROCE IN GERUSALEMME
Piazza di S. Croce in Gerusalemme  www.santacroce.it

BASILICA OF ST PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS
Second in size only to St. Peter’s, it houses the relics of the Saint.
The Basilica was founded in the 4th century and remained practically intact until the fire of 1823, which caused its complete destruction. The current appearance is due to the architects Pasquale Belli and Giuseppe Valadier and reflects the dimensions and plan of the ancient Basilica. The cloisters contain numerous architectural fragments from the ancient

BASILICA DI SAN PAOLO FUORI LE MURA
Piazzale San Paolo, 1  www.basilicasanpaolo.org

BASILICA OF SAN LORENZO OUTSIDE THE WALLS
The Basilica of St Lorenzo Outside the Walls is the fusion of two separate churches, one of the 6th century and the other of the 13th century, around the tomb of Lorenzo. The Church also houses the relics of St Stephen and has been one of the most revered in Rome since time immemorial. The three-nave interior shows the uneven appearance of the Church, with the two basilicas adjacent but not perfectly aligned. The twenty-two columns dividing the naves, different in size and marble, may have come from the basilica maior Floor. Ambos and Easter candelabra are Cosmatesque. The ciborium is the centre of the Cosmatesque floor, the oldest work signed by Roman marble workers (1148).

BASILICA DI SAN LORENZO FUORI LE MURA
Piazzale del Verano, 3,
www.basilicadisanlorenzo.com

The Quirinale Palace is located on top of the Quirinale Hill, the highest of the seven hills. The Palace has been the seat of the Presidency of the Republic since 1946. Before, it has been first the summer residence of the popes and then the residence of the kings of Italy. With a surface area of 110,500 square metres, it is the sixth-largest Palace globally, 20 times larger than the White House. Designed by Domenico Fontana, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it has many masterpieces from every era.  The gardens, which extend for about 4 hectares, are extraordinary.
On the Piazza del Quirinale, which is also overlooked by the Palazzo della Consulta, built-in 1732 by Ferdinando Fuga, and the Scuderie del Quirinale, now a venue for unmissable exhibitions, are the colossal statues of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux from the Temple of Serapis built by Caracalla in 217 AD.

Visits are organised for a maximum of 10 people, with access every thirty minutes. Tickets are nominative and subject to a date and time. If you are late for your visit, you will no longer be able to enter the Palace. The date and time of the visit cannot be changed, and the ticket is non-refundable.
Visits must be booked at least 5 days in advance.

https://palazzo.quirinale.it/visitapalazzo/prenota.html
Online Booking   
https://visite.quirinale.it/QTicket/#/VQUI/it
Call centre, tel. 06 39.96.75.57 
Monday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.      

BORGHESE PALACE

Its solemnity and grandiose proportions make it one of the most magnificent palaces in the city. Due to its particular architectural form, it is also called the Cembalo. It was begun in 1560 to a design by Vignola and completed by Flaminio Ponzio and Carlo Maderno in 1614. There is a portico with two rows of columns in the large courtyard and the extraordinary “Bath of Venus” at the back, a charming nymphaeum with statues, creepers, and fountains. For a long time, the ground floor housed the collection of paintings that were transferred to the Villa Borghese in 1891.

 ADDRESS  Largo della Fontanella di Borghese, 22

PAMPHILIJ PALACE

Palazzo Pamphilj, Commissioned by Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (Pope Innocent X), was built according to a design by Girolamo Rinaldi, uniting in a single building several properties overlooking Via di Pasquino and Piazza Navona. In the 18th century, the Pamphilj family became the Doria Pamphilj family, and after various transformations, in 1920, the Palace passed to the Brazilian State, which made it its Embassy.

The grandiose palace has rooms frescoed by great 17th century artists such as Pietro da Cortona, Agostino Tassi, Giacinto Brandi and others. The Salone Palestrina is magnificent, as is the Gallery designed by Borromini and decorated by Pietro da Cortona with scenes from the life of Aeneas.

