Rome Things to Do

Domitilla's catacombs are part of a vast funereal complex, a necropolis that contains monuments from the 1st century BC. Santa Petronilla and the martyrs Nereo and Achilleo are buried in this area. The bodies of the two martyrs... more

On the outskirts of Rome on the Appia Antica, in a deserted place where there are only anonymous tombs and burials and the remains of some badly preserved Roman monuments, you will come across all that remains of an ancient tow... more

This tower is an important example of medieval civil architecture. It was built in the 13th Century, although legend has it that it was where Emperor Nero watched the fire of Rome. It was constructed by the powerful Conti di Se... more

Porta San Sebastiano was originally known as Porta Appia but has also had other names in the past. It was built by Aurelian in 275 CE and renovated by various emperors and popes over the centuries. Today it is one of the best o... more

This fountain is quite a curiosity due to its design: a niche containing the head of a deer (the old emblem of the district) among four enormous books, two on the left and two on the right. In two of these books are bookmarks s... more

Alongside the steps of Aracoeli are the remains of this "apartment block" built about 2000 years ago, providing homes for poorer people who lived in difficult conditions. Just the first six floors of the construction can be see... more

Palazzo Ruspoli was the residence of a noble Roman family who acquired it in the second half of the 17th Century and still own it. It was built in the second half of the 16th Century, designed by Bartolomeo Ammannati for a Flor... more

In the middle of the congested Piazza Barberini stands the Fountain of Triton, one of Bernini's finest. It shows the sea-god Triton carved into the center of a shell. It was ordered by Pope Urban VIII Barberini, as was the othe... more

The Terrina fountain was designed by Giacomo Della Porta toward the end of the 16th Century and was originally placed in the center of the Campo de' Fiori. But in 1889 it was dismantled to make way for the monument to Giordano... more

The Fountain of Neptune was first known as the Fountain of the Calderari. It dates from 1576 and was designed by Giacomo Della Porta. It stands on the north side of Piazza Navona and symmetrically opposite the Fountain of the M... more