It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is the largest standing amphitheatre in the…read moreworld. You don't have to buy tickets to go in and see it, but it is spectacular.

Right by the Colloseum is the equally amazing Arch of Constantine. This also quite a lovely site to…read moresee. Being the largest triumphal arch in Rome; it is a must stop.I'm definitely amazed that this was constructed in 315AD. Still standing sturdy and beautiful; it is just one of the many must stops when in Rome. There is no entrance fee this making it the perfect stop. There can be quite a crowd but if you time it right; you will be able to get a picture where there's not too many people. I enjoyed a quick stop here and definitely recommend making a stop here! The arch itself is a great example of Roman Imperial art and architecture.

This is one of the Major Papal Basilicas in Rome, located a bit farther from the city center…read more English name is The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Accessible via train and Taxi or bus. The train is located about a few minutes walk behind the church. We were able to visit this Basilica 3x. For the Jubilee Year 2025, 2x. This Basilica is very huge and has paintings of all the Popes and the apostles. A must see Basilica! It also houses St. Paul the apostle's tomb where his remains lie. It also has the Holy Chains - in a reliquary, which bound St. Paul. On our 2nd visit to Rome, it was still covid time and this I consider by far probably the less crowded of the Basilicas. They have a museum which you give a donation of 1euro to explore. I also find their gift shop the biggest and have the most choices of religious souvenirs. Their cafe is also loaded with gelato and variety of snack items. Definitely a must see when in Rome. January 2026

The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Italian: Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is…read moredefinitely a must-see if ever in Rome because this basilica is special for so many reasons! My hubby and I visited during our 1st trip to Rome (on September 30, 2023) while celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (yep, love was in the air! ;) I came across this basilica when researching attractions located near/around the Airbnb that we were staying at in the Ostiense neighborhood and after reading about it, I just had to add it to our Rome itinerary. See the many pics and videos included w/ this review from our visit on 09/30/2023 -- just know that despite my best efforts, they don't fully capture just how beautiful and impressive this basilica is in person. And these pics & videos definitely couldn't capture what I felt when I 1st walked inside and saw the beautiful, gold ceiling that looked like it was glowing! (Brief History) This basilica was built above the tomb of St. Paul in Rome and is one of the 4 major basilicas of Rome. It was consecrated AD 4th century. It's also the 2nd largest church in the Italian capital after St. Peter's. Located inside is the sarcophagus of St. Paul. (Special-ness Specs) -- Gallery of The Popes -- (see the pics & videos included w/ this review) Inside the basilica there are 5 rooms w/ the central one having 80 granite and marble columns and there you will see the portraits of every past pope since St. Peter -- 266 total (awesome display) -- Doors at St. Peter's -- (see pics & videos) 1. The Holy Door - one of the four holy doors is located here, holy doors are only opened every 25 yrs during Jubilee (2025 is the next Jubilee in Rome) 2. The Byzantine Door--the door dates back to the 11th century has 54 panels 3. Outdoor courtyard w/ the beautiful St. Paul monument (Additional helpful info) -- Free to visit but bring some cash so you can leave an offering -- There is a dress code - no knees, stomach, or shoulders can be shown. During our visit there were plastic, disposable shawls at the front door once you entered into the basilica that visitors were asked to use if they were wearing shorts that had their knees showing or if they had on a sleeveless top on. -- not as crowded/busy as St. Peter's basilica so you're able to take your time during your visit Rome has so many beautiful and historic basilica's and during our time in Rome, we did get to experience so many of them and yes, while each of them were special in their own way, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls was my favorite and I'm so very grateful that I was able to experience such historic beauty. Till next time, Rebecca visiting from Austin, Texas (United States) on 09/30/2023

The Pyramid of Cestius was an odd sight when I first saw it from the Ostiense railway station in…read moreRome. Sitting among apartment houses that ring the Piazzale dei Partigiani, it looked like it was built to advertise the Piramide stop on the Metro B line. But its history is more interesting. Just outside Porta San Paolo on the Aurelian Wall, the Pyramid dates from around 15 BC, built during a period entralled with everything Egyptian. It is the last remaining pyramid standing in Rome. Visiting the Pyramid today is like stepping into 1st century BC Rome.

We didn't expect to see a pyramid in Rome! We only appreciated it from the outside as part of our…read morevespa tour. Looks to be in great restored condition.

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.

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.

A lil bit of a wait to use the mirror but well worth. The line goes pretty fast as along as you…read moredon't have millennials taking picture after pictures. Just walk up , have some common courtesy and take your pic so the line can keep moving quickly

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.

Another cool piazza featuring an obelisk, a church, a fountain, outdoor shopping kiosks, indoor…read moreshops and restaurants featuring gelato, coffee and wine. This was my favorite of the piazzas that I visited. This area is walkable from the Pantheon.