Address Piazza Navona, 14

Timetable

Free guided tours at 3.30 pm on Tuesdays in Italian and on Thursdays in Portuguese
Reservation required on the website:
http://roma.itamaraty.gov.br/it/prenotazione_visita_guidata.xml

Email: cultural.roma@itamaraty.gov.br Telephone: 06 683981

 MATTEI PALACE

Palazzo Mattei, in Via Michelangelo Caetani, was designed between 1598 and 1617 by Carlo Maderno. The building of three floors and two courtyards is a true marvel.
The walls are fully covered with ancient fragments, epigraphs, sarcophagi, inscriptions and all framed with stuccoes that, together with the statues and marbles that represent the true wealth and beauty of the Palace.
On the top floor of the Palace is the studiolo where Giacomo Leopardi resided during his stay in Rome.

Address  Via Michelangelo Caetani, 32

PALAZZO MASSIMO alle COLONNE

The Palace stands on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, just a few metres from the flat. It is the masterpiece of the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi, who built it on the 15th-century houses of the Massimo family, destroyed in the sack of Rome in 1527. The convex façade of the building recalls the shape of the cavea of Domitian’s Odeon. The portico composed of six columns paired in the centre creates a great light and shade and is decorated in the coffered ceiling with refined stucco work. The portico gives access to the various courtyards of the Palace and the exquisite interiors, enriched by splendid frescoes, classical statues, fine furniture and tapestries. On the second floor is the chapel where St. Philip Neri performed a miracle on 16 March 1583, bringing Fabrizio Massimo’s son Paolo back to life. The day of the miracle is the only one on which the building remains open to the public.

 Address Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 141

Timetable
Closed to the public; open only on 16 March, from 7am to 1pm when the first courtyard and the chapel of San Filippo Neri can be seen. 

Rospigliosi Pallavicini Palace and Gallery

Built-in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese on the ruins of the ancient Baths of Constantine, it was designed by Flaminio Ponzio and embellished by Giovanni Vasanzio. The Palace was belonged to many families the Altemps, Bentivoglio, Lante, Cardinal Mazzarino, Mancini until to the Rospigliosi Pallavicini.
Rospigliosi Pallavicini enlarged it and enriched it with remarkable pictorial decorations, including those by Orazio Gentileschi, Paolo Brill and Antonio Tempesti, who frescoed the “Triumph of Love and Fame”.
The Palace houses the Pallavicini Gallery with works by Botticelli, Caravaggio and Titian, among others.
Inside the garden is the famous Casino dell’Aurora with a ceiling fresco by Guido Reni.

Address  Via 24 Maggio, 43

Timetable

Visit with a special authorisation by the Pallavicini administration.

Contacts:  06 47848064 – 06 4682297 / 376

BONAPARTE PALACE

The sumptuous Palace was designed between 1657 and 1677 by the architect Giovanni Antonio De Rossi for the Marquises d’Aste. The building was sold in 1818 for 27,000 gold piastres to Maria Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, known as “Madame Mère”, as she was the mother of the famous Napoleon. From then on, the Palace, where the noblewoman spent the last years of her life, took its name, becoming Palazzo Bonaparte. The elegant atrium leads to the marvellous piano nobile, where you are greeted by a plaster reproduction of Mars the Peacemaker by Antonio Canova, and a series of rooms and halls richly decorated with eighteenth-century stuccoes and frescoes. The
Palazzo is also distinguished by its characteristic little green balcony – from where Letizia Bonaparte observed the comings and goings of the carriages in the streets below.
Today, it belongs to the Generali Group and is a space dedicated to art and culture.

Address Piazza Venezia, 5

Website:http://palazzobonaparte.it/index.html

PALAZZO GALLO Of ROCCAGIOVINE

On the opposite side of Palazzo Farnese, an elegant building that further enriches the square, is Palazzo del Gallo di Roccagiovine. Begun by Baldassarre Peruzzi in 1520 was completed in 1720 by the architect Alessandro Specchi, who designed the magnificent staircase. The double-flight staircase, supported by columns and pillars, winds up three floors, breaking with the previous rules, which tended to place the grand staircase inside the Palace, not in full view. Specchi, on the other hand, makes it an aesthetic function with the precise scenographic intention of contrasting it with the façade of Palazzo Farnese, a contrast between the lightness and the mass of the two different constructions placed opposite each other.
Piazza Farnese

