Guide: Rome in three days. What to see: attractions, routes, hotels, transport, food, shopping, reviews, photos. How to get to the Colosseum and Vatican Museums without queuing. Not just Italy. Walk through the Roman land Rome walking routes by attraction

A trip to Rome, as they say, the “Eternal City”, is not just a journey.

This is a surge of emotions from the surrounding beauty of architecture and museums rich in exhibits, from the smells and sounds unique to this city, from shopping, restaurants and gelaterias.

Rome is the link between the distant past and today's present.

Increasingly, tourists refuse the services of agencies. When planning your trip and routes yourself in Rome or any other city, you can focus on those places that are interesting to the traveler himself. Fortunately, there are plenty of such places in Rome.

Arrival

Upon arrival or arrival in Rome, checking into a hotel, at the reception you need to ask or take a map of Rome for tourists. Usually a stack of such cards is already waiting at the reception desk.

Popular hotels in Rome

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Augusta Lucilla Palace	★★★★		9 702 5 874
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Hotel Milton Roma	★★★★		7 854 4 554
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Starhotels Metropole	★★★★		15 048 10 428
Starhotels Michelangelo Rome	★★★★		13 794 11 748
Hotel Nord Nuova Roma	★★★		8 778 6 204
Best Western Plus Hotel Universo	★★★★		9 504 8 250
Smooth Hotel Rome Termini	★★★		9 438 7 656
NH Collection Roma Giustiniano	★★★★		11 220 8 976
UNAHOTELS Decò Roma	★★★★		13 332 10 296
VOI Donna Camilla Savelli Hotel	★★★★		14 234 11 726
Condotti Boutique Hotel	★★★		10 098 7 392
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Almost always, the employee himself marks the location of the hotel and the nearest restaurants with good reviews on the map of the city of Rome.

The names of squares, streets and main attractions of Rome and its surroundings are already marked on the map.
The tourist only needs to decide for himself what is a priority. Museums? Cathedrals? Shops or restaurants?

Getting around the city

When planning your independent route, keep in mind that traveling by car in Rome is extremely difficult. This is prevented by the many pedestrian-only zones of historical Rome that are prohibited for travel by car.
At tabaceria (newspaper) kiosks or right at the airport, you can buy a single ticket for all types of Roman transport for 1.50 euros, which is valid for 100 minutes or for 6 euros, valid until 24.00 hours from the date of purchase.

A single travel ticket is very convenient to use for traveling on public transport.

If you compare independent walks around Rome and “running” at a distance with a guide and a group, often in the heat of summer, along cobblestone streets, then you will still have to give preference to a calm contemplation of the city.

Even if you walk around Rome slowly, according to your own independent route, here and there something interesting appears: an unusual building, a church gate, an interesting showcase, which you also want to take a closer look at.

City bass

For those exploring a new city on their own, Rome (like most large tourist cities) has a city bus. This is a comfortable double-decker bus, with an individual audio guide for each passenger (Russian language available).

City bus is convenient for exploring the main attractions

For those interested, especially for those who cannot walk on their feet for a long time, this is a very convenient type of, albeit superficial, excursion around the city.

There are several such routes in Rome. At city bus stops there are signs with the company logo.

Having chosen the one you like best, you can buy a ticket directly from the driver on the bus from 28 euros/day or 31 euros for 2 days. Having bought a ticket, you can get off at any stop, take a walk in any area of ​​Rome, then get back on the bus of this company.
Starting point at Termini railway station, from 9.00 to 18.00. Website: http://www.roma.city-sightseeing.it/percorsi.html

While in Rome, you will find that the staff in both hotels and most restaurants speak English. In museums and even on the streets of Rome, you can almost always speak an internationally accepted language.
If you need Italian, you can download a convenient application on your phone that helps translate into all languages ​​of the world. For example, Speak and Translate, iTranslate Voice on iPhone, Google Translate.

Using mobile applications, you will speak Italian!

Time

On self-guided tours in Rome, viewing only the main ones takes at least 3 - 5 days. Then there will be time to freely breathe in the evening air at the Trevi Fountain without a crazy crowd and to sit quietly in a restaurant near the Pantheon or in some central Roman square.

What to do before your trip

Even before arriving in Rome, get acquainted with the main interesting places of the Italian capital.

Upon arrival, have a little information about where and what you want to see first, so as not to get lost in the numerous beauties: squares, museums and cathedrals of Rome.

Where to stay

If you want to visit the main attractions of Rome on your own, it is better to stay in the Pantheon area (Italian: Panteon), for example in:

In the area of ​​​​Piazza Spania (Italian: Piazza Spania):

• Surrounded by the best shops in Rome, on Via Vittoria 24, 10 minutes walk to the Spanish Steps - The hotel Spanish Suite Piazza di Spagna. Price from 7600 rub/day;
• Hotel Concordia 3*, on Via di Capo le Case 14. 5 minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain, a wonderful rooftop terrace overlooking the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Price from 5100 rub/day.

In the area of ​​Piazza Navona (Italian: Piazza Navona):

In the area of ​​the Di Trevi Fountain, it is better to stay in hotels:

• Trevi B and B Roma, on Via Del Lavatore 83. Near the Barberini metro station, the fountain is a two-minute walk. Transfer from Rome airport is possible. Price from 7000 rub/day;
• Trevi Elite Rome on Via Delle Muratte 87. High-tech interiors, Italian breakfast (coffee and croissant) served. Price from 6400 rub/day.

The listed areas have the most luxurious hotels and restaurants in Rome, and prices are correspondingly high.

Those who want to thoroughly explore the Vatican Museums should stay in the Prati or Borgo areas of Rome. Here hotels are much cheaper and restaurant prices are lower than in the most touristic areas of Rome.
Possible options:

• Rome Together Guest House located very close to the museums, on Via Leone Iv, 38. Strict, laconic interiors, breakfast included in the price from 3800 rubles/day;
• Pratinn Vatican on Via Andrea Doria 3. Free WiFi, terrace, continental breakfast for a price from 2900 rubles/day.

For shopping lovers, the best location is Via del Corso - the most shopping street in Rome.

A lot of other streets with a variety of shopping galleries, shops and shops branch off from it.

Another “shopping” street in Rome is Via Nazionale, it stretches from Piazza Venezia to Piazza della Repubblica.
Hotels in shopping areas of Rome:

If you are planning trips from Rome to neighboring cities, or your travel plans go further, you can stay near Termini Station.

• La Casa Di Amy on Via Principe Amedeo 85, free Wi-Fi, Rome Termini train station just 200 m from the hotel. Price from 4100 rub/day;
• Selene Style Hotel 3*, on Via Del Viminale 10. Near both Termini and Via Nazionale, free Wi-Fi. Room cost from 4500 rub.

What to watch

Anyone who wants to see something in Rome on their own can be advised to start with a walk through the main attractions that are within walking distance. Almost the entire historical center is a continuous pedestrian zone.

The city of Rome is a walking city, so you need to choose appropriate footwear.

Where to go on foot

How to best build a walking route:

The attractions that can be visited for free end there. Of course, not counting the many small and large areas and churches scattered throughout Rome.

From the Fontana di Trevi you can take a different route: not towards the Pantheon, but towards Piazza del Popolo (Piazza of the People), which is located at the end of Via del Corso (the longest shopping street in Rome).

Line up interesting route can be done as follows:

Coliseum

Like all the listed attractions, the Colosseum is located in a walking area, next to Piazza Venezia on Piazza del Colosseo. You can get here by metro, stop Colosseo or by bus number 10, 2, 75, 85, 87, 112, 673.

The Colosseum is within walking distance

First, it is better to go to the entrance to the Roman Forum (on the way from Piazza Venice, not reaching the Colosseum) and buy a ticket at the box office immediately for an excursion to and.

In this case, you won’t have to stand in a huge line right in front of the entrance to the Colosseum.

A tour of the Forum is interesting for lovers of the history of Rome; you can simply take a walk in order to skip the line to the Colosseum (be sure to visit inside the mastodon!). Ticket price 12 euros, opening hours: from 08:30 to 17-18 during the season.

Vatican

A separate early morning is required for a tour of the Vatican and the Vatican Museums. It’s better to arrive by 7 o’clock in the morning, then you can enter the treasured gate without any queue. You can get to the Cavalleggeri/San Pietro stop by buses no. 34, 46, 98, 190F, 881, 916, 916F, 982, N15, N20.

You will learn all the details about the Vatican from the video:

Already at 8 o'clock, crowds of tourists besiege the entire square, a kilometer-long queue of noisy, polyphonic crowds forms.
To be in Rome and not go to St. Peter's Basilica is a huge omission. Colossal size, luxury and amazing architecture amazing!

Climb the steep 320 steps into the dome, look at Vatican Square from above, and feel real delight!

Entrance to the dome 6 - 8 euros. Website of St. Peter's Basilica: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/index_it.htm

Vatican Museums

It is better to buy tickets to the famous museums of Rome in advance online (10 - 60 days in advance) at https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=it. The ticket price is 16 euros (museums and the Sistine Chapel), you can also pay for the audio guide immediately (7 euros). Children 8 and 5 euros respectively.
You can take a tour of the museums by bus number 492, 23 to the Bastioni Di Michelangelo stop. Another option is the Candia Mocenigo stop of bus No. 490 and No. 1.

After extensive excursions to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, you can find one of the wonderful local restaurants nearby. They are especially good in the Vatican area, because the residents of Rome themselves have lunch and dinner here.

A perfect example - trattoria Pastasciutta, easy to find by exiting Vatican Square and walking left to Via delle Grazie 5. Pasta with the chosen sauce is made right in front of the visitor, price from 5.50 euros.

Trastevere

The right bank region of the Tiber, neighboring the Vatican - Trastevere, is perhaps the most colorful.

Narrow streets, flowers and linen on the windows, coffee, pizza, best restaurants Rome...

You can get acquainted with Trastevere by watching the video:

Several beautiful and small churches: Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula, Santa Maria in Trastevere (mosaic of the 12th-13th centuries), Church of St. Agatha.

In the evening, Trastevere becomes one big club with music, restaurants, street musicians and artists.

