Rome/Colosseo

Via dei Fori Imperiali cuts through the centre of the Rome/Colosseo district, connecting Piazza Venezia with the Colosseum. It is well served by buses, although if you are into serious sightseeing you are likely to want to walk instead as the Roman Forum is on your right for most of the journey. After the Colosseum, the road becomes Via Labicana and takes you close to San Giovanni. Buses serving Via dei Fori Imperiali include No. 75, which connects Termini Station with Aventino- Testaccio and No. 85, which connects Piazza San Silvestro in the Modern Center (close to the Trevi Fountain) with San Giovanni. The metro station is two stops from Termini station in the direction of EUR. It will also be a stop for the new, and very much delayed, Line , and the Colosseum end of the Via dei Fori Imperiali is made unattractive by the construction site.

Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

• Colosseum

  phone: +39 06 700 4261
  address: Piazzale del Colosseo / Via dei Fori Imperiali
  Known properly as the Flavian Amphitheatre, this most famous of Roman landmarks takes its name from the giant statue of the emperor Nero that once stood near this location. The amphitheatre was capable of seating 50,000 spectators for animal fights and gladiatorial combats. It was a project started by the Emperor Vespasian in 72 and completed by his son Domitian sometime in the 80s. The Colosseum when completed measured 48 m high, 188 m in length, and 156 m in width. The wooden arena floor was 86 m by 54 m, and covered by sand.;
  Expect a long queue and an even longer wait. You can skip the queue if you decide to take a tour, but if you don't want a tour, you can STILL skip the queue. If you walk to the entrance for the Roman Forum, you can buy tickets there which allows you to bypass the queues. You can also buy tickets online. There are lots of people offering tours in English just outside the entrance to the Colosseum. Inside you can take a tour (English, Spanish, or German) every 30 minutes or so for an additional fee. The tours are given by knowledgeable archeologists, but they don't take you to any areas you couldn't visit on your own.

• Palatine Hill

  address: Via di San Gregorio 30
  Contains the ruins of several large villas that belonged to wealthy Roman families. You can buy a combined ticket for the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum here, avoiding the long lines at the Colosseum.

• The Roman Forum

  address: Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6
  If stones could talk: these hallowed ruins were the most powerful seat of government in the world. To stand in the political, legal and religious centre of the whole Roman Empire brings shivers down one's spine. It is the best way of imagining the splendour and glory of ancient Rome. Located in a small valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, access to the Forum is by foot only, from an entrance on the Via dei Fori Imperiali. Wheelchair access is available for most of the Forum but be aware that the path is often bumpy due to it containing original stones from the ancient Roman period. The Forum is much less crowded than the Colosseum and, from a historical perspective, much more interesting. You can hire an audioguide for €5.5 from a small booth just above the Arch of Titus near the Colosseum. These audioguides contain an audio jack so that two people can easily share one.

• Temple of Antoninus Pius and FaustinaBuilt in 141 AD and dedicated to the Empress Faustina; after her husband emperor Antoninus Pius died in 161 AD the temple was rededicated to the couple.

• Basilica AemiliaCompleted in 179 BC.

• the Curia (Senate House) - the 4th rebuilding of the meeting place for the Roman Senate, once converted into a church during the Middle Ages, but now restored since the 1930s
• the
• the - erected in 203
• the

• Temple of Divine Julius CaesarFinished in 29 BC, marks the spot of Caesar's spontaneous cremation and Mark Antony's funeral speech, made famous by Shakespeare in his play Julius Caesar ("Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears ...").

• the

• Arch of TitusBuilt in 81 AD by the emperor Domitianus in dedication to his brother Titus, who died earlier that year and reigned as emperor from 79-81, overseeing the opening of the Colosseum in 80 and the eruption of Mt Vesuvius the previous year.

• Tabularium

  address: Foro Romano
  The remains of the ancient Roman archives, where Cicero and Seneca did research. Visible from the Forum and accessible through the Capitoline Museum.