CANCELLERIA Palace

Situated between Campo de’ Fiori and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the imposing Palazzo della Cancelleria was built at the behest of Raffaele Riario, who turned it into an elegant Renaissance residence.  The building was constructed with travertine from several Roman buildings, including the nearby Theatre of Pompey. The balcony on the façade is the work of Andrea Bregno, while the large doorway is the work of Domenico Fontana, and the elegant courtyard is attributed to Bramante. On the main floor of the Palace, there are halls, salons and sumptuously decorated rooms, such as the great Sala Regia, the Salone d’Onore, frescoed by Giorgio Vasari, known as the Salone dei Cento Giorni because it was completed in just 100 days. The Cardinal’s Apartment, which houses the Chapel of the Pallium, is embellished with stuccoes and paintings by Francesco Salviati. The Study Hall has a vault frescoed by Perin del Vaga. In the basement of the Palace is the Roman tomb of Consul Aulius Hirtius. Unfortunately, the tomb is completely submerged in the water of a pond formed by the obstruction of the Euripus.

 ADDRESS Piazza della Cancelleria, 1

TIMETABLE
The Palace is private, the property of the Holy See. Therefore, the Palace can only be visited when there are no events taking place.

CONTACTS: economato@apsa.va (booking a visit)

 Telephone: 06 69887566

Philippine Palace (Philippine Convent and Oratory)

The Palazzo dei Filippini complex consists of the Convent and the Oratory, and occupies a vast block between Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, Via dei Filippini, Piazza dell’Orologio, Via del Governo Vecchio and Via della Chiesa Nuova. The project was designed by Borromini. The Oratory is one of the masterpieces of Baroque art. The façade, made entirely of brick, is inspired by the human body with open arms to embrace the faithful.  The interior of the Oratory, now Borromini Hall, is punctuated by pillars with Ionic capitals.  On the upper floor of the complex is the magnificent Vallicelliana Library. In the adjacent Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, known as the Chiesa Nuova, there is a work by Pieter Paul Rubens, the only one by the artist in Rome, “Madonna con Gesù Bambino e due Angeli” also known as Madonna della Vallicella.

ADDRESS Piazza della Chiesa Nuova, 18

Visit the Borromini Hall:
Visits by appointment only
CONTACTS: b-vall.didattica@beniculturali.it –

b-vall.servizi@beniculturali.it

Indicating the preferred days of the visit, usually in the morning.

The church can be visited freely

Orsini Taverna Palace

The Palace consists of a group of buildings occupying an artificial hillock. The mighty Roman Orsini family settled there in 1328, giving the hillock its name Mons Ursinorum. (today ‘Monte Giordano’).

The ‘mountain’ is also mentioned by Dante in Canto XVIII of the Inferno. From a fortress bristling with towers, the building soon became a complex of noble buildings divided among the various branches of the Orsini family. In 1549 the Palace was inhabited by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, who used it as a place for social and cultural meetings, hosting Torquato Tasso and many other illustrious personalities who frequented and lived there including Empress Eugenia, wife of Napoleon III. The last change of ownership took place at the end of the 19th century in favour of the Counts Taverna of Milan, who are still the owners today.

From the sizeable vaulted entrance, you can see the central courtyard of the Palace with its beautiful fountain by Antonio Casoni. In addition to the five main units, a massive 19th-century tower in medieval style stands out.

ADDRESS Via di Monte Giordano, 36

Gaddi Palace

In 1528, the Florentine banker Luigi Taddeo Gaddi bought a modest house in Via del Banco di Santo Spirito from the Strozzi family, on the site of which he immediately built the family palace, using the work of Sansovino. Michelangelo certainly lived in the Palace for some years. The Palace retains its original 16th-century form, with the entrance surmounted by a majestic balcony.

ADDRESS Via del Banco di Santo Spirito, 42

Commendatore’s Palace

The building was erected between 1566 and 1572, designed by architect Giovanni Lippi, known as Nanni di Baccio Bigio. Inside there is an elegant arcaded courtyard, with a 17th-century fountain and a curious six-hour clock, whose dial has a single hand in the shape of a lizard and is framed by a snake biting its tail, a symbol of eternity. There is an extraordinarily elegant loggia on the main floor and the magnificent Salone del Commendatore, decorated with superb frescoes illustrating the history of the foundation of the ancient Ospedale Santo Spirito. The Palace houses the Museo Storico dell’Arte Sanitaria, together with the old Spezieria, where medicinal herbs were processed – of which ancient jars and mortars are still preserved.