You can get to this area of ​​Rome by tram number 8, from Piazza Venezia. Or get off at the Induno stop and take bus no. 44, 44F, 75, N19.

After a tour of Trastevere, walking across the bridge over the Tiber to an unusual attraction in Rome is The mouth of truth(Bocca della Verità). According to legend, in the old days, by putting your hand in the slightly open mouth of a mask, you could judge a person whether he was a liar or not. This is still done with pleasure by tourists who come to Rome.

Art lovers will find an outlet in the Borghese Gallery, the pearl of Rome, where a collection of sculptures and paintings by the most famous painters of Italy is kept. Villa Borghese is surrounded by an amazing park with centuries-old piñas and a zoo.

Villa Borghese is located in an amazing park

You can get there by walking along Via Veneto (famous street from the legendary film La Dolce Vita).
You can get there by bus 910 (Mancini) from Rome's main Termini station (5 stops), or by bus 360 (6 stops). Exit at Pinciana Borghese Museum. From Tuesday to Sunday, from 8.30 to 19.30, ticket price 20 euros. http://www.galleriaborghese.it/

Conclusion

Of course, a small fraction of all the sights that Rome stores is described here.

To feel the spirit of the “Eternal City”, starting with independent walks, you need to fall in love with Rome in absentia.

Many people carry their love through the years, remembering Rome as the most beautiful and unique city.

Rome in 6 days. Preface. A trip to Rome on your own without guides or excursions requires minimal preparation. To do this, you need to read several reports about such trips, print yourself several maps (or buy ready-made ones), learn a dozen words in Italian and be able to communicate in English at school level. It is better to choose your travel plan yourself, taking into account your personal interests. For me, the places I would definitely like to visit included 4 main basilicas (churches), Villa Borghese, a botanical garden and, of course, the ruins of ancient civilization. Optionally, he also planned a trip to the sea to Ostia, Tivoli and Florence. I’ll say right away that Florence dropped out on the third day due to being overloaded with impressions, and Tivoli dropped out due to a simple lack of time. Purely intuitively, I feel that two days in Rome were not enough for me. It is impossible to embrace the immensity. Day 0 (no credit). The trip to Rome began from Vnukovo airport, where we had to sit all night. At 6 in the morning a girl from Natalie-Tour appeared, gave us foreign passports with visas, and my wife and I went to register. Registration, passport control and landing went smoothly, and at 9.10 the plane was already taking off. Soon after takeoff, the clouds disappeared and then from the window I could already study the geography of Europe without maps and atlases - the Carpathians, the Hungarian plain with the Danube, Croatia with Dolmatia on the Adriatic coast and, finally, Italy were visible. Landing at Fiumicino (Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport) was uneventful and within 30 minutes of landing we were at the train station.
Because We had to go not to the end of the usual route for visiting tourists (Termini station), so I bought tickets only to Ostiense station on the local train (8.5 euros). A ticket for a more luxurious train to Termini (Leonardo da Vinci Express) cost 16 euros. The tracks for this express train were in the middle of the station, and along the edges of the track were for regular trains. I bought the ticket at the box office, saying the magic words “duo ticketti per Ostienze”. In principle, they could have been bought from a vending machine, but for the first time I decided not to risk it. The train walked along a flat coastal plain, passing through workers' settlements, and we observed the local flora, which was completely unlike anything that was previously familiar to us. So, on October 19, Italian autumn gave us a day with morning coolness (+18), turning under a cloudless sky into outright warmth (+26), which for us seemed like real summer. Surprisingly, in the midst of autumn, no trees with dried leaves were visible, and scorched grass was also not visible. However, it rains regularly here. We had umbrellas and a spare pair of shoes in stock, because... The director of the agency company Permintur, who instructed me back in Perm, strongly advised me to take such shoes in case of rain. Fortunately, this equipment was not needed in Italy, but on the way back to Moscow, umbrellas and second shoes came in handy, but that was another story. And it was summer here, but the Italians didn’t know this, so the women wrapped themselves in warm jackets and wore suede boots and ankle boots. Some of the fair sex were still wearing sandals, but they apparently were not local. Our road to Ostiensee flashed through our observations of the Italians and the surrounding landscape. On the way, by the way, I noted that on the railway (and then on the metro) that traffic is on the left. So, Ostiensee station. Adjacent to this station is the Pyramid Piramide metro station (the announcer's voice later reported over and over again that this is Pirand, and not Pyramid, as I thought). At the entrance to the station there was no ticket office with a live cashier, so I had to communicate with the machine. If there is a menu on English language The most difficult thing was to guess the method of pushing coins into this machine. At that moment, a gypsy woman guarding clients rushed towards me, like to help. I had to scare her a little, immediately after that the method of pushing coins in suddenly became clear to me, and a minute later the device spat out the required “metrebuses” for us for 1 trip (1.5 euros each).

The non-metro trip to the final station of “our” line B lasted about 15 minutes. The metro line was 80% open at the Piramide-Laurentina section, so it was possible to see from the train windows not only the Basilica of St. Paul, but also the square Colosseum of the EUR quarter. The terminus of the Laurentina metro line was a semi-underground structure with a commuter bus station on the roof.

Walking around the station square counterclockwise, we reached our refuge, the American Palace Hotel. Our “registration” took 10 minutes and finally we got to our room on the 2nd floor (corresponding to our 3rd). After 2 hours we were able to go for our first walk.

I previously mapped out the route from Piazza del Popolo to the Trevi Fountain. Upon entering the station, I bought weekly passes (carta settimanale) for 24 euros at the tobacconist. And here is the metro again, this time with a change in Termini (there they switched to line A). We reached Piazza del Popolo at about 5 o'clock through the city gates , I immediately went to the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, where, according to the guidebooks, one could see frescoes of the famous Caravaggi. Absolutely nondescript from the outside, the church from the inside was a museum filled with various wonders: a painted dome and ceiling, marble statues, large and small niches and chapels with different designs. In one of these chapels (chapels) the desired frescoes were located. And then we ran into a Russian excursion for the first time. The exalted elderly lady spoke very inspiredly about the artist’s life conflicts and the fantastic artistic discoveries made by the author when painting the frescoes. While the story was going on, the excursion participants had to take a coin (either a euro or half a euro) 3 times and throw it to activate the backlight. A little further in the corner there were machines with a video guide to the church, where you could listen and watch relevant information in 4 languages. The beauty of the church's interior was, in my opinion, exceptional, but, as it turned out, all the other 10 churches that we saw were no worse.It was starting to get dark when we left the church, so we only walked as far as the Spanish Steps, leaving the Trevi Fountain for later. The general fatigue of the journey began to make itself felt, and we went to a hotel in “our” district of EUR, which loosely translated meant VDNKh (exhibition of national economic achievements under Mussolini).

The morning began with breakfast, which was served as a buffet at our hotel. Extraordinarily delicious croissants were the highlight of this event all week. The remaining components were little different from what we had to try in other places. The walk started from the San Giovanni metro station next to the Lateran Cathedral. After leaving the station, we immediately headed to the local market on Via Sannio, located opposite the metro station near the city walls. The quality of the selection of goods was not satisfactory, so we quickly moved on to cultural program. Some kind of celebration was beginning at the square between the Lateran Cathedral and the city walls. As it turned out, it was a celebration of the Unita newspaper (once it was the newspaper of the Italian Communist Party).

Tents with the names of the provinces were erected. After giving us free T-shirts and baseball caps, we realized that today everyone here is being treated to a freebie. Unfortunately, we had no plans to drink wine in the morning and, having photographed a tent with local mushrooms (among which I noted with satisfaction the strong boletus), we crossed the street to the Holy Staircase (Scala Santa), Basilica of Sancta Sanctorum. in which there is a staircase along which, wishing for wishes to be fulfilled, pilgrims advance on their knees.

According to legend, this staircase is the same one that Jesus used to go to Pilate's trial. There is also an image of the miraculous Savior (or one of its variants). The interior design of the church did not seem particularly rich to me; the presence of two staircases, to the left and right of the “holy” staircase, allowed tourists to move around, and there were 20 times more of them than pilgrims. The most beautiful part of the church was the external mosaic on the facade that faced the square where there were festive tents.
After the Holy Staircase, we, of course, went to the Lateran Cathedral, which was the papal residence for several centuries. The luxurious interior of the cathedral did not overwhelm with its size (unlike Gothic cathedrals); everything was filled with many elements of architecture and applied art, on which the gaze was scattered, and the feeling of the enormity of the internal space disappeared.

At the exit from the cathedral one could see an extremely ancient baptistery (baptistery) in the form of a low tower, similar to a water tower, and an Egyptian obelisk, which the Romans brought back in the time of the Caesars. Then our path lay to the Colosseum along a street starting in the northern part of the square. About halfway to the Colosseum (and it was already visible at the end of the street), some old church appeared on the right, where we decided to also go. It turned out that this was the same Church of St. Clement that the wife saw in the BBC film (the film showed that the church stood on the foundation of an older ancient temple, under which there were also the remains of even more ancient ruins. The church was very small in size, dark, the interior I wasn’t particularly impressed, except perhaps by the antiquity. So we didn’t stop to visit the paid archaeological zone, where for 4 euros we could admire the ruins of ancient life, of course, because there was the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine ahead. 300 meters, so we quickly reached the end of the street, seeing a pit with ruins to the right of its end (then I read that there was a gladiator school there).

The walk was leisurely, we had juice and several sandwiches with us. We sat down on a marble bench under a tree and had a snack. Olives grew on the ruins with a bunch of already ripened or still ripening fruits (as it turned out later, these olives made up a significant percentage of the diet of the local feathered population). A few groups of tourists wandered along various paths through the ruins. Purely topographically, the Palatine is a gentle hill, although in several places these slopes turned into cliffs. The height of the ruins in some places was the height of a standard Khrushchev building, but as a rule it did not exceed the height of a three-story building. Under the eastern part of the Palatine there is a forum, or a group of forums, where the ruins simply flow into each other without any breaks in the form of trees and lawns. Most interesting corner The Palatine seemed to me like the Farnese gardens, built on the edge of the ruins about three hundred years ago. But I liked the forum area less - there are a lot of people and the rubble lies in continuous rows.

