Travel Guide

Places To See

La Rosetta

La Rosetta is so excellent that it doesn't have to be overly formal. Some say this is Rome's best fish restaurant; others say it's the best in Italy. Chef Massimo Riccioli's dishes are often startlingly simple - cuttlefish with lemon and olive oil or linguine ai frutti di mare (flat spaghetti with seafood) - but they're prepared with genius. He can also innovate, as his moscardini (baby octopus) with mint shows. Bookings are essential.

Outside you glimpse the Pantheon but it's better inside amid yellow hues and white tablecloths.

Il Bacaro

You'll have to book, as Il Bacaro is the size of a postage stamp and always busy. It might be small but it's perfectly formed: the primi (first courses) are imaginative - try spaghetti con gamberi, porcini, pecorino e tartufo (spaghetti with prawns, porcini mushrooms, cheese and truffles) - the meat dishes are beefy and the wine list is well chosen. Summer seating spills out under a vine-covered pergola.

Da Lucia

Eat beneath the fluttering knickers of the neighbourhood at this terrific trattoria, frequented by hungry locals and tourists. On a cobbled backstreet that is classic Trastevere, it serves up a cavalcade of Roman specialities including trippa all romana (tripe with tomato sauce) and pollo con peperoni (chicken with capsicum), as well as bountiful antipasti.

Museo e Galleria Borghese

This 'queen of all private collections' was formed by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the most passionate and knowledgeable art collector of his day. The collection - including works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Botticelli and Raphael - and the mansion were acquired by the Italian state in 1902; a lengthy restoration took place in the 1990s.

The ground floor contains some important classical statuary and intricate Roman floor mosaics. But Bernini's spectacular carvings - flamboyant depictions of pagan myths - are the stars. His precocious talent is evident in works such as Pluto and Proserpine and Apollo and Daphne, depicting the moment at which the nymph is transformed into a laurel tree, her fingers becoming leaves, her toes turning into tree roots, while Apollo watches helplessly.

The Caravaggios include the wonderfully naturalistic Madonna dei Palafrenieri (Madonna with the Serpent), whose uninhibited realism led to its rejection by its ecclesiastical commissioners rejecting it.

The paintings on the first floor include masterworks by Bellini, Giorgione, Veronese, Botticelli, Guercino, Domenichino and Rubens, among others.

Roman Forum

Built over the course of 900 years, the Roman Forum (Foro Romano) was the commercial, political and religious centre of ancient Rome from the Republican era until the 4th century AD. During medieval times the area was used to graze cattle and it was plundered for its precious marble.

With the Renaissance came a renewed appreciation of all things classical, and as a result, the Forum provided fresh inspiration for artists and architects.

The area was systematically excavated in the 18th and 19th centuries, and you can see archaeological teams at work in ongoing digs.

The Forum is entered from the piazza leading from the Colosseum. You immediately enter another world: the past. Columns rise from grassy hillocks, and repositioned pediments and columns aid the work of the imagination.

Tours are around 4 for an audioguide or joining the daily 12:30 tour in English (around 4.50, departure from the Piazza di Santa Maria Nova entrance).

Capuchin Cemetery

Long after memories of all the rest of Rome's interiors run together in an opulent blur, visitors vividly recall the particulars of the bizarre and macabre chapels of this cemetery, where the decorative elements - from the picture frames to the light fittings - are all made of human bones.

Between 1528 and 1870, the brown-clad Capuchin monks adorned this cemetery with the dried remains of their departed brothers. The message is appropriately pious: 'What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be'. The effect is rather sensational.

There is an arch crafted from hundreds of skulls, vertebrae used as fleurs-de-lys, and light fixtures made of limb bones. The monks who guard the cemetery request a 'compulsory' donation, so have some small notes handy.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concezione, above the cemetery, contains a gorgeous St Michael by Reni (in the first chapel to the right of the door) and Pietro da Cortona's St Paul's Sight Being Restored (first chapel on the left).

Trastevere

Although its traditionally proletarian nature is changing as the crumbling palazzi become gentrified, a stroll among the labyrinthine alleys of Trastevere still reaps small gems of a bygone past. Washing strung out from the apartments in best Mama-leone tradition has everyone sighing and reaching for the Kodaks.

The lovely Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere is the area's heart. It's a true Roman square - by day peopled by mothers with strollers, chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists, by night with artisans selling their craft work, young Romans looking for a good time, and the odd homeless person looking for a bed. The streets east of the piazza is where you'll find the most photographed washing in the world.