Tickets

When visiting the Colosseum in late spring, summer, or early fall, it is not unusual to see long lines at the entrance, where the admission fee is €12. The ticket is valid for two days and includes admission to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum.
It is possible to purchase an admission to the Palatine Hill (or the Roman Forum) for the same sum, which also provides direct access to the Colosseum via an automated entrance.
The ticket for the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill (one ticket for all three sites) can be ordered online from the official ticket office and printed at home. The ticket is valid for two days. Even with the printed tickets you do have to stand in the line for the Colosseum, since there is a security check first. This line goes quite fast and isn't nearly as long as the line for the ticket office. When you have passed the security check, you can walk right to the ticket barriers. People who bought the ticket at the Colosseum have a small (metro style) ticket with a magnetic band. Your printed tickets won't fit in the machine. Therefore, make sure you use a barrier with a member of staff attending to it, they can scan your ticket with a hand scanner and let you pass. If no staff member is at the ticket barriers, go the reservations office at the right, near the barrier.
If you already have a ticket (from the Colosseum or Roman Forum or printed at home) and want to visit the Palatine Hill, make sure you don't stand in line at the entrance at Via di San Gregorio. The entrance near the Arch of Titus is closed. The line at the entrance is for people without a ticket. If you have a ticket, enter the entrance building at the right side of the line. People with small tickets issued at the Colosseum can use the automated ticket barrier at the right side in the building, people who have home printed tickets should use the entrance on the left in the building, right after the ticket office. There is a member of staff with a hand scanner who can scan your ticket.

Guided tours

Near the Arch of Titus at the entrance to the Roman Forum, you might be approached by young, native-English speakers (often students) offering you free guided tours of the Forum. This is not a scam and is done as a way for tour companies to promote their other tours (i.e. at the end of the free tour, the guide hands out a brochure telling you about other tours around town that do cost). Even if you're not interested in the other tours, take the free one and you'll learn a lot about the most important archaeological site in the city. Another option is to prebook an official guided tour.

Other landmarks

• Arch of ConstantineLocated a short walk west of the Colosseum, this well-preserved monumental arch was erected (soon after 315) to commemorate the victory of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. In general design, the Arch of Constantine imitates the century-earlier Arch of Septimius Severus (nearby in the Forum). The three arches are decorated utilizing mainly materials plundered from other imperial monuments by Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The quality of its sculptural decoration, however, betrays the slow degradation that Classical Roman sculpture had experienced in the 3rd century AD.

• Piazza del CampidoglioOn top of the Capitoline hill. The piazza was designed by Michelangelo. The Capitoline Museum is housed in the palaces flanking the piazza. You can walk behind the Palazzo Senatorio, where Rome's government meets, to a wonderful viewpoint which overlooks the entire Roman Forum. In the centre of the square you can admire an exact copy of the Statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback; the original is kept in one of the two museums, to preserve it from pollution.

• Piazza VeneziaMore of an enormous traffic circle than a piazza, but a good central location. The centerpiece is the enormous Vittorio Emanuele Monument (aka the Wedding Cake or the Typewriter) with the Capitoline hill next door. Mussolini used to harangue Romans from the first floor balcony of Palazzo Venezia (see under Museums), to the west of the square.

• Vittorio Emanuele MonumentBuilt in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, this vast structure may appear to be solid white marble but actually contains many rooms inside. There are two permanent museums, one on Italian Reunification and one on emigration from Italy, as well as other spaces that host rotating exhibitions. A walk through the Flag Room leads to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Good views from half-way up but you can also pay €10 (€2 concessions) and take a lift all the way to the top.

• Colle OppioThis is the attractive park on the hillside directly west of the Colosseum. Visible ruins in the area come from the Baths of Trajan. These baths were built on the top of the ruins of Domus Aurea - the Golden House of Nero (the Colosseum was built on the drained site of Nero's lake). The area underneath the park contains an enormous area from Nero's villa. It was restored at great expense in the 1980s and 1990s, opened to the public, and then closed again after a few years when it began to leak!

• Trajan's Markets

  address: Via IV Novembre 94
  On the other side of the Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Roman Forum. Well-preserved market area that doubled as a way of stopping the Quirinal Hill from collapsing. Below in the Forum is Trajan's Column, built in 113 with reliefs depicting the Emperor Trajan's vistories in battle.

• Mamertine PrisonRomans and leaders of Rome's defeated enemies were imprisoned here where they either died of starvation or strangulation. According to legend, St. Peter was also imprisoned here.