In my opinion, it would be better to at least partially reconstruct some of the structures and incorporate the actual rubble into the new structures. But this issue is controversial. Palatine, we proceeded from end to end. It turned out that the camera suspiciously quickly consumed the resources of two, first quite capacious AA batteries, and then completely drained the two most capacious Varta batteries of the same format. As it turned out the next day, this device worked fine the last day. But we didn't know that yet. At the exit from the Palatine, we found ourselves in an area where thousands of tourists pass, filled with tents with souvenirs and living statues.

Then, finishing our walk, we climbed the Capitoline Hill and went down the stairs to the Altar of the Fatherland (Vittoriano). From there, along Corso Street we reached the Column of Marcus Aurelius and turned right. After wandering around the alleys for a few minutes, we came to the Trevi Fountain, did the ritual dumping of coins, and then 10 minutes later we were at Barberini (metro line A station). Here we saw another attraction - the Triton Fountain. The end of the day was also darkened by the realization that the camera was apparently already on the verge of death. So the next morning you will need to start by visiting the shops at Termini station and buy new batteries or a new camera.Day 2.

The morning began with disembarking at Termini and buying new batteries. The batteries supplied to the camera could only show the presence of already captured images. Since there were many shops in the area of ​​the station, I decided to go around most of them in search of a new camera. The search did not lead to anything, but in the course of it we came across yet another confirmation of the growth of the Russian diaspora. In the first hotel we came across, where we went to ask the reception about the presence of electronics stores nearby, we immediately came across a Russian girl who said that we wouldn’t find anything closer to Euroma 2. Euroma 2 is a large shopping center right in the area of ​​the city (EUR) where our hotel was located. After that, we decided to go there in the evening, and today, first of all, we need to visit the Colosseum, where you can already go for free with yesterday’s tickets (the ticket is valid for 2 days for one entrance to a particular object, i.e. the Palatine and the forums are N1, and Colosseum N2, or vice versa). So, the Colosseum. For a modern person who has visited at least once football stadium , hardly any admiring thoughts come to mind when visiting this object. Yes, big, but no larger than a regular stadium in any regional city. What came to mind more was the Olympic sports complex on Mira Avenue in Moscow. The interior of the Colosseum is quite lived-in and occupied by souvenir shops (there I bought a set of almost real Roman coins) and the exposition of a simple museum. The half-dead camera took pity on me a little and allowed me to take about 5 pictures. An hour and a half later, our tour of the Colosseum came to an end and, as I promised my wife, we began our journey to the sea. To do this, you just had to take the same metro and get to the Pyramid station, and then go to the train tracks to Ostia. This line is part of the metro and, therefore, we rode it freely with our travel cards. On the way, I remember a Japanese man who climbed into the carriage with his bicycle, who, despite the fact that he was standing next to him with his bicycle, fastened it with a lock to the vertical rack. Yes, apparently the Roman gopniks are so harsh... We didn’t get off at the central station of Ostia, but at the second Stella Polare, because... I learned in advance from Wikimapia that the free beach is closest to this station. And so it turned out. The sea was wonderful. For the Italians, of course, it was cold (+20-21), but in our impression it was warmer than the Kama at the height of summer. On a section of the coast about 200 meters wide, we found another Russian company of 9-10 people. All the time, blacks walked along the beach with umbrellas and blankets for bedding. But there were no changing cabins, so out of necessity I had to buy one umbrella (6 euros) from a black man, which my wife refused to let me throw away on the way back. Two hours of relaxation on the seashore was enough for us. We had a picnic set with us - salad, sandwiches with prosciutto (dry-cured ham), cheese and excellent juice. So, in a great mood, we went back to Rome to the Euroma 2 shopping center. Unfortunately, I did not plan a visit to it in advance, so the information about which bus to get there was left at home. But I remembered where it was, and therefore, having reached the EUR Palsport station, I walked straight south along the highway. The walk was not very tiring, because... The road ran along the park; local buses did not overtake us. At one of the stops there were also non-local tourists. Seeing us confidently walking in the direction they apparently wanted to go, they followed us a couple of minutes later. About a kilometer and a half after the start of our hike, I decided to check with the aborigines about the location. The native women refused to speak English, but when asked by Eurom, they waved their hands forward and confirmed that it was straight ahead. It really was right along the way, another 200 meters, and we got out to the backyard of this shopping center. We entered the shopping center through the parking area and after a short search, the desired store was found. A new camera was purchased. Next, I spent a whole hour walking around the shoe boutiques of Euroma. However, the necessary ankle boots were not found. Then we finally got to the metro by bus, because... with the buses, everything became completely clear (at the stop, all passing routes were marked as ending at the EUR Fermi metro station). In the evening, all that’s left is to charge the camera’s battery and practice. Day 3.Vatican Museums - Castel Sant'Angelo - Piazza Navona - Pantheon - Trevi Fountain.

In the morning we decided to get up early and rush to the Vatican (Ottaviano metro station). It’s good that it was not the height of the tourist season, and the queue to enter the museum did not exceed 100 meters. Travel agency agents walked along the line to provide tourists with excursions in their native language (45 euros). There were also Russian guides. But we didn't need the excursion. We stood in line for no more than 40 minutes, went through bag framing and scanning, then cash registers, and finally, in front of us was a courtyard with pine trees and signs. Our tour of museums began with the Pinakothek, an art gallery. In fact, it was small, but it contained Raphael’s absolute masterpieces. Next we found antique statues and mosaics, faded tapestries, a gallery of geographical maps of medieval Italy, Raphael's stanzas and the Sistine Chapel. Everything is at the highest level. A strange feeling appeared. I remembered an anecdote about a mother and a boy with whom she ran around the museums of St. Petersburg. On the third day the boy prayed. "Mommy, if I see anything else beautiful, I'll probably throw up." You can’t give so many beautiful things to people in such quantities.

We had a snack and sat in the courtyard of the cone, where the modern spherical monument is installed. After a half-hour rest, I felt a desire to go to the museums again and check if there was something else I hadn’t seen.

Yes, among those missed were the statues of the octagonal courtyard (Apollo Belvedere and Laocoon and much more). After the second visit, there was a feeling of fulfilled duty to the Beautiful, and then we walked to the square in front of St. Peter's Cathedral. There, at the entrance to the cathedral, there was a long line (to be checked by the security service) of those wishing to get into the cathedral. But on this day, I decided in advance, we will not go here. We went straight to the Tiber, stopping at a couple of souvenir shops along the way. The Castle of St. Angel was already waiting for us at the Tiber, in the shade of a small park near its walls we rested, then we crossed the Tiber on the Bridge of St. Angel, which seemed to me a smaller copy of the Charles Bridge in Prague, and moved to Piazza Navona.

Since after the Vatican Museums we were already full of impressions, we did not linger here, we went straight to the Pantheon, from there past the Column of Marcus Aurelius to the Barberini metro station. At the Pantheon we observed how much the street level had increased compared to ancient times. It will be four meters.

Day 4.St. Peter's Basilica - Botanical Garden - Trastevere- Corso

Having seen enough of the long queue to enter St. Peter's Cathedral the previous day, we drove here as early as possible. The line moved quickly, and after half an hour we were already in the cathedral. It cannot be said that the cathedral was overwhelming in its size. No, this is not gothic. An hour's stay in the cathedral left the impression of touching yet another work of art, only the dimensions were very large. In one of the aisles there was a service going on all the time. She was led by a priest in a red cap. We could only guess whether it was a cardinal. The choir sang very, very well. While we were walking, services were going on in 2 more aisles, and in front of them hung a sign “for worshipers only.” After the cathedral, we began to move towards the Tiber, so that after some time, walking along the right bank, we would approach

Botanical Garden

Unfortunately, the collected trophy fruits could not be brought home - they turned sour. But next to the bamboo grove, we picked up a log of bamboo with a diameter of 10 cm, which made it possible to securely pack a bottle of Chianti before the flight and in the future become a souvenir for the desktop. Full of the most positive impressions, we left the garden, deciding on the way to the center to pass through Trastevere, an area with medieval buildings on the right bank of the Tiber (90% of Rome is on the left bank). After wandering for about 10 minutes, we finally discovered one of the most ancient basilicas in Rome - Santa Maria de Trastevere. The interior of the basilica was the same the highest level, which has already become familiar to us in Rome. The only pity is that the battery of the new camera was already on its last legs and allowed us to take only one last picture. A lady sat down on a bench next to us in the basilica, having heard her native speech, and began asking how to get to the Holy Staircase (see day 1). It turns out that she needed to get there to formalize sending a certain wish to heaven. Realizing that it was at the other end of the center, she lost interest in explanations, and we were able to go outside. Next we had a direct road to the Barberini metro station, which was brightened up by eating pistachio ice cream, visiting another shoe store (all for 39 euros) and discovering a fence near Largo Argentino Square with a Polish “forum” - a bunch of advertisements for searching and renting housing in Polish . A dead battery prevented me from photographing the Roman cat shelter on Largo Argentino (a micro-garden set up in ancient ruins at a level of -3 meters, with several lazy cats lying around at different ends). Then we went to the altar of the Fatherland and then to Corso Street, where I promised my wife to go shopping. This trip culminated in the purchase of a gray jacket along with autumn boots, after which I was allowed to take my wife to the hotel.Day 5.Baths of Diocletinus - S. Maria Maggiore -

Colosseum - Circus Maximus - Bovine Forum - Campo de Fiore - Altar of Peace - Piazza del Popolovilla Borghese. I had the longest day planned for this day.. I wanted to go through those places in the historical part of the city that had eluded us in previous days. The walk started from Termini Station. From here we crossed the station square to the Baths of Diocletian, in the western part of which is the Basilica of Santa Maria dell'Angeli. There is no point in describing it. Everything is visible in the photo; in addition, one can only note that the floor in the central aisle in the basilica contained inlay, playing the role of a sundial.