Trevi Fountain

Rome's largest and most famous fountain, Fontana di Trevi was completed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, and immortalised by Marcello Mastroianni and a frolicking Anita Ekberg in Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

This extravagant baroque work takes up most of the piazza, appears to meld into the palazzo, and depicts Neptune's chariot being led by Tritons with seahorses - one wild, one docile - representing the moods of the sea.

Trevi refers to the three roads (tre vie) that converged here.

Water for the fountain is supplied by one of Rome's earliest aqueducts. Work to clean the fountain and its water supply was completed in 1991, but pollution has already dulled the brilliant white of the clean marble.

The famous custom is to throw a coin into the fountain over your shoulder to ensure you return to Rome. A second coin will have you falling in love with an Italian, and the third marrying him or her. Needless to say, the terraces around the fountain are always packed with tourists throwing coins.

Teatro Ghione

A former cinema, the Teatro Ghione is a small but beautiful theatre near St Peter's that offers a varied programme featuring major international performers. You can catch anything from opera arias to Greek tragedies, Shakespearian comedies and contemporary Italian plays.

Accademia di Santa Cecilia

Rome's major classical-music organisation dates to the 16th century when it was founded by, among others, the composer Palestrina. The academy's programme includes a world-class symphonic season - featuring superstar guest conductors - and short festivals dedicated to single composers. The in-house orchestra is directed by Italian Antonio Pappano.

Il Nolano

Taking its name from Giordano Bruno da Nola, the hooded monk-Obiwan lookalike in the centre of the campo (field), Il Nolano is a refined little arty wine bar with peeling paint, rickety tables, and old wooden cinema seats. It's often used for art exhibitions and book presentations.

Events

During Holy Week (Easter) Catholics from around the world make pilgrimages to Rome's various basilicas and to hear the Pope give his address at the Vatican. On Good Friday there's a procession of the Cross from the Colosseum to Capitoline Hill.

Testaccio is the place to be in summer, when one of Rome's best-preserved areas becomes a stomping ground for the young and hip. A festival of nightclubbery and general coolness goes down every evening from 22:00. There's lots of outdoor concerts over the summer, including atmospheric jazz at the Villa Celimontana.

From June to September, the Estate Romana (Roman Summer), encompasses many summer festivals as Rome comes alive with free concerts, outdoor cinema and much more. Tiberina Island, on the Tiber river, hosts bars, stalls, gigs and open-air films in July and August. Trastevere is filled with street theatre, craft stalls and food booths during the Festa di Noantri (20-28 July). In September the city cranks up on coffee and stays awake all night for the Notte Bianca (white night), when museums, galleries and shops open from 20:00-08:00, with free concerts and happenings all over Rome.

Rome's public holidays include Liberation Day (25 April), Labour Day (1 May), the Feast of the Assumption (15 August), All Saints' Day (1 November), the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) and the Feast of Santo Stefano (26 December).

Pre-Departure Information

Electricity

220V

50Hz

Electrical Plugs

European plug with two circular metal pins

Weather Information

Rome's mild climate makes it visitable year-round; however, spring and autumn are without doubt the best times to visit, with generally sunny skies and mild temperatures (although late autumn, November, can be rainy). July and August are unpleasantly hot (many Romans desert the city in August so many businesses close at this time); from December to February there is briskly cold weather, although it's rarely grey and gloomy.

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

Ancient Romans believed their city had been founded on 21 April 753 BC, and more recent archaeological discoveries pretty much back this up. According to myth, the city was founded by the twin sons of Mars, god of war, and Rhea Silvia, princess and (until meeting Mars) vestal virgin. The twins, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned on the shores of the Tiber and brought up by a she-wolf. Romulus killed his brother in a battle over who should govern, then established the city of Rome on the Palatino.

The non-mythical city was ruled by Etruscan kings until 510 BC, when it became a republic. By the 2nd century BC the city controlled central and southern Italy, had defeated the rival empire of Carthage and was poised to take over the whole Mediterranean. But as Rome became more powerful abroad, its citizens got more uppity at home - the city suffered several civil wars, with the last wrapping up on the Ides of March, 44 BC, when Brutus backstabbed Julius Caesar.

