Rome, Italy

The Italian capital, Rome, boasts an unrivalled 3,000 year heritage. The city is home to major historic landmarks, including the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill, and abounds with world-class museums, churches and beautiful squares. As well as substantial Roman remains, significant Baroque and Renaissance buildings pepper the city centre. Today, Rome is not only a cultural centre, but also a commercial, financial and education hub that has successfully retained its traditional culture and regional cuisine.

 Places to Visit

Campidoglio - Capitoline Hill (The Capitol and the Vittoriano)

The Capitoline Hill was formerly the centre of the Roman Empire and is now home to one of Rome’s most elegant squares, Piazza del Campidoglio, which was designed during the 1550’s by Michelangelo for Pope Paul III. Surrounding the piazza are three palaces; the Palazzo Senatorio which is the home of the Municipality of Rome, and the Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo which hold the contents of the Capitoline Museums. These chart the history of Rome through artwork from the Roman period to more recent times.

The Vatican City

The Vatican city is a city-state covering only 44 hectares of central Rome and is the official home of the Pope and Catholic church. The Vatican Museums remain amongst the largest in the world, and are home to many works commissioned by the Vatican over the centuries and contain impressive examples by many of Italy’s most famous artists. Other attractions include the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms and a number of other museums which are popular with visitors.

Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina)

The Sistine Chapel is one of the most important buildings in the Vatican City. Michelangelo started painting the 933 metre squared ceiling in 1503 and it took four years to complete. It can be split into different sections; the first five describe the key events from the book of Genesis. The Last Judgement that can be found on the rear wall was painted twenty years later. Earlier paintings in the chapel pre-dating those of Michelangelo include works by Botticelli.

Pantheon

The Pantheon remains one of the best preserved buildings in Rome, and is an example of the exquisite architectural technique of ancient Rome. The building has evolved over time since its construction in 125AD and has been used both as a church and tomb subsequently, and is the final resting place of numerous important artists including Raphael.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum was built between 72 and 80 A.D by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty as a Gladiatorial arena. It was able to hold 70,000 spectators in each of the four sections, with the royal box situated prominently at one end from which the Roman Emperors were able to participate in the judging of Gladiator contests. It also housed a 35 metre high bronze statue of the Emperor Nero, and remains one of Rome’s most iconic buildings.

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is regarded as the most important archaeological area in Rome and extends from the Capitoline Hill to the Palatine, and from the entrance on the Via Salaria, the Forum is like a small town sheltered within the city. Built in the 6th century BC it was the political centre of Rome from which the city grew.

 Museums and Galleries

Galleria Borghese; offers a vast amount of paintings and sculptures from artists such as Canova, Bernini and Raphael, Caravaggio and Rubens, and was originally one of the largest Renaissance collections in the world.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte; is Rome’s foremost picture gallery, most famous for Raphael’s La Fornarina.

Musei Capitolini; these include two museums, which face one another across the Piazza del Campidoglio. These museums are renowned for their wealth of ancient sculptures mostly dating from the Roman period as well as Renaissance masterpieces by Titian, van Dyck and Rubens amongst others.

Museo Nazionale Romano; the Palazzo Massimo and Palazzo Altemps house a magnificent collection of Roman antiquities

Palazzo-Galleria Doria Pamphili; is one of Rome’s largest palaces with over 1,000 rooms, five courtyards and four monumental staircases. It is open to the public and includes four large galleries including the works of Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio

Villa Giulia (Museo Nazionale Etrusco); holds the world’s largest collection of Etruscan art and artifacts.