Rome Attractions

Enough spectacular things to do and see in Rome! The biggest attraction is possibly the old Roman theatre, the Coliseum, comfortably situated next to the other antic remains of the Roman glory, the Roman Forum. Alternatively, admire the hole in the Pantheon and make your visit to the eternal city even better by trying one of the special flavours of gelato – ice cream.

Coliseum and Roman Forum
The Coliseum was built in 71 after Christ. Rome had just undergone a lot of chaos, with four different emperors ruling in the year 68, and needed stability. The amphitheatre could provide that: under the slogan ‘Bread and Games’, the fights were used to entertain the people of Rome – and to keep them quiet. The theatre held a massive 50,000 people crowd and could be filled with water to enact naval battles. The opening games took 100 days, during which approximately 9,000 animals, including elephants and lions, were slaughtered. The Coliseum is still standing up to today, although in a slightly different shape, and it has become a popular tourist attraction. Against a (small) remuneration you can even take your own picture with a gladiator outside. The ticket to the Coliseum is combined with a ticket to the Roman Forum, where you will find the remains of the most important public buildings of ancient Rome. Here, you can truly take a walk in history amongst ancient temples and the arches that emperors as Titus and Constantine erected after successful battles.
Coliseum and Roman Forum, open daily from 8 A.M. Closing time depends on the season.
Piazza del Colosseo, 1, metro stop Colosseo (line B).

Pantheon and… ice cream!
The Pantheon originally was a Roman temple. It is one of the oldest domes, build in a time when this was not a commonly tried out form. The dome is equipped with a 9-meter wide hole to stay solid. The temple survived as it was turned in a church. Nowadays, it is the location of graves of Italian heroes as the painter Raphael and several kings. The temple is very close to the wonderful Piazza Navona full of street artists and the amazing gelaterie (ice cream stores) of Giolitti and Della Palma. Both have supporters claiming their ice cream is the best. To give an idea about the fame of Giolitti: when President Obama was on a state visit to Italy, his daughters went to Giolitti to learn how to make ice cream.
Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda
Gelateria Giolitti, Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40, Roma
Gelateria Della Palma, Via della Maddalena, 27

Let’s move it!
If you like a bit of action during your stay, what about cycling on the Via Appia? Via Appia was one of the major old Roman streets, originally leading all way to Brindiis, a port on the South Adriatic Sea. Get out the hassle of the city, rent a bike and enjoy the old Roman street. If soccer is your game, Rome isn’t a bad place either. There are two major soccer teams in the Roman capital: AS Roma and Lazio Roma. Both teams play their matches at the Olympic Stadium. If you want to take a swim during your stay in Rome, get the train from Piramide (metro B) to Ostia (stop Lido Centro). Be prepared to pay for access to the beaches, or get off at the last metro stop and take another bus to go to a free beach. If you want to go running, the villa Borghese park is a great pick.
Parco di Via Appia Antica, Via Appia Antica
Olympic Stadium, Viale dei Gladiatori, 2
Villa Borghese, Piazza del Popolo (metro stop Flaminio, line A).