We waited in line for about 45 min (June weekday around 5pm) to get a look through the Aventine…read moreKeyhole. It really is beautiful! You can see St. Peter's Basilica if you look straight on through, framed by lush green garden hedges. It's amazing in person. Note though if you have a phone camera, you probably won't be able to capture the basilica in your photo (too bright in the distance)!! These were the best my iPhone 14 was able to capture.

Glad I was able to come here and see this and experience it for myself…read more When I got here there was only a few people ahead of me. I beat the long lines. Unfortunately my iPhone camera did not do this justice!!! The Aventine Keyhole is a famous, small peephole in a large green door on Rome's Aventine Hill, offering a perfectly framed, magical view of St. Peter's Basilica's dome through a tunnel of trees, technically looking across three countries: the Knights of Malta's grounds, Italy, and Vatican City.

Came here with my wife on a surprise bday trip to Rome that she gave me…read more Oh.. it was so beautiful. We bought the full experience ticket where we saw all 3 spots. This was truly a memorable experience.

Palatine Hill has so much to see. If you want to get the history of everything here then you should…read moreget a tour. I felt like we didn't know where to go since it's so spread out & didn't know what half the sites were since plagues were limited or hard to spot. We got the basics & probably missed a bunch but would have liked to learn more & not have to find/read all the signs. The tickets were part of our colosseum package & allows access to this the day before or after which was nice. By 5 pm they are asking people to leave so don't go too late if you want to see it all as the property is huge. We missed half of it since we only had 2 hours to walk it. The view from the top is the best so I'd suggest go up there to get a lay of the land & then cover the lowers. We spent too much time in some of the lower less exciting ruins of the small buildings & raced past the grander "Super sites". The senate building was underwhelming & didn't have much info posted. I'd ask an entrance worker for advice at least to start with.

After an initial let down when we realized there are no bones here, we found the information shared…read morehighly worthwhile and our group was glad we made the trek out. It's essentially a history lesson in an underground graveyard. Be aware that you'll be underground and it smells very musty and is very humid. I was thankful for fresh air when we finally emerged. We took an Uber from the center of Rome and a car back, about 30 minutes. With dwell time of waiting for the bus and how busy the busses are, I think a Uber in this case was a good value. Overall I'd say this isn't a must do activity in Rome but if you have a couple hours and want a low key activity, this is a good one.

Very interesting tour led by a lovely guide. Definitely a must see! Bonus is a view of the oldest…read moredocumented Nativity.

Quite little jazz place in Rome! There is a cover fee, but definitely worth it. Drinks along with…read moresushi is such a random pair but worked pretty well. It is a vibe. You have to go upstairs to go see the jazz musicians. We got lucky that we didn't reserve for anything like that and we still got to see them.

A jazz club for American tourists…read more Okay, there was one Australian lady and a few Chinese. Everyone else was American. Prices are sky-high because this is a soak the tourist situation. Alexanderplatz which is the premiere jazz club in Rome charges $18 euros for a month membership - no cover after that - and $12 per drink. So once you have paid your monthly cover charge, you can hear all the jazz you want for free - or if need be for $12 euros a drink At Alexanderplatz, the performances are legendary with some of the most innovative and technically amazing musicians in Rome. We dropped over $150 euros at Gregory's. We got a perfectly reasonable yeoman guitarist. But nothing like the artistic lions that routinely perform over at Alexanderplatz. Now to be fair, we had dinner at Gregory's and we never eat at Alexanderplatz. The standard "sushi dinner" was perfectly reasonable yeoman sushi. There was so little of it that we both had to order a la carte dishes afterwards. The extra extras seriously expanded the final tab. * * * One argument in Gregory's favor: their bar is extraordinary. The bar at Alexanderplatz is mediocre. Gregory's charges top dollar for its bar offerings, but what they mix and what is in their bottles is worth every single euro they ask for. I would be perfectly happy to just go to the bar, and order a few premium beverages. I would hear my wallet cry. But I would know that I was drinking supremely well in return for my investment. Fortunately, the bar is downstairs from the club. I would not have to put up with the shenanigans in the club. * * * The problem with the club is the crowd. At most, one third of the customers are actually there to listen to jazz. The room is filled with tourists taking selfies. There are also hot-daters playing snuggle-buns. Many of them will leave mid-set so they can go back to the hotel. Gregory's is less about the music and more about selling happy memories of Rome. * * * Alexanderplatz gets a mostly Italian crowd. You are looking as musicians, music critics, academics, and all purpose artsy types - as well as normal Italian human beings who just want to hear fine music. The music is taken very very seriously. Yeah, there are usually two or three tables with good time Charlies who are doing the phone recording, party hearty thing. But this is 8% of the audience at Alexanderplatz as opposed to 70% of the audience at Gregory's. To be fair to the crowd at Gregory's, the music at Alexanderplatz is simply better. The jazz at Alexanderplatz is capable of transfixing even philistines with tin ears. Gregory's jazz doesn't put that much on the table. But the crowd at Alexanderplatz sets me up for listening to mystic, complex music with the highest level of attention and aesthetic receptiveness. The crowd at Gregory's just gets me irritated. * * * If you are in Rome with a hot date, go to Gregory's. Be prepared to shell out the bucks. * * * If you are in Rome with someone who can truly appreciate once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences, take them to Alexanderplatz. After you talk about the music for half an hour after the concert, You can still go back to the hotel. Just figure that the hotel will be the second best part of the night.

Certainly on the endless list of awe-inspiring sights around Rome. These twin churches are amazing…read moreto stand before and compare. On the southern edge of Piazza del Popolo, the area can be quite busy if an event or performance is scheduled.