ADDRESS Borgo Santo Spirito, 3

TIMETABLE
Only the courtyard can be visited. And the museum

Palace of  PENITENZIERI
(Palazzo della Rovere)

Also known as Palazzo della Rovere, it was built between 1480 and 1490 by Cardinal Domenico della Rovere. It is the Florentine architect Baccio Pontelli’s work who used Palazzo Venezia as a model. Inside there is a spacious courtyard surrounded by pillars. The halls of the main floor are decorated with precious frescoes by Pinturicchio. The Palace is now the seat of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

ADDRESS Via della Conciliazione, 33

Visits, only for groups of at least 20 people from
Monday to Friday from 2.30 pm to 5 pm to be
booked on 06 69892930
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Single ticket: 5.00

Cesi-Armellini Palace

Just a few steps from St Peter’s Basilica and overlooking Via della Conciliazione, the Palace was built in the early 16th century on the site of the house of the Roman philosopher Seneca on the ancient Via Cornelia. In 1527, the Palace was invaded and sacked by the Landsknechts. It is said that the Landsknechts took advantage of a window left open in the Palace to enter and devastate Rome. In 1565  the Palace was bought by Angelo and Pier Donato Cesi, who, with the help of Martino Longhi, the Elder, transformed it into a sumptuous Renaissance residence. 

From the cloister-like inner courtyard, which still retains traces of the ancient paving of Via Cornelia, you can access the main floor and the Gallery, and the charming Library, with a magnificent 16th-century, painted wooden ceiling and richly frescoed walls. Among the jewels of the Palace is the terrace with one of the most beautiful views of St. Peter’s Basilica and the city.

ADDRESS Via della Conciliazione, 51

CONTACTS:info@fondazionesofia.org

 http://fondazionesofia.org/casa-madre

 Telephone: 06 68629202

VILLA FARNESINA

In the heart of Trastevere, Villa della Farnesina at the Lungara is one of the noblest and most magnificent examples of the Italian Renaissance. It was built as the residence of the wealthy Sienese banker Agostino Chigi, designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, between 1505 and 1520. The residence was richly decorated by the greatest artists of the time, Sebastiano del Piombo, Sodoma and Raphael Sanzio. They created the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche and the fresco of the nymph Galatea.  The Villa was bought by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese the Younger, hence the name Farnesina, to distinguish it from Palazzo Farnese on the other side of the river; according to a project by Michelangelo, a bridge across the Tiber was to link the two Farnese properties. In 1927, Villa Farnesina was purchased by the Italian State as the seat of the Accademia d’Italia. Since 1944, it has been the representative seat of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei,

 Address: Via della Lungara, 230

Timetable
open daily from Monday to Sunday 10-19h (last entry at 17h)
Closed on Tuesday

www.booking-villafarnesina.it/it/booking-1

 www.villafarnesina.it

Casino dell’Aurora Pallavicini in Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi

Built on the imposing ruins of the Baths of Constantine and today hidden by a large wall running along Via XXIV Maggio, Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi was begun in 1613 to a design by Flaminio Ponzo at the behest of Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The vast complex was dotted with small casinos, one of which is the famous Casino dell’Aurora. Designed by the Flemish artist Jan van Santen, the Casino is a jewel of Roman Baroque: it is accessed via a beautiful double ramp, the so-called ‘Scala della Pastorella’. The façade is decorated with magnificent bas-reliefs from Roman sarcophagi dating between the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. the famous fresco of the Aurora by Guido Reni, painted on the vault, gave name and fame at the Casino. Scipione Borghese sold the estate to the Altemps family. In 1708 it was bought by the Pallavicini-Rospigliosi family, to whom it still belongs.

Address: Via 24 Maggio, 43

 aurorapallavicini@hpallavicini.it

 www.casinoaurorapallavicini.it

VILLA dei QUINTILI

The Villa dei Quintili, part of the Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica, is the largest residential complex in the suburbs of Rome.  The Villa certainly belonged to the brothers Sextus Quintilius Condianus and Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus, members of a senatorial family and consuls in 151 AD, who were killed by Emperor Commodus in 182-183 AD for plotting against him, so the residence was confiscated and became imperial property. Since then, Commodus himself and other emperors after him lived in the Villa.
The Greek writer Olympiodorus the Younger wrote that ‘the villa contained everything an average city could have, including a hippodrome, forums, fountains and baths’. The surviving structures have five different nuclei, extending along a large esplanade. A large nymphaeum, a hippodrome garden, a stadium, a residential area and two thermal baths. The remains and testimonies that can still be admired are impressive.

