31 of the best · Rome, Italy
Bernini and Caravaggio at the Galleria Borghese, the princely galleries, Raphael at the Farnesina, the MAXXI, opera at the Baths of Caracalla, Santa Cecilia and Cinecittà.
Our 31 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Rome.
Bernini and Caravaggio
Bernini’s sculptures and Caravaggio’s paintings in the Borghese family’s villa.
Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5, 00197 RomaExplore View on map
A family collection
A princely family’s palazzo and picture gallery on the Via del Corso, with its Hall of Mirrors.
Opera, ballet and Caracalla
Rome’s opera house, with its summer season among the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla.
The newest official trailers and upcoming films, updated automatically as they are released. In Rome, look for “versione originale” screenings to see films in their original language.
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In-depth stories behind the list.
The back story
Caravaggio in the churches, Bernini in the Galleria Borghese, Raphael at the Farnesina, Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI and the opera at the Baths of Caracalla.
Visual arts
Great collections.
Hadrian’s mausoleum
Hadrian’s mausoleum, turned papal fortress, with a terrace over the Tiber and St Peter’s.
Statues among the turbines
Ancient sculpture from the Capitoline collections, shown among the machines of Rome’s first power station.
The Great Synagogue
The museum of Rome’s Jewish community, beside the Great Synagogue.
Augustus’s altar of peace
The Altar of Augustan Peace in Richard Meier’s glass pavilion by the Tiber.
The city’s own museum
The museum of the city of Rome, in Palazzo Braschi on the Piazza Navona.
The oldest public museum
Michelangelo’s piazza on the Capitoline Hill and the museums around it, with the bronze of Marcus Aurelius.
Michelangelo’s ceiling
The popes’ collections, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.
Bernini and Caravaggio, the princely collections and the modern city.
Bramante’s cloister
Exhibitions in Bramante’s Renaissance cloister, behind the Piazza Navona.
Via Arco della Pace 5, 00186 RomaExplore View on map
Bernini and Caravaggio
Bernini’s sculptures and Caravaggio’s paintings in the Borghese family’s villa.
Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5, 00197 RomaExplore View on map
The Great Hall
The Colonna family’s gilded Great Hall and picture gallery, open on selected days.
Piazza SS. Apostoli 66, 00187 RomaExplore View on map
A family collection
A princely family’s palazzo and picture gallery on the Via del Corso, with its Hall of Mirrors.
Modern and contemporary art
The national gallery of modern and contemporary art, on the edge of the Villa Borghese.
Zaha Hadid’s museum
The national museum of 21st-century arts, in Zaha Hadid’s building in Flaminio.
Raphael and Caravaggio
The Gallerie Nazionali in Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria Corsini in Trastevere.
Raphael’s frescoes
Agostino Chigi’s Renaissance villa in Trastevere, with Raphael’s Loggia of Cupid and Psyche.
Great buildings, old and new.
Bernini’s fountain
The Baroque square on the outline of Domitian’s stadium, with Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers.
Michelangelo’s dome
The basilica of St Peter, with Michelangelo’s Pietà and the climb to the dome.
Parco archeologico del Colosseo
The great amphitheatre of ancient Rome, ticketed with the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
The great dome
The best-preserved building of ancient Rome, its dome open to the sky at the oculus; still a church.
Ticketed since February 2026
Rome’s most famous fountain; since February 2026 visitors pay €2 to step down to the basin.
Performing arts
Santa Cecilia and Renzo Piano’s Auditorium.
Rome’s orchestra
The orchestra and chorus of Santa Cecilia, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica.
Renzo Piano’s halls
Renzo Piano’s three concert halls in Flaminio, named for Ennio Morricone.
Viale Pietro de Coubertin 30, 00196 RomaExplore View on map
Plays, musicals and the playhouses.
Teatro di Roma
The historic theatre on the Largo Argentina, home of the Teatro di Roma.
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and in summer the Baths of Caracalla.
Opera, ballet and Caracalla
Rome’s opera house, with its summer season among the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla.
Cinecittà, the Casa del Cinema and new releases; see also our page Rome on film.
In the park
The city’s house of cinema in the Villa Borghese, with screenings and exhibitions.
Largo Marcello Mastroianni 1, 00197 RomaExplore View on map
Folk & cultural traditions
Traditional crafts and the people who keep them.
In a sculptors’ studio
A café and restaurant among the plaster casts of the studio of Antonio Canova and his pupil Adamo Tadolini.
Florence’s old pharmacy
The Florentine apothecary’s perfumes, soaps and colognes, at its Rome shop.
The cultural calendar.
Each autumn
The city’s film festival, held each autumn by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma.