• Theatre of MarcellusUnusual ancient Roman theatre with apartments built on top.

Churches

• San Clemente

  phone: +39 06 70 45 10 18
  address: Via Labicana 95, walk round church for entrance
  A great little cathedral to visit, lovingly looked after by Irish Dominicans. There is an excavated older church below the medieval church you enter and a Mithraeum (temple to Mithras, whose cult was very popular with Roman soldiers from the 1st to 4th century AD) below that. The only place in Rome to hear the underground river that flows beneath the city.

• Santo Stefano Rotondo

  address: Via di Santo Stefano Rotondo 7
  Unusual and fascinating round church dedicated to St. Stephen. It is the national church of Hungary in Rome. Dating from the 5th Century this is believed to be the largest round church in the world. Charles Dickens described its wall paintings of martyrdom and butchery as "hideous". A good starting point to visit the attractions of the Celio Hill (see Rome/Aventino-Testaccio).

• San Pietro in Vincoli

  phone: +39 06 48 82 865
  address: Piazza San Pietro in Vincoli, 4A
  The chains that allegedly held St. Peter are displayed in a case before the altar. More importantly, contains the impressive statue of Moses by Michelangelo. It's close to the Colosseum, but a little hard to find. Take the steps opposite the Colosseum on Via dei Fori Imperiali, cross the road at the top and seek directions. Also reachable through steps to the right leading off Via Cavour.

• Santa Maria in Aracoeli

  address: Piazza del Campidoglio 4
  Ballroom-like church which crowns part of the Capitoline Hill. Don't be fooled by the plain stone exterior.

• Chiesa del Gesù

  phone: +39 06 69 70 01
  address: Via degli Astalli, 16
  This is one of the two main Jesuit churches in Rome, the other being the nearby Sant'Ignazio. The interior is Baroque art on steroids. Simply astounding.

• San Nicola in CarcereChurch built on the site of three Roman pagan temples, which can be explored underground for a small fee paid at a desk near the church entrance.

Museums and galleries

• Musei Capitolini

  phone: +39 06-6710-2071
  address: Piazza del Campidoglio
  Admission to both museums €6. The two museums are on opposite sides of the Piazza del Campidoglio, It is recommended to book tickets online

• Museo CapitolinoBuilt in the 17th century to a design based on an architectural sketch by Michelangelo. Highlights include the ancient Colossus of Constantine statue (the Colosseum was probably named for another giant statue, the Colossus of Nero which stood near the Flavian Amphitheatre as the Colosseum was originally known), The Dying Gaul, a magnificent marble sculpture that copies a bronze Greek original of the 3rd century BC and the Capitoline Venus. It also contains the remarkable original gilt bronze equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius (the one in the piazza is a replica).

• Palazzo dei ConservatoriAlso based on a Michelangelo architectural plan, this compact gallery is well endowed in classical sculpture and paintings. Highlights include the small 1st-century-BC bronze Lo Spinario, a Greek statue of a little boy picking a thorn from his foot; the Lupa Capitolina (Capitoline Wolf), a rare Etruscan bronze statue probably dating from the 5th century BC; and (in the entrance courtyard), the massive head, hands, foot and kneecap from a colossal statue of Constantine the Great. The palace also contains a Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery) with paintings mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries - highlights include: Caravaggio's Fortune-Teller and his curious John the Baptist; The Holy Family, by Dosso Dossi; Romulus and Remus, by Rubens; and Titian's Baptism of Christ.

National Museum of the Palazzo di Venezia

phone: +39 06 6780131

address: V. del Plebiscito, 118

In the very heart of the city center, the building was for centuries ago the seat of the Venice embassy. Today it houses a museum and art galleries.

• Archeo Art

  address: Via del Teatro di Marcello
  This shop sells beautiful reproductions of ancient sculptures; not the tacky kitsch sold by many of the street vendors, but museum quality miniatures that look incredibly close to the real things. Not cheap, but definitely unique and classy souvenirs. Also stocks reproductions of ancient Roman arms and armour, including full centurion outfits!

Many places in this area are aimed at tourists and as a result don't have to offer high-quality food to do well.

