After three trips to Rome, I really love this city and am glad to get back to see some of my favorite places and explore some new ones. I bought a Roma Pass which gives you 48 hours or 72 hours of public transportation, one or two museum entrances and discounts on other admissions to other historical sites and museums. This is a good value and worth buying.
My favorite attractions include St. Peters Basilica and Square, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, the Victor Emmanuel Monument and The Mausoleum of Hadrian or Castel Sant’Angelo. The Villa Borghese Gardens and the Trevi Fountain should be high on your list also!
Rome is a great walking city; I love exploring the architecture, the plazas or squares, the narrow streets and just sitting in a cafe and people watching on the Via Veneto. You can walk on your own or sign up for one of the many tours of Viator.com.
The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel are really a must. I booked my ticket for the Vatican Museum online which helped me get quicker access by avoiding the long lines. I suggest focusing on the Raphael rooms, the Borgia Apartment, the collection of contemporary art and the Sistine Chapel. The Collection of contemporary art which was bypassed by most of the people has wonderful pieces by Matisse, Paul Klee, Diego Rivera, Kandinsky, Rufino Tamayo and Jose Clemente Orozco. The Sistine Chapel is really the highlight of the visit. Sit along the wall and just look up!!!
Two new finds, in addition to several museums which are highlighted in a separate post, include:
Museo Frati Cappuccini & Cripta Ossario: This is a museum dedicated to the Cappuchine monks, but the real interesting parts are the rooms beautifully decorated with the bones of over 4,000 people. You might think it morbid but the patterns and decorations are really beautiful and you forgot what they are made of. Via Vittorio Veneto 27
Santa Maria della Vittoria: Stop in at this catholic church at Via 20 Settembre, 17. The church is known for the masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. It was featured in author Dan Brown’s novel Angels and Demons, thus making it a popular spot in Rome.
Fat Tire Tours, a popular tour operator since 1999, has a number of bike tours, Segway tours and a number of tours like the VIP Vatican City and Sistine Chapel tour with a ticket for early entrance. They also have a pasta making class and wine and cheese tasting!
Also check out the private walking tours from ROME to go! which has a number of food, neighborhood, hidden gems and history offerings. C0ntact Mauro Poma for details. Email: info@rometogo.tours, Italian mobile: +39 3404511530.
Standard or tailored guided tours are in English (or other languages such as Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian etc.). They include skipping the line entry tickets for all the major attractions as well as private transportation with luxury cars and/or minivans (i.e. to/from the main attractions and surroundings or to/from the airport etc.)
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