Choice Attractions in Centro Storico (Rome)

Basilica Ulpia

The fragmented remains of the Ulpia Basilica are enough to give an idea of its original majesty and splendor. It was at one time the largest building in Trajan's Forum, not to mention the largest basilica in Rome. It was designed and built by one of history's most noted architects: Apollodorus of Damascus, but its conception is today considered to have been the work of Trajan himself. The basilica had five naves separated by four rows of columns with Corinthian capitols and bases, which held up an architrave adorned with an elaborate frieze.

San Gioacchino

The church of San Gioacchino stands on one side of Piazza dei Quiriti - its refined and elegant exterior immediately attracts attention. It is impossible to miss the mosaics on the façade and dome, which are made from crystal stars. The dome is made entirely from aluminium and is crowned with eight angels with their wings spread at the edges. The church was designed and built by Lorenzo De Rossi and Raffaele Ingami and inaugurated in 1898, but the decorations were only completed in 1940 following financial help from 24 countries. Inside there are 14 chapels, each one named after the country that contributed to its decoration.

Santa Maria della Pietà e dei Santi Bartolomeo e Alessandro

This church is rather small, having originally been built as a hospital chapel. It was founded in the mid-16th century by the Spanish priest Fernando Ruiz who is buried inside the church. In 1725, the church passed to the Archconfraternity of Bergamaschi who turned it into a meeting place for people who had moved to Rome from Lombardy. It was named after the saints Bartholomew and Alexander who are the patron saints of the city of Bergamo. The façade was the work of a pupil of Bernini, Giovanni Battista Contini; it bears an oval with a relief of the Pietà over the main entrance. Inside, the single nave is surrounded by three chapels and crowned by a barrel vault bearing frescoes from the early 20th Century.

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

The Vittorio Emanuele II bridge designed by Ennio De Rossi was opened on June 5, 1911 after 25 years of work. Four columns rise up from the three-arched bridge, two on each side, bearing bronze representations of the Winged Victory, but it is the white marble sculptures in the center of the bridge that attract attention, placed over the pillars of the central arch to symbolise the Unity of Italy, Liberty, Oppression defeated, and Loyalty to the Constitution.

Tempio della Fortuna Virile

This temple was mistakenly known as the Tempio della Fortuna Virile, but has now been identified as the Temple of Portunus, god of the river port, once located near the Emilio bridge. The importance of this well-preserved temple (perhaps because of its small dimensions) is due to its very rare Greco-Italic architecture and its age. In fact it dates back to the second half of the 2nd Century BCE and was renovated during the following century. It is rectangular in shape, and is built of tufa and travertine stone. It has four frontal columns, and has semicolumns built into the walls on the sides and back. The temple became a church in 872 CE and was named after Maria Egipciaca, a loose woman from Alexandria who was converted and spent the rest of her life in penitence in the desert.

San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio

The Church of San Marco, together with the Palazzo Venezia with which it is joined, is one of the most interesting early Renaissance buildings in Rome. It dates back to 1336 and was built by Pope Mark in honor of St Mark the Evangelist, who is celebrated on April 25. The church has a 15th-century portico attributed to Leon Battisti Albert. The upper open gallery is also by a famous name, having been designed by Giuliano da Maiano, while the beautiful 16th-century portal is by Isaia da Pisa. The church contains numerous medieval remains including an ancient well, and the bell tower. This church belonging to the Venetian community in Rome has a lion on the ceiling to commemorate that of San Marco in Venice.

Santa Maria di Loreto

This large dome can be seen rising up from amongst the Roman remains of the Forum. The dome itself is rich with windows, tympanums, and pillars - crowning the 16th-century church of Santa Maria di Loreto. The church was built for the Confraternità dei Fornari. Work on it was begun by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane, but was finished by one of Michelangelo's students, Jacopo del Duca. The entrance portal carries the signature of Andrea Sansovino. The church is built on a central plan and is made up of semicircular chapels. It is decorated with mosaics, canvases, and six statues representing angels and saints.

Santissimo Nome di Maria

This church was built over the site of a small church belonging to the order of the Compagnia di San Bernardo. The new church passed into the hands of the Compagnia del Santissimo Nome di Maria, which is where it got its name. It is easy to find because of its location next to the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto. The church was built upon the occasion of the Christians' victory against the Turks, which took place on the September 12, 1683, and this is also the day that the festival of Santissimo Nome di Maria takes place. The church is built in an 18th-century Baroque style on an elliptic plan, and is made up of seven chapels. The interior is richly decorated with stuccowork, marble, and medallions showing scenes from the life of Mary. The main altar holds a very famous image on wood of the Virgin with Child.

Sant'Atanasio

The Chiesa di Sant'Atanasio is located near Via del Babuino, where one of Rome's most famous talking statues, the Babuino, is to be found. Sant'Atanasio is celebrated on May 2, and on this day the services take place following Greek ritual. The church dates back to the 16th century and is the work of the architect Giacomo Della Porta. The façade, decorated with tympanums, pilaster strips, and niches, is made entirely of red bricks and is made up of two large, domed bell towers. It also bears an inscription in Latin and Greek. The church's interior contains various valuable paintings, including a work attributed to Cavalier d'Arpino in the apse and a painting by Trabaldesi in the side chapel on the right.

Fontana dei Tritoni

The Fontana dei Tritoni by Francesco Bizzaccheri is located in the Boario Forum, in a grassy space in front of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, situated between two ancient temples known respectively as the Temple of Male Fortune and the Temple of Vesta. It dates back to a much more recent period than the venerable monuments that flank it; in fact the fountain was built in 1715. The fountain's position and theme, which is the same as that dealt with in the more famous fountain by Bernini, make it worthy of fame and respect. The two muscular tritons, kneeling on a rocky mass, hold up a basin from which the water sprays out, and the entire composition is inserted into a larger basin full of water.

Tempio di Ercole Vincitore

This temple dates back to the end of the 2nd Century BCE and has remained more or less intact. 19 of the 20 Corinthian columns which surround it survive but the trabeation and the original roof (probably a dome) are missing. The temple is commonly known as the Temple of Vesta. It was turned into a church under Christianity, and was first dedicated to Santo Stefano delle Carozze and then, halfway through the 16th Century, to Santa Maria del Sole, because an image of the temple emanating a ray of sunlight had been found in the Tiber.

Flaminio Stadium

The enormous stadium is home to the Italian Rugby team. It plays host to the Six Nations Rugby tournament, and has a seating capacity of about 27,000 spectators. The home team backed by the cheering crowd takes on the might of European giants in the oldest rugby tournament in the world. The atmosphere at the stadium is amazing, and the chanting almost never stops. The stands are full of energetic enthusiasts carrying flags, banners, and some even walk-in with colorful face paint to cheer their teams.