• Pizza ForumThe best lunch spot near the Colosseum, if you like pizza. You will get huge, delicious woodfire oven pizzas starting at about €5 each.

• Il Gelatone

  address: Via dei Serpenti 28
  Ice cream.

• La Dolce Vita

  address: Via Cavour 306
  Ice cream.

• Shamrock

  address: Via del Colosseo 1/c
  If touring the ancient sites of Rome is wearing you out and you're dying for an afternoon beer, head to this quiet Irish pub in a little laneway just off the right side of bottom of Via Cavour, which is a busy street that is more or less parallel to the Via dei Fori Imperiali, Mussolini's thoroughfare that links Piazza Venezia with the Colosseum.

• Cafè Cafè

  phone: +39 06 7008743
  address: Via dei Santi Quattro 44
  Cozy and quite cheap, this tea room is very close to the Colosseo, and it's ideal to have nice meeting with friends or a more intimate date. Very good sweets and tea, the choice is also good. Open all day and after dinner..

• Enoteca Cavour

  address: Via Cavour 313
  Great wine bar with a selection of wines by the glass and hundreds of bottles to choose from. Wooden decor, paper tablecloths and wines stored overhead. Good food too.

Budget

• Hotel Adas

  phone: +39 06 4741432
  address: Via Cavour 233
  This 2-star hotel has single, double, triple and quadruple rooms with private bath.

• Hotel Ivanhoe

  phone: +39 06 486813
  address: Via De' Ciancaleoni, 49 (Via Urbana 50)
  Cozy 2-star hotel offering 24 rooms – single, double and triple - hidden in a little side street above the Roman Forums and next the Colosseum.

• Hotel Labelle

  phone: +39 06 6794750
  address: Via Cavour, 310
  A family-run 2-star hotel at the bottom of Via Cavour, close to the Forum.

• Sandy Hostel

  phone: +39 06 4884585
  address: Via Cavour, 136
  Inexpensive, friendly and clean, half-way between Termini and the Forum.

• Sunset Roma Guest House Rome

  phone: +39 06 479933
  address: Via dei Serpenti 97
  Cosy guesthouse with the following bedrooms: dus, twin, double, triple, suite and a large apartment of 55 square metres with one bedroom, a living room with a sofa bed and a kitchen. All the accommodations include satellite TV, internet wi-fi and private bathroom. The breakfast is included.

• YWCA Foyer

  phone: +39 06 4880460
  address: Via C. Balbo 4
  Youth hostel is four blocks from Termini on the Via C. Balbo. Rooms are spotless, bathrooms are extremely clean, and towels and linens are changed once a day. Internet for €1 per hour. Fridge on every floor. Continental breakfast included in room rate.

Mid-range

• Hotel Raffaello

  phone: +39 064884342
  address: Via Urbana, 3/5
  3-star hotel with different types of rooms. Breakfast buffet, pillow menu and late check-out on request.

• Angelus B&B Rome

  phone: +39 06 4821196
  address: Via del Boschetto 13
  A small and cosy bed and breakfast with five bedrooms divided in single, twin and triple. All with private bath, shower, internet, TV and telephone. Breakfast included.

• Antica Residenza Monti

  phone: +39 06 4815736
  address: Via dei Serpenti 15
  Short let apartments are available in this guest house in Monti district. It's possible to choose between an apartment with two rooms, and a studio apartment with one room, both are self catering with kitchens.

• Hotel Lancelot

  address: Via Capo D'Africa 47
  Cosy hotel in an interesting area. For a three-day stay or more half-board is offered.

• Hotel Richmond

  phone: +39 06 69941256
  address: Largo Corrado Ricci 36
  A 3-star hotel with single, double, triple, quadruple rooms, and suites.

Splurge

• Hotel Forum

  address: Via Tor de' Conti, 25-30
  Grossly overpriced hotel close to the Forum. But it does have a roof garden restaurant with great views!

• Torre Colonna Guest House

  phone: +39 06 62289543
  address: Via delle Tre Cannelle 18
  The Torre Colonna is a guesthouse hosted in a medieval tower, 100 meters away from Piazza Venezia. The five bedrooms with private bath are divided in double, twin, triple and family.