Address: Via Appia Nuova, 1092

Timetable
Open Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 November from 9 am to 4.30 pm (last admission 4 pm)
Closed Wednesday 3 November.

Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 am to 6.30 pm in summer until 4.30 pm Autumn and winter closed
Monday

Villa Medici – Academy of France

Situated on the Pincio, not far from Trinità dei Monti, it dates back to the middle of the 16th century. It was designed by the architect Giovanni Lippi, known as Nanni di Baccio Bigio. In 1576, the splendid Villa was purchased by Cardinal Ferdinando de Medici to house his collection of works of art. Since the beginning of the 19th century, it has been home to the Academy of France.
The sober style of the outer façade is in stark contrast to the luxury of the inner façade, which opens with a charming loggia onto the magnificent gardens. The large rectangular garden is divided into sixteen square flowerbeds and retains much of its 16th-century appearance. The interior houses valuable works of art, precious furniture, tapestries, art and design objects, musical instruments, drawings, prints, sculptures, and a rich collection of casts and paintings, including portraits of 460 scholars from 1798 to 1936. The Villa houses Rome’s largest decorative arts libraries, and high-level cultural events are frequently organised.

Address:Viale della Trinità dei Monti, 1

Timetable
Monday to Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00 Closed on Tuesdays

Online purchase:

https://villamedici.vivaticket.it/

www.villamedici.it

Villa Poniatowski

Located in the Flaminio district, the Villa, formerly known as Villa Cesi, was considered by the famous traveller Michel de Montaigne as one of the most beautiful in the city by the end of the 16th century. The building takes its name from Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski, nephew of the last king of Poland. After buying it from Marquis Sinibaldi in 1781, he commissioned Giuseppe Valadier to carry out the restoration work. As a result, the Villa was embellished with basins and fountains. At the same time, the vast Italian garden, formed by terraced terraces, was adorned with antique sculptures and closed at the top by the ‘Loggia delle Delizie’. The exquisitely decorated interiors are noteworthy: the Sala dell’Ercole Farnese on the ground floor, the Sala Indiana – with 19th-century frescoes on exotic themes, and the Sala Egizia or Sala delle Colonne Doriche on the piano nobile – with Neoclassical frescoes of Egyptian landscapes and an arcade in perspective.

Acquired by the Italian State in 1988, Villa Poniatowski is now one of the two sites of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia.

Address: Via di Villa Giulia, 34

Timetable
1 April to 31 October Fridays and Saturdays 15 – 18 (last admission 17.15)
1 November to 31 March Friday – Saturday 10 am – 1 pm (last admission 12.15 pm)

Telephone booking required 06
3219698

Casino Boncompagni Ludovisi (dell’Aurora Ludovisi)

Widely praised for its beauty by Goethe, Stendhal, Gogol and D’Annunzio, the Villa Ludovisi with its enchanting gardens stood on the ancient Horti Sallustiani and occupied an area of over 30 hectares, from the Porta Salaria to the Porta Pinciana, right up to the edge of the Capuchin Convent.  Destroyed in the name of building speculation at the end of the nineteenth century, the Villa was parcelled out to make way for an upper-middle-class district, the present-day Ludovisi district: only the Casino, known as the Aurora, the present residence of the Princes of Piombino, remained intact.

Dating back to the 16th century, the Casino is an elegant two-storey building with a penthouse and belvedere tower. One of its most important works is the famous tempera fresco by Guercino depicting Aurora, which gives its name to the room that houses it and to the Casino itself. The architectural fresco decorations were instead carried out by Agostino Tassi. The frescoes on the walls of the Sala del Camino are also by Guercino.

A small room on the main floor has an oil painting on the vault attributed to Caravaggio, the only fresco in the world attributable to the artist.
Today the Casino dell’Aurora is for sale.

Address: Via Lombardia, 46

CONTACTS

Amministrazione Boncompagni Ludovisi
Email tatiana@principedipiombino.com

Telephone: 06 483942 (Mon, Wed, Fri 9-13)

Villa Albani-Torlonia

Owned by the Torlonia family since 1867, the Villa was built in the mid-18th century for Cardinal Alessandro Albani to house the prestigious collection of antiquities curated by Winckelmann. The Villa testifies to one of the highest expressions of the particular antiquarian taste that emerged in the mid-eighteenth century, in the transition between Rococo and Neoclassicism, when Rome had become a privileged destination of the Grand Tour.

