Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

Some of the photos here were taken from our hotel window - a view of Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore I never tired of. Early morning was my favourite time, the piazza slowly coming to life as early morning prayers called people to the church, workers hurried to their daily routine and the first tourists of the day drifted across the cobblestones.

Early morning was the best time to visit the great basilica too, its vast space empty of all but a few visitors. Here on the crown of the Esquiline Hill, the biggest and most populous area of Imperial Rome, the huge church we see today has a history that dates back to the middle of the fourth century. The most important of all the churches in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the first church here was built by Pope Liberius after a vision of the Virgin appeared to him. A century later that church was replaced with an altogether grander basilica that has been enlarged and become increasingly more magnificent in the succeeding centuries. Despite all that, the church retains the essential form of an Imperial basilica, an effect enhanced by the 36 marble columns supporting the nave that pre-date the church itself.

Amongst its many treasures, great expanses of glorious mosaics really are the crown jewels. The suggestion of bringing binoculars in one guide book isn't so silly - the finest - original 5th century work over the triumphal arch and along the nave - are very high up and very detailed. The depiction of the Coronation of the Virgin in the apse is much later 12th century work. In photo 3 you can see some of the 13th century mosaics that adorned the basilica's facade until the loggia was added in the 18th century.

The column in the piazza was erected in 1614 to give thanks for survival from the plague - the first of many such columns to be erected across Europe but the only one that once graced Constantine's basilica in the Roman Forum.

The Pope comes to the Basilica each year to celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin, a day of great pomp and colour. Imagine the view you would have of that day from our hotel room

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Directions: Open 0700-1900 daily
Bus to Piazza Santa Maria Magiore.
Hop on/hop off buses stop in the piazza.
Nearest metro: Cavour or Vittorio Emanuale

The Basilica di Santa Prassede, not a minute's walk from Santa Maria Maggiore, was pretty well top of my list of places to see in Rome. A mosaic-nut from way back, I'd read so much about the stunning work in this ancient church. Despite all I'd read and all the photos I had studied, the reality was beyond anything I had dreamed of. The church was beautiful, the nave a serene blend of frescoed walls and superb mosaic triumphal arch and apse, but there are other churches in Rome that are just as lovely, each in their own way. Santa Prassede's glory lies in the side chapel dedicated to Sanit Zeno - walking into it was like walking into a glittering jewel-bedecked cave, its golden vaulted roof peopled with angels and saints all with grave Byzantine faces.

The 9th century mosaicists who created this wonder were absolute masters of their craft. By this time, the Byzantine technique of setting each tiny tesserae at a slightly different angle from the one next to it so that each one catches the light in a different way was at its height, creating a effect that in the flickering lamplight of the day must have been amazing. Even in the even electric light of today it is magnificent.

The chapel was built to contain the tomb of Theodora, Pope Paschal's mother. It was built during her lifetime. How do we know that? She is portrayed with a square halo - the symbol of someone still living. Pope Paschal wears a square halo too in his portrait in the apsidal mosaic where he and St Paul are depicted presenting St Prassede to Christ. On the other side of the apse, St Peter and St Zeno are doing the same for her sister, St Pudenza. The two women were the daughters of St Paul's first Roman convert and were honoured for giving Paul shelter.

These mosaics have moved far away from the realism of of late Roman work. They may appear to be cruder, more simplistic than those earlier works but in the Byzantine world they served a far more important purpose than mere pictorial representation of the real world. They were the bridge between heaven and earth to a people whose life and faith were inextricably intertwined. Standing beneath the golden vaults of St Zeno's little chapel we can take one small step into that world.

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Address: Via Santa Prassede
Directions: Open 0700-1200 and 1600-1830

It's an easy walk from Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore to the Colosseum, no more than 10 minutes downhill between the Esquiline and Qirinale Hills, through an area known nowadays as Monti, As with everywhere you go in Rome however, there's always a distraction along the way. For us it was a couple of ancient churches and a major work of art.