Located in Piazza del Popolo, this church was a chance find while walking towards the Spanish…read moreSteps. Piazza del Popolo which means "People's Square" is a large square that's easy to locate in Rome due to the tall Egyptian obelisk in the center of the square. It is a really nice square to stroll through during the day or evening as it never gets very crowded and the square itself is expansive. It was open when we happened upon the church and the interior retains many of the old charms from when it was built in the late 1600s. It is worth a visit if you are exploring Piazza del Popolo.

Go! So peaceful and beautiful. Commune with the plants, pack a picnic, watch some bugs, enjoy all…read morethe ancient varieties of trees and flowers. Wonderful!

5 euro regular admission but I paid the 4 euro price for students. Well worth it if you want to…read morereset your nasal passages from car exhaust and cigarettes. The grounds are very large and you could spend hours here. You very much feel like you're in an isolated nature preserve and not in Rome. There's also a stone staircase with a fountain at the top that's just lovely. Keep going up to the garden's western limits and it's a short walk away from the Garibaldi monument and Fontana dell'Acqua Paola (once you leave you can't get back in)

The Borghese Museum houses an unmatched collection of Italian baroque and renaissance masterpieces…read more Artworks by Bernini and Caravaggio are among their popular pieces and a whole lot more including sculptures. Not to miss pieces are Bernini's marble sculptures - Apollo & Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina. Canova's neoclassical Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix and Carravaggio's painting - David with the Head of Goliath. We came in immediately after checking in to our hotel for a 4pm timed entry. Reservation is a must. Bought our tickets a month in advance back in 2023. This was still early on after covid so restrictions still apply. I love how we were able to savor every moment we spent here because it wasn't congested at all. From the outside, it was a beautiful building in a magnificent park. I would call this a hidden gem in Rome. Borghese museum is a must go to when in Rome. The time we spent was good enough. During that time, there weren't a lot of people as they control the number of people entering the museum. Definitely 5 thumbs up. August 2026

I didn't know that this museum is so popular and that you must purchase your tickets in advance…read more Luckily, I was able to purchase tickets before our trip to Rome, but they had only a limited number of tickets available for the time that we were going to be there. So if you are planning on going to Galleria Borghese, make sure to purchase your tickets in advance. We visited the Borghese in the afternoon during the week, and I think that was a great idea because it was pretty empty, and we had yet another chance to see everything with almost no one around. I'm not sure if it's always like that or if we got lucky. Either way, I was able to take my time to look at all the beautiful art pieces. Everything was so beautiful. I recommend going to this museum if you have the time; it's definitely worth it.

It's the Roman theater of Ancient Ostia. What's not to love?…read more It was built by Agrippa under the reign of Augustus back in the 1st century BC. It was rededicated after it was expanded to 4000 seats in 196 AD. It was the work of Septimius Severus and Caracalla that prompted the rededication per the inscription on the plaque on the theater that still exists today. We weren't able to step inside or step up to the viewing area due to construction and/or restoration. I'm assuming they are fixing the crumbling steps since it's currently used as an amphitheater-type concert venue. I think it would be cool to visit it in the evening as a spectator in a venue. The theater was built to be a part of a corporate complex called Piazzale delle Corporazione. The theater is prominently displayed as you're walking through the square. This is where you can get great photo opportunities during its restoration. We enjoyed our visit here. It's a great way to actually see ancient Roman city life and imagine what is was like in that century.

Rome's OG Netflix. This semi-circular masterpiece could once seat up to 4,000 people, all crammed…read morein to laugh, cry, and judge each other in togas. Now it mostly hosts echoes and pigeons, but if you're lucky, you might catch a confused tourist trying to re-enact Julius Caesar. It was built by Agrippa (yes, that Agrippa--Augustus' bestie) in the 1st century BCE. Still more structurally sound than some 21st-century buildings. She's undergoing a little restoration. Amazing!

Wonderful spot to come and visit to walk in the steps of historical Rome grounds. Walk the Spanish…read moresteps and take some great pictures here. 5 stars and grazie!

We arrived in the evening, and the whole area was still bustling, it genuinely felt like the city…read morewas alive around us. There's something about seeing a landmark like this lit up and full of energy after dark that hits differently than the daytime crowds you always hear about. The panoramic views from the top were beautiful. Even with the chill in the air, it was worth the climb just to take in that view over the city. I get why this place is so popular, there's a certain magic to it that photos don't quite capture. My only regret is not having more time to just sit at the fountain and take it all in, soaking up the atmosphere instead of rushing off to the next stop. Next time in Rome, we'll definitely return here again to get some more day time photos

We stopped in here one night while visiting Rome. It's a bit hard to find, but worth the stop…read more There was a cover charge (10-15 Euros, can't remember). From the entrance you walk down a staircase lined with posters for various cover bands like Bob Dylan and the Beatles. The space downstairs is large but broken into 4 or 5 rooms. The night we were in an Italian blues band was playing and it seemed like everyone seated had gotten there early enough for spots. It's hard to see the band from the side rooms so we stood in front of the bar. This place got packed and if we had moved we would have definitely lost our spot. Drinks are on the pricey side and it got super hot with all the people but this was a great time. Everyone was having lots of fun and it gives you a glimpse into an underground Italian live music venue!

This place is absolutely fantastic. After paying a one time cover charge that is good for a year,…read moreyou can savor the music! I have been there for Beatles v. Stones cover band night, Jimi Hendrix cover night, and others. I would highly suggest a visit to this underground spot. A word to the wise, if you want a place to sit/a table, arrive early. This is one of highlights of the time I lived in Rome. (The drinks are band-themed and tasty. They can be a bit pricy, but the general vibe and experience of the place makes it all worth it.) Enjoy your time there (and your time in the eternal city)!