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CATACOMBS
Top Roman Sights
With so many world-class monuments, galleries and muse- Visit the creepy cata-
ums in Rome, it can be difficult to decide which to visit. To combs on Via Appia
help you, here’s our selection of must-see sights. The Colos- Antica to see where
seum is an obvious choice, as are the Vatican Museums – Rome’s pioneering
one of the world’s great museum complexes and home to the Christians buried their

Rome & L a zio R o m e

Sistine Chapel. Adjacent to the museums, St Peter’s Basilica dead. Hundreds of
is the most important church in the Catholic world and a thousands of tombs
treasure trove of Renaissance and baroque art. line the pitch-black
If you like baroque art, you’ll love the Museo e Galleria tunnels.
Borghese and Piazza Navona. Not far from the piazza, the
Pantheon is the best preserved of Rome’s ancient monu-
ments. For the city’s finest ancient art check out the Museo
Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme and the Best Viewpoints
Capitoline Museums on Piazza del Campidoglio. Nearby, ¨¨Il Vittoriano (p78)
ancient ruins lie littered across the atmospheric Palatino ¨¨Dome of St Peter’s
(Palatine Hill). Basilica (p105)
And, of course, to ensure that you return to Rome, be sure
¨¨Priorato dei Cavalieri di
to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.
Malta (p 98)
¨¨Gianicolo (p124)
DAY TRIPS FROM ROME
The surrounding Lazio region harbours some excep-
tional sights, most within easy day-trip distance of the Lazio’s Hidden
capital. Nearest of all are the beautifully preserved ruins Gems
of Ostia Antica, ancient Rome’s main port town. To
the east of Rome, and easily accessible by bus or car, ¨¨Monastero di San
Tivoli is home to Villa Adriana, the vast summer Benedetto (p160), Subiaco
residence of the emperor Hadrian, and Villa d’Este, ¨¨Palazzo Farnese (p158),
famed for its fabulous fountains. Slightly further afield, Caprarola
Lazio’s Etruscan treasures are quite special. The easi- ¨¨Museo Archeologico
est to get to are in Cerveteri, but push on up to Tar- Nazionale di Palestrina
quinia and you’ll be rewarded with some truly amazing (p159)
frescoed tombs. On Rome’s southern doorstep, the
¨¨Civita di Bagnoregio (p158)
charming town of Frascati is popular with day-tripping
Romans who come to take the hilltop air and taste the
local porchetta (herb-roasted pork) and white wine.
Resources
¨¨060608 (www.060608.
it) Rome’s official tourist
Outstanding Works of Art website.
¨¨Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are among ¨¨Coopculture (www.
the world’s most famous works of art. coopculture.it) Information
¨¨Raphael’s great masterpiece La Scuola di Atene (The and ticket booking for
School of Athens) hangs in the Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rome’s monuments.
Rooms) in the Vatican Museums. ¨¨Vatican Museums
¨¨Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculptures at the Museo e Galleria (http://mv.vatican.va)
Borghese show a genius at the top of his game. Book tickets and avoid the
¨¨Caravaggio’s St Matthew cycle in the Chiesa di San Luigi queues.
dei Francesi features his signature chiaroscuro (the bold ¨¨Auditorium (www.
contrast of light and dark) style. auditorium.com) Check
concert listings for the
Auditorium Parco della
Musica.