Тhey call Rome the “Eternal City” and there is definitely a reason behind that name – it is as old as the world, but to be honest I will never get tired of visiting it. This is one of my “always coming back” destinations and I every time return to this city it is with a great pleasure. Its beauty can impress everyone, its history can’t help but grab you, and the cuisine – ah, that’s another topic and I’m thinking of telling you about it some other time…

It was very difficult for me to list my all time favorite places in Rome, to reduce them to just ten and most of all to rank them! Honestly, I don’t know how many times I’ve been to Rome already and I’m literally in love with this city. Every time I manage to discover a lot of new things and places in it, and my mood is always “Roman”. 🙂

I will not arrange and make rankings to my favourite places from 1 to 10. Instead, I will just tell about them in random order, because every single place you are about to read for has a special place in my heart and I love visiting each of them over and over again!

Are you ready to take you through my places in Rome?

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is one of the most famous fountains in the world! It is set in a small square in front of the Poli Palace in central Rome. Its name is “Trevi” because it connects three streets (tre vie). Built in 1762 by Nicolas Salvi and the sculptures in the fountain are by Pietro Bracci. In the center of the fountain is the figure of Neptune and on both sides there are a female figures that are allegories of abundance and health.

It is a well-known fact that if you toss a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome again! There is no lie about that “prophecy” – no matter how many times I have done it, I have returned there so many times. It happened to me right on my birthday to be there, toss a coin and make a wish, even if it was impossible! Well, it turned out that my wish came true and there is no such unique experience. 🙂

There are many things that can be said to describe this venue – it is famous, it is known to be beautiful but I would also add that this is the most magical place I have ever been to! If you do not believe me just visit it by yourself and I am sure that you will be surprised 🙂

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum, Forum Magnum or simply The Forum) used to be the center around which Ancient Rome developed itself. It was a center of trade, religion, the judiciary or in other words the place where public life flourished.

The first forum – Forum Romanum is situated in the hollow between the Capitol, Palatine and Celius hills in the capital city of Rome. The most important temples and public buildings were built around the square. Most Roman emperors built forums in Rome. The forums of Julius Caesar, Augustus, Vespasian and Trajan are better known to the public.

I won’t tell you much about the Forum – I will just advise you two things: Firstly, please, visit this place wearing comfortable shoes, because there are a lot of stones and it is desirable for your feet to feel comfortable. Secondly, visit either early in the morning or on a day when the sun is not so hot. Like I said, there are a lot of stones, and they tend to reflect heat and that definitely can make you feel sick! There are few places where you can hide in the shade, so my last suggestion would be to take an umbrella with you, and it wouldn’t be also bad to bad to stock up on water, too.

The Colosseum

Probably there is no person who has not heard of the Roman Colosseum. It is the largest and most magnificent of the amphitheaters in ancient Rome, used for gladiatorial combats, as well as for other spectacles such as imitations of sea battles, animal hunting, executions, reconstructions of battles and dramas with mythological plots.

Although time has had its influence and imprint on the Colosseum, which was partially destroyed by earthquakes and the extraction of stone blocks from it’s foundations, it remains one of the main symbols of the Roman Empire and its engineering achievements.

The above two tips for the Forum apply for the Colosseum at full force too. Here I will allow myself to give you another piece of advice – please, when visiting Rome, be sure to visit this unique place! Even if you only have a few free hours and you have to choose which place to visit let it be the Colosseum. There is no place to see so much greatness and so much history in one place! And the fact that it has survived for so many years and is in this condition will give you goosebumps.

Navona Square

Where once the ancient Roman stadium for athletic competitions was located, where the Romans came to watch the agones (games), today stands one of the most beautiful squares in Rome – Piazza Navona. In all probability, the present name of the square comes from “in agone”, which in time became “nagone” and finally “navona”. In Italian “Navona” means “Big Ship”.

The square was built in the form of a highly elongated and flattened ellipse, thus preserving the characteristic shape of a stadium. At the northern end of the square stands the preserved part of a door that was once at the very same place in the stadium.

