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The city of Rome is festooned with
places of immense historical and
religious significance that it can
take a whole month of intense
sightseeing to cover them all; hence
the following names are just some of
the highlights that you may not want
to miss during your stay.
Capitoline Hill
This seat of Rome's municipal
authorities once served as the
center of government of ancient
Rome. The 16th century piazza and
the three buildings bordering it
were all designed by Michelangelo.
The center of the piazza is
overlooked by a bronze equestrian
statue of Marcus Aurelius. The
world's first museum, the Capitoline
Museum, can also be visited as it's
housed inside the Palazzo Nuovo and
the Palazzo dei Conservatori which
border the piazza.
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Castel Sant'Angelo is indeed one
of Rome's most striking
architectures. Originally built as a
mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian in
139 A.D., it was turned into a
castle in the 10th century and later
as Pope Alexander VI Borgia's
residence. Many of the rooms inside
including the main court were
designed by Michelangelo and are
richly decorated with beautiful
frescoes.
Foro Romano (The Roman Forum)
The legendary Roman Forum which is
almost a thousand years old rose to
the height of importance as the
ancient Rome's commercial, political
and religious center from the
Republican era until the 4th century
A.D. The Forum became a source of
artistic and architectural
inspiration during the Renaissance,
and its stately columns are still
looked upon with awe by visitors
today.
Colosseo (The Colosseum)
When one talks about Rome, one
cannot help but instinctively has a
picture of the Colosseum popped up
in mind. Indeed, no visit to Italy's
capital can be considered complete
without a stop to this gigantic,
55,000-seat amphitheater. This
enormous stadium had been the venue
of several horse races, animal
fights and gladitorial battles in
the past, and its grandeur and
enduring saga continue to stun the
onlookers every time they set eyes
on it.
Pantheon
The Pantheon is Rome's only great
ancient building that is still fully
intact. Its most spectacular feature
is the dome at the top of the
occulus which is the main source of
light for the entire structure. The
Pantheon means "All Gods",
and many prominent Italian figures
are buried here including the
painter Raphael and King Vittorio
Emanuele I.
Vatican City (Holy See)
This world's smallest independent
state is also the most popular
pilgrimage site for the devout
Catholics as well as art lovers
because of the sheer beauty and
splendor the Vatican is endowed
with. Throughout history, the Holy
See figures prominently as the
administrative and spiritual capital
of Roman Catholicism with a high
concentration of invaluable art
treasures hardly contrivable
elsewhere in the
world.
Piazza San Pietro
St.Peter's Square, located directly
in front of St.Peter's Basilica and
enclosed by magnificent colonnade
designed by Bernini, draws the
largest number of visitors than any
squares in the world. This is the
place where million of tourists come
to hear the Pope's Sunday blessing
or to enter the Basilica. The
towering obelisk brought from Egypt
dominates the center of the square
and helps enrich its contemplative
atmosphere.
Cappella Sistina (Sistine
Chapel)
The world-renowned Sistine Chapel is
accounted to have 50 million
visitors monthly, and it is not
surprising why. This
state-of-the-art structure is a
wonderful representative of
different art styles gracefully
bestowed upon it by the hands of
different masters such as
Botticelli, Perugino,
Ghirlandaio...but perhaps what
constitutes the principal charm is
Michelangelo's "Last
Judgement" on the ceiling. A
visual experience inside the chapel
is similar to being warped to
another world entirely.
Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps constitute one of
Rome's famous landmarks Located
between the Piazza di Spagna square
and the Trinità dei Monti
church, this 135-steps which is one
of the most important fashion show
catwalks is a monumental piece of
art. The view of the Trinità
dei Monti's twin towers seen from
the plaza is very scenic, and from
here it's easy to proceed to other
popular sites of Rome.
Museo e Galleria Borghese
Built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese,
this museum is the queen of all
private collections as it houses
numerous art pieces of indescribable
values by worthy masters whose works
came into the cardinal's possession.
The main stars are Bernini's
brilliant sculptures, but paintings
by Caravaggio, Giorgione, Veronese,
Guercino and Rubens among others are
also worthy of
visit.
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