Rome Travel Guide

General

Roma: the name inverts neatly to form 'amor'. And that’s it - people tend either to love or to hate the place and Rome can reward you as no other city can. Rome, the eternal city which exerts the most compelling fascination, has to be visited by the Italy traveler. 29 million pilgrims and tourists went to Rome in the year 2000 alone. Few cities have such a long and turbulent history as has Rome. No other city has been the focal point of the world for such a long period. The mistress of the Roman Empire, lavished with architectural jewelry by her emperors, but also often seiged raided and destroyed. Also fires and earthquakes left their scars, but each time the eternal city recovered from her injuries.

Rome’s history is tightly connected to the history of Europe. Not just the Roman emperors, but also medieval emperors and kings like Charlemagne or Otto I saw Rome as the true seat of power. They challenged the new rulers, the popes for the supreme power. It was the dispute about who was the true representative of God. Both emperor and pope claimed to be true inheritors of the Roman Empire.

It is said that one life is not enough to get to know Rome. Maybe you’ll need about nine, as much as the countless stray cats that also populate the city, but a week will do for a first introduction. At each corner of each street there’s a story to tell. Thousands of stories together tell the history of a three thousand year old city. Two weeks may be enough for a hasty tour through most everything; a month would be better. Fortunately, Rome (pop. 2.900.000) is compact enough to skim the best in three (full) days, and if you have more time we guarantee you will find delightful and fulfilling ways to use it.

Highlights in Rome include the Trevi fountain (remember Anita Ekberg in the classic scene in La Dolce Vita) and the Spanish Steps, the Roman heritage sights such as the Pantheon, the Colloseum and the Forum Romanum, at least some of the world famous churches such as Il Gesu, S. Giovanni in Laterano or Sta. Maria Maggiore. Make sure not to miss a stroll through the Vatican with the incredibly huge St. Peter's Cathedral and the unrivalled Vatican Museum.

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Accomodation

Finding a sleeping place in Rome is not an easy task. There are hundreds of hotels, hostels and pensions in all price categories. We can’t hope to make a listing of all of them, but we have selected a few to get you started. Many of the city's cheaper hotels are located close to Stazione Termini in the eastern part of the city. Lodging more towards the old town centre isn't automatically more expensive, but it is harder to find a free hotel room without booking in advance. For a complete accommodation list you should refer to the annual EPT publication in which all hotels have to declare their prices.

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Sights

The heart of ancient Rome was its Forum located north of the Palatine Hill. Until a hundred years ago before it was excavated the site was a cow pasture and it still retains that feeling of seclusion away from the hectic pace of the modern city that surrounds it. Among the sights to see: the 50.000-seat Colosseum (dating from AD 79 it was the site of gladiatorial contests); the funerary altar where Julius Caesar was cremated; the arch of Titus (note the frieze depicting the sack of Jerusalem); the Via Sacra (main street and triumphal route); the ancient Senate and the Arch of Septimius Severus.

The ruins of many ancient public buildings and temples including that of the Vestal Virgins line the way. Look for the Rostrum or speaking platform behind which is located the "Golden Milepost" the destination of all roads that led to Rome. The Palatine holds the first hut of Rome (legend dates it to 753 BC) and the ruins of the massive complex of ancient imperial palaces. The palaces overlook the Circus Maximus where chariot races were held. Across a broad avenue visit the Trajan Forum with its ruins of shops and offices and a restored column (depicting battle scenes from the 2nd century-considered one of the finest sculptures of ancient Rome). Capping the end of the Forum is Capitoline Hill with the present-day city hall and two excellent museums (busts of most of the Roman emperors) set around a graceful piazza designed by Michelangelo. The best view of the Forum complex is there from behind the Palazzo dei Senatori.

But there is more than only Roman Rome. Rome is a thousand years old city, the capital of the empire able to conquer all the Mediterranean sea, Holy See of the papacy, focal point for artists all around the world from Renaissance on, open laboratory for experimentation (square, buildings and churches) during Baroque, and capital of Italy after 1870. Every new culture left in Rome unique imprints, so we can easily say that in Rome you can pick and choose.

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