It became a square at the end of the 15th century, when the town market was moved from Campidoglio. Piazza Navona is one of the landmarks of Baroque Rome. There are such architectural landmarks as: the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, 1651) of Bernini, located in the middle of the square; The Fountain of Neptune (1574), located in the northern part of the square and the Fountain of the Moor (1576) (in the southern part), as well as the Church of St. Agnes. On Piazza Navona stands one of the most famous of the Talking Statues of Rome, the one of the Pasquale, whence came the modern word pasquil.

In case you are wondering where you can sit and eat in a pleasant and refined atmosphere – then this is your place. Although the prices at the restaurants are high, the view and the whole experience are worth indulging in a more expensive dinner 🙂

The Pantheon

The Pantheon is a former Roman temple dedicated to all gods, translated from Greek (Πάνθειον) means “Of all Gods”. Today it is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin and All Saints (Basilica collegiata di Santa Maria ad Martyres). The Pantheon is located in the very historic center of Rome, at Piazza della Rotonda, and is one of the greatest engineering achievements of antiquity to date.

At the square at front of the Pantheon there is a fountain with a red granite obelisk of Pharaoh Ramses II from the VIII century BC. that was brought from Egypt.

There are a lot of neat Italian restaurants around the square, and this is one of the places with a nice view, where I recommend you to sit and admire both the nice view and the music coming from either accordion or violin, as well as the life itself! We only get one life so pamper yourself a bit 🙂

Piazza del Popolo or People’s Square

Piazza del Popolo is one of the largest squares in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means “People’s Square”, but historically it originated from the poplars, after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the square, was named.

In the center of Piazza del Popolo there is again an ancient Egyptian obelisk (from the time of Ramses II), surrounded by four stone lions, which quite gracefully spit water into the fountain.

Sant’Angelo Castle

Castel Sant’Angelo or as I like to call it Castello is an interesting architectural monument that will impress you not only with its architecture but also with its history. The castle of Sant’Angelo is located on the right bank of the Tiber River in Rome, and was originally designed as a mausoleum by Emperor Hadrian.

Through the years, this building has been a tomb, a castle, a papal residence, a prison and today it exists as a museum. At the top of the castle rises a statue of an angel, from where you can observe the beautiful beautiful views of Rome, the Vatican and the Tiber.

The Vatican

The country-city or city state as you wish to call it, is not only the smallest sovereign country in the world but certainly is also the most famous! It is located on the Vatican Hill in the western part of Rome, and is completely surrounded by Rome.

The Basilica of St. Peter, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums – hardly anyone has not heard of them! Therefore, I will not repeat myself with a description of these cultural and religious sites.

I will only say that exactly on my 33rd birthday I had the pleasure of attending a liturgy held in the square in front of St. Peter of Pope Francis and I can’t describe to you what it was like to be in this place, among so many people who came from all over the world and to hear the words of this charismatic pope on your birthday!

The Spanish Steps or Plaza de España

One of the business cards of Rome is the Spanish Steps! I will not tell you about the history of this square. I want you to look at it from a different angle and with a different eye 🙂

Many of the fashion shows of world-famous fashion designers were held on this iconic square! Who among the world-famous models has not paraded with outfits of the most famous fashion brands in the world on all 136 stairs? That even I myself have posed here many times, and as you can see I am not inferior to anyone in the fashion industry 😉

Venice Square or the Wedding Cake

This is one of the most beautiful squares in Rome, located right at the back of the Forum, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill.

Here is the National Monument of Victor Emmanuel II (Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II), the Altar of the Motherland or Victorian is a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel II – the first king of United Italy. Here is the monument dedicated to the Unknown Warrior.

The memorial is built in a style that is too crowded with details, which has led to some mocking names such as “Wedding Cake”, “Typewriter” and others. As beautiful as it is and visited by many tourists, it is also ridiculed by the locals. But as they say – Roman work 🙂

This is not all from Rome and I admit again – it was very difficult for me to write this article about these places! As you can see, these are famous places that hide their history, and I also have a certain history with them that I can’t tell in just 2-3 lines! Each of these places deserves its own article, which will happen in time, because I’m not saying I have anything to say or tell – I have whole stories that scream to be told literally. But there are other places in Rome that are worth talking about. But all in time and step by step …

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