Rome, March 2010 - Planned by Laura Padgett with 1 Collaborator
Rome, ItalyHoly See (Vatican City State)Pompei, Italy from March 12-19, 2010

Address: Porta Marina, Via Villa Pompeii (map)
Phone: 081-8575347
Hours: Daily Nov 1-Mar 31 8:30am-5pm; Apr 1-Oct 31 8:30am-7:30pm. Last admission 90 min. earlier. Guided tours daily Nov 1-Mar 31 9am-4pm; Apr 1-Oct 31 9am-7pm
Prices: Admission 11€ ($15/£7.70)
Season: Closed Jan 1, May 1, and Dec 25
Other: Guided tours reservations tel. 081-8616405 or online at www.arethusa.net
Where: 15 miles/24km southeast of Naples, 147 miles/237 Km southeast of Rome
Best Times: avoid weekends and the hottest hours of a summer afternoon; fewer bus tours off-season.

In Roman times, Pompeii was an important industrial and commercial town, with a complex layered society, which is reflected in the urban structures on view today. Besides elegant villas belonging to the richer citizens, there were blocks of more modest housing, as well as many shops, restaurants, hotels, and public buildings. The eruption covered Pompeii with volcanic ash and pumice stone, a much lighter material than in Herculaneum; therefore, the survivors of the disaster were able to retrieve some of their possessions, leaving less behind than in other locations. This also made it easier for the site to be excavated -- and, unfortunately looted -- in more recent centuries. You will recognize the different excavation styles: In the 19th and early 20th century, precious mosaics and frescoes were carefully detached and placed on display in museums; the contemporary approach is to leave everything in situ to depict the town as it must have been.
Surrounded by walls, the city was much closer to the sea than it is now, as the water has receded substantially since the days of the eruption. Pompeii had three centers of civic life: the Forum; the Triangular Forum with the Theater District; and the complex with the Amphitheatre and the Palestra. The rest of town was residential and commercial. Streets were lined with small shops and taverns, and the walls were covered with red writing advertising the candidates to the local elections. You'll also see black charcoal graffiti, and painted signs for bars and shops. All these are still visible in the area of the so-called Nuovi Scavi (considered to be new excavations, although they started around 1911!) to the southeast of town.
The Forum is a large rectangular open space covering over 17,400 sq. m. (58,000 sq. ft.) and surrounded by a portico on three sides. On the fourth is the Temple of Jupiter, from the 2nd century B.C., built over a high foundation. The Forum was decorated with bronze and marble statues of important citizens, but the niches stand empty because their objects were taken away shortly after the tragedy in A.D. 79. On the Forum opened the Macellum, the covered food market. At the opposite side, opening onto the street, was the Basilica, the largest building in town, which housed the meeting hall and tribunal.
The Triangular Forum -- so called because of its shape -- is another large area that was once surrounded by a portico. In the middle are the ruins of the Doric Temple from the 6th century B.C. This was the heart of the Theater District, with the beautiful Teatro Grande from the 2nd century B.C. to the east, which could hold an audience of 5,000 for the most important theatrical representations. Farther on is the Odeion, or Small Theater, from the 1st century B.C., for music and mime shows, which could hold 1,000 spectators. Nearby is the Temple of Isis, one of the best-conserved temples to this goddess to survive from antiquity. Also nearby are the Terme Stabiane (Stabian Baths), one of the town's three public bath establishments and among the finest conserved ancient baths in the world, with well-preserved decorations in mosaic, painting, and marble.
From the Forum, you can take Via dell'Abbondanza, the town's main commercial street, lined with shops of all kinds and leading to the southeast of town, the most recently excavated area. One of the most curious shops is the Fullonica Stephani ("Stephen's Dry-Cleaning"); the shop is on the ground floor and the owner's apartment on the second. Farther on is the Casa di Loreius Tiburtinus, with an elegant internal loggia bordering a long pool and decorated with small marble statues; at the end is the Triclinium with two beautiful paintings. At the end of the road to the right is the complex with the Palestra, where sports events were held, with a grandiose swimming pool and surrounded by plane trees (you can see the plaster casts of the stumps). Farther on is the Amphitheatre, the oldest Roman amphitheater in the world, built in 80 B.C., with seating for 1,000 people.
Among the other famous private houses here is the elegant Casa dei Vettii (House of the Vettii), with its magnificent paintings belonging to two rich merchants; they had just redecorated after the damages caused by the earthquake in A.D. 62, so all of the paintings were in excellent shape. Besides several small paintings in a number of rooms in the house, you'll find the magnificent frescoed Triclinium (Dining Room), where you'll see figures and amorini (cupids) on Pompeiian red-and-black backgrounds. Nearby is the Casa del Fauno (House of the Faun), the largest of private homes -- it takes up an entire city block. This was an exquisite mansion, whose finest decorative pieces are now in the Museo Nazionale Archeologico in Naples. Also renowned (though again, most of its paintings have been moved to Naples's museums), is the Casa del Poeta Tragico (House of the Tragic Poet), with its famous CAVE CANEM (Beware of Dog) mosaic by the entrance; the mosaic is oft replicated, and the warning has been adopted by homeowners the world over.
Some of the houses, such as the Casa dell'Ara Massima, or the Casa degli Amorini Dorati (House of the Gilded Cupids) are accessible only by guided tour with advance reservations. You must sign up at tel. 081-8616405, or online at www.arethusa.net. If you are signing up for more than one tour, keep in mind that it might take more than 30 minutes to walk between the various sites. (Frommer's)