The Republic ended and the emperors took over, ushering in a frenzy of civic and monumental building. Each emperor wanted to leave his mark on the city and in their eagerness to outdo one another, they sprinkled Rome with many of the famous buildings that still stand today. The Empire reached its apogee under Trajan (98-117 AD), spanning the area from northern England to Mesopotamia, north to the River Danube and south down the Nile.

With the rise of Christianity in the 4th century, Rome lost much of its secular power but became the centre of a new empire, Christendom. The Bishop of Rome was named successor to Saint Peter (or, in other words, Pope). Many of the city's large basilicas - such as Santa Croce, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Pietro and San Sebastiano - were built around this time.

In 410, the Barbarian invasions began, but in truth the citizens themselves did more damage, stripping many of the city's fine buildings for their marble. The Western Roman Empire bit the dust in 476 when Odoacer deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus - from this time on power moved east, and Germanic and Byzantine empires bickered over authority over Rome. In the late 8th century, Pope Stephen II backed up the claims of Frankish king Pepin the Short that he was the chosen of God, and in return received a parcel of land around Rome. The alliance became known as the Holy Roman Empire - combining the power of church and state.

From the 9th to the 12th centuries the power of the popes grew, although it was under constant attack from the city's various aristocratic houses. The papacy splurged its wealth on several new churches dedicated to the Virgin - the Santa Marias of Cosmedin, Trastevere (with its spectacular mosaic), Aracoeli and sopra Minerva. Although things hit the skids a bit in the 14th century, when the pope was exiled to Avingnon due to factional fighting and the city's population and infrastructure took a plummet, the papacy had re-established its firm grip on the reins by the 15th century. Things got lavish. In cahoots with some of Italy's greatest artists - Raphael, Bernini, Borromini - and their cash-stacked patrons - the Medicis, Farneses and Borgheses - the papacy transformed Rome into a wonderland of Renaissance and Baroque piazzas, churches and fountains. Money poured in as pilgrims came from all over Europe to see the wonders of the Holy See. The only real interruption to papal power came in the form of the Roman Commune, whose republican constitution and classical-style senate were instituted during the Roman revolution of 1143.

But as some guy once said, pride goes before a fall: Charles V's sack of Rome in 1527, the French Revolution, Napoleon's march across Europe and the Franco-Prussian War pulled the rug out from under papal power. In 1870 Rome became capital of the newly united Italy, leaving the pope with mere figurehead status and causing him to abandon the city for the home fires of the Vatican.

Modern History

In the 20th century, Rome went through yet another growth spurt. The pope was made sovereign of Vatican City in 1929. The new administration was more interested in offices and housing blocks than churches, and during the 1930s the city expanded beyond the city walls. During Mussolini's rule, in the 1920s and '30s, Rome took on Fascist airs, puffing out its chest with wide boulevards and overblown architecture. Dreams of imperial glory led Mussolini to form an alliance with Germany during WWII, and the nightmare that ensued helped set the scene for Italy's transformation from a totalitarian regime into a republic in 1946. The postwar years saw Rome expanding physically and becoming the centre of Italy's film industry until the early 1960s.

The 1970s and '80s were marked by more violent transformations, namely those of some radical student groups (who had a long list of complaints about Italy's left-wing governments) into right-wing terrorists. The Brigate Rosse (Red Brigade) was the most notorious group, going so far as to kidnap and eventually murder former prime minister Aldo Moro in Rome in 1978.

Recent History

The last few decades of the 20th century saw a mixture of economic success and wide-ranging corruption scandals which touched many a politician, public official and businessperson. The public reacted with perverse moral indignation in 1994 by electing a stridently right-wing coalition headed by a billionaire media magnate, Silvio Berlusconi. Amid claims of corruption, the government fell, and after some years of typically Italian political musical chairs, Berlusconi returned from the desert to win the 2001 national elections, promising 'few words and plenty of action'. Despite the landslide victory, his right-wing government's activities were regularly greeted with large-scale protests and voters eventually replaced him with the left-wing Romani Prodi in elections of 2006.

The Jubilee Year in 2000, during which around 16 million Catholic pilgrims visited the city, gave Rome impetus to clean up her act. Billions were spent cleaning church and palazzo facades, improving roads and transport, and reclaiming public spaces from the car parks they'd become. At the start of the new millennium Rome had never looked more beautiful. Meanwhile, Rome proper ostensibly remains, as it has always been, an administrative and tourist centre, without much sign of industry or trade, but lots of political intrigue.