The Church of San Martino ai Monti lies right in the heart of the quarter over the site of a Roman house church, the remains of which can be seen beneath the present day church, but it is the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli (St Peter in Chains) that is the biggest drawcard for pilgrims and tourists alike. A reliquary in the chapel below the main altar displays the precious relic, held here in the church since it was built in the 5th century after the Empress Eudoxia brought the chains that bound Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem back to Rome. Placed together with those of his Roman imprisonment by the Pope, the two chains miraculously bonded and have remained so - a source of veneration to the faithful ever since.

Needless to say, such a potent relic required a grand church, and grand churches attract grand patrons. When Pope Julius II decided to commission a family tomb for the church, he chose the greatest sculptor of the day, Michaelangelo Buonarotti, to do the work. The centrepiece of the tomb, a mighty seated Moses portrayed with tremendous power, is rightly considered a work of genius.

From Piazza de San Pietro di Vincoli it's just a short walk on to the Colosseum and the Forums.

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Address: St Martino - Viale del Monte Oppio
Directions: Both churches close for several hours at lunchtime, noon to 3.30 at St Peter in Chains, 4.30 at St Martino

Come to the Colosseum, that is. Impossible to mistake for anything else, impossible to miss off the places to visit whilst in Rome, impossible to find something new to say about it - however, the Colosseum cannot be ignored.

Crowds are almost inevitable, but queuing for an hour or more is not. Timing helps, both the time of year and the time of day. Get up early or leave your visit until quite late in the day and you stand a better chance of avoiding long lines. If that's not possible, tickets are valid for entry to the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum (that last one is new this year - 2008), with a ticket office at each place. The queue at the Colosseum ticket office is almost always huge, at both the Palatine Hill and the Forum it is most unlikely to have anything more than a few people at any time of day. Buy your ticket there and you can walk straight up to the much shorter "ticket holder" queue at the Colosseum and be inside in a fraction of the time. You'll have to walk an extra few hundred yards but that's less frustrating than a long slow shuffle.

Up to you whether you opt for a guided tour (audio- or tour-guide-led), refer to a guide book or simply wander about at your own pace. We're very much "work it out for yourself " tourists so took the last option. As well as being an awesome structure, inside and out, there's a fantastic views to be had of the adjacent Arch of Constantine and the ruins in the vicinity.

All the usual warnings about major tourist attractions everywhere apply here too - crowds and pickpockets go together, rip-off prices and shonky souvenir sellers abound. Keep a firm hold on your bag to avoid the first lot and, if you don't want to feel affronted by the rest, don't buy in to any of it. No-one actually forces you to have your photo to have your photo taken with Spartacus, and he has his tanning sessions to pay for.

If you think you may be able to claim to concession entry prices, make sure you have some ID with you. MrL's Australian Driving Licence gained him free entry here and to government-controlled sites all over Italy as there are reciprocal seniors arrangements between our governments. You need to ask, and the person selling you your ticket needs proof that you are the age/status you say you are as well as the nationality.

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I come to bury Caesar , not to praise him."

So begins one of the most famous speeches of all time. Shakespeare put the words into the mouth of Mark Antony and had him deliver them at the burial of Julius Caesar. We don't know where Caesar is actually buried, but the Temple of Julius Caesar at the Roman Forum marks the place where his body was cremated.

Not much remains of the temple now, just as not much remains of any of the fine buildings that once graced this, historically, the most important of all the Roman fora (singular - forum; plural - fora). For more than 300 years, this was the very heart of Republican Rome, the locus of the republic's politics, judiciary, commerce and religion.

Given how important this place was, its totally ruinous state might be something of a surprise until you know that the process of neglect and decay began as long ago as the 1st century AD with the building of Augustus' Forum, the first of several new and splendid fora built by succeeding emperors bent on self-aggrandisment. The old Republican Forum ceased to be the fulcrum of city life that it had been. Rome itself began to decline and when Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinopole in 330 AD, things could only get worse. The abolition of pagan worship saw the temples closed, stripped of their wealth and left deserted. Fire, earthquakes and the barbarian invasions of the 5th century AD all contributed to the decay and slowly the swamp that had been drained for the building of the Forum reclaimed the land until virtually nothing remained visible to tell of the splendours that had once stood here.

The excavations that began in the 18th century continue to this day and there is rarely a day when archaeologists are not working somewhere on the site.

