How To Discover the Beauties of Rome

Book a hotel near the Termini Station. This region has a nice infrastructure for tourists and it´s near everything. At the Termini Station you can always take a bus, a taxi or a train to other cities in Italy, like Venice, Milan and Naples.
Visit the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Leave your hotel and walk until via Cavour. Keep walking until you find this amazing church. This incredible construction is a paradise for those who like architecture, since it has passed through all kinds of influences during the centuries. The sculpture of Pope Pius IX is a work in marble. Pay attention to his vests. Don´t forget to look at the ceiling. It´s fantastic. It was made with gold that came from South America during the discovery period.
Enter in the Colosseum. Even if you've seen documentaries, pictures and videos, the Colosseum impresses anyone who enters for the first time. You can almost hear the crowd around you. The arena has an underground area where the animals were held for combat with the gladiators. Look for the space reserved for the emperor and his family. Also, the gesture of putting the thumb down... It was a reference to put the sword on the ground and release the looser. Not the opposite, as many people think.
Take a walk through the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum was the center of ancient Rome. People used to discuss politics and religion in this area. There are plenty of fantastic buildings. Don´t forget to pay attention to Caesar´s altar, the place of the cremation of Julius Caesar. The temples of Castor and Pollux deserve attention as well. Look for the House of the Vestal Virgins, where virgins guarded the sacred fire of Vesta, which could never extinguish. The three arches in this region are worth special attention: the arch of Constantino, near the Colosseum, constructed to celebrate the conquer of Jerusalem (pay attention to the sculptures on the arch) and the arches of Tito and Septimus Severus, inside the area of the Forum.
Be Nero´s guest at Domus Aurea. Go inside Nero´s Golden House (Domus Aurea). The main room had a rotating ceiling where roses dropped on the heads of the guests. The area that is now the Colosseum was once a lake near this magnificent building that Nero made for himself. The paintings discovered inside the Domus Aurea during the first excavation were found in grottoes. Thus, this artistic style of animals and humans became known as "grotesque".
Go upstairs to the Campidoglio hill. The design of the square of the Campidoglio and the stairs up to the hill were Michelangelo´s project. Go upstairs and visit the Musei Capitolini. The etruscan wolf with Romulus and Remus is there and it´s a must see.
Throw out a coin in Fontana di Trevi. It is always crowded in front of the fountain, but since it is a tradition... you have to do it! The small streets around the square are magnificent to see. Stop there and have a lunch!
Pray for the Gods in the Pantheon. The temple, originally built by Marcus Aripa, the architect of the emperor Octavian (nephew of Julius Caesar, also known as Caesar Augusto) was reformed much later by the emperor Adriano. It is the best preserved building of the empire. We can still perfectly read the signature above the entrance: "M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIUM.FECIT.", which means: "Marcus Agripa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built this." The sun entering in the hole in the ceiling, called "rotonda", is a fantastic view. That´s why the square is called Piazza della Rotonda.
Go to the Piazza di Spagna at the end of the afternoon. See the fancy stores at via dei Condoti, like Cartier, Armani, Prada and many others just in front of Bernini´s Fontana della Barcaccia. Remember to have a cappuccino in the traditional Cafe Grecco. Don´t go away without visiting the church of Trinita dei Monti, only a few steps upstairs. The view from there is unique and the paintings inside the church are worth this small sacrifice.
Have a pizza at Piazza Navona at night. You can eat there amidst the sound of Italian songs. Take a deep look at the three fountains in the square: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro and Fontana di Netuno. The sculptures are very nice and the impression of movement of the human and animal figures are amazing.
The square is full of artists and tourists. There is an interesting museum in the Pallazzo Braschi, with medieval and baroque reliefs. The building is beautiful inside and you can take a very nice picture of the square from one of the windows of the palace. The building of the Brazilian embassy is also noticeable.

Go to Rome and not see the Pope? You have to go to the Vatican, otherwise, who would believe you went to Rome? ;-). Start by looking at the architecture of Saint Peter´s square. It embraces everyone who enters it. Looking from above, it has the format of a key, referring to Saint Peter´s Key of Heaven. The Egyptian obelisk in the square and the two fountains are very beautiful. Take a deep look at Saint Peter´s Church. Pay attention to Pieta´s (Peter's) face, just at the right side in the entrance. You´ll never forget it. The chapels around the main aisle are very beautiful as well. Look carefully at the angels in the baptismal bowl. The bronze baldaquin made by Bernini right above the altar is incredible.
At the right side of the aisle is the entrance to the crypta, where most of the popes are buried, including John Paul II and Saint Peter, bellow the altar. There is also a museum of ancient tombs of the roman period (necropolis) recently discovered when a parking lot was under construction.

