Tourist Attractions in Rome

The great round castle known as Castel Sant'Angelo wasn't built as a royal residence at all, but as a massive mausoleum.

Piazza San Pietro is the square that lies in front of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Piazza Venezia is a large space located just behind Campidoglio, at the crossroads between Via del Corso and Via dei Fori Imperiali.

The glorious and celebrated Sistine Chapel is a crowning jewel of Renaissance painting and a sight that leaves millions speechless every year.

The Terme di Caracalla were built between 212 and 217 BC by Caracalla, son of emperor Settimo Severo and himself emperor after his father.

Ara Pacis Augustae is a Roman altar originally built in order to celebrate the Emperor Augustus and the peace after the bloody campaigns of Spain and Gallia.

A film-themed amusement is situated south of Rome, named for Italy's primary movie studio, Cinecitta'.

The Colosseum is definitely the Roman monument par excellence, one of the chief highlights of the Eternal City.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini worked to realize the "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" in Piazza Navona from 1648 to 1651, under commission of Pope Innocent X and the Pamphilj family.

If your kids have had enough of monuments, churches and museums, take them into the fantasy world at Fantastico Mondo park outside Rome.

Piazza del Campidoglio, heart of Rome and seat of the local govern, was conceived by Michelangelo (1536) and might be considered maybe the highest representation of the Renaissance concept of "solemn piazza".

A theme park based on ancient Rome, the costumes, foods and shows take you into the world of the Romans.

The Spanish Steps is one of Rome's most recognizable attractions and a popular gathering spot, but was intended as a gateway to the church that rests atop the staircase.

Rome's zoo is located in the historic Villa Borghese gardens.

Tucked away on the Janiculum Hill is a lovely yet largely overlooked treasure.

The colorful Campo dei Fiori is Rome's best known street market.

On the celebrated Via *Veneto is a church whose crypt has garnered more attention than the paintings inside the church itself.

The Palatine is one of the seven hills of Rome and, according to legend, the place where Romulus founded the city.

A fascinating neighborhood near Rome's Borghese Gallery, the Coppede district is an architectural fairyland.

Fontana di Trevi is the most impressive and spectacular fountain in Rome.

When the temps in Rome rise, head to the city's only waterpark to cool down.

One of Rome's hokey but endearing tourist attractions is the Mouth of Truth.

A noble palace-turned-museum, the Palazzo Altemps is now a branch of the National Roman Museum and is filled with priceless Classical sculptures.

Many people don't realize that the official church of the pope isn't Saint Peter's but the older basilica known as Saint John Lateran.

Built to impress, the Palazzo Farnese fronts the piazza of the same name, meant to solidify the Farnese family's fame.

Palazzo Pamphilj is a palace facing onto the Piazza Navona in Rome.

The Pantheon is a majestic temple that, since the I century AD, has preserved almost intact its impressive look.

The Piazza Navona is one of the world's most recognized squares.

A green park with stately cypress trees, flowers, and an eclectic collection of graves and monuments, the Protestant Cemetery of Rome is a unique sight.

This curving boulevard is probably the most famous street in Rome.

A triumphal arch sits next to the Colosseum at the entry to the ancient city, the Arch of Constantine is the largest and most recent of the Roman arches.

Standing grandly at the highest point of Via Sacra, the Arch of Titus is right outside the Roman Forum.

In the bustling heart of Rome rests the once-thriving bath complex of Diocletian.

The Casino dell'Aurora Pallavicini is a charming early Baroque residence on the Quirinale Hill.

A monumental triumphal column rises in the center of Rome to pay homage to an emperor.

The monumental fountain formally known as the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola is referred by more casually by locals as the fontanone, "the big fountain.

One of Rome's most beloved fountains is a fanciful work that involved three artists.

Wandering through the section of the Imperial Forum that was dedicated by Caesar Augustus today might seem like a small portion of the overall structure, but the public works were groundbreaking at the time.

Not many rivers can boast an island, but the Tiber has one that is linked to the city of Rome by two bridges.

The Lateran Obelisk is the highest and oldest in Rome, located in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano.

One of Rome's earliest Christian "shrines" is an often-overlooked site, right in the heart of the ancient part of the city.

One of Rome's impressive monuments gets little attention these days, but the mausoleum of Cesar Augustus was a grand feat in its day.

When the Domenican friars found an obelisk in their garden in 1665,with hieroglyphics on four sides, they headed the writing on the wall, as it were, and decided to dedicate it Eternal Wisdom.

When Baroque painter Federico Zuccari decided to build a home in Rome, he made it a study in contrasts.

A massive palace in the heart of Rome, the powerful Barberini family couldn't do things on a small scale.

An overlooked museum right in the heart of Rome is hidden in plain sight.

The Renaissance-era palace on Piazza Colonna is home to the Italian Prime Minister, but started life as a noble residence.

When the noble Colonna family decided to build a family seat in Rome, they did it in a big way.

The Quirinale Palace occupies the highest of Rome's fabled seven hills.

Palazzo di Giustizia fronts the Tiber River and is one of the major modern architectural works in Rome.

The imposing palazzo near Piazza Navona guarded by uniformed Carabinieri is a Renaissance building that is home to the Italian Senate.

The Palazzo Senatorio sits on Rome's Piazza del Campidoglio, the administrative square that was redesigned by Michelangelo.

The Piazza Bocca della Verita' is a veritable open museum in the heart of Rome.

A pretty pedestrian piazza in the heart of Rome is named for Cardinal Domenico Capranica.

Piazza di Montecitorio sits in the center of Rome, not far from the Pantheon.

This charming little palazzo sits in the historic center near Piazza Navona, and a stone's thrown from the grand Palazzo Farnese.

On the edge of the historic center of Rome, Porta Pia is one of the city gateways.

On the southern side of the city sits Rome's most picturesque portal.

On the edge of Rome's historic center is an ancient monument that seems strangely out of place.

The heart of the ancient world was the bustling Forum, which was the political, religious and commercial center of Rome.

The Ponte Sant'Angelo is the most famous bridge in Rome.

A neighborhood created to contain the city's Jewish population is now one of Rome's most characteristic quarters.

On the banks of the Tiber sits the Teatro di Marcellus, a living piece of history that is still inhabited.

When Pope Gregory XVI ordered the demolition of the ancient defensive towers attached to the Porta Maggiore gate in Rome, he hardly expected to find a significant archeological site.

Villa Farnesina is one of the fullest examples of Renaissance architecture in Rome.

The Pincio Hill is a panormaic point in Rome, near the famous Spanish Steps and the church that tops them, Trinità dei Monti.

Villa Torlonia is a noble home that is now a museum in a sprawling public park and museum in Rome which overlooks Via Nomentana.

Il Chiostro del Bramante is a Renaissance respite in the heart of Rome.

The underground burial chambers known as catacombs are swathed in both history and legend.