And on the sides of the hall there were posters depicting the history of the condemnation of Galileo (in Italian). From the basilica we headed past the station towards Santa Maria Maggiore, which is considered the fourth most important in Rome. A lot of gold. Everything is fine, beautiful. But the absurd relic “the fragments of the cradle of Christ” as the central shrine evokes only a feeling of regret. Then we walked down Via Cavour, not missing the stairs to the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains along the way.

Yes, Michelangelo's statue of Moses is very good, but I would not put this basilica on the list of must-sees, especially when time is short.

After relaxing at the fountain, we walked along the Tiber upstream, past the island of Isola Tiberino along the embankment. Hundred-year-old plane trees towered above us, but under our feet there was a real disgrace created by the birds resting here (apparently at night). Everything was covered in droppings. And then, looking closer, we suddenly realized that the main ingredient of this fertilizer was olive pits, which grew nearby - on Palatine Hill. In some places you could already smell it. The cars parked at the edge of the road were also heavily painted by feathered “artists.” On the way, we passed a huge synagogue (the largest one I had seen before) and 200 meters after it we turned sharply to the right from the river, towards Campo dei Fiore. On the way we passed the first Roman high school we came across along the way and, pushing through a crowd of teenagers, entered the Italian tourist market.

There was no doubt that this market was aimed specifically at tourists. There were more souvenirs than fruits and vegetables. But everything looked very beautiful. True, I didn’t want to buy anything; I couldn’t take olive oil and artichokes with me to Russia. From the market we walked through a series of alleys again to the Tiber, only this time to the place where the Castle of St. Angel is visible, and came out to the Altar of Peace. This monument, hidden in glass, did not impress us at all (we had already seen enough of this in the Vatican) and, therefore, we calmly walked past it to Piazza del Popolo. I have long wanted to return here, because... This is where the Villa Borghese begins, described as the largest park in Rome. We climbed a long staircase to the upper level above the square. I took several pictures of the city panorama. And we began to move inside the park, checking our progress with the city plan. On the way, we came across a water clock, some kind of booth with the proud name “Burratini Theater”, after which we crossed the overpass to the neighboring hill, which is a continuation of the park. In this larger part of the park we came across a very pleasant lake with ducks, turtles and a romantic temple on an island.

Then there were absolutely fantastic landscapes with Italian pine trees, and I suddenly realized how, as a child, I had been deceived with the illustrations for the fairy tale about Pinocchio. These pines were not like those in that book. Be that as it may, we moved on and reached the building of the Villa Borghese Museum.

But we arrived at half past five (half an hour before closing, and there was an announcement at the box office that all tickets for tomorrow had already been sold). So I only had time to photograph the back courtyard of the museum with the surrounding gardens and, through the city gates, we entered the city and, judging by the aristocratic appearance of the street cafes, we walked along the most expensive street of Rome past the American Embassy to the Plaza de la Repubblica, where we ended up at the metro station your tourist day. Walking through the square, we again passed by the Baths of Diocletian (the waters to the Basilica of Santa Maria Anceli). In the evening, I told my wife that the tourist program was generally completed (taking into account the cancellation of trips to Tivoli and Florence), so if she wants to go to the Lateran market in the morning, then I will not resist. The wife was delighted, saying that she would only like to visit the baths of Diocletian. They agreed on that. Day 6.Basilica of St. Paul - Baths of Diocletian - PalacetsoMassimo - PalacetsoAltemp.

Since I thought that the day would be somewhat empty of sights, I persuaded me to get out of the metro for an hour on the way to the center to see the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls. It is considered to be one of the four main basilicas of Rome. It is located right next to the metro station of the same name. Since this was the last basilica on our way, it did not surprise us at all. All that remained was to walk and look at the wonders of artistic design and execution. I liked this cathedral more than Santa Maria Maggiore. So a solid third place for Rome.

The next stage of the walk began with disembarkation at the Termini metro station, from here we crossed the station square and reached the entrance to the museum. The ticket turned out to be 12 euros. And on the ticket it was written that it was good for 3 more objects (probably in addition): Palazzo Massima, Balbi Crypt and Palazzo Altemps. The museum (the idea is to have a site in the Baths of Diocletinus) turned out to be unexpectedly large. The most interesting parts of the museum were the courtyard, decorated with “busts” of rhinoceroses and other animals draped in the bushes, and the hall - a fragment of unconverted baths with a small collection of intact (unbroken) antique statues.

The pleasant impression of the museum prompted us to go to the second point of the museum - Palazzo Massimo, which was located diagonally on the same station square. Here, in contrast to the debris, which mainly represented the sculptural part of the exhibition at the Baths of Diocletian, the statues were intact and known since childhood (disco thrower, Aphrodite, etc.). There were many antique mosaics. It was especially pleasant to get into the room, which was decorated in the ancient Roman style - frescoes and images of garden plants on all the walls of the room. And in the basement of the palazzo there was a wonderful numismatic collection that belonged to the king of Italy. This is where one could personally observe the change in the quality of coins depending on the century. In general, after Palazzo Massima we realized that we shouldn’t go to the market, but should go to at least one more point in the museum. And this was Palazzo Altemps. Here we took the bus for the first time in the city center, traveling from S. Maria Maggiore to the Colosseum. Yes, we again found ourselves in our past, only we hurried away from the Colosseum in the other direction, namely to Piazza Venice with the altar of the fatherland. From here we quickly got to Piazza Navona, the museum was behind the square closer to the Tiber. Once again we were pleasantly surprised by the excellent selection of ancient art. After the third museum, the only strength left was to sit with ice cream at the fountains of Piazza Navona, visit the Basilica of St. Agnes and leisurely get to the Barberini metro station for the umpteenth time. Day 7 (non-credit). The morning of departure was quite calm. We got together and I checked out. Upon check-out, I paid the tourist tax (3 euros per day for each day of stay at the hotel) and we headed to the metro. We repeated our route to the airport. Pyramid station (metro) - Ostiensee station - train - Fiumicino airport. Since time was running out, I managed to calmly go out to the square and photograph the pyramid, after which the station was named.

At the airport, the expected landing schedule was disrupted by the fact that already on the plane it turned out that some lady, having handed over her suitcase at check-in, did not show up for boarding. The flight attendant then ran out of the plane with this suitcase. From several places we could hear the indignant voices of tourists from some tourist group, which, apparently, was on a bus tour: “We were waiting for this fool in all the cities where she got stuck in the toilets. Now she’s messing with us again.” Yes, she spoiled everyone, and most of all herself. The plane was delayed for an hour. And the missing lady was found, she called someone on the plane, but the plane was already on its way to runway and waited for his turn already on the airfield. None of the passengers persuaded her to wait for her companion. We were already 2 hours behind schedule. The flight went well. Moscow greeted us with normal weather for the end of October: +1 and damp. And we felt that one gets used to good things very quickly and why Maxim Gorky suffered for so long away from his homeland. Afterword The trip to Rome left an extremely positive impression. Summer weather, but without the heat. Normal cuisine (unlike Paris). No problems at the hotel. Minimal queues at museums. Absolutely stunning art collections. I still have a desire to come to Italy again. There are other places besides Rome.

What to see in Rome in three days, what a tourist needs to know, safety tips, where is the best place to stay, how to get to the Vatican and Rome museums without waiting in line. In this guide we will share with you our “trodden” and proven walking routes around Rome. The capital of Italy for us is one of the most romantic cities in Europe. This is a real museum open air- "the eternal City". The ancients said: “all roads lead to Rome.” The capital of Italy is a “must have” for every traveler.

Rome is a city on seven hills: Capitol, Palatine, Aventine, Esquiline, Caelius, Quirinal, Viminal. The city is divided into two parts by the Tiber River. The left bank part is the site of the ancient city, the right bank is called Trastevere, here in ancient times visiting guests settled. On the right bank of the Tiber there is also the Vatican, the smallest state in the world, the capital of the Catholic world.

Rome won our hearts with an amazing combination of antiquity, Renaissance art, the sophistication of different styles of architecture, classical music, sounding in the subway, from the windows of cars and buses (we didn’t hear chanson or pop music)), romance, delicious Italian national cuisine, emotional and pleasant people. Rome has its own special atmosphere and unique energy. It has many faces and every traveler will perceive the capital of Italy in his own way.

How to get to Rome

The most convenient and fastest way is by plane. We flew a direct flight Kiev-Rome. 2.5 hours and you are in the capital of Italy! The view from above is amazing. Italian mountains!

Sea and coast of Italy!

An excellent service that we, our relatives and friends use is Skyskanner.com.ua - search for cheap air tickets. It quickly compares offers from hundreds of airlines and selects the best options. In this case, you book air tickets directly on the airline’s website, receiving all the required bonuses. It’s easy to find a flight ticket to Rome on the website. Enter your data into the search and choose the best flight for you.

You can also get to Rome by bus from other European cities. Tickets can be purchased on the following services:

Pros: The price of a taxi is fixed when ordering, they greet you with a name plate, adjust to your flight, and help with your luggage. Calculate the cost of a taxi, fill out the form below:

Car rent.

Do I need to rent a car? Just to visit Rome you don't need to rent a car. It is more economical and convenient to combine public transport with walking in the city. Renting a car is suitable if you are planning trips outside of Rome. You can rent a car profitably and inexpensively on the website Rentalcars. This service compares car rental prices in well-known companies and helps you choose the best option.

Public transport in Rome.

In the capital of Italy it is convenient to travel by public transport: buses, metro, trams, commuter trains. At the tram or bus stop there is a board with transport numbers and route points. It's hard to get lost))) From Fiumicino Airport to the center of Rome you can easily get by train or bus. Travel time is about 35-40 minutes.

The metro in Rome has 3 lines: A, B and B1, C. Outside of Rome, for example, there is a surface metro line to the beaches of Lido di Ostia. We cannot say that the metro in Rome is beautiful. It is decorated simply, without design frills, and is perceived as an ordinary means of transportation.

Metrebus (or BIT) tickets for public transport in Rome are valid for all modes of transport. Metro, bus, tram, as well as suburban trains Roma-Lido, Termini-Giardinetti and Roma-Civitacastellana-Viterbo, form a single system of the transport company ATAC. Company website http://www.atac.roma.it - ​​here you can find current prices and transport routes. A ticket for 100 minutes costs 1.5 euros, you can use it once in the metro, including transitions from line to line, and change to different bus and tram routes many times during this limited time.