In 1761, in the hall of the Casino, the neoclassical painter Anton Raphael Mengs painted the Parnassus fresco, perhaps the most important pictorial manifesto of the nascent neoclassical style. In the next room, known as the Antinous Room, is the famous relief of Antinous, from Villa Adriana. The Art Gallery houses works by Niccolò da Foligno, Perugino, Gherardo delle Notti, van Dyck, Tintoretto, Ribera, Guercino, Giulio Romano, Borgognone, Luca

Address: Via Salaria, 92

 Visit
It is possible to visit Villa Albani Torlonia, sending a request to:

(www.fondazionetorlonia.org/moduli/Fondazione-Torlonia-modulo-di-richiesta-visita-Villa-Albani-Torlonia.pdf) specifying the language spoken and send it by email or fax, and attach a copy of an identity document.

The Torlonia Foundation, following acceptance of the request, will propose the first available date.

The two-hour visits are free of charge and organised in groups of a maximum of 15 or 20 people accompanied by a guide and include Villa Albani Torlonia, the Italian garden and the Kaffeehaus with its newly restored sculpture collection. 

 info@fondazionetorlonia.org

 www.fondazionetorlonia.org

Villa Lante on the Janiculum

The construction, which took place between 1518 and 1525, was commissioned by an official of Tuscan origin, Baldassarre Turini. In 1551 the property passed into the hands of the Lante family, from whom it took its name, which it still retains today despite numerous ownership changes.
Overlooking Rome, Villa Lante al Gianicolo, together with Villa Madama, is one of the best-preserved 16th-century Roman villas and a precious testimony to the work of Raphael’s school. The architecture is attributed to Giulio Romano, Raphael’s favourite pupil, who was assisted in the decorations by Giovanni da Udine, Polidoro da Caravaggio, Vincenzo Tamagni and Maturino’s perfect fusion of architecture, painting and sculpture.
The building, built on the remains of an earlier Roman villa, has a beautiful Renaissance façade, a splendid loggia, with fine stucco work attributed to Giovanni da Udine, opening onto the city skyline. The vestibule is decorated with a Triumph of Rome by Valentin de Boulogne and, above the doors, high reliefs by Antonio Canova.
The State of Finland purchased it in 1950, and since then, it has belonged to its Embassy to the Holy See and the Institutum Romanum FinlandieThe Villa can be visited by appointment, and the institute also organises conferences, seminars and concerts for Roman and international audiences.

Address: Passeggiata del Gianicolo, 10

Timetable
Monday to Friday 9am-12pm
Closed on
Saturday and Sunday
Booking required at mal info@irfrome.org

www.irfrome.org

Villa BORGHESE

The Villa Borghese Park occupies a vast area in the heart of the city. The Villa is full of centuries-old trees, ponds, Italian gardens and lawns and contains numerous buildings, fountains, sculptures, and Baroque, Neoclassical and Renaissance monuments. The construction of the Villa was entrusted by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, to Flaminio Ponzo and his pupil Giovanni Vasanzio. They were succeeded in 1621 by Girolamo Rainaldi. The gardens were designed by Domenico Savino da Montepulciano. The work commissioned by Scipione Borghese lasted from 1608 until 1633, the year of the Cardinal’s death. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Italian State bought the Villa and turned it into a public park.

Inside Villa Borghese is also  the Garden of the Lake, the Secret Gardens (Giardino dell’Uccelliera, Giardino Vecchio, Giardino della Meridiana and Giardino della Coltivazione), Piazza di Siena, the Casino Borghese where the Borghese Gallery is located, the Fortezzuola, today the Canonina Museum, the Etruscan Museum of Via Giulia and the National Gallery of Moder and Contemporary art and the Deer Park.

Villa DORIA-PAMPHILIJ

The country residence of the Pamphilj family became a sumptuous aristocratic residence under Innocent X in 1546. It was enlarged in 1856 by Prince Andrea V Doria Pamphilj with the purchase of Villa Corsini. In 1957, first the Italian State and then the Municipality of Rome between 1965 and 1971 made it possible to open this immense Park. As a result, numerous parts of the Villa still preserve conspicuous evidence of Roman and medieval times: such as the Trajan-Paul aqueduct, which serves as a boundary along the Via Aurelia Antica, numerous Roman funerary structures in various sectors of the Park, while the Casale di Giovio preserves parts of the imperial age and an early medieval architrave.

