Wow I love the Campo de Fiori. The name means the field of flowers, because it used to be a field…read moreof flowers and vegetable gardens here before it became this square. Unfortunately from the 16th to 19th century this place became a public execution site. Yikes. The most famous execution was Giordano Bruno in 1600, in which there is now a statue in his honor for freedom of thought. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Pass forward to present day. This area is lively with the open air markets where you can find vendors selling produce, flowers, spices, cheese, and artisanal goods. My boyfriend and I came here to explore the live market and also to look for souvenirs to bring home. The vendors here are really aggressive and I would have enjoyed it more if they gave me space to look instead of hound me to buy buy buy. Like chill dude can I look at what I'm buying. Sigh. We were here til closing time and even get to see how the vendors efficiently and quickly packed up their stalls and belongings to wrap up for the day. And of course... a great area to enjoy some gelato.

We're at Campo de' Fiori, Rome's oldest market and possibly the most enthusiastic display of…read moretourist traps per square meter. Once a site for public executions (Bruno's brooding statue still watches over), it now specializes in overpriced pasta and garlic braids. It's more performance art than produce. Vendors heckle, truffle oil flows freely, and yes, someone will try to sell you limoncello in a boot. I walked through as part of a food tour, which felt like the right way to enjoy the chaos, briefly, and with snacks elsewhere. Not the best market in Rome, but definitely the most theatrical.

Honestly, save your time and your one euro coin. The church…read moreitself is beautiful, but the entire experience has been completely ruined by social media hype. We waited in line for a literal hour just to reach the famous "selfie mirror" to get a photo with the ceiling fresco. When you finally get to the front, you have to pay 1 euro, and you're rushed through it so fast you can barely even check if the photo turned out.

To think, I almost avoided visiting this STUNNING 17th-century church - Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di…read moreLoyola, when visiting Rome, Italy (09/25/2025 - 10/01/2025) because it is Tik-Tok and IG "famous" for being the "mirrored church" to take an iconic selfie... yes, you read that correctly..iconic selfie. I was for sure it was going to be crowded w/ social media influencers and I was correct..it was crowded but don't let that deter you from seeing this historical beauty! Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di Loyola is known as the "mirrored church" because it has a mirror strategically placed to see the beautiful painted ceiling fresco. (see pics & videos included in this review from my visit on Tuesday 09/30/2025 - at 10:56am) It also has a painted illusion of having a real soaring dome on a flat ceiling - very cool for sure and does make you look twice just to confirm it's indeed an illusion! Here are a few helpful fyi(s) that I wanted to pass along: --- - long line for the mirror right as you enter the church - if there is a line of people waiting for the mirror, you don't have to wait in that line if you don't want to take a selfie w/ the mirror and are only wanting to see the church...as someone else mentioned in a previous review, you can get creative w/ taking a selfie w/ the beautiful ceiling. My hubby & I took our selfie pic while we were sitting in the pew and used a timer on our phone (see pic included). ---- visit early to avoid the crowds & to fully enjoy your experience at this church Avoid the crowds so you can really take in how detailed and beautiful the architecture and paintings are. Trust me, you'll enjoy your experience so much more w/ less people. ---- it's free to visit but do bring some money w/ you to give as an offering --- just a reminder to be respectful when visiting because it is a holy place Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di Loyola truly is something special and of the MANY Rome basilica's I've explored during my 2 visits to Rome, it is now my FAVORITE basilica thus far. Hope this info helps. :)) Rebecca visiting Rome, Italy from Austin, Texas (USA) 09/25/2025 - 10/01/2025

Super touristy, but also a wonderful place to sit in a cafe with an Aperol Spritz and watch the…read moreworld go by. The waiters don't seem to mind how long you sit there and don't push you to order food. They probably get paid the same no matter what you order, unlike the U.S.

One of Rome's famous plaza's to visit and explore. Beautiful fountains and architecture. Plenty of…read morerestaurants around the edge. While we didn't dine at any of them, it sounds like a wonderful place to grab a drink and people watch. Worth a stop.

When we were in Vatican City in the afternoon, we skipped the plaza. We came back in the early…read moreevening and it was much less crowded. The square is directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Both are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus whom Catholics consider the first Pope. There is an obelisk in the center and 284 columns that create the elliptical shape of the square.

This is the area around the Vatican…read more It's gorgeous! I absolutely love the fountains and statues in this area. So much amazing architecture. When you step into this piazza, I feel like you get a sense of the Holy Spirit. I mean, how can you not when you are so close to the Vatican? There's a peaceful atmosphere here.

Cool Piazza at the Northern City Wall and also a gateway to Villa Borghese. This piazza has an…read moreobelisk, two churches, two fountains and also restaurants. There is a huge shopping area with parallel streets of shops, one that goes to Piazza di Spagna, at the base of the Spanish Steps. Five Stars!