"Ghost City of a Vanished Civilization"
No matter how much you've read about Pompeii, nothing quite prepares you for the striking effect of some of the world's most famous ruins. It's as if the ancient Romans had departed only yesterday--the homes, wine shops public baths, and bordellos they left behind are windows on the life that flourished in this thriving port city as the foot of Vesuvius in the days of the Caesars. In AD 79 one of the most disastrous volcanic eruptions in history--recorded by Pliny the Younger, who observed it from a distance--buried the town under more than 20 feet of ash (not lava) that would preserve it until it was rediscovered at the end of the 16th century. It was not until the mid-18th century that large-scale excavations were launched, and two thirds of the city (some 60 acres) remain buried even now. The opulence of Pompeii can be seen in its intricate mosaic floors and richly frescoed villas, although many of the city's decorative and art objects were sotlen long ago or carted off to the National Museum of Archaelogy in naples for safekeeping. Even though more than 1 million tourists visit yearly, Pompeii is large enough to provide quite corners and elusive enough to be misunderstood without the help of a guide. Entire areas of the dead city are astonishingly intact, a haunting remnant of a place that seems as advanced and civilized as anything around today (or more so). (1000 Places)

Address: Vatican City (map)
Phone: 06-69883333
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, last entrance 4pm
Transportation: Metro: Cipro-Musei Vaticani
Prices: Admission 14€ ($22) adults, 8€ ($13) children under 14 years of age, free for children under 6
Season: Closed Jan 1 and 6, Feb 11, Mar 19, April 13, May 1 and 21, June 11 and 29, Aug 15, Dec 8, 25 and 26
Price: 9, 14 for guided tour
Best Times: always crowded; come early, before opening.


The Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art collections. They're a gigantic repository of treasures from antiquity and the Renaissance, all housed in a labyrinthine series of lavishly adorned palaces, apartments, and galleries leading you to the real gem: the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican Museums occupy a part of the papal palaces built from the 1200s onward. From the former papal private apartments, the museums were created over a period of time to display the vast treasure trove of art acquired by the Vatican.
To reach the ticket windows, you take an escalator, although you exit down a magnificent spiral ramp. Signs will direct you on your way to the highlights. Obviously, 1, 2, or even 20 trips will not be enough to see the wealth of the Vatican, much less to digest it. With that in mind, we've previewed only a representative sampling of the masterpieces on display (in alphabetical order).
Borgia Apartments: Frescoed with biblical scenes by Pinturicchio of Umbria and his assistants, these rooms were designed for Pope Alexander VI (the infamous Borgia pope). They might be badly lit, but they boast great splendor and style. At the end of the Raphael Rooms is the Chapel of Nicholas V, an intimate room frescoed by the Dominican monk Fra Angelico, the most saintly of all Italian painters.
Chiaramonti Museum: Founded by Pope Pius VII, also known as Chiaramonti, the museum includes the Corridoio (Corridor), the Galleria Lapidaria, and the Braccio Nuovo (New Side). The Corridor holds more than 800 Greek and Roman works, including statues, reliefs, and sarcophagi. In the Galleria Lapidaria are about 5,000 Christian and pagan inscriptions. In the Braccio Nuovo, built as an extension of the Chiaramonti, you can admire The Nile, a magnificent reproduction of a long-lost Hellenistic original and one of the most remarkable pieces of sculpture from antiquity. The imposing statue of Augustus of Prima Porta presents him as a regal commander.
Collection of Modern Religious Art: This museum, opened in 1973, represents American artists' first invasion of the Vatican. Of the 55 rooms, at least 12 are devoted to American artists. All the works chosen were judged on their "spiritual and religious values." Among the American works is Leonard Baskin's 1.5m (5-ft.) bronze sculpture of Isaac. Modern Italian artists such as De Chirico and Manzù are also displayed, and there's a room of paintings by the Frenchman Georges Rouault. You'll also see works by Picasso, Gauguin, Gottuso, Chagall, Henry Moore, Kandinsky, and others.
Egyptian Gregorian Museum: Experience the grandeur of the pharaohs by studying sarcophagi, mummies, and statues of goddesses, vases, jewelry, sculptured pink-granite statues, and hieroglyphics.
Etruscan Gregorian Museum: This was founded by Gregory XIV in 1837 and then enriched year after year, becoming one of the most important and complete collections of Etruscan art. With sarcophagi, a chariot, bronzes, urns, jewelry, and terra-cotta vases, this gallery affords remarkable insights into an ancient civilization. One of the most acclaimed exhibits is the Regolini-Galassi tomb, unearthed in the 19th century at Cerveteri. It shares top honors with the Mars of Todi, a bronze sculpture probably dating from the 5th century B.C.
Ethnological Museum: This is an assemblage of works of art and objects of cultural significance from all over the world. The principal route is a .5km (1/3-mile) walk through 25 geographical sections, displaying thousands of objects covering 3,000 years of world history. The section devoted to China is especially interesting.
Historical Museum: This museum tells the history of the Vatican. It exhibits arms, uniforms, and armor, some dating from the early Renaissance. The carriages displayed are those used by the popes and cardinals in religious processions.
Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery): The Pinacoteca houses paintings and tapestries from the 11th to the 19th centuries. In room no. 1, note the oldest picture at the Vatican, a keyhole-shape wood panel of the Last Judgment from the 11th century. In room no. 2 is one of the finest pieces -- the Stefaneschi Triptych (six panels), by Giotto and his assistants. Bernardo Daddi's masterpiece of early Italian Renaissance art, Madonna del Magnificat, is also here. You'll see works by Fra Angelico, the 15th-century Dominican monk who distinguished himself as a miniaturist (his Virgin with Child is justly praised -- check out the Madonna's microscopic eyes).
Raphael Salon: In room no. 8, you can view three paintings by the Renaissance giant himself: the Coronation of the Virgin, the Virgin of Foligno, and the massive Transfiguration (completed shortly before his death). There are also eight tapestries made by Flemish weavers from cartoons by Raphael. In room no. 9, seek out Leonardo da Vinci's masterful but uncompleted St. Jerome with the Lion, as well as Giovanni Bellini's Pietà and one of Titian's greatest works, the Virgin of Frari. Finally, in room no. 10, feast your eyes on one of the masterpieces of the baroque, Caravaggio's Deposition from the Cross.
Pio Clementino Museum: Here you'll find Greek and Roman sculptures, many of which are immediately recognizable. The rippling muscles of the Belvedere Torso, a partially preserved Greek statue (1st c. B.C.) much admired by the artists of the Renaissance, especially Michelangelo, reveal an intricate knowledge of the human body. In the rotunda is a large gilded bronze of Hercules from the late 2nd century B.C. Other major sculptures are under porticoes opening onto the Belvedere courtyard. From the 1st century B.C., one sculpture shows Laocoon and his two sons locked in eternal struggle with the serpents. The incomparable Apollo Belvedere (a late Roman reproduction of an authentic Greek work from the 4th c. B.C.) has become the symbol of classic male beauty, rivaling Michelangelo's David. Some members of the Vatican staff once discovered Michelangelo in front of the Belvedere Apollo "publicly aroused in defilement." He was caned and shamed accordingly and had to promise to "create something grand" to compensate for his "shocking" behavior.
Raphael Rooms: While still a young man, Raphael was given one of the greatest assignments of his short life: to decorate a series of rooms in the apartments of Pope Julius II. Raphael and his workshop carried out the commission from 1508 to 1524. In these works, Raphael achieves the Renaissance aim of blending classic beauty with realism. In the Stanza dell'Incendio, you'll see much of the work of Raphael's pupils but little of the master -- except in the fresco across from the window. The partially draped Aeneas rescuing his father (to the left of the fresco) is attributed to Raphael, as is the surprised woman with a jug balanced on her head to the right.
Raphael reigns supreme in the next and most important salon, the Stanza della Segnatura, the first room decorated by the artist, where you'll find the majestic School of Athens [SSS], one of his best-known works, depicting such philosophers from the ages as Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. Many of the figures are actually portraits of some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, including Bramante (on the right as Euclid, bent over to draw on a chalkboard), Leonardo da Vinci (as Plato, the bearded man in the center pointing heavenward), and even Raphael himself (looking out at you from the lower-right corner). While he was painting this masterpiece, Raphael stopped work to walk down the hall for the unveiling of Michelangelo's newly finished Sistine Chapel ceiling. He was so impressed that he returned to his School of Athens and added to his design a sulking Michelangelo sitting on the steps.
The Stanza d'Eliodoro, also by the master, manages to flatter Raphael's papal patrons (Julius II and Leo X) without compromising his art (although one rather fanciful fresco depicts the pope driving Attila from Rome). Finally, there's the Sala di Constantino, which was completed by his students after Raphael's death. Raphael designed the loggia, which is frescoed with more than 50 scenes from the Bible, but his students did the actual work.
Sistine Chapel: Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. While in his 30s, he was commanded by Julius II to stop work on the pope's own tomb and to devote his considerable talents to painting ceiling frescoes (an art form of which the Florentine master was contemptuous). Michelangelo labored for 4 years (1508-12) over this epic project, which was so physically taxing that it permanently damaged his eyesight. All during the task, he had to contend with the pope's incessant urgings to hurry up; at one point, Julius threatened to topple Michelangelo from the scaffolding -- or so Vasari relates in his Lives of the Artists.
It's ironic that a project undertaken against the artist's wishes would form his most enduring legend. Glorifying the human body as only a sculptor could, Michelangelo painted nine panels, taken from the pages of Genesis, and surrounded them with prophets and sibyls. The most notable panels detail the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the creation of man. Tip: Bring along binoculars so you can see the details better.
The Florentine master was in his 60s when he began the masterly Last Judgment on the altar wall. Here, Michelangelo presents a more jaundiced view of people and their fate; God sits in judgment and sinners are plunged into the mouth of hell. A master of ceremonies under Paul III, Monsignor Biagio da Cesena, protested to the pope about the "shameless nudes" painted by Michelangelo. Michelangelo showed that he wasn't above petty revenge by painting the prude with the ears of a jackass in hell. When Biagio complained to the pope, Paul III maintained that he had no jurisdiction in hell.
On the side walls are frescoes by other Renaissance masters, such as Botticelli, Perugino, Signorelli, Pinturicchio, Roselli, and Ghirlandaio. Unfortunately, because they compete with Michelangelo's artistry, they're virtually ignored by visitors.
The twisting ignudi or male nudes that decorate the corners of the ceiling were terribly controversial when executed.
The restoration of the Sistine Chapel in the 1990s touched off a worldwide debate among art historians. The restoration took years as restorers used advanced computer analyses in their painstaking and controversial work. They reattached the fresco and repaired the ceiling, ridding the frescoes of their dark and shadowy look. Critics claim that in addition to removing centuries of dirt and grime -- and several of the added "modesty" drapes -- the restorers removed a vital second layer of paint as well. Purists argue that many of the restored figures seem flat compared with the originals, which had more shadow and detail. Others have hailed the project for saving Michelangelo's masterpiece for future generations to appreciate and for revealing the vibrancy of his color palette.