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The first time I visited the Roman Forum (we won't count how many years ago that was!), there were few paths, virtually nothing was roped off and there were no signs to help you work out what was what. Well, signs are still few and far between but paths are clearly defined and fenced and you can no longer wander through the inner sanctum of the Vestal Virgins or stand on the steps of the Rostrum.

Entry is no longer free either, charges were introduced this year (2008). The current price is nominally 9 euros (plus 2 euros if there's a special exhibition on in the Colosseum - and it seems there almost always is!) but this covers entry to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum and the ticket is valid for 2 days so you don't have to overdose on ancient history all in one hit. Visiting the Forum first and buying your ticket there is a good way to avoid the often horrendous queues at the Colosseum.

If you want to make real sense of what you're looking at, you'll definitely need a guide of some sort - and a bit of pre-reading wouldn't go astray either.

Before you actually buy your ticket and go in, do make your way to the little plaza above the Arch of Septimus Severus (in the north-west corner) from where you get a real appreciation of how far below the modern street level the Forum is (up to 70 feet in places!)

Like so many archaeological sites, shade is almost non-existent, so wear a hat, carry some water and take a break in the middle of the day. You'll have to leave the site when you want to eat - along with the introduction of the new charges, bringing food in is no longer allowed - the days of a picnic in the Forum, a lunchtime favourite of tourists and locals, are over.

The site opens at 0830 every day except New Years Day and Christmas Day. Closing times vary according to the season but are timed to about an hour before sunset and the last ticket sales of the day are an hour before that.

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The four triumphal arches in the area of the Roman Forum stand as symbols of one of Rome's most important traditions - the triumph awarded to their greatest heroes on their return to Rome after a military victory over an major enemy. In Republican times, awarding such a triumph was the prerogative of the Senate and was the greatest honour that could be bestowed, bringing with it public accolades that raised the triumphator to almost god-like status. Following the fall of the Republic, the emperors seized the right to grant triumphs from the magistrates, and they became more celebrations of imperial wealth and status and the arches that were built to accompany them were not only dedicated to such military victories. Although all the arches at the Forum were built in this Imperial tradition, they do honour emperors who were noted for their military successes.

The Arch of Titus is the oldest survivor. Built by the emperor Domitian in 81AD to honour his brother Titus' victories in the Jewish War that saw the sack of Jerusalem in 70AD, the reliefs of the inner surface of the arch portray vivdly the triumph awarded to Titus and his father Vespasian on their return to Rome, bringing with them the spoils of the war, including the menorah and other sacred items from Jerusalem's Temple, the only contemorary record of these precious artifacts in existence.

Titus himself can be seen in the opposite panel and his deification is portrayed in the central panel of the coffered underside of the arch. The main inscription on the arch tells us that it is dedicated to the "divine Titus Vespasianus Augustus, son of the divine Vespasian."

None of the outer reliefs survived the arch being used as part of a mediaeval defence system - the brilliantly white Travertine facings were placed on the arch when it was restored in 1821. An inscription on one side of the arch records this restoration.

Whilst you can no longer walk through the arch, you can certainly get close enough to get a really good look at the sculptures on the inner surfaces.

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Directions: The arch stands at the eastern end of the Forum's Via Sacre . Whilst it is clearly viewed from outside the Forum - the terraces of the Colosseum offers very good views - it's inside the enclosed area. Entry to the Colosseum includes entry to the Forum.

You can certainly get a good look at the Arch of Septimius Severus without going in to the Forum, but pay your money and you can actually play Roman triumphator (or vanquished enemy) and walk beneath the arch - the only one where this is possible - and get some idea of the lavish scale with which the Romans honoured their heroes.

Erected in 203AD to honour Septimius Severus' victory against the Parthians, this arch stands at the north-western end of the Forum. Although the reliefs on the piers are badly eroded, the Winged Victories (photo 2) on the spandrels of the arch (a feature common to most classically-inspired triumphal arches even today) are in beautiful condition as the arch was once incorporated into a mediaeval Christian church who retained ownership of the structure after the church was moved. thus preventing the arch being used as a quarry for dressed stone - the fate of so many buildings of this era.