Here's one more plaza to walk around & take in the site, very big statues on display, nice…read morefountain. The area is surrounded by restaurant & shops, gives you something to do either before or after you spend some time walking around & checking out the sites, it's a nice walk.

Should have posted previously…read more.. A darling neighborhood to stroll and should be added to any Tiberina itinerary since it's so close. Wonderful history to explore.

Jews have lived in Rome for over two thousand years. Their presence in Rome predates Christianity…read more It is probably the oldest continuous Jewish community outside of the Israel and the Middle East. Written records trace the Jewish community as early as 161 BC when Judah Maccabee sent envoys to Rome. For hundreds of years, Jewish families coexisted with their neighbors. They worked as bakers, butchers, physicians, money lenders and craftsmen. As the friction between the papacy and the Jewish community in the 1500s escalated, walled off Jewish ghettos were created following the model in Venice. The Roman Ghetto was established as a result of Papal bull Cum nimis absurdum mandated by Pope Paul IV on 14 July 1555. The bull required that the 2,000 Jews who lived in Rome at the time to live in the ghetto, which was not only walled off, but the gates were also locked from the outside at night to keep them in. The Jewish community was also forced to pay 300 Roman scudi for the construction of the wall and gate. The location was prone to flooding and quite undesirable. By the late 1580s, roughly 3,500 inhabitants were living in inhuman conditions. During the plague of 1656, 800 of the ghetto's 4,000 inhabitants died. The bull revoked almost all the rights of the Jewish community. It placed many restrictions on Jews including prohibition on property ownership (even within the ghetto), not being allowed to provide medical care to Christians and compulsory Catholic sermons on the Jewish Shabbat. Life in the ghetto was harsh filled with poverty, epidemics, such as plague, cholera and malaria, diseases due to lack of fresh water and overcrowding. Roman Jews were limited to unskilled jobs such as pawn brokers, fish mongers or ragmen. Many Christians hated the Jews because they were allowed to "lend" money throughout Rome and Europe. Jews had to wear a yellow cloth if they left the ghetto. The yellow veil worn by Jewish women matched the color worn by Roman prostitutes. During Christian feasts they were forced to run naked or be ridden by the Romans as a way to entertain the Romans. They had to petition for the privilege annually to live in their homes and swear loyalty to the Pope at the Arch of Titus which celebrated the Roman sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD. As in most of Rome, there was no fresh water in the ghetto. When the Pope decided to use the old aqueduct system to provide fresh water via a series of fountains designed by Giacomo della Porta, a fountain was due to be placed at Piazza Giudea, the site of a market, inside the ghetto. However, Muzio Mattei used his influence to have the fountain, the Fontana delle Tartarughe (Turtle Fountain), located in the Piazza Mattei instead in front of his residence. Outraged, della Porta changed the design of the fountain so that it provided a small trickle of water to the Mattei family. In 1888, the ghetto walls were torn down. In 1904, the Great Synagogue of Rome and a number of apartment buildings were erected on the site. The Roman Ghetto was the last remaining ghetto in Western Europe until ghettos were reintroduced by Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Today, the Jewish Quarter is a thriving community filled with delicious Kosher restaurants, street musicians and shops. The Great Synagogue in Rome has a very visible square dome and a Jewish Museum. Look for the stumbling stones scattered along the cobblestone streets that remember Roman Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust and a tribute to Stefano Tache Gay who was murdered at the age of two as the synagogue was attacked on Shabbat in 1982. Sit at a sidewalk cafe for lunch or dinner. Try the Jerusalem artichokes and pistachio crusted sea bass at Renato al Ghetto and the pizza and pasta at Ba'Ghetto Milky. Delicious! Thank you to Mircea from GURU Tours who shared the rich history and secret sites of the Jewish Quarter during an amazing, and free, night tour. Highly recommended if you like history and cultural insights.

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.

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.

One of the absolute highlights of my trip!…read more It was very busy when I visited in the afternoon, but I was expecting that. Even so, I decided to pay the €2 to access the lower section of the fountain -- and I'm so glad I did. The queue moved quickly, and once I saw the fountain up close, I was completely in awe. At that point, the €2 felt like nothing at all. I also went back another morning at 6 am, and it was a completely different experience. There were only a handful of people around, the sunrise was beautiful, and the atmosphere felt calm and magical. With no staff present, people were simply moving the fences to walk down closer to the fountain. I would highly recommend visiting -- it's easily one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

After all these years, it was nice to come back back & see this amazing fountain again…read more I can do without the crowds but unless u are here at the crack of dawn or late night I don't see how u can avoid the crowds. Beautiful fountain, well kept for sure one of those things that u should take the time to see while visiting Roma.