Ticket price with unlimited number of trips: for 1 day – 7 euros, for 48 hours – 12.5 euros, for 72 hours – 18 euros and for a week – 24 euros. The ticket must be validated, and from that moment the countdown of its validity begins.

Helpful advice: It is profitable to purchase tickets for an unlimited number of trips for any type of public transport in Rome. We bought tickets for 72 hours at the metro ticket office and traveled for 3 days around Rome by metro, buses and commuter train to the town of Lido di Ostia to swim in the sea. In our case, when the hotel was on the outskirts of the city, this was an economical option.

But, if your hotel is located close to the center, then there is no need to buy a pass with an unlimited number of trips. After all, Rome is a compact city, convenient for tourists. You arrive at one “point”, look around everything on foot and drive back. An example is our routes around Rome below in the article. The calculation is very simple: a ticket for 1 day costs 7 euros, to pay for it you need to make at least 5 trips per day. But in compact Rome it will be difficult to do this in one day))).

Tourist buses also operate around Rome Hop-On Hop-Off Bus (tickets from 24 euros for 24 hours). There is also such an offer - Bus tour Hop-On Hop-Off “Museum Express”– a blue bus that goes to the most popular museums in Rome. The price depends on the route and duration (24, 48 or 72 hours). As for me, it makes sense to take such a bus if you plan to visit Rome for only a few hours or one day and want to quickly see the main attractions of the city. Getting around on foot and using public transport is also great opportunity see Rome. After all, it is always interesting to find out how real Rome lives, and not the ostentatious tourist one.

Where to stay. Hotels and apartments in Rome.

You can book accommodation in the center of Rome using these links:

Advantageous promotions of hotels in Rome and Special offers with discounts can be found here:

Maps of Rome, guides, phrase books.

Maps of Rome, as well as a schedule of upcoming events in the city, can be obtained free of charge at any tourist office.

Helpful advice: We have noticed that in any country they are very welcoming to tourists who speak or at least try to say a few words in the local language.

Before our trip to Rome, we stocked up on an Italian phrasebook. He helped us on this trip, although in the city center you can easily ask for directions in English)))

We also purchased a guide to Rome with a map. He helped us in planning routes around Rome. In it we added the necessary places or coordinates with a pen.

Food and water in Rome.

Bravo! Benissimo! Fantastico!Va bene! – and I would like to say many more such words in honor of Italian cuisine. This is my favorite cuisine: pizza, lasagna, ravioli, pasta, risotto, minestrone and for dessert tiramisu, panna cotta, gelato, Italian coffee, fine wines and liqueurs, different types of cheeses.

Where to eat in Rome. There are no problems with this in the capital of Italy. There are many restaurants, cafes, osterias, trattorias, pizzerias, and gelaterias. It’s better to go not to a tourist place, but to an establishment with the most local residents. Usually they are a little further from the center. The prices are cheaper and the food is delicious and authentic. Restaurants in Italy are expensive and prestigious places, cafes are usually self-service, trattorias, pizzerias and osterias are establishments with affordable prices and Italian cuisine. (although you need to be careful, sometimes expensive restaurants may be called Trattoria or Osteria). Usually, at the entrance to a cafe or trattoria, a menu with prices is posted.

Helpful advice: In Italy there is an unspoken rule: If you drink coffee at the bar, then the price is the same. But as soon as you sit down at the table and the waiter serves you, the bill for the order increases almost 3 times. After all, this bill includes fees for serving and serving. For example, a cup of coffee-latte (emphasis on A)) in the Castel Sant'Angelo at the bar cost 1.5 euros, and at a table in a romantic setting with views of Rome - 3.5 euros.

Rome. At the Castel Sant'Angelo

A separate story about ice cream. We once met some friends who also went to Rome. Let's exchange impressions. And then the phrase sounds: “We ate such delicious ice cream in Rome... Ice cream!!! called. We bought it near the Colosseum.” We ask: “Have you tried gelato?” - "And what is it?" Curtain... In Italy you must try gelato!

Gelato is an amazing Italian ice cream. It is sold in gelaterias. There are many of them in Rome. We “loved” one of these at the San Paolo metro station. While we were waiting for the bus, we bought ourselves gelato each time. We tried different flavors, the choice is very large. The system is like this - you choose a waffle cone for 1.5, 2, 3 or more euros. (the more, the more expensive). And the seller fills this cone with the gelato flavors that you like. It turns out to be such an impressive pyramid of ice cream scoops of different types. The deliciousness is incredible!

Helpful advice: In Rome you can drink water from fountains. It is absolutely safe and very convenient. The only thing is that the water is very cold. You can always freshen up, fill a bottle with water and wander further, getting to know this unique city.

It's interesting that in Ancient Rome a real water supply system was built. Fountain means “source”. Once upon a time, fountains served only to supply the Romans with water and did not shoot upward. Water was carried from the hillsides through long aqueducts to Rome. At the same time, it underwent triple filtration: it was purified with coal, sand, and then herbs. Therefore, the Romans did not suffer from stomach diseases due to poor quality water. In the 4th century, there were more than 800 fountains in the city, and a hundred baths were also in operation.

Shopping in Rome.

Italy is one of the trendsetter countries. Rome is a city where exploring unique historical, cultural and architectural attractions is perfectly combined with shopping. Boutiques of famous designers can be visited while walking along the streets of Rome. In addition, the capital of Italy has large shopping centers and outlets outside the city.

Store opening hours in Rome are from 9-00 to 19-00 or 20-00. In many, except outlets and shopping centers, there is a break from 13-00 to 15-00 (siesta)) and a day off (or a short day) on Sunday.

Inscription "Skonti" means “discounts” in Italian. The season of big discounts for the most economical purchases occurs in winter in January-February, and in summer in July-August. During sales periods, prices drop by 50-70%. In stores with the inscription Tax Free foreign buyers have the right to receive a VAT refund on purchases of 155 euros and above. A special coupon is issued for this. At customs, in a special window for Tax Free payments, it is provided along with a receipt and unpacked purchases. (it’s better to arrive at the airport earlier, because there may be a long line of people waiting). Sometimes the owner or seller immediately gives a discount right in the stores, so it happened with us)))

Expensive and respectable boutiques located next to Piazza di Spagna (Spagna metro station) on Condotti, Gregoriana, Babuino, Borgognona, Frattina streets. Brands such as Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Tods, Trussardi, Dolce&Gabbana and many other famous fashion houses are represented here.

Stores in the middle price range with more affordable prices you can find Via Nazionale (on this street there are many shops with good choice leather goods and fur coats), Via del Corso, Via Barberinini, Via Vittoria, close to the Vatican and Ottaviano-Via Cola di Rienzo metro station.

Also popular for shopping in Rome large shopping centers Oviesse, Coin, Euroma, Upim, La Rinascente, Galleria Alberto Sordi. They work on Sundays, and there is no siesta break on these days. shopping centers No. Same as in outlets.

Outlets in Rome These are entire towns outside the city. You can come here for almost half a day)))

Outlet "Castel Romano" located 25 km from Rome. It presents last year's collections of luxury and mass-market brands with discounts: Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci, Fendi, Armani and other famous brands. There is a regular bus service from Termini train station and Piazza Risorgimento to Castel Romano.

Outlet "Valmontone" popular among the local population, located 40 km from Rome. It has products in the mid-price range, but at the same time of excellent Italian quality. The following brands of clothing and shoes are represented: Baldinini, Twin Set, From By Vestebene, Kocca, Feyem, Manila Grace. The bus to the Valmontone outlet also leaves from Termini railway station.

Techer Outlet Convenient location in the center of Rome. It is close to Plaza España and Via del Corso. This outlet actually carries the same brands as Castel Romano. At Techer you will find discounts on clothes, shoes and accessories from famous brands such as Armani, D&G, RoccoBarocc, Gigli, Fendi, Versace.

Safety in Rome

On hot days, walking around the Italian capital simply requires water, a hat, sunscreen and comfortable shoes. Heels and the stone-paved streets of Rome are simply incompatible))) But that's not all...

Before the trip, our relatives warned us about theft in Italy right on the street. Unfortunately, they had a bitter experience. Although they knew about this problem, they seemed to be holding their bags at the ready, but they stared at the Roman beauty and took the bag off their shoulders. And the thief on a motorcycle (he didn’t admire the beauty of Rome, but only tourists) grabbed his purse and drove off.

Helpful advice: Do not carry all your money, cards and documents with you. Leave it in the hotel safe. Always make photocopies of your passports and visas at home. Travel with photocopies of documents in your backpack. Wear the bag not just on your shoulder, but “at the ready” - over your neck and shoulder, so that it is impossible for passing or running “sneaks” to take your bag off on the go.

How tourists are scammed out of money is a separate topic. For example, gladiators near the Colosseum. Before our trip to Rome, we read about this on many websites and decided not to deal with such “photo gladiators” at all. Before you have time to look back, you already owe a good amount of money for photos with arrogant “legionnaire faces”. How does this happen? You agree on the price of one photo. During the filming process, the “gladiator”, while you are in “tourist nirvana”, quickly changes poses, hands you a sword, shield and... bills you for several photos, instead of one. The second type of “gladiator” scam is when several more “legionnaires” run up to you during the photo session. Now everyone will have to pay extra for the photo separately.

And they themselves observed such a “swindle” of money near the Colosseum. We went to the fountain at the Roman Forum to drink water. Here we see a man filling half-liter bottles with water. There were about 10-15 containers. We think he’s probably trying for his entire tourist group. Well done))) BUT... when we approached the Colosseum, we saw how this “caring” man was busy selling water from the freezer in the same bottles. The heat is unbearable, tourists happily buy bottles of ice. This is business!!!

We read a lot about how Roman taxi drivers cheat and demand much more money for travel than they initially agreed on. We have not encountered such a phenomenon. On the contrary, taxi drivers not only didn’t take tips, they even gave us a discount, and along the way they also told us about the city)))

And one more thing - do not buy tickets to the Colosseum (with the promise of skipping the line) from the hands of illegal guides in Colosseum Square. I wrote about this below in the route of the first day.