Take an elevator to see the roof of the church. From the there, if you are not afraid of small places and are physically prepared to go upstairs, you can reach the dome. It is an amazing view of the city of Rome.

Finally, go to the Musei Vaticani (Vatican Museum) and prepare to be astonished . It´s a pity they don´t rent stretchers at the Sistine Chapel. It´s definitely the best way to see it. The room of Raphael right before entering the Sistine Chapel is very beautiful as well.

Have an ice cream at the roof of Castel Sant´Angelo. This castle in the Vatican was the shelter of the pope when things were not going well for him. There is a corridor called Passeto di Borgo, connecting the castle to the old Vatican palace at the basilica of Saint Peter. You can see the passage from the streets. This castle was originally the tomb of the emperor Adriano. The angels in the bridge in front of the castle were also made by Bernini. There is a nice restaurant on the roof where you can enjoy another angle of the city skyline while eating a delicious Italian ice cream.
See the Roman empire in the Museo Nationale Romano. This museum is near the Termini Station and Piazza della Republica. It´s full of sculptures, coins and artifacts of ancient Rome. There are also some bronze sculptures, made using a very interesting technique. You can be face-to-face with old emperors like Julius Caesar, Octavian, Vespaziano, Caracala and many others. The mosaics and frescoes are also a unique opportunity to enjoy Roman art.
Explore Piazza della Republica. The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, the galleries and the fountain in the center of the square deserve your attention. Enter the basilica of Santa Maria and see this extraordinary construction made among Roman therms. By the way, this region was full of therms (public baths). That´s why it´s called Termini.
What about shopping at Trajano´s Market? Trajano was an emperor who constructed a complex of consecutive stores along with his forum. It was the first shopping center in history. It is very curious to see how the stores were organized and the corridors arranged. Look familiar? ;-)
Breath art at Galleria Borghese. The Bernini Sculptures on the first floor of Galeria Borghese are almost human. Apollo and Daphne, David, Pluto and Prosperina are some of Bernini´s masterpieces exposed there. I wonder if Pluto, Prosperina and Kerberos were the real models for the sculpture. Paolina Borghese, sister of Napoleon, was the model for Canova in the sculpture called Venus Reclined. Look carefully at the details of her body and also at her pillow and see if you can tell if it is real marble. The second floor is full of Caravagio´s work along with many other paintings.
Be a Witness of Caesar´s Murderer. In the middle of the Largo di Torre Argentina, four temples were discovered during the demolition of the old buildings. Near these temples are the ruins of Pompeii´s Theather, the place where the roman senate was working during the reform of the main building in the forum area. Here is where Julius Caesar was murdered.
Visit the Ara Pacis. After Julius Caesar´s death, a dispute between Octavian and Marco Antonio took place to define who was the next leader of Rome. After many battles and the involvement of Cleopatra with Marco Antonio, Octavian finally won during the naval battle of Actium. After that, Rome faced a period of relative peace, known as the Pax Augusta. To celebrate that, Octavian, now Casar Augustus, ordered the construction of a monument called Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace). It is exposed in Lungotevere in Augusta. Worth the visit.
Visit the first Catholic church of Rome in Trastevere. The church of Santa Maria in Trastevere was the first Roman Catholic church. The ancient Roman inscriptions found during the construction of the church are kept along the walls together with Bizantine art.
Rent a car and visit the Castelli Romani. It´s a very nice region a few kilometers from Rome. There are some enchanted small cities or "paeses" in this area. Don´t miss Frascati and its famous white wine; Castel Galdonfo, where the Pope spends his vacations (he knows what´s good); Ariccia with its famous bridge (don´t worry, they have put a net below it); Grottaferrata with its very beautiful Bizantine mosaics in the monastery of Santa Maria and many others.
There is much more to see. Rome is full of hidden surprises. There are many places not included here that you have to discover by yourself, like walking in Via Veneto, the Galleria Alberto Sordi at via del Corso, the exposition inside the Monument to Victorio Emmanuelle, and many others. Just go there, taste and feel the pleasure of being lost in this fantastic city.