Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview : There is simply too much to see in Rome ? the Vatican City alone can easily swallow up an entire weekend. Most visitors are overwhelmed and remain torn between running from sight to sight in order to 'do' everything or lingering over a couple of monuments and museums. The latter option is strongly recommended ? even then, it is best to punctuate cultural trips with ice creams, coffees and serene walks in the city's parks (the Villa Borghese is one of the loveliest). As for most holy sites, clothing that covers up midriffs, shoulders and legs is recommended, particularly for the Vatican.

The centro storico is the obvious starting point, with the greatest concentration of classical and Christian sites enclosed in a relatively small space. Stumbling upon ancient frescoes, Renaissance fountains and beautiful piazzas are part of the pleasures of wandering around Rome's streets. Rome has over 400 churches and four major basilicas ? St Peter's, St John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul's. However, it is San Clemente (on Via San Giovanni in Laterano) which encapsulates the multi-layered labyrinth of Rome. At street level, there is a 12th-century basilica with beautiful mosaics. Down one level is a well-preserved Roman basilica. Deeper still are more ancient Roman remains, until finally, at the deepest level, is the temple to the oriental cult of Mithras.

The Ministry of Culture organises the Settimana dei Beni Culturali (Cultural Week) (tel: (06) 67231; website: www.beniculturali.it), which is usually held in April or May and allows free entry to all state-owned museums, public monuments and excavation sites.

Tourist Information : Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Roma (APT)
Via Parigi 5
Tel: (06) 488 991 or 3600 4399 (tourist information service, daily from 0900-1930). Fax: (06) 481 9316.
Website: www.romaturismo.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1900.

Other APT branches are at Termini Station and Fiumicino Airport and look out for the eight other green tourist information kiosks dotted around the city near all the major tourist sites (open daily 0930-1930) such as near the Vatican (in Piazza Pia) and the Imperial Fora (in Piazza del Tempio della Pace).

Another useful source of information is the Anglo-centric Enjoy Rome, Via Marghera 8A (tel: (06) 445 1843; website: www.enjoyrome.com), near Termini Station. You can contact the Ente Nazionale per il Turismo (ENIT), Via Marghera 2 (tel: (06) 49711; website: www.enit.it), for information on Italian areas outside of Rome and the Lazio region; their offices are not open to the public however.


Passes : City passes come and go in Rome, but few ever take off. There are however two interesting museum passes available, the Museum Card and the Archaeological Card (tel: (06) 3996 7700, information). The first allows entrance to the National Roman Museum's four sites ? Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, Baths of Diocletian and Crypta Balbi; the second allows entrance to those sites plus the Colosseum, the Palatine, the Baths of Caracalla, the tomb of Cecilia Metella and Villa dei Quintilli. The passes cost ?9 and ?20 respectively and are valid for seven days from the first day of use. They can be purchased at any of the participating monuments or museums. 

    

      

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