What to see in Rome in three days. Walking routes. Sights of Rome.

The capital of Italy pleasantly surprised with its compactness. Attractions are located at every step and close to each other. This is very convenient for a traveler, because to see the most interesting things you don’t need to travel from one end of the city to the other. We happily wandered on foot through the colorful Roman streets and beautiful squares with fountains, enjoying the atmosphere of the “eternal city”.

I love such colorful streets. By the way, “area pedonale” is a pedestrian zone. Just for curious hikers))

And when the brain has already refused to perceive the architectural masterpieces and ancient sights of Rome, it’s time to treat yourself to delicious Italian dishes, pizza, lasagna, pasta, wines or gelato ice cream.

We built our acquaintance with the capital of Italy according to the following principle: we arrive by metro to one point in Rome and examine everything that is nearby. For three days these were the routes.

Walking route around Rome. The first day.

Colosseum Square - Palatine Hill - Roman Forums - Amphitheater Colosseum - Imepartor Forums - Square Venice - hill Capitol

The route takes a whole day. Starts from Colosseo metro station and Colosseo square and ends at Capitol Hill. It is dedicated to Ancient Rome.

The famous Colosseum amphitheater impresses with its scale, grandeur and... a huge winding line of tourists to the ticket office. Immediately, in addition to the “gladiators,” illegal guides may approach you with an offer to visit the Colosseum without queuing for a small fee (in addition to the ticket price). Another deception of gullible tourists.

Helpful advice:How to skip the line to the Colosseum

The secret is simple. Single tickets are sold for the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forums and the Colosseum. Cost 12 euros. The ticket is valid for 2 days, but it can only be used to visit these attractions once. The line at the Colosseum ticket office is the longest. A single ticket can also be purchased at the Palatine ticket office, the Roman Forum ticket office, and can also be booked online on the Colosseum website. (but on the website the extra charge for booking is 2 euros).

We bought single tickets at the Palatine ticket office and began our walk through the antiquities of Rome from this hill. The Palatine ticket office is easy to find: go behind the Arch of Constantine in Colosseum Square and follow the signs for Monte Palatino along Via di San Gregorio. Before us at the Pilatino box office there were only 5!!! Human. (at a time when the line to the Colosseum numbered about a hundred tourists). The ticket office of the Roman Forums is located on the street. Via Sacra and on st. Largo Romolo e Remo.

Read more in this article:

The route is very interesting. A sea of ​​impressions for lovers of antiquities and history. It has one drawback - it is “overload” at the end of the day)))) I will write more about the Colosseum-Capitol route in a separate article. In the meantime, some photos of the first day in Rome))

Coliseum. Photo at the exit from the Colosseum metro station

Arch of Constantine

Hill Palatine. It’s nice to wander around the ancient ruins while listening to the loud singing of cicadas. Italian pine trees create a special color.

Roman forums. View from Palatine Hill. The Forum was the center of cultural and political life in Ancient Rome.

Coliseum. It is very interesting to see this building from the inside.

Geographic maps with the history of the Roman Empire . Placed on the wall of the Basilica of Maxentius. It with reverse side forums. You can find them by moving along Via dei Fori Imperiali from Piazza Colosseum to Piazza Venezia.

Imperial forums. Trajan's Market and the Tower of the Militia.

Trajan's Column and the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto. Do you know what connects this ancient column of Emperor Trajan and the city? Kamenets-Podolsky? The answer is in our article:

Venice Square and Altar of the Fatherland. Italians often call this monumental building a “typewriter” or a “wedding cake.”

Capitol Square. Palazzo Senatori. Here is the City Hall of Rome.

Capitol Museum.

Walking route around Rome. Second day.

Vatican (St. Peter's Basilica and museums) – Castel Sant'Angelo – Ponte Sant'Angelo – Piazza Navona - Pantheon

An experience-filled walk around Rome for the whole day.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to climb the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica or visit the Vatican Museums or the Sistine Chapel. The reason for this was the huge queues and the desire to see other famous attractions in Rome. But now tourists have the opportunity to avoid queues at the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and even St. Peter's Basilica. How to do it?

Helpful advice: How to skip the line at the Vatican Museums.

The answer is simple! Online ticket booking on the official website of the Vatican Museums, on this page, will help with this. Buy your ticket in advance. This can be done 60 days before visiting the museums. Enter all the people who plan to go to museums with you, select the date and time of the visit. Price 16 euros + 4 euros for booking, i.e. 20 euros in total. You pay using a credit card and immediately after that you receive a voucher with a QR code by email. Entrance to museums using vouchers received by email. In an hour!! Before the scheduled time, go to the right of the main queue and the main entrance, present a printed voucher (you can also show your QR code on a tablet or phone, the main thing is that the code is clearly readable) and an ID card. After scanning the code, you will be given a standard ticket to the Vatican Museums. Come in without queuing.

How to skip the line at St. Peter's Basilica.

Entry to St. Peter's Basilica is free. (Paid - museum inside the Cathedral and climbing to the dome). But at the same time, to get into St. Peter's Basilica, you need to stand in a long line at any time of the year. It “winds” around St. Peter's Square. It moves quickly, but with such a large number of people, you will have to stand for at least two hours. But even here there is an opportunity to skip the line. Eat payable service- “Skip-the-line visit to St. Peter’s Basilica.” The cost of saving your time is from 15 euros. The price includes an audio guide. You can purchase this service online on that website.

Read how to buy tickets to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel here:

I will make a detailed description of this Vatican-Pantheon route in a separate article. But I’ll post some photos from this bright walk on the second day here with pleasure))

Vatican – the smallest state in the world. Saint Paul's Cathedral.

St. Peter's Square.

In St. Peter's Basilica. Greatness, beauty, spirituality.

Vatican Post. Be sure to send a postcard home from the unique Vatican Post Office.

Castle of Sant'Angelo. named after the Archangel Michael, who, with his miraculous appearance at the top of the castle, notified the Romans of the end of the plague.

Statue of Archangel Michael on top of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Castel Sant'Angelo offers stunning views of Rome.

And in the distance is the Altar of the Fatherland in Piazza Venezia (wedding cake, as the Italians say)

Bridge of the Holy Angel. There are 10 statues of angels on it.

Piazza Navona. There is an amazing atmosphere here. Even though there are a lot of people around, you just want to sit on a bench by the fountain or at a cafe table and enjoy the surrounding beauty, without rushing anywhere. Three beautiful fountains decorate Piazza Navona: the Fountain of the Rivers, the Fountain of the Moor and the Fountain of Neptune.

Fountain of the Rivers in Piazza Navona.

Fountain of the Moor in Piazza Navona.

Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and the Elephant statue. The trial of the heretic Galileo took place in this Gothic church, unique to Rome. Here the scientist said his famous phrase: “And yet it spins!” Bernini's elephant holds on its back an obelisk column, which was erected in the 6th century BC. Julius Caesar brought it as a trophy from Egypt.

Pantheon- ancient Roman temple of all gods. Now it is a national mausoleum in which worthy citizens of the Fatherland are buried.

The dome of the Pantheon is colossal. Its diameter is greater than the diameter of the dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral (43.5 meters. “Eye of the Pantheon” - the hole in the dome has a diameter of 9 meters, through which sunlight penetrates into the temple.

Walking route around Rome. Day three.

Trip to the sea in Lido di Ostia – Pyramid – shopping on Via Nazionale – Piazza di Spagna – Trevi Fountain

This full-day itinerary is very diverse: the sea, shops, architecture, the romance of evening Rome and the unique flavor of the city.

We traveled to the Tyrrhenian Sea to the town of Lido di Ostia by metro train from the Basilica San Paolo station. The drive is about 35-40 minutes. The ticket price is the same as for any public transport in Rome. We were traveling on a ticket for unlimited travel, which we bought for 72 hours. Lido di Ostia is a typical Italian resort town. By the way, it is very similar to the resort town of Rimini, on the east coast of Italy. Read about this town here:

The same small family hotels, beaches across the road, boutique shops and a lot of vacationers. The sea is wonderful. At the bottom there is big stones, it’s convenient to swim away from the shore and relax while standing on them. The sand on the beach is dark and hot. After a busy two days in Rome, a holiday at sea is an excellent solution. We spent half the day just swimming and sunbathing.

In Lido di Ostia there are free beaches and paid ones - for 3 euros per person. They differ in that the free ones do not have sun loungers and umbrellas and there are significantly more people. Showers, toilets, bars with water, beer, and sandwiches are available on all beaches.

The first time I came across such a “walking clothing store” was on the beaches of Rimini. In Lido di Ostia, as on all beaches in Italy, there are sellers of various clothes, bags, and scarves. “Walkers” do not sell corn, seeds or other food here. Only the Chinese sell chopped coconuts.

Pyramid in Rome - an unusual structure for Italy. Located next to the Pyramid metro station. Built by praetor Gaius Cestius in the 12th century BC. made of marble. He thus sought to surpass the greatness of the Egyptian pharaohs. The height of the pyramid is 35 m, but part of it has already sunk into the ground.

Plaza de España and famous Spanish steps . There are a lot of people here, but it is very comfortable and romantic. It's nice that we met here with friends and colleagues.

There are a lot of people in the Plaza de España – that’s about it)))

Trevi Fountain – one of the most romantic places in Rome. Especially in the evening! To return to Rome, you need to throw a coin into the fountain. While standing with your back, throw with your right hand over your left shoulder. But there are so many people that it’s hard to get to the fountain)))

Excursions around Rome.

We talked about routes for independent walks around the capital of Italy. You can also book a private tour of Rome and its surroundings with a local guide.

In the following articles I will describe each of our routes in more detail. Read also how we traveled from Rome to Naples and Pompeii.

Therefore, stay with us - join our groups on social media. networks (column on the right of the site) or subscribe to our blog updates at the bottom of this article and you definitely won’t miss new stories and useful tips about traveling to Rome.)))

