The back story 1
In-depth stories behind the list.
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The back story
The Eternal City: the back story
Ancient Rome, the Rome of the popes and the Baroque city of Bernini and Borromini, layered one on another: how to read the city in three walks.
13 of the best · Rome, Italy
The Best Things to See and Do in Rome
The Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine, the Pantheon, St Peter’s and the Vatican Museums, the Trevi Fountain, the Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo and the Appian Way.
Our 13 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
What's onThis week in Rome
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Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Rome.
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Parco archeologico del Colosseo
The Colosseum
The great amphitheatre of ancient Rome, ticketed with the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
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Michelangelo’s ceiling
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
The popes’ collections, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.
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The great dome
The Pantheon
The best-preserved building of ancient Rome, its dome open to the sky at the oculus; still a church.
The full list: Sights, A–Z
Show 12 of 13 places on a map
Neighbourhood
Ancient Rome 5
The great monuments.
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Regina Viarum
The Appian Way and the Baths of Caracalla
The ancient road south from Rome, with its tombs and catacombs, and the vast Baths of Caracalla.
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The oldest public museum
The Capitoline Museums
Michelangelo’s piazza on the Capitoline Hill and the museums around it, with the bronze of Marcus Aurelius.
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Parco archeologico del Colosseo
The Colosseum
The great amphitheatre of ancient Rome, ticketed with the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
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The great dome
The Pantheon
The best-preserved building of ancient Rome, its dome open to the sky at the oculus; still a church.
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The heart of ancient Rome
The Roman Forum and the Palatine
The ruins of the Forum, the temples and basilicas of the ancient city, and the Palatine Hill above them.
The Vatican 2
St Peter’s and the Museums.
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Michelangelo’s dome
St Peter’s Basilica
The basilica of St Peter, with Michelangelo’s Pietà and the climb to the dome.
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Michelangelo’s ceiling
The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
The popes’ collections, the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel.
Baroque Rome 3
Fountains, steps and piazzas.
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Bernini’s fountain
Piazza Navona
The Baroque square on the outline of Domitian’s stadium, with Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers.
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Trinità dei Monti
The Spanish Steps
The great stairway from the Piazza di Spagna up to the church of Trinità dei Monti.
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Ticketed since February 2026
The Trevi Fountain
Rome’s most famous fountain; since February 2026 visitors pay €2 to step down to the basin.
Papal Rome 2
Fortress and basilicas.
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Hadrian’s mausoleum
Castel Sant’Angelo
Hadrian’s mausoleum, turned papal fortress, with a terrace over the Tiber and St Peter’s.
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A papal basilica
San Paolo fuori le Mura
The papal basilica on the Via Ostiense, over the tomb of St Paul.