"The World's Most Famous Ceiling"
The spellbinding frescoes that cover the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel are among Western civilization's greatest achievements. Historians always knew Michelangelo to be a master painter (although, following his success with David's completion, be painted infrequently before being commissioned to create the ceiling by Pope Julius), but the biggest revelation of its fourteen-year restoration (the most controversial of all time) was his startling use of light and bright colors, which had been drastically muted over the centuries from accumulated dust, dirt, incense, and countless candles. Although he started off with a team of assistants and apprentices, Michelangelo fired them all and worked alone for four years before unveiling his work to a speechless pope and public in 1512. After an international restoration team completed work on this brilliant extravganza depicting biblical scenes from the Creation (the creation of Adam is the ceiling's focus), they turned their attention to the wall behind the main altar and Michelangelo's equally powerful Last Judgment. Its completion in 1541 brough Pope Pius III to his knees. Although Michelangelo is often assoicated with his birth town of Florence (where he is represented by David and the Medici Chapels), his presence is strongly felt in the Eternal City. The Sistine Chapel rightly caps any visitor's short list, but the Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica confirms Michelangelo's genius as a sculptor, while Rome's elegant Piazza del Camidoglio shows off his natural talent as architect and city planner: one of the world's most beautiful and copied squares (reinterpreted in New York City's Lincoln Center), it as been left essentially as he designed it.