Rome is an amazing city. He makes you fall in love instantly and for a long time))) Of course, you can’t see everything in three days. There is so much we haven’t seen yet: Villa Borghese Park, the Appian Way and the Roman Catacombs, Baths of Caracalla, Mouth of Truth, the Fountain of the Turtles, Piazza del Popolo with the twin churches – you can’t list it all)))

I think that you can’t get acquainted with Rome in a hurry, running around all the sights according to a drawn-up plan and checking the “visited” box in the guidebook. Rome should be enjoyed slowly, absorbing the unique and incredibly romantic atmosphere of the “eternal city”.

By the way, New! Now “Green Card” insurance - Green card You can also apply online on the website Hotline.finance. And get it delivered to your home. When traveling by car, a “Green Card” is required

Travel to Rome on your own

The capital of Italy has stood on its famous seven hills for about three thousand years. The city, nicknamed eternal even before our era, has seen a lot and can surprise many. You will not find such a mixture of different eras and styles anywhere else - in Rome, monuments of antiquity, early Christianity, the Middle Ages, Baroque and Renaissance have been preserved not only as individual objects, but also as entire ensembles. Therefore, a trip to Rome is a real journey into the past.

In this article we will tell you in detail how to plan a trip to Rome on your own.

We are travel experts and know how much time and effort goes into planning each trip. That's why we created a mobile application "Travel Planner and Travel Guide" for iPhone and Android. All attractions, guides and ready-made routes are part of our free mobile application. Offline maps and GPS are a bonus. So, let's go!

Here every street, every building breathes history. Unlike many European cities, Rome was virtually undamaged during the world wars of the 20th century and has retained its authentic architecture. Masterpieces of Italian painting and sculpture are also perfectly preserved: they are exhibited in many museums, churches and palaces.

In terms of the number of unique objects, no other capital in the world can compete with Rome. But this does not mean that the city is covered with the dust of centuries and lives only in the past. It has everything to enjoy life here and now: quiet picturesque parks and noisy modern streets, fashionable shops and magical antique shops, delicious food and excellent coffee, and most importantly - the special atmosphere of the city to which all roads lead.

How to get to Rome?

The easiest way to get to the capital of Italy from Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries is by plane. Many airlines offer flights with different prices and conditions. From Moscow and St. Petersburg, the most convenient way to buy air tickets is on a direct flight with Transaero, Aeroflot or Alitalia. In this case, the flight time will be no more than 5 hours. Direct flights from Kyiv are provided only by the company " International airlines Ukraine", with it you will arrive in Rome after 3 hours of flight.

Connecting flights can be found with many other airlines, for example Lufthansa, SwissAir, AirBerlin, Turkish Airlines, WizzAir, SAS, KLM, Brussels Airlines. If longer travel time is not critical for you, you can save a lot on a connecting flight.

To easily understand the intricacies of air ticket prices and choose the most convenient flight for yourself, Ever.Travel recommends using the Aviasales service. With its help you can quickly find the cheapest air tickets. Navigation of this site is extremely simple and clear: you can select departure dates and times, airlines, and transfer options. Aviasales contains offers from hundreds of airlines and air ticket sales agencies, so you can easily choose the right flight option. In the advice section from Ever.Travel, we talk in detail about how to buy cheap plane tickets using the Aviasales service.

Where to stay in Rome?

Rome is a fairly large city, so choosing a place to stay should be approached carefully. A hotel, apartment or hostel in the right area is a guarantee that you will have enough time for all the planned attractions, and the trip to them will not take several hours. Each district of the Eternal City is attractive in its own way. Therefore, it is worth spending a little time carefully choosing a place to stay, but then your vacation in Rome will be useful and enjoyable.

Map of Rome districts

Historical Center

Undoubtedly, this is where the largest number of interesting places, which every traveler wants to see, especially if he is in Rome for the first time. This is where Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps are located - the names alone excite the imagination!

All these objects are within walking distance of each other, so you don’t even have to worry about transport. In addition, you will find shopping areas with the most luxurious boutiques, as well as numerous cafes, bars and restaurants. There are always a lot of tourists here, and almost always quite noisy.

Prices for accommodation in the most modest hotel start from 120-130 euros per night. This is clearly not the most a budget option, but life in the very center of the Eternal City is worth it!

Hotels in Trastavere are already cheaper, but finding a free room here is not so easy. The silence and comfort of this area is also appreciated because there are numerous authentic cafes, pizzerias and trattorias where the Romans themselves simply love to spend their evenings.

Visa to Italy

To get to Italy, residents of Russia and the CIS countries must apply for a Schengen visa. Usually it is issued for six months, during which you can stay in the territory of another state for up to 90 days. There is a possibility that the validity of the visa will be increased by up to a year upon re-applying, and even by 2-3 years if you already had a one-year visa before.

The standard period for obtaining a visa to Italy is 5 days, but tourist season this time can increase to one and a half weeks, so we recommend that you take care of completing all the necessary documents in advance.

Since information regarding prices, deadlines, documentary evidence and other conditions for issuing Schengen visas changes periodically, we advise you to check the current data on the official website of the Italy Visa Application Center in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Citizens of Ukraine can contact the Italy Visa Application Center corresponding to their region to clarify the nuances.

How to get from Rome airport to the city

Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (Fiumicino Airport) located approximately 30 km from Rome. There are several ways to get from here to the city center:

• Leonardo Express Train departs every half hour and goes non-stop to Termini Station, located in the center of Rome. Travel time is 30 minutes, ticket price is 14 euros.
• Electric train- This is a cheaper but slower route since the trains make many stops. Ticket price is 5.5 euros, travel time is 45 minutes.
• They run around the clock, but at long intervals (1-2 hours) municipal buses. A ticket can be bought from the driver, the cost is 4-5 euros one way, 7-8 euros two ways. Travel time is about an hour. In addition, there are a number of private companies that own Airbuses. For example, SITB BusShuttle, which you can use for 5-6 euros for one way travel.
• Taxi waiting for passengers in a parking lot near the airport. City authorities strongly recommend using only licensed official taxis: they are white, with a “TAXI” sign on the roof. A trip to Rome will cost about 60-70 euros.

Discount airlines fly to Ciampino Airport. It is even closer to the capital and is connected to it by train, bus, and metro lines. A taxi ride from here will cost 40-50 euros.

Car rental in Rome

Drop all stereotypes and forget about group excursions– you can travel all over Italy on your own, not only Rome, just rent a car. Renting a car in Rome using the RentalCars service is a proven and reliable way to experience the most complete impressions of all Italian beauties. How many amazing places can be found in provincial towns and in other cities - Florence, Milan, Venice... Do not forget that there are other countries within a few hours' drive: France, Switzerland, Austria, where you can make a motor rally without depending on any schedules and conventions. Treat yourself to freedom of movement! Read more about the capabilities of RentalCars in our review.

Public transport in Rome

A universal travel ticket is valid for all types of public transport - metro, bus, tram and one trolleybus route. You can buy it at the ticket offices at the entrance to the metro, at stops, at newspaper and tobacco kiosks. After 21:00, drivers also start selling tickets, but they are one and a half times more expensive.

Don't forget to validate your tickets in yellow composters! Please note that tickets in Rome are not valid for 24 hours from the moment of validation, but on calendar days until 23:59.

The most in a convenient way transportation around the city is considered to be a bus - with an extensive network of routes, including night routes, and short intervals. To get on the bus, you need to honk at the driver while standing at the bus stop, and to get off, press one of the buttons inside the bus. At the ATAS information point in front of Termini Station you can purchase a complete map of bus routes.

Tourist card ROMA PASS

Costs 34 euros and is valid for three days. Sold on the official website, at metro ticket offices (not at all stations), at tourist information points (Punti Informativi Turistici / PIT), in museums and archaeological sites. Allows:

• use city public transport free of charge (except for routes to airports);
• visit two historical places or museums of your choice free of charge and without a queue and receive discounts on tickets to the third and all subsequent ones;
• Additionally, visit a number of less popular museums for free;
• and also receive a number of other advantages - for example, a separate turnstile at the entrance to the Colosseum. Included with the ROMA PASS is issued detailed map cities, list of museums and places worth visiting.

Self-guided tours of Rome

Most budget method get to know the city - make your own walking plans. This is why we have developed a mobile application "Travel planner and guide" for iPhone And Android - ready-made routes and walks, hundreds of attractions, an offline map and GPS - everything you need to get to know a new city.

Ready-made routes and walks around Rome

In addition, you can travel to the main attractions of the city on excursion buses. Usually their tickets are valid for any number of trips within 24 or 48 hours. The cost of such a 48-hour pass is from 15 to 30 euros. There are also sightseeing trams and boats in Rome.

Mobile communications and Internet in Italy

The most popular operators are Vodafone, TIM and Wind. The cost of a SIM card is about 15-25 euros, most of which is deposited into the account. Tariffs are approximately the same, there are special offers for tourists. Inexpensive calls are offered by the PosteMobile network, which you can connect to at the post office. By law, you must present your passport when purchasing. It happens that SIM cards are not activated in Russian phones, in which case you can ask the seller for help.

Pay attention to the municipal project Digit Roma, which provides free Internet access for 4 hours a day through a network of hotspots. An Italian SIM card is required for registration.

Shopping in Rome

Shops in Rome are usually open from 9:00 to 19:00 or 19:30, with a break of 2-3 hours in the middle of the day (from about 13:00 to 16:00), Sunday is a day off.

Sales are held twice a year with discounts of up to 70%: winter in January-February and summer in July-August. It is believed that prices in Italy are among the lowest in Europe. Especially bargain purchases can be done at outlets in Rome.

The most expensive stores are concentrated around Piazza di Spagna, more democratic - in the Via del Corso area. Another popular shopping street stretches from Termini Station - Via Nazionale. The Esquilino food market is famous for its delicious goods from all over the world. On weekends, flea markets open in different parts of the city.

Roman cuisine

The basis of Roman cuisine is simple and satisfying food for workers. The most famous example is pasta carbonara, always with a raw egg. Classic dishes: “Salti in bocca alla romana”- pieces of veal wrapped in Parma ham and stewed with sage in white wine and “Tripla alla romana”- stewed beef stomach with spices.

