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Rome: Ancient Ruins, Stadiums and Things to Do
Rome’s Colosseum and Roman Forum anchor a city whose public monuments still reveal the scale of its ancient power. Italy’s capital and largest city stands along the Tiber in the central-western Italian Peninsula, within Lazio. Home to 2.7 million people, it combines the responsibilities of a modern capital with a historic centre recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Successive eras of imperial and papal rule shaped its ruins, palaces, churches and fountains, while Renaissance and Baroque artists transformed its streets. Vatican City remains an independent country within Rome’s municipal boundaries. Sport adds another dimension: Rome hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics, and Stadio Olimpico continues to bring international competition into the city’s cultural life.
Discover Rome’s landmarks, history and sporting culture
Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico connects a visit to Rome with the city’s living sporting culture. Italy’s men’s rugby team plays here, including during the Six Nations, while the national football team also plays in Rome. The stadium hosts major concerts too. A guided visit provides another perspective on a venue associated with large-scale public spectacle.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon stands out for its remarkable preservation, making it an essential stop for understanding ancient Rome beyond its archaeological ruins. Dating to AD 125, the building retains an opening in its ceiling that admits the weather as well as daylight. Its interior gives visitors a direct encounter with the survival of Roman architecture in the historic centre.
Vatican City
Vatican City is the headquarters of the Catholic Church and an independent state enclosed