Address: Vatican City (map)
In 1929, the Lateran Treaty between Pope Pius XI and the Italian government created the Vatican, the world's second-smallest sovereign independent state. It has only a few hundred citizens and is protected (theoretically) by its own militia, the curiously uniformed (some say by Michelangelo) Swiss guards.
The only entrance to the Vatican for the casual visitor is through one of the glories of the Western world: Bernini's St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro). As you stand in the huge piazza, you'll be in the arms of an ellipse partly enclosed by a majestic Doric-pillared colonnade. Atop it stands a gesticulating crowd of some 140 saints. Straight ahead is the facade of St. Peter's Basilica (Sts. Peter and Paul are represented by statues in front, with Peter carrying the keys to the kingdom), and, to the right, above the colonnade, are the dark-brown buildings of the papal apartments and the Vatican Museums. In the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, brought from the ancient city of Heliopolis on the Nile delta. Flanking the obelisk are two 17th-century fountains. The one on the right by Carlo Maderno, who designed the facade of St. Peter's, was placed here by Bernini himself; the other is by Carlo Fontana.
On the left side of Piazza San Pietro is the Vatican Tourist Office (tel. 06-69881662), open Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 6:30pm. It sells maps and guides that'll help you make sense of the riches you'll be seeing in the museums. It also schedules tours for the Vatican Gardens and tries to answer questions.
Papal Audiences -- When the pope is in Rome, he gives a public audience every Wednesday beginning at 10:30am (sometimes at 10am in summer). It takes place in the Paul VI Hall of Audiences, although sometimes St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square are used to accommodate a large attendance. Anyone is welcome, but you must first obtain a free ticket from the office of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, accessible from St. Peter's Square by the Bronze Door, where the colonnade on the right (as you face the basilica) begins. The office is open from Monday through Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Tickets are readily available on Monday and Tuesday; sometimes you won't be able to get into the office on Wednesday morning. Occasionally, if there's enough room, you can attend without a ticket.
You can also write ahead to the Prefecture of the Papal Household, 00120 Città del Vaticano (tel. 06-69883273), indicating your language, the dates of your visit, the number of people in your party, and (if possible) the hotel in Rome to which the cards should be sent the afternoon before the audience. American Catholics, armed with a letter of introduction from their parish priest, should apply to the North American College, Via dell'Umiltà 30, 00187 Roma (tel. 06-690011).
At noon on Sunday, the pope speaks briefly from his study window and gives his blessing to the visitors and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. From about mid-July to mid-September, the Angelus and blessing take place at the summer residence at Castelgandolfo, some 26km (16 miles) out of Rome and accessible by Metro and bus. (Frommer's)

The world's smallest independent state, Vatican City is accessed through St. Peter's Square, surrounded by an elliptical colonnade with some 140 saints on top. Straight ahead is the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, the center of world Catholicism. The Circus of Nero, where St. peter was crucified, once sat on this spot, and in 324 the emperor Constantine commissioned a basilica to be built here in the saint's honor. The present structure dates from the 16th and 17th centuries and contains cream-of-the-crop statuary, the Michelangelo-designed dome and his famous Pietà, and so much more that it's overwhelming--exactly as it was supposed to be. To the north of the piazza, the Vatican Museums contain one of the world's greatest collections of art from antiquity and the Renaissance, including Raphael's famouse stanze (several rooms containing many of the artist's masterpieces), housed in a labyrinth of palaces and galleries. The gem of the collection is the famous Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. (1000 Places)