The splendid Casino del Bel Respiro, or (Palazzo Algardi) with its gardens full of fountains, some of the greatest artists worked, such as Alessandro Algardi and Giovan Francesco Grimaldi, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Villa, which extends for hundreds of hectares, with lots of greenery, is accessed through the monumental Arch of the Four Winds on Via di San Pancrazio.
Address: Via di San Pancrazio

Villa ADA SAVOIA

Larger than Villa Borghese and inferior in size only to the Appia Antica Regional Park and Villa Doria Pamphilj, it is a magnificent example of a landscaped garden adorned with numerous neoclassical and eclectic buildings. These include the remains of Antemnae, one of the oldest cities in Lazio.

Villa Ada Savoia is mainly linked to the House of Savoy, which owned it from 1872 to 1878 and 1904 to 1946.

In 1878, on the death of Vittorio Emanuele, the Villa was sold to Count Giuseppe Tellfner, who named the property after his wife, Ada. From 1878 to 1901, the Villa remained the property of the Count. Vittorio Emanuele III bought back Villa Ada in 1904 and gave it to his wife, Queen Elena. Thus, the area towards Monte Antenne took the name ‘Bosco Regina Elena’. Even in an urban centre, in Villa Ada, you feel being in a plank of wood surrounded by centuries-old pine, holm-oak, laurel and chestnut woods, populated by squirrels, hedgehogs and wild rabbits. Villa Ada Savoia is an ideal place to spend a relaxing day.

Address: Via Salaria, 265

Timetable
always open from 7 am to sunset

BOTANICAL GARDEN

Between Via della Lungara and the Janiculum Hill, there is a magical place in the Park of Villa Corsini (once the residence of Christina of Sweden). The Botanical Garden is one of the largest in Italy,  here on an area of 12 hectares, the naturalistic varieties from all over the world are cultivated. The main collections include giant old trees such as oriental plane trees, cork oaks, Turkey oaks, downy oaks, Himalayan cedars and more than 300 centuries-old specimens of more than 130 species. The bamboo collection is one of the richest in Europe, the Mediterranean forest, consisting mainly of oaks, the group of gymnosperms such as sequoias, conifers, pines, firs, larches, cedars of Lebanon, cypresses and junipers. Then there are the greenhouses. The orchid greenhouse, with around 400 species. The succulent greenhouse. The Tropical Greenhouse. The Aroma Garden, the Mediterranean Garden and the Japanese Garden (in spring, in April, don’t miss the Hanami, the awesome cherry blossom). The pond, a stream and some pools for aquatic plants. A splendid rose garden with around 60 species. A collection of Palms, with rare specimens.
BOTANICAL GARDENS
Largo Cristina di Svezia, 23 A
OPEN 9.00-18.30 every day, including Sundays and public holidays
Daylight saving time 9.00 18.30
Standard
time
9.00 17.30

Appia Antica Regional Park

Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica is a unique place where naturalistic aspects and important archaeological monuments merge in perfect harmony,

The Parco dell’Appia Antica covers an area of approximately 3,500 hectares and includes the Via Appia Antica
The most important and famous road of ancient Rome, the valley of the Caffarella, the archaeological area of the Via Latina and the Parco degli Acquedotti.

The first section of the Park begins at the Aurelian Walls at the Appia Antica near Porta San Sebastiano. As far as the Belvedere of Cecilia Metella, between the high walls of the great aristocratic estates of the post-Renaissance period are some of the most essential Christian catacombs, including those of St. Callistus and St. Sebastian. Between the Circus of Maxentius, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and the ring road, significant archaeological remains are mainly represented by the monumental tombs located along the route. In addition to the imposing complex of the Villa dei Quintili.
After the Raccordo Anulare, the landscape opens out onto the large estates of the Agro Romano as far as the Castelli Romani.
Another striking aspect of the landscape of the Parco dell’Appia Antica is the Parco degli Acquedotti (Aqueduct Park).
The area between the Via Appia Nuova and the Via Tuscolana, characterised by the large surviving arches of the aqueducts that brought water to Rome from the nearby hills, admirable engineering works of the ancient Romans.