Only in Rome you can try it “Coda alla Vaccinara”(oxtail stew) and “Rigatoni alla Pajata”(paste with calf intestines). Those who are not ready to experiment can enjoy the exquisite taste of stewed artichokes (carciofi), as well as a variety of sweets, such as donuts with whipped cream (Maritozzo con la panna).

In restaurants, the bill often includes a service charge (servizio) - up to 15%. However, if you leave a few more euros on top, no one will be offended.

By the way, there are many drinking water fountains scattered throughout Rome. Feel free to drink it and take it with you in plastic bottles.

History of Rome

Rome was founded in 753 BC, and by the beginning of our era it became the capital of the Roman Empire, which captured almost all of Europe and the Mediterranean. In the 4th century AD. the city turned into the center of the Christian world, and its ruler, the Pope, became the most powerful man in Europe. In the 5th century, due to the invasion of barbarians, Rome fell into decline, but by the 9th century it had restored its reputation, becoming the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

The deeply religious Middle Ages left the city a legacy of a huge number of amazing churches and cathedrals. By the 15th century, Rome was embraced by the ideas of the Renaissance: the best artists of the time came here in search of inspiration and recognition. In 1870, it became the capital of the newly united Italy and began active development and construction of new territories.

It is important to know:

• Official language: Italian
• City area: 1500 sq. km. Rome is located in the Lazio region, on the Tiber River. The main attractions are concentrated on the left bank. On the right, within the city, is the Vatican State.
• Population: 2.8 million people, mostly Italians, Catholics.
• Currency: Euro
• Visa: Schengen, standard requirements. The cost of a tourist visa is 35 euros.
• Time difference with Moscow:-2 hours in summer, -3 hours in winter
• Climate: The best time Spring and autumn are considered the best time to visit Rome; at this time the weather is comfortable and warm. In summer it can be very hot here, up to +40°C. In July-August, local residents try to go on vacation; there are fewer people in the city and more closed cafes and shops. In winter, the temperature remains confidently above zero (+5-10°C), but rain can ruin your holiday.

Holidays and non-working days:

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Most of all, during our travels in new cities, we love walking (however, at home, in St. Petersburg, it’s the same). We like to get to know the city by looking at its streets and houses. If we come across some attraction to which entry is free, we go in; otherwise, we walk further. Maybe this is not correct, but somehow (with rare exceptions) we are not a fan of museums and museum exhibits, which the caring hands of art historians have taken out of context, from the environment for which they were created, lined up, placed under glass and/ or blocked with ropes and the words “Don’t touch”. In addition, the work of these caring hands in glazing and fencing historical values ​​in most cases also has to be paid for.

Our first walk began from the center of transport intersections in Rome - Termini Station (pronounced Termini). If information about the route may be useful to someone, there is a description of it in the second part of the post. If you're going to Rome and don't want to spoil your impressions with other people's photos, just follow the link right away (although when I wrote comments on the photos, I dug up a few interesting facts that weren't in the guide). The first part will contain some photographs and letters. So, let's go for a walk!

From the main exit of Termini Station you can see many buses. They stand on the Five Hundred Square (Piazza Dei Cinquecento), which is named after the 500 Italian soldiers who were slaughtered by the Ethiopians in 1887. On the right side of the square you can see the first attraction - the Baths of Diocletian:


In general, there are a great variety of baths in Rome. Now they represent, to one degree or another, the preserved frames of ancient buildings, and once served the Romans as a place for leisure, an indispensable attribute of which was a bath in the bathhouse. Yes, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since the Romans invented sewerage and running water.

After a few steps we come out onto another square - the Republican Square (piazza della Repubblica), which is framed by nice buildings:


In the center of the square is the Naiad Fountain. If we speak in Russian, then there will be a Fountain of Mermaids. There are four naiad mermaids: one is from the lake, because it is holding a swan, the second is from the river (it is not clear what it is holding, but according to the sculptor’s plan, it is a river monster), the third is from the ocean (for some reason the author of the fountain decided that since the naiad is an ocean one, let it ride on horses), and the fourth is a mermaid, responsible for underground waters (since underground, the sculptor thought, that means with a dragon).

In the center of the fountain is a man with the important name Marine Glaucus. The main one, that is. According to one legend - the son of Poseidon, according to another - "...a fisherman who ate a mysterious herb and turned into a deity." And in this state, Glaucus showed the way to the sailors. Looks like we got some good grass!


One of the central streets leads from the square - National (via Nazionale). After walking along it a little, we turn onto Turinskaya Street. It's smaller and more interesting. The corners of the houses here are decorated in the same way as, but unlike Poland, the theme is religious.


On the right side you can see the Rome Opera House. It was opened already in 1800 by Rossini’s opera “Semiramide” (not that I’m into classical music, but I’ve heard the name Rossini before)))


Walking a little further, we come out to the square where the Most Important Church of St. Mary stands. Firstly, this is how it can be called when translated into Russian (in Italian - Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore). Secondly, it is the largest of the Roman temples, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and one of the four main churches of Rome.


There is a funny legend according to which in 352, both the then Pope and one of the local oligarchs, the Madonna (aka the Virgin Mary, aka the Mother of God, aka the mother of Jesus Christ) appeared in a dream and said that the next day (and it was summer) it would snow. And that’s where, or rather where, he will go, and there it is necessary to build a church in her honor.


You can enter this temple for free and you can even take pictures. It's very spacious inside. And interesting. From floor to ceiling:










They did not have time to hang a “Do not touch” sign on the doors in a timely manner, which was taken advantage of by numerous pilgrims:


We continue our way and come across a nice fountain:


Along cute little streets...


We go out onto a larger street named Cavour. Having scoured the Internet to find out why he is so famous, and having learned about this, I can now expand on the saying “When the first metro train was launched in England in 1861, serfdom had just been abolished in Russia.” continuation “...and in Italy they elected the first prime minister.” This first prime minister is Count Camillo Benso di Cavour. In addition to the premiership, he participated in the creation of the constitution, and his first literary work was an article on the tax in favor of the poor in England.


From the street named after Comrade Cavour again we delve into smaller streets...


...and we go out to the square near the church, which is called “Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli”. On the square there is a completely modern picture:


You won’t even think that behind the door is a thing about which it is written in the Bible: “And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared, and light shone around the prison. Pushing Peter in the side, he woke him up and said: “Get up quickly. And the chains fell from his hands" (Acts 12:7)

Here they are, these chain chains:


It turns out that in Orthodoxy (.ru) there is even a special holiday “Worship of the honorable chains of the holy and all-praised Apostle Peter,” which is celebrated three times a year. But I naively believed that in Orthodox Christianity it is customary to worship only Christ.

This church has another historical value - the sculpture of Moses, which was sculpted by Michelangelo himself. It was conceived as the crown of the tomb of one of the popes, but that is not what is interesting about it. When conceiving the sculpture, Michelangelo was based on the generally accepted version of the Latin translation of the Bible (this translation even has its own name - Vulgate). And it had to happen that just in the passage about Moses in this very Vulgate a mistake was made: in the original source in Hebrew it is written that “It was difficult for the Israelites to look into the face of Moses because his face radiated light.” However "rays"(in the sense of rays of light) can be translated into Latin not only as "rays" but also how "horns". Well, they wrote about Moses in the Latin Bible that “His face was horned.” Therefore, Michelangelo had no choice but to depict Moses with horns:


Having left the Church of St. Peter with chains, we slowly continue our walk. And suddenly, turning behind another house, we see... we see... HIM...


Back in the thirteenth century, pilgrims (pilgrims who) launched a saying among the people: “As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome will stand; if the Colosseum disappears, Rome will disappear and with it the whole world.” The structure (or rather, its remains) is actually huge and amazes with its power.

Why I wrote the remains: for several centuries, the Colosseum was not only abandoned, but stones from its walls were stolen for the construction of other buildings. Only in the eighteenth century did one of the Roman popes decide that there was no good to be lost, and dedicated it to the Passion of Christ, because a lot of people died as martyrs here.

Although the Colosseum was built for the opposite purpose - as a place of entertainment. True, it turned out that entertainment in those days was still the same. Well, everyone has heard about gladiator fights, and some modern Romans earn their living from this:


However, even cooler spectacles were staged. According to Wikipedia, the Roman people had fun watching such an action when “... girls and women were raped by bulls, donkeys and other domestic animals and wild animals.” What a horror!

There were also shows called "naumachia". Despite the scary name, it was a more decent and large-scale event than group orgies. Navachia is a re-enactment of a naval battle. Apparently, tin soldiers had not yet been invented, and from time to time the emperor wanted to play with something childish. Moreover, I wanted it so much that I was not too lazy to build life-size ships, and then destroy these ships during the game. Naturally, together with rowers and other sailors.


Having walked around the Colosseum, we went for a walk further, along the Street of St. John the Baptist on the Lateran Hill. St. John the Baptist's less pompous name in Italian is San Giovanni. Well, almost Saint Vova.


The street is named after the church of the same name. In general, in Italy a church is often called not a church, but a basilica. And it’s funny that once church meant "God's house", A basilica — "royal house" Next to the church, on the right, is the former papal palace, where popes not only lived in the past, they were also elected there.


Above the entrance to the basilica it is written that she “the mother and head of all the churches of the city and the world.” It seems that this is still the most important church of Catholic Christianity in the world. Even more important than the cathedral St. Peter's in the Vatican.


Once upon a time, emperors filled this church with gifts, which is why people called it the “golden basilica.” In the fifth century, during the sack of Rome, the basilica was also plundered, in addition, the church burned twice. However, even now its interior deserves attention.


Here is the see of the Roman bishop and the papal throne. By the way, Roman bishop And pope- these are not two people, but one, but Holy See- this is not a table, but at the same time the Pope and the Roman Curia (aka the Secretariat of State) - this is something like the main department in the Vatican.


Next to the church there is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, to which a fountain is attached.


This obelisk is the oldest of all that currently exist. Date of “birth” XIV century BC. Fourteenth century BC!

This ended our first walk according to the guide book, and we went for a walk just like that.


Photos taken April 19, 2011

 

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