Trevi Fountain and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

It is one of the more popular places in Rome, and possibly one of the more crowded. This was one of the spots we stopped on a tour which we signed up for. Make sure to toss coins into it for luck and return trips to Rome. Continueing the theme of people who just don't play well together, you'll notice one side is developed out more than the other. This is due to one shop owner who complained incessently during construction, so the architech built it so his shop would have no view of the fountain and would only look upon the back of the fountain. Even though the crowds, it is a must see when coming to Rome. The picture at the top of this page is of Trevi Fountain as well as the one I've placed here.

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Other Contact: In one of the corners of the pla

There is a bunch of history here which is difficult to understand without the aid of a guide. It's like an unmarked Museum, even with a written guide (of which your Frommer's or Let's Go or whatever is about the best your gonna find -- there's nothing there to pick up), you're gonna get confused and lost. I'm a history buff and am into this type of stuff, but I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. It actually put a dark cloud over the beginning of our last day in Rome. We had decided to use this day to really dive into the Roman Ruins, but after two hours of aimlessly wandering around without knowing even the names of the Arches, we gave up and tried our best to find a tour, rather unsuccessfully I might add. By sheer dumb luck, just as we were leaving we happend upon a free 'promotional' tour which was excellent. It was already half over, but we got more in 30 minutes with the tour guide then we did in a whole morning of trying ourselves. The tour itself was so good that the promotion worked and we signed up for other tours. I can provide the name to anybody who'd like it, just drop me a line. There is quite a good bit of history with the ruins, a lot of Shakespearian type drama. An obvious must see.

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Just an awsome thing to see and contemplate. If you want to go in, there is an admision charge. There are men outside dressed as Roman Gladiators and Centurians for Pics if you desire, but they ask for money. Easier to try to get a sneak pick of a couple goofing off (which they do quite well quite often) infront of the Colloseum w/o other tourist for a great shot.

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Directions: Its got its own Metro stop. If you have trouble finding it, consider yourself hopeless.

Built for Constantine the Great.

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The Pantheon is the only Roman temple left standing. This was explained by the fact it was turned into a church and thus was maintained. It was originally built in the 2nd century and is a true wonder. The dome is amazing, considered vastly before its time. I read that Michelangelo came here to study before he created the dome at St Peters in the Vatican (which by the way is smaller). There are no windows and the only light comes from a round opening dead center in the dome (it provides a lot of light). Raphael was buried here, although without asking I was hard pressed to figure out which tomb was his. I think some tourist had been confused and left flowers at the wrong tomb.

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Directions: In the heart of Rome, a five minute walk from Piazza Navona.
Other Contact: There are a couple of nice cafe'

Wonderful area to just hang out and watch people, relax, another place to get a portrait made, (which Michelle did). From the top, by the Church, there is a decent view of Rome.

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Directions: Sorta off the beaten path from some of the other main attractions of Rome, but it has its own Metro (subway) stop.
Other Contact: If I remember correctly, as it w

The most outstanding, and suprising feature to this church is the statue of Christ carved by Michelangelo just to the left of the alter. The church has many intriguing facts, like Fra Angelico is buried here. St. Catherine of Siena is buried here (at least her body is, not her head). There's a neat elephant statue just outside that was designed by Bernini. The chapel is beautifully frescoed, but it requires money to illuminate, which I found mildly disgraceful (the story of Jesus rampaging through the temple with a whip during Passion week comes to mind).

Overall, though, this was a jewel of a find. It really wasn't highlighted in any of the guides I was using, and we stumbled into it on a whim on the way to the Pantheon. Imagine my excitement upon admiring a statue of Christ and looking at it label and discovering it was carved by Michelangelo.

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Directions: Within spitting distance to the Pantheon. Sorta around to the side.
Other Contact: Plan on spending a good hour her

An oval shaped former stadium where horse races were run, this is a spacious area to relax, people watch, and grab some Gelato, (get gelato every chance you can). In the center of the piazza is the Fountain of Four Rivers, which symbolizes the great rivers of the world (Ganges, Danube, della Plata, and Nile). It is interesting to note none of the statues representing the rivers looks at the Church opposite, (Santa Agnes I believe) because Bernini (the fountains creator) and Belini (sp????) were rivals who just didn't learn to play well together in Kindergarden.
This is another good place to get your portrait done (which I did here) as well as to watch the 'interesting' people. I remember one entertainer (for the lack of a better word) who was stading on a box with a gold latex bodysuit, which also encompassed the box. Basically it was a living representation of an Egyptian Sarcophagus. It would occasionally move just to scare curious tourists. I know I haven't explained it well, but it was rather humourous.
Overall, just come here to relax and spend the better part of an afternoon wandering around and people watching. Once again, the cafe's were on the expensive side.

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Directions: In the center of it all. I've used Piazza Navona as a starting point for a lot of things because it is close to so much. It is half way between the Roman ruins and the Vatican. It is not on a major ro