I came I saw and I conquered. Wow, what a great place is this blessed City. You could spend hours…read morein this area. Great restaurants and shopping too.

While visiting Roma , this was one of our stops. No time to…read morevisit inside since our time was limited as our stop in Roma was during our Mediterranean cruise. Beautiful structure on the outside so grand, it's nice to see one of these days maybe next time we will be able to go inside.

Buy a ticket online before you come, since we went by several times and there was always a long…read moreline. If you already have your online ticket, there was a very short line to the left to get inside. The Pantheon was built originally as a Roman temple and later changed into a church in the 7th century, so it is one of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome. The Oculus, circular opening at the top of the dome lets in light and rain. The ceiling above is a work of art. Statues and art around the perimeter also delight the eyes. You can even pray at the pews in front of the altar. Inside, tombs of Raphael, Victor Emmanuel II, and Umberto I and others. Next to the Sistine Chapel, this was one of the most crowded places we visited.

There is no cost for walking around the premises of the Castel Sant'Angelo. It does take some time…read moreto walk around the entire building. There are lots of people that visit this landmark; however, it is not overly crowded. The atmosphere is chill, people are just walking around and taking pictures. The landmark is best for people wanting to see the sites of Rome, love history, and architecture. Overall it is a great experience in Rome. You do need to be cautious of people who are trying to engage you in conversation and give you a bracelet, They will start out by saying nice shoes or commenting on your skin color. My husband was a mark throughout all the cities in Rome. Unfortunately, we did engage in a conversation with the person and ultimately got robbed - yes robbed of 30 euros. The man literally grabbed the money out of my hand and began to run away.

Castel Sant' Angelo along the Tiber River, is one of Rome's most captivating landmarks. The…read morestructure is huge and daunting. It was originally built as Emperor Hadrian's mausoleum nearly 2,000 years ago, the castle later became a fortress, a papal refuge, a prison, and eventually a museum.. What makes Castel Sant'Angelo especially memorable is the atmosphere. The thick stone walls, hidden passageways, and spiral ramps. The angel statue atop the castle gives the entire site a dramatic, almost theatrical presence.

So sad the Piazza Venezia and its' surrounding area was under construction during the time of our…read morevisit. This is one of the most iconic and central squares in Rome, and I can even see some of its' elegance peeking out from behind the construction area.

A must stop if you're looking for free things to do. There are options to pay like they have a…read moremuseum and some other stuff otherwise you could totally walk through the piazza completely free. Many picture areas and has bathrooms, though it was crowded.

Any student of history will appreciate the Roman forum which was the center for the majority of all…read morethe official and major activities that incurred in ancient Rome to include speeches, debate, gladiator fights in some instances, and even the return of victorious armies and new Caesars that you see in so many movies. When I saw the ruins and what was left of the forum I had assumed that this magnificent epicenter of old Rome had been ransacked and destroyed when the Roman empire fell. In fact and unfortunately, it's slowly fell into disrepair and ruins the direct result of lack of maintenance and care by the Roman people and government over time. In addition to the remaining structural ruins and statues that currently reside here you will find placards scattered about these ruins that explain the history of the forum and what each significant ruin stood for and was used for. Very educational and not to be missed as this clearly was one of the most significant ancient centers of the old world.

So much history here. It was hard for me to imagine what once was an empire to be neglected into…read moreruins but that is what happens when empires fall and there is no money for maintenance. People pillaged and plundered these buidings and repurposed the material to build other things elsewhere. This is located right next to the colosseum and you can get a combined admission ticket to see both. FYI that there are metal detectors and scanners at the security checkpoint. I got a lot of steps in that day! Many of the paths here to not connect so need to double-back much of the time. Five stars!

My son, nephew and I stumbled upon this fantastic building on our last day visiting Rome. We were…read morewandering around after making an attempt to visit The Vatican Museums with no luck, the lines were literally around the block. We were on our way to The Pantheon. This place is awesome, not so much from the outside, yet once you enter..... it's absolutely gorgeous. I googled some information about it, to follow. "Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It is the principal church of the Oratorians, a religious congregation of secular priests, founded by St Philip Neri in 1561 at a time in the 16th century when the Counter Reformation saw the emergence of a number of new religious organisations such as the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the Theatines and the Barnabites. Adjacent to the church is the Casa dei Filippini or the House of the Oratorians. There is a marked contrast between the pale travertine facade of the church and the brick built facade of the Casa. The Casa includes the Oratory designed by the Baroque architect, Francesco Borromini." Reference wikipedia It's located about .5Km from the Pantheon, and easily accessible via bus.