The Roman Forum and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

I arrived at the Foro Romano from the entrance to the Palatine Hill across the street from the Colosseum. You can enjoy an afternoon and see the awesome buildings and temples in all their glory. Structures were built inside structures through the ages like my first pic of the Temple of Faustina and Antoninus Pius and the Church that was built inside of it. The majestry amidst the rubble of the Arch of Septimus Severus my second pic. The Temple of Divus Romulus is my third pic. The two columns in front of the temple are of a rare marble and are said to be worth 20 million euros each.
The entrance fee is 11euros and it includes entrance to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum so it is well worth the value.

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Directions: Across the street from the Coliseum is the entrance to the Palatine Hill and through to the Forum

Go to St. Peter's Square and Basilica while in Rome, it costs you nothing to visit the Square and to enter the Basilica for an afternoon. You don't need to go with any tour guides. You may have to wait in line for about an hour though.

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Address: St. Peter's Vatican City
Directions: Get off at Ottaviano metro and its about 5 minutes from there.

This was the second lucky thing to happen to me on this trip. I went to the Castel Sant'Angelo on a holiday, May 1st Giorni Dei Lavoratori, and paid only 1 euro to get in. I think it costs about 8.50 euros and is well worth it.
The castle was originally built in ancient times as the tomb of Hadrian. Legend has it that the Angel Michael appeared at the top of the Mausoleum sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague thus giving the castle its present name. It's not only a Castle, it also has several mini art museums with works by Chagall, Picasso, Van Gogh and there are other painters featured also. You can't take pictures of the paintings and they are really strict about it. I'm pretty sure they are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and I'm not so sure about the weekends.

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You can't go to Rome and not visit the Colosseum that would be a sin. It was started around 70AD by the emperor Vespasian and finished in 80AD by his son the emperor Titus. My favourite thing about the Colesseum is the sheer size of it, it can rival any modern stadium. It had a capacity of seating 50 000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as executions. It now costs 12 euros to get in and includes entrance to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum and the tickets are good for 2 days so you don't have to see everything in a day but they are so close together it is worth seeing it all at once, imo. I also suggest getting your tickets from the Palatine Hill office because the queue's aren't as long as the ones at the Colosseum. You can pay the extra 10euros and go in with a tour guide and not wait in any queue's but I recommend doing it on your own because the tours can get quite large. For older people and people with wheelchairs. there is an elevator. It is also quite easy to get to by metro. Just take the A line to Termini and transfer to the B line, the station is called Colosseo, you can't get much more straightforward than that.

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Address: The Colosseo station on the B line metro
Directions: Just across the street from the Colosseo station

When you first arrive in this tiny piazza you will be amazed by the enormity of the Pantheon, but when you go inside you will revel in its 2000 yr old genius. Built for the gods it seems that it was built by the gods. From the beautiful and massive dome to the tombs of kings and painters to the beautifully decorated marble columns right up to the gorgeous marble floor, the Pantheon is surely one of a kind. There is no entrance fee so if ever in Rome make this a must see.

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Directions: Across the street from the Fontana di Trevi

Musician serenading you as you eat, street performers trying to dazzle , great restaurants as far as piazza restaurants go, tourists and locals sipping wine in the middle of the piazza and open markets with vendors selling their wares. This is Campo dei Fiore my favourite piazza in all of Rome. You really get a feel of what Rome is about in this little piazza. The open market is open during the day shutting down as the sun goes down.
In medieval times they used to execute people in the middle of the square with the most famous execution being of Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake by the church for being a herectic, his statue stands in the middle of the piazza. Remnants of Pompey's Theatre, where Julius Caesar was murdered are found inside some of the restaurants.
It is not hard to find Campo dei Fiore. You'll find it on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, across the street from the overrated Piazza Navona. Largo di Torre Argentina is down the street on the same side of the street.

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Directions: Across the street from Piazza Navona on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II