Lazio

Around Rome there are quite a few interesting places you can visit as daytrip. Tivoli , Subiaco and Frascati have been favourite summer retreats of the Romans since the ancient days. Ostia Antica the old Roman port has some of the best classical remains in Lazio.

In the hills of Lazio there are three lakes where you can go to relax and swim. Lake Bracciano is close to Rome and can be reached easily by train, a bit further is Lake Vico . Carparola is the main town on the shores of the lake. Lake Bolsena is even further but less interesting.

In the early days the Romans fought many battles with their Etrurian neighbours. In Lazio you there are a few old Etrurian sites well worth visitin such as Cerveteri and Tarquinia . Viterbo is also of Etrurian origin, but gained prominence in the 13-th century when it was a Gueplh stonghold.

The Sabine hills are not just famous for their women - they are a very green part of Lazio and the capital Rieti is a nice place to spend a few days. Around Rieti there are many charming villages such as Greccio , Roccantica and Roccasinibalda . They are best visited as daytrips from Rieti by car because bus service is infrequent.

The Pontine islands is a small volcanic archipelago just off the coast. They are very popular with Italians, especially in summer.

Top Destinations in Lazio

Rome, Tusculum, Civitavecchia, Ostia Antica, Civita Castellana, Anzi, Tivoli, Terracina, Viterbo, Frascati, San Felice , Circeo, Broccostella

Rome travel guide:

Ara Pacis Augustae
Where: Via di Ripetta
The altar of the Pace Augustea was constructed between the 13th and 9th centuries B.C., by decree of the Roman Senate, to honor Augustus and celebrate the peace that followed his victories in Spain and Gaul. The altar, in white Carrara marble, is decorated with elegant decorative motifs, with interlaced flowers and leaves alongside historical and mythological scenes: Aeneas, the birth of Rome, and the celebrated Procession in which the Emperor with his family took part.
After its archaeological discovery, the Ara was reconstructed using the few original fragments available from various museums, substituting cement reproductions for the missing parts, and covering all with a protective transparent structure.

Arch of Costantine
Where: Piazza del Colosseo
Among the oldest of Rome's mouments, the Arch of Constantine was erected to commemorate the victory of the emperor over Massenzio, in the battle of 312 a.D. at Ponte Milvio.
Almost 25 meters high, it has three arched passageways, mostly decorated by ornaments taken from other buildings, such as the monuments of Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, Domiziano, Hadrian, and Commodo. Worthy of note are the stupendous bas reliefs over the central part of the arch and the eight rectangular bas reliefs in the upper part.
The Colosseum (Piazza del Colosseo)
Begun by order of Vespasiano in 72 A.D., on the site of the Domus Aurea of Nero, the great amphitheatre was finished by his son Titus, eight years later. It was called Colosseum because of the gigantic statue of Nero that was erected nearby, with the help of 24 elephants.
It is the greatest monument of antiquity: elliptical in shape, with a circumference of 527 meters, the major axis of 188 meters, the minor one of 156 meters, the maximum height 57 meters. The total length of the stands is 30,000 meters, the seats numbered 68,000, standing places 5000.
The public entered the arena, divided into four levels, through four entrances and 80 arcades, numbered progressively. Entrance was free for everyone, but the places were subdivided according to the census: for senators were reserved the places nearest the arena.
Thousands of men and animals were massacred there solely for the pleasure of the crowd massed in the stands. In the fifth century the emperor Onorius prohibited the gladiatorial games and successively the Colosseum belonged to the Frangipane, who used it as a castle-fortress, and then to the Annibaldi. In 1312 Henry VII gave the amphitheatre back to the city. In 1451 the pope took away part of the building materials for the stairway at Saint Peter's and the door at Ripetta.
Within the amphitheatre there were houses, shops, a cemetery, a church, a theatre, and a hospital. From the highest levels one has a beautiful panorama of Rome, especially of the Forum.

Trevi Fountain (Piazza di Trevi)
This is the most famous fountain in Rome. Built alongside the Poli Papace and fed by the aqueduct of the Virgin Waters, it was initially of modest proportions.
It assumed grandiose form, 20 meters long and 26 meters high, thanks to the plan of Nicola Salvi in 1732.
Finished in 1762, it is one of the last examples of Roman baroque.
The statue of Neptune , surrounded by allegorical figures and by four statues representing the seasons, dominates the fountain. Below, two tritons drive the chariot of the Sea God.
According to legend, whoever throws a coin into the pond will return to Rome. Few tourists avoid this tradition.

Aurelian Walls
The Aurelian Walls, which enclosed the seven hills, were 19 kilometers long, had 18 doors and were defended by 381 towers. They were built between 272 and 279 to protect the city from the menace of the Germans, defeated by the Emperor Aurelius.
Servian Walls
In front of Termini Station and in the underground passageways, one can see the few remains of these ancient walls, built in the fourth century B.C. Compared to the Aurelian Walls, they enclose a much more limited area.

Vatican City
Formed as a sovereign and independent State after the Lateran Accords of 1929, stipulated between Italy and the Holy See, Vatican City extends over an area of 44 hectares, along the right bank of the Tevere between the eastern peaks of Monte Mario and the western peaks of the Gianicolo. It includes the piazza, San Peter's Basilica (see chart) and the palace of the Vatican.

It is surrounded by a high wall and has its own administration and services: post, bank, newspaper, radio station, train station, and supermarkets. All tax-free.

Sistine Chapel (Vatican)
Famous throughout the world, above all for the frescoes of Michaelangelo, the Sistine Chapel was constructed between 1475 and 1480 by Baccio Pontelli, under the order of Sistus IV.
It is on a rectangular plan with barreled vault and small side vaults. It has a pavement of polychromic inlay. The presbytery is divided by a barrier and opens out to 12 windows.
The internal decoration was assigned to many artists: Botticelli, Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli, assisted by Pinturicchio, Piero di Cosimo, Bartolomeo della Gatta and Signorelli. The work began in 1481 and lasted two years. In 1508 Julius II commissioned Michaelangelo to decorate the vault, which originally represented a starry heaven. After four years of intense work, this incredible work was finished. The vault is decorated by nine rectangular panels that show Genesis, the Expulsion from Paradise, and Noah.
Twenty-five years later, in 1533, Michaelangelo began working on The Last Judgment, which he was asked to do by Clement VII. In less than one and a half years the masterpiece of 200 meters square, with 391 figures, was finished. The nudes, by order of Pius IV, were covered with draperies painted by Daniele da Volterra, who for this reason was called "Braghettone" ("bracche" are men's baggy undershorts).
This ridiculous intervention changed the message that Michaelangelo had wanted to give in his work.
Fortunately with the latest restoration, recently finished, the draperies have been removed and the colors and figures have returned to their original splendor and force.