Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In a city of extraordinary beauty, Rome's ancient heart stands out. It's here that you'll find
the great icons of Rome's past: the Colosseum, the Palatino, the forums and Campidoglio
(Capitoline Hill). Touristy by day, it's quiet at night with few after-hours attractions.
The tangled historic centre is the Rome that many come to see - a heady warren of
cobbled alleyways, animated piazzas, Renaissance
palazzi
(mansions), cafes, restaurants
and stylish bars. The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are the star turns, but you'll also find a
host of monuments, museums and art-laden churches.
Counting the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps among its headline sights, this area is
glamorous, debonair and touristy. The streets around Piazza di Spagna ooze money with
their designer boutiques, fashionable bars and swish hotels; the Trevi Fountain area
swarms with overpriced eateries and brassy souvenir shops; and the hilltop Quirinale ex-
udes sober authority.
Over the river from the historic centre, the Vatican is home to two of Rome's top attrac-
tions - St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (where you'll find the Sistine Chapel)
- as well as hundreds of overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops. Nearby, the upmarket
residential district of Prati offers excellent accommodation, eating and shopping.
Centred on transport hub Stazione Termini, this is a large and cosmopolitan district. Hid-
den behind its busy roads you'll find some amazing churches, one of Rome's best mu-
seums (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme), and any number of cool bars and restaurants,
mostly in the Monti, San Lorenzo and Pigneto districts.