Address: Largo Romolo e Remo Rome (map)
Phone: 06-39967700
Hours: Guided tours of Roman Forum daily 1pm. Oct 30-Feb 15 daily 8:30am-4:30pm; Feb 16-Mar 15 daily 8:30am-5pm; Mar 16-26 daily 8:30am-5:30pm; Mar 27-Aug 31 daily 8:30am-7:15pm; Sept daily 8:30am-7pm; Oct 1-29 daily 8:30am-6:30pm. Last admission 1 hr. before closing
Transportation: Metro: Colosseo. Bus: 60, 75, 85, 87, 95, or 175
Prices: Admission 9€ ($14); ticket good for same-day admission to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. Guided tours of Roman Forum 4€ ($6.40)
Season: Closed holidays

When it came to cremating Caesar, purchasing a harlot for the night, or sacrificing a naked victim, the Roman Forum was the place to be. Traversed by the Via Sacra (Sacred Way), the Broadway of ancient Rome, the Forum was built in the marshy land between the Palatine and Capitoline hills, and it flourished as the center of Roman life in the days of the Republic before it gradually lost prestige to the Imperial Forums.

You'll see only ruins and fragments, an arch or two, and lots of overturned boulders, but with some imagination you can feel the rush of history here. That any semblance of the Forum remains today is miraculous because it was used for years (like the Colosseum) as a quarry. Eventually it reverted to what the Italians call a campo vaccino (cow pasture). But excavations in the 19th century began to bring to light one of the world's most historic spots.

By day, the columns of now-vanished temples and the stones from which long-forgotten orators spoke are mere shells. Bits of grass and weeds grow where a triumphant Caesar was once lionized. But at night, when the Forum is silent in the moonlight, it isn't difficult to imagine Vestal Virgins still guarding the sacred temple fire. The best view of the Roman Forum at night is from Campidoglio, or Capitoline Hill, Michelangelo's Renaissance piazza that overlooks the Forum.

You can spend at least a morning wandering through the ruins of the Forum. Or, to imbue the stones with some meaning, buy a detailed plan at the gate (the temples are hard to locate otherwise).

Turn right at the bottom of the entrance slope to walk west along the old Via Sacra toward the arch. Just before it on your right is the large brick Curia built by Julius Caesar, the main seat of the Roman Senate (if the doors are open, you can lean in to see the 3rd-c. marble inlay floor).

The triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus (A.D. 203) displays time-bitten reliefs of the emperor's victories in what are today Iran and Iraq. During the Middle Ages, Rome became a provincial backwater, and frequent flooding of the nearby river helped to rapidly bury most of the Forum. This former center of the empire became a cow pasture. Some bits did still stick out above ground, including the top half of this arch, which was used to shelter a barbershop! It wasn't until the 19th century that people really became interested in excavating these ancient ruins to see what Rome in its glory must have been like.

Just to the left of the arch, you can make out the remains of a cylindrical lump of rock with some marble steps curving off it. That round stone was the Umbilicus Urbus, considered the center of Rome and of the entire Roman Empire; the curving steps are those of the Imperial Rostra, where great orators and legislators stood to speak, and the people gathered to listen. Nearby, the much-photographed trio of fluted columns with Corinthian capitals supporting a bit of architrave form the corner of the Temple of Vespasian and Titus.

Start heading to your left toward the eight Ionic columns marking the front of the Temple of Saturn (rebuilt 42 B.C.), which housed the first treasury of Republican Rome. It was also the site of one of the Roman year's biggest annual blowout festivals, the December 17 feast of Saturnalia, which, after a bit of tweaking, is now celebrated as Christmas. Now turn left to start heading back east, past the worn steps and stumps of brick pillars outlining the enormous Basilica Julia, built by Julius Caesar. Past it are the three Corinthian columns of the Temple of the Dioscuri, dedicated to the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux. Forming one of the most celebrated sights of the Roman Forum, a trio of columns supports an architrave fragment. The founding of this temple dates from the 5th century B.C.

Beyond the bit of curving wall that marks the site of the little round Temple of Vesta (rebuilt several times after fires started by the sacred flame housed within), you'll find the partially reconstructed House of the Vestal Virgins (3rd-4th c. A.D.) against the south side of the grounds. This was the home of the consecrated young women who tended the sacred flame in the Temple of Vesta. Vestals were young girls chosen from patrician families to serve a 30-year-long priesthood. During their tenure, they were among Rome's most venerated citizens, with unique powers such as the ability to pardon condemned criminals. The cult was quite serious about the "virgin" part of the job description -- if any of Vesta's earthly servants were found to have "misplaced" her virginity, the miscreant Vestal was summarily buried alive. (Her amorous accomplice was merely flogged to death.) The overgrown rectangle of their gardens is lined with broken, heavily worn statues of senior Vestals on pedestals.

