This Palazzo is better known as "The Square Colosseum". There are 216 arches lining the palazzo. In…read more2015, the fashion house Fendi moved its headquarters into the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana. The 75-year-old building was never occupied prior to Fendi's arrival! Fendi has been in Rome since its founding in 1925. The have a wonderful exhibition area on the first floor which has changing exhibitions. When we were there, we were able to see the movie studio, plush theater, employee café, and a special exhibit of Fendi clothing and accessories used in the movies. Speaking of movies, Fendi shows a different movie each night at 9 pm, and the public is invited to come free of charge. Not a bad deal!

You can quote me for saying that fascist architecture is fascinating. This giant square colosseum…read moreand its surrounding is so symmetrical that it will almost drive you mad. The arches go on forever, and dont forget that they spell the name of this deceased dictator - vertically "Benito", horozontically: "Mussolini". When you are done taking a close look (as close as you can get - the building is behind fences) go down Viale Pasteur and check out how far the building is visible.

This is one of the Major Papal Basilicas in Rome, located a bit farther from the city center…read more English name is The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Accessible via train and Taxi or bus. The train is located about a few minutes walk behind the church. We were able to visit this Basilica 3x. For the Jubilee Year 2025, 2x. This Basilica is very huge and has paintings of all the Popes and the apostles. A must see Basilica! It also houses St. Paul the apostle's tomb where his remains lie. It also has the Holy Chains - in a reliquary, which bound St. Paul. On our 2nd visit to Rome, it was still covid time and this I consider by far probably the less crowded of the Basilicas. They have a museum which you give a donation of 1euro to explore. I also find their gift shop the biggest and have the most choices of religious souvenirs. Their cafe is also loaded with gelato and variety of snack items. Definitely a must see when in Rome. January 2026

The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Italian: Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura) is…read moredefinitely a must-see if ever in Rome because this basilica is special for so many reasons! My hubby and I visited during our 1st trip to Rome (on September 30, 2023) while celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (yep, love was in the air! ;) I came across this basilica when researching attractions located near/around the Airbnb that we were staying at in the Ostiense neighborhood and after reading about it, I just had to add it to our Rome itinerary. See the many pics and videos included w/ this review from our visit on 09/30/2023 -- just know that despite my best efforts, they don't fully capture just how beautiful and impressive this basilica is in person. And these pics & videos definitely couldn't capture what I felt when I 1st walked inside and saw the beautiful, gold ceiling that looked like it was glowing! (Brief History) This basilica was built above the tomb of St. Paul in Rome and is one of the 4 major basilicas of Rome. It was consecrated AD 4th century. It's also the 2nd largest church in the Italian capital after St. Peter's. Located inside is the sarcophagus of St. Paul. (Special-ness Specs) -- Gallery of The Popes -- (see the pics & videos included w/ this review) Inside the basilica there are 5 rooms w/ the central one having 80 granite and marble columns and there you will see the portraits of every past pope since St. Peter -- 266 total (awesome display) -- Doors at St. Peter's -- (see pics & videos) 1. The Holy Door - one of the four holy doors is located here, holy doors are only opened every 25 yrs during Jubilee (2025 is the next Jubilee in Rome) 2. The Byzantine Door--the door dates back to the 11th century has 54 panels 3. Outdoor courtyard w/ the beautiful St. Paul monument (Additional helpful info) -- Free to visit but bring some cash so you can leave an offering -- There is a dress code - no knees, stomach, or shoulders can be shown. During our visit there were plastic, disposable shawls at the front door once you entered into the basilica that visitors were asked to use if they were wearing shorts that had their knees showing or if they had on a sleeveless top on. -- not as crowded/busy as St. Peter's basilica so you're able to take your time during your visit Rome has so many beautiful and historic basilica's and during our time in Rome, we did get to experience so many of them and yes, while each of them were special in their own way, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside The Walls was my favorite and I'm so very grateful that I was able to experience such historic beauty. Till next time, Rebecca visiting from Austin, Texas (United States) on 09/30/2023

A huge building with rectangular architecture, framed in floor to ceiling colonnade around the…read moreperimeter, surrounded by the sparkling fountains. It has extremely spacious insides, ample foyer space with natural light, large marble staircase, and Carrara marble floors. Salone delle Fontane is basically a modern conference center with modular interchangeable spaces suitable for all sorts of large functions. Many conferences, exhibitions, craft beer festivals, roadshows, business meetings and conventions, holiday celebrations, parties, and other events are held here at Salone delle Fontane at Via Ciro il Grande.

