As the owner of Rome... Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality (central area), with over 2.7 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi).

No other city comes close. It may no longer be caput mundi (capital of the world), but Rome is an epic, bubbling-over metropolis harbouring lost empires. One visit and you’ll be hooked. Rome has a glorious monumentality that it wears without reverence.

People in Rome encapsulate the spirit of the city. Pass a central café and the tables outside are animated with people, downing fast shots of espresso and sporting big black sunglasses. They are neither posing nor hung over. Nuns flutter through the streets, on the trip of a lifetime or secondment from the Philippines, bustling across the road before treating themselves to an ice cream. Churches fill during Mass, and the priests, dressed in purple, cream or red silk (right down to their socks), read the rites to a hushed congregation (mostly from out of town).

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PLACES TO GO :

- St Peters Basilica

One of the most famous parts of Rome is the Vatican; this is the head quarters of the Catholic Christian faith and is very much a place to visit for Pilgrimage. Plenty of tourists also visit here every year and if you are going to Rome you MUST go to see St Peters Basilica.

St Peters Basilica is the largest church in the world and has the capacity to hold 60,000 people and for Catholics it is one of the holiest places in Earth. Built on the tomb of St Peter himself; one of the original twelve disciples; it draws people in from all over the world.

St Peter came to Rome during the Christian martyrdoms and was crucified in 64 AD upside down; St Peter felt he was unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus. St Peters Basilica was then built on top of his tomb.

One of the most famous parts of the Basilica is the dome. This was completed in 1590 and is the largest church dome in the whole world. The height of the dome is 448 feet and has a diameter of 136 feet.

Around the Dome; written in 2 meter tall gold writing; is the Latin term “TV ES PETRVS ET SVPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM. TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORVM”. This translates to "...you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. ... I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...”

This is a fantastic piece of Rome’s history a place not to be missed at any cost. Check out the pictures in the album for a quick view of the rich history of St. Peter’s.


- The Coliseum

The Coliseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Work on the Coliseum started in 72 AD and was finished by 80 AD. It could hold up to 50,000 people and was used mainly for gladiator fights and plays depicting famous battles. As time went on it was used more for religious purposes as a shrine.

It sits partially damaged due to the theft of rock and also from devastating earthquakes. This has not lowered its popularity with tourists and is one of Rome’s most famous attractions.


- The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine chapel houses one of the most recognised paintings in the whole world. The ceiling of the chapel was painted by Michelangelo and is seen as his best piece of work by many. Interestingly Michelangelo did not want the job as he saw himself as more of a sculptor than a painter. The ceiling was commissioned by Pope Julius II and was finished in 1512.

The actual purpose of the chapel is to act as the Papal Conclave. This is where the bishops meet to elect a new pope. When this happens a chimney is installed and depending on the colour of the smoke released; white for a decided successor or black for an undecided vote; the people of the world can learn of the choice made.


- The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in the whole of Rome. It stands at 85 feet high and 65 feet wide. The Trevi fountain was built to herald the end of an aquaduct as was the custom for water when entering Rome.
The statues surrounding the fountain are all about taming the wild waters; a way of symbolising the path of the water from the hills all the way to Rome. The pictures show Tritons guiding Oceanus' shell chariot, taming hippocamp; a mythological sea horse.

Another famous part of this fountain is people throwing coins into it; this follows the legend that anyone who throws a coin in will be rewarded with a return to Rome. Each day approximately 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain. This money is used to fund a supermarket that caters for the disadvantaged in Rome yet there are many attempts of people trying to steal from the Fountain.

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PLACES TO EAT :


- Ar Grottino der Traslocatino

Largo Delle Sette Chiese 2
00145 Roma
Tel 06 514 1261

Nearest subway stop, Garbatella, on the Linea B.
This is the kind of restaurant that as soon as you step in the door and look around, you'll want to say "Honey, let's go someplace else..." But if you do that, you'll miss a rare and unique treat. Ar Grottino der Traslocatino, in appearance, lives up to its name - It looks grotty and run down, more like seedy truck stop, or a soup-kitchen run out of a subterranean bomb-shelter - And it's tiny - There's only room for about forty people in the whole place, sitting elbow to elbow. But it's actually perfectly clean, and the food is superb.

Really, this place is for food-fans only, and you'll need to know some Italian. There isn't really a menu as such, they look like they're sort of making it up as they go along, and it’s all very laid back.

Because it's so small, there isn't room for the waiters to get around the table properly, so they just dump a pile of cutlery silverware on end of your table and you lay out your place settings yourself. But this is real home-made 'cucino romano' Roman cooking, like-a-mama-used-a-to-make-a.