The Parthian prisoners lower down have not fared quite so well but are still clearly identifiable in their trousers and Phrygian caps (photo 4 - and, a small aside, the Mithraic cult that was so popular with the Roman army and included Septimius Severus amongst its adherents came out of Parthia).

Septimius Severus, the only African-born emperor, was born in Leptis Magna in Libya where you'll find another magnificent triumphal arch dedicated to him.

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Directions: The Forum is open daily from 0830 until one hour before sunset,. Last admissions 1 hour before closing.

Both the triumphal arches outside the Forum were dedicated to the Emperor Constantine, though one is now known as the Arch of Janus - a name given to it in the Middle Ages for its double-faced arch (A god with two faces who could see both comings and goings, Janus was the protector of doors, gates, bridges and arches). Known as a quadrifrons arch, the Arch of Janus has 4 arches as it was built across a crossroads. The Arch of Marcus Aurelius in Tripoli is a similar construction though somewhat older.

By the time the Arch of Janus was built, Rome itself was no longer the centre of the Empire. Constantine had moved his capital to Constantinople, far to the east, some years before, and it seems most likely that this arch, dedicated as it was to the "Divine Constantines" was erected in the time of Constantine II, perhaps for an occasion such as his visiting the city. Monumental as it is, and the only example of a four-sided arch remaining in the city, it was actually built of "spolia" - masonry reclaimed from older buildings and ruins. Used as an trading area in the early Middle Ages, it owes much of its survival to its subsequent conversion and use right up to the early 19th century as a fortress.

The Arch of Constantine, adjacent to the Colosseum, was erected to commemorate Constantine's victory over the rebel forces of Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD that ended years of civil war. Although the Republican tradition decreed that triumphs were only to be awarded after victory over a foreign enemy, times had changed and emperors were ever accorded honours over and above mere men.

As with the Arch of Janus, a lot of recycled material went into the building of this arch - not only basic materials but also statues and reliefs, some of which were re-worked to more closely resemble the emperor. This arch is certainly the best-preserved of Rome's triumphal arches. Like that of Titus and Janus it was used for many years as part of a private family's fortifications.

Just as the Arch of Titus has huge - and tragic - significance for Jews, marking as it does the beginning of the Diaspora, the Arch of Constantine is of major significance to Christianity as it celebrates the victory that led Constantine to declare Christianity the official religion of the empire. Although not a Christian himself, the night before the battle Constantine had a vision of the Cross and the words, "By this sign, conquer." He obeyed the sign, the battle was won and the western world was changed forever.

Although in generally better condtion than the Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus, much the sculpture on Constantine's Arch is not of the same fine quality as these earlier works, yet another example of the decline of the city by this time. The Arch of Janus has lost all its sculptures as well as its attic and top.

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Address: Piazza del Colosseo

If you imagine the seven hills of ancient Rome as a wheel (albeit a rather squashed one), the Palatine Hill is the hub, the central hill. Right from the earliest days of the Republic, it was the most desirable part of the city in which to live, both for its wonderful views and because it was here that legend says the she-wolf who suckled the twins, Romulus and Remus, had her den and Romulus decided to build his city. Throughout the years of the Republic , this hill was the preserve of the the richest and most influential citizens and as Empire followed Republic, it was where the emperors and their families built their palaces.

The views are still beautiful and, after the crowds around the Forum and the Colosseum, it offers plenty of welcome quiet and shady paths as well as the archaeological treasures of the newly retored and now open House of Augustus and the exquisite House of Livia (closed the day we were there but once seen, never forgotten, and I was lucky enough to see it the first time I was in Rome).

What we were lucky enough to find open this time was the Capanne Romulee - the remains of Iron Age huts dating back to the 9th century BC - the earliest dwellings on the hill. We also had the good luck to arrive there just as a study group of young history students were having the site explained to them by their lecturer. Of course we listened in.

There are ruins all over the hill, most of which are active archaeological sites and often out of bounds to tourists. There are few signs and if you want to gain an indepth appreciation of the area, you're probably best to take a tour but there's plenty to enjoy here by just making your own way around.

Don't miss the lovely Farnese Gardens at the top of the hill.

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Directions: Admission to the Palatine Hill is included in the ticket for the Colosseum and the Forum.
Open daily 0900- 1 hour before sunset.