The tour is maybe 30 minutes long and our guide shared lots of interesting facts regarding the…read moreconstruction and history of the area. It is not at all like the Paris catacombs, so if you are looking for and expecting that, don't visit. You are also not allowed to take pictures inside as it is active holy ground burial site. These catacombs are out of the way, so you either need to uber/rent a car or join a tour group. We rented a car and drove out to this area; we ended up visiting a few catacombs out in this area.

I had a wonderful experience taking a guided tour here. The guide offered insight about the…read morediscovery of the catacombs and the different shapes of individual tombs. There was also the very unique opportunity to see ancient graffiti in the tombs as well as old paintings of religious scenes. This experience helped me see Rome in a different light.

When we were in Vatican City in the afternoon, we skipped the plaza. We came back in the early…read moreevening and it was much less crowded. The square is directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Both are named after Saint Peter, an apostle of Jesus whom Catholics consider the first Pope. There is an obelisk in the center and 284 columns that create the elliptical shape of the square.

This is the area around the Vatican…read more It's gorgeous! I absolutely love the fountains and statues in this area. So much amazing architecture. When you step into this piazza, I feel like you get a sense of the Holy Spirit. I mean, how can you not when you are so close to the Vatican? There's a peaceful atmosphere here.

So sad the Piazza Venezia and its' surrounding area was under construction during the time of our…read morevisit. This is one of the most iconic and central squares in Rome, and I can even see some of its' elegance peeking out from behind the construction area.

A must stop if you're looking for free things to do. There are options to pay like they have a…read moremuseum and some other stuff otherwise you could totally walk through the piazza completely free. Many picture areas and has bathrooms, though it was crowded.

So much history here. It was hard for me to imagine what once was an empire to be neglected into…read moreruins but that is what happens when empires fall and there is no money for maintenance. People pillaged and plundered these buidings and repurposed the material to build other things elsewhere. This is located right next to the colosseum and you can get a combined admission ticket to see both. FYI that there are metal detectors and scanners at the security checkpoint. I got a lot of steps in that day! Many of the paths here to not connect so need to double-back much of the time. Five stars!

Some countries have ghost towns, dusty abandoned places where you might find an old gas station or…read morea closed mill. Italy has the Roman Forum, an awe-inspiring collection of ruins, the remains of the heart of ancient Rome. Founded in the 8th century BC, the Forum was the center of city life until around the 6th century AD. Temples and government buildings, a thriving marketplace, a compound of vestal virgins. Meetings and speeches, trials and gladiator battles--this place was happening over two thousand years ago. The Forum fell into disrepair, the temples and shrines abandoned by the 8th century. It was ruthlessly dismantled and exploited, especially during the Italian Renaissance, when its materials were extracted for building projects. Like, for example, St. Peter's Basilica. Seems like a mistake to convert downtown ancient Rome into a marble quarry, but hindsight 20/20 and all that. What remains standing in 2025 is absolutely incredible. The ruins are well preserved and quite legible, at least with the help of a guide (we took a Forum and Colosseum tour with Crown Tours, which I'd highly recommend). It was downright surreal walking around those grounds, imagining the life of ancient Rome. I mean Julius Caesar hung out here, among buildings he had erected. If you're visiting Rome for the first time, I'm sure you're planning to hit the Colosseum. Don't miss the Roman Forum while you're there. It's just as amazing, a unique, transporting journey into the rich depths of history.