Don't get me wrong - They're not deliberately trying to be rustic and rough-handed just for laughs - This is not a novelty restaurant. It's simply that they cook real food for real Romans in a quiet corner of the city, and they've got more talent in the kitchen than space in the dining area. This place is not for the faint of heart - it's for experienced tourists only looking for authentic romano cuisine, but try it anyway (phone first or you will never get a seat) and it'll be a dining experience you'll never forget. Just go for it, okay?


- Bella Napoli

Via Alessandria 13
00198 Roma
Tel 06 854 2966

I already knew that pizza was an Italian invention, but what an ignoramus such as me didn't know until I lived in Italy was that the actual birthplace of the pizza in Italy is Naples, (or 'Napoli' as the Italians spell it). Thus, Bella Napoli pizza restaurant, is not just aptly named, it's actually a real traditional family-owned restaurant run by a mother and her sons from Naples. But if you think from that, that it's some tiny little rustic half-assed operation, you'd be wrong - The gang at Bella Napoli have really got their act together.

Not only is it a popular haunt with local Roman Italians, they're also in tune with what tourists want - Their premises are large with plenty of seating, yet the place also retains a cosy, casual atmosphere, and they also have sidewalk tables. Menus are printed (or explained) in English and they even have a choice of thin'n'crispy pizzas, or deep pan, though Italian deep pan is nowhere as deep as American deep pan. Anyway, when in Rome, you really should make a point of trying the authentic thin and crispy pizzas, they're much healthier, and you can taste the fresh and subtle Italian topping flavours much better.

Bella Napoli pizza restaurant (the Italian word for a pizza joint is 'pizzeria' - pronounced 'peets-air-rear' - No, don't be cruel, it doesn't really rhyme with diarrhea...) is a stone's throw from the British Embassy, just on the north side of central Rome.

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PLACES TO STAY :


- Teatropace 33 (http://www.hotelteatropace.com/hotel33/uk/)

Small and central

Navigate down a narrow street past rows of small furniture makers and duck into the Teatropace 33, where the first thing that hits you is the massive 17th-century spiral stone staircase in this former cardinal's house. Wood and stone floors combine with enormously high, beamed ceilings to give a solid, comfortable feel in the double rooms, while the top floor suite has its own private roof terrace. The winding neighbourhood streets open up into Piazza Navona yards away, but do not miss Lo Zozzone next door, the legendary sandwich bar where Romans fill up on mortadella slices in warm pizza bread.

• Double room: €150 to €240 (£108 to £173) depending on season


- Colours Hostel (http://www.colorshotel.com/)

Hostel

A friendly, family-run and bright Colors hostel north of the Vatican mixing shared six-bed dorms with private rooms for two, three or four people. Take your pick between rooms with comfortable shared or en suite bathrooms that would not look out of place in swankier hotels. Colourful décor adds to the relaxed, private house charm, while a small roof terrace gives guests the chance to cook in the communal kitchen then eat al fresco.

• Dormitory bed: €20 to €27 (£14 to £19) depending on season. Private double with bathroom: €85 to €130 (£61 to £94)


- Casa Banzo (http://www.casabanzo.it/)

Bed and Breakfast

The stained-glass window, the cool, high-ceilinged entrance hall and the tiled floor, frescoed breakfast room in this 16th-century palazzo are Casa Banzo's (+39 06 6833909) strengths, not to mention its proximity to Campo dei Fiori, the hotspot in the historic centre. While the tourists mingle in the streets outside, simple rooms give on to a quiet interior courtyard dripping with plants, giving an idea of how for centuries Roman aristocrats have carved themselves some peace and quiet inches from the mayhem of Rome's alleyways. Watch out for the odd quirk, like no telephones and €15 (£10.80) extra for air conditioning.

• Double room: €100 to €150 (£72 to £108) depending on season.


- De Russie (http://www.hotelderussie.it/)

Luxury

Once a hangout for Russian royalty and artists like Picasso and Stravinsky, the De Russie was given a makeover by Rocco Forte in 2000, conferring on its 122 rooms a feel of uncluttered, modern luxury. Mega-suites like the €7,260 Nijinsky command views out across the city, but the hotel's secret weapon is its enormous courtyard and garden. In a cramped part of town where it is hard to walk on narrow pavements covered in parked mopeds, guests in selected double rooms can gaze over the De Russie's hidden oasis of fountains, trees and winding paths.

• Doubles start from €715 (£515).