The path dovetails back to join Via Sacra at the entrance. Turn right and then left to enter the massive brick remains and coffered ceilings of the 4th-century Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius. These were Rome's public law courts, and their architectural style was adopted by early Christians for their houses of worship (the reason so many ancient churches are called "basilicas").

Return to the path and continue toward the Colosseum, veering right to the second great surviving triumphal arch, the Arch of Titus (A.D. 81), on which one relief depicts the carrying off of treasures from Jerusalem's temple -- look closely and you'll see a menorah among the booty. The war that this arch glorifies ended with the expulsion of Jews from the colonized Judea, signaling the beginning of the Jewish Diaspora throughout Europe. From here you can climb the Palatine Hill (admission is included with your combined ticket to the Forum and Colosseum). Before you make the climb, look for a sign pointing to Santa Maria Antigua, the oldest Christian church in the Roman Forum, dating from the 16th century.

The Palatine, tradition tells us, is the spot on which the first settlers built their huts, under the direction of Romulus. In later years, the hill became a patrician residential district that attracted such citizens as Cicero. In time, however, the area was gobbled up by imperial palaces and drew a famous and infamous roster of tenants, such as Livia (some of the frescoes in the House of Livia are in miraculous condition), Tiberius, Caligula (murdered here by members of his Praetorian Guard), Nero, and Domitian.

Only the ruins of its former grandeur remain today, and you really need to be an archaeologist to make sense of them because they're more difficult to understand than those in the Forum. But even if you're not interested in the past, it's worth the climb for the panoramic view of the ruins of Rome.

The Palatine Museum (Museo Palatino) displays a good collection of Roman sculpture from the ongoing digs in the Palatine villas. In summer you can take guided tours in English Monday through Sunday at 11:30am for 4€ ($6.40); call in winter to see whether they're still available. If you ask the museum's custodian, he might take you to one of the nearby locked villas and let you in for a peek at surviving frescoes and stuccoes. Orti Farnesiani, or the Farnese Gardens, were ordered laid out by Cardinal Alessandro Fernese, Pope Paul III's nephew, in the 16th century. The designer was Gincomo de Vignola, the great Renaissance architect. Resplendent with wild flowers, spring-scented orange groves, and delightful walkways, the site is one of the world's first botanical gardens. It has pavilions, rose gardens, terraces, and panoramic views of the Forum over Ancient Rome. Certain sections are sometimes closed due to reconstruction work and ongoing excavations. (Frommer's)

The center of Roman life in the days of the Republic, the Roman Forum was a stone quarry and cow pasture before excavations began in the 19th century. You need a map and guide to put some meaning to the ruins, which include numerous temples, the Umbilicus Urbus, considered the center of Rome (and by extension, of the empire); the Curia, the main seat of the Roman Senate; and the House of the Vestal Virgins, home of the young women who minded the Temple of Veta's sacred fire. (1000 Places)

Address: Piazzale del Colosseo, Via dei Fort Imperiali Rome (map)
Phone: 39/0639967700
Hours: Nov-Feb 15 daily 8:30am-4:30pm; Feb 16-Mar 15 daily 8:30am-5pm; Mar 16-Mar 27 daily 8:30am-5:30pm; Mar 28-Aug daily 8:30am-7:15pm; Sept daily 8:30am-7pm; Oct daily 8:30am-6pm. Guided tours in English with an archaeologist 7 times per day Mar 28-Oct 30 (9:30am, 10:15am, 11:15am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 4:15pm, and 5:15pm)
Transportation: Metro: Colosseo
Prices: Admission 10€ ($16) all levels. Guided tours: 4€ ($6.40). Note: Admission to the Colosseum also includes a visit to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill

