Rome Places

Rome Places


Ancient Rome
If you ever wanted to feel like the Caesars—with all of ancient Rome (literally) at your feet—simply head to Michelangelo's famed Piazza del Campidoglio. There, make a beeline for the terrace flanking the side of the center building, the Palazzo Senatorio, Rome's ceremonial city hall. From this balcony atop the Capitoline Hill you can take in a panorama that seems like a remnant of some forgotten Cecil B. DeMille movie spectacular.

Repubblica and Quirinale
Just west of Rome's modern Termini train station, this area offers an extraordinary Roman blend of old and new. Although ancient artworks, great Bernini sculptures, and baroque landmarks lure the traveler, this was, for the most part, the "new" Rome of the 19th century—the area owes its broad avenues and dignified palazzi to the city's transformation after 1870, when it became the capital of a newly unified Italy. Toward Via Veneto, the influx of ministries set off a frenzied building boom and distinguished turn-of-the-20th-century architecture became the neighborhood's hallmark. As a gateway, Piazza della Repubblica was laid out to serve as a monumental foyer between the rail station and the rest of the city. And as this square proves, time in Rome comes layered like nowhere else on earth.


The Vatican
Climbing the steps to St. Peter's Basilica feels monumental, like a journey that has reached its climactic end. Harlequin-costumed Swiss Guards stand at attention, curly spears at their sides, dreaming fiercely of their God and His country as you pass through the gates. Suddenly, all is cool, and dark, and you are dwarfed by a gargantuan hall and its magnificence.


Villa Borghese and Piazza del Popolo
If beautiful masterpieces are as common as bricks in Rome, parks are far rarer. Happily, although you'll find few ilex and poplars dotting piazzi and streets, a verdant hoard can be found to the north of central Rome's cobblestoned chaos. Here breathes the city's giant green lung: the Villa Borghese park, where residents love to escape for some serious R&R. But don't think you can completely prevent gallery gout: Three of Rome's most important museums are inside the park, and Piazza del Popolo (which has some art-crammed churches) is close by.