The Via Appia Antica is closed to traffic on public holidays and is the ideal place for walking or cycling to discover an immense natural and historical-artistic heritage that is truly unique in the world.

Address: Via Appia Antica, 42

Timetable:
The Park’s offices are open at various times: see information points in the “Find out more” section.

Email:

info@parcoappiaantica.it

 puntoappia@parcoappiaantica.it

 Website:

www.parcoappiaantica.it

Villa Celimontana

 Villa Celimontana, one of Rome’s best-loved villas, stands on the Caelian Hill and has its main entrance in Piazza della Navicella, adjacent to the church of Santa Maria in Domnica. The Villa covers a site dating back to the Flavian and Trajan era, of which parts of the walls are still visible; in this area, there was the castra of the V cohort of the Vigiles and excavations at the end of the 19th century brought to light the remains of the BasilicaHilariana. Ciriaco Mattei purchased in the mid-16th century the area of the Villa, occupied in the Middle Ages by vegetable gardens and vineyards, and transformed it into a park full of gardens adorned with ancient sculptures fountains and bitter orange trees, and the Egyptian obelisk of Ramses II.
With time, the Villa’s ancient collections of antiquities were lost or dispersed. The Park was renovated at the end of the 19th century when it took the form of an English garden.

A quiet area is now an ideal place for outdoor breakfasts and walks, as well as a summer setting for concerts and shows.

 Address: Via della Navicella, 12

Reopened from 27 May 2021
from 1 May to 31 October from 7 am to 6 pm from
1 November to 30 April from 7 am to 5 pm.

Villa TORLONIA

Initially owned by the Pamphilj family, Villa Torlonia was purchased in 1760 by the Colonna family. At the end of the eighteenth century, it was sold to the banker Giovanni Torlonia, who commissioned Giuseppe Valadier to transform the rural property into a sumptuous residence with the construction of the Casino Nobile the Casino dei Principi and the Scuderie.

In 1832, the heir Alessandro Torlonia continued the embellishment work, with the construction of other buildings, such as the Temple of Saturn, the mock ruins in neo-classical style, a Tribune with fountain, an Amphitheatre, the characteristic Café-House, the Theatre and the Orangery, unusual buildings such as the Swiss Hut, the Greenhouse, the Tower, the Moorish Grotto, the Tournament Grounds and adorning it with paths, small lakes, exotic plants and two Obelisks in pink granite. Finally, Giovanni, another Torlonia heir, built the Medieval Villa, the Red Villa, the Watchman’s Villa, and transformed the Swiss Hut into the eclectic Casina delle Civette (House of the Owls).

During Fascism, the Villa became Mussolini‘s residence.

Since 1978, Villa Torlonia has been a public park with three museums

the Museum of the Casina delle Civette, the Museum of the Casino Nobile, the Casino dei Principi, and the Technotown toy library.
Villa TorloniaVia
Nomentana 70 Bus 60

Villa Aldobrandini

Near the Quirinale, the Villa looks like a hanging garden, enclosed by walls. Coming from Via Nazionale vii, one enters through a steep flight of steps that climbs among ancient ruins dating from the end of the first century. The present size of the Villa is what remains of it after the opening of Via Nazionale, which significantly reduced its area.

In the 1500s, the Villa included a building, a secret garden and a park that extended as far as Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s Palace (later Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi). The restoration and embellishment of the Villa were entrusted to the architect Carlo Lambardi, who enlarged the entrance door and built a loggia over it.

In 1600, Clement Vitelli sold the Villa to Pope Clement VIII. Giacomo Della Porta, the new owner’s trusted architect, provided the Palace with staircases, loggias, and a continuous façade overlooking the garden. The garden was enriched with tall trees, some of which still exist. The avenues were furnished with statues, vases, cippus, seats, some fountains and a fishpond. While the upper floors of the Palace housed a vibrant collection of works of art, the Villa was later inherited by the Pamphilj and Borghese families, who moved a large part of the Aldobrandini collection to the galleries of their palaces.

Today only the garden is open to the public.

Address: Via Mazzarino, 11

Timetable

the garden is open from dawn to dusk. It can be visited freely.
The three pavilions in the three corners of the Park CANNOT be visited.

The patronal building, accessed from Via Panisperna, cannot be visited.