Now a mere shell, the Colosseum still remains ancient Rome's greatest architectural legacy. Vespasian ordered the construction of the elliptical bowl, called the Amphitheatrum Flavium, in A.D. 72; it was inaugurated by Titus in A.D. 80 with a bloody combat between gladiators and wild beasts that lasted many long weeks. At its peak, under the cruel Domitian, the Colosseum could seat 50,000. The Vestal Virgins from the temple screamed for blood, as more exotic animals were shipped in from the far corners of the empire to satisfy jaded tastes (lion versus bear, two humans vs. hippopotamus). Not-so-mock naval battles were staged (the canopied Colosseum could be flooded), and the defeated combatants might have their lives spared if they put up a good fight. Many historians now believe that one of the most enduring legends about the Colosseum (that Christians were fed to the lions) is unfounded.
Long after the Colosseum ceased to be an arena to amuse sadistic Romans, it was struck by an earthquake. Centuries later it was used as a quarry, its rich marble facing stripped away to build palaces and churches. On one side, part of the original four tiers remains; the first three levels were constructed in Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles, respectively, to lend variety. Inside, the seats are gone, as is the wooden floor.
On a user-friendly note, two elevators have been installed to allow visitors to reach the second tier without having to climb steps 10 inches high. The Colosseum has become the turnstile for Rome's largest traffic circle, around which thousands of cars whip daily, spewing exhaust over this venerable monument. You can explore on your own or rent an audio guide for 4€ ($6.40).
The Arch of Constantine, the highly photogenic memorial next to the Colosseum, was erected by the Senate in A.D. 315 to honor Constantine's defeat of the pagan Maxentius (in 306). Many of the reliefs have nothing whatsoever to do with Constantine or his works, but they tell of the victories of earlier Antonine rulers (they were apparently lifted from other, long-forgotten memorials).
Historically, the arch marks a period of great change in the history of Rome and thus the history of the world. Converted to Christianity by a vision on the battlefield, Constantine ended the centuries-long persecution of the Christians (during which many followers of the new religion had been put to death gruesomely). While Constantine didn't ban paganism (which survived officially until the closing of the temples more than half a century later), he espoused Christianity himself and began the inevitable development that culminated in the conquest of Rome by the Christian religion. (Frommer's)

Once able to seat 50,000, the Coliseum was begun in AD 72 by Vespasian and inaugurated in AD 80 by his son, Titus. Combat was the usual entertainment--between men, between animals, between men and animals and even between ships, as the whole thing could be flooded. Centuries of neglect and outright ransacking have left it a shell largely without floor or seats, but what shell it is, with three tiers of columns--Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian. Renovation projects to go on perpetually.

Distance: 1 mile
Allow: 1.5 hours
Start: Piazza Bocca della Verita
Finish: Piazza Venezia

Stroll through the ancient harbour area where merchants traded goods newly arrived in Rome from all across the Mediterranean world. The area known as the 'Forum Boarium', or cattle market, was one of the oldest and most important marketplaces in the ancient city. It was the main city port during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, at the time when Rome was fast becoming a major Mediterranean power. Even today, it is easy to imagine the hustle and bustle of this commercial and social centre at the heart of the ancient metropolis. naturally there is a temple to Portunus, the god of ports, here. The market fell into disuse after the construction of the port of Ostia under Trajan in the 2nd century, when this bigger and busier sea port replaced the older one. This area was frequently subject to floods and its marshy conditions were a perfect breeding ground for malaria. Today there is a concentration of temples, ruins and churches along the route. Highlights of the walk include a visit to the Mouth of Truth, perhaps the world's most famous drain cover, and the Roman amphitheater Teatro di Marcello, the model for the Coliseum.

Address: Piazza della Bocca della Verità Rome (map)
Reenact the scene from the 1950s Audrey Hepburn classic Roman Holiday: Go to the atrium of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and stick your hand in the gaping Mouth of Truth--legend has it that if someone puts his hand in the mouth and tells a lie, the mouth will bite down. Be careful what you say! (1000 Places)

Distance: 1.5 miles
Allow: 2 hours
Start: Ponte Sisto
Finish: Lungotevere della Farnesina

Trastevere's dark alleys and narrow cobbled streets once ran with blood from the butchers and tanning shops, and were lit by ghostly lamplight. Trastevere lies on the west bank of the Tiber and is the oldest preserved district in the city. The name literally means 'across the Tiber'. During the Middle Ages this district of the city was occupied mostly by foreigners. The residents flung their rubbish and excrement into the dirty, cramped streets and it was a scary and threatening place to wander at night. Today Trastevere is famous for its picturesque ivy-covered alleys, good restaurants and summer street performers. It is an area where you will hear Roman dialect and get a feel for genuine Roman ways. Old people sit out in the street and you will enjoy the colorful laundry displays that hang across the alleys above your head. It is best to take this walk in the early evening. At dusk, performers fill the piazzas with music and Rome's eclectic community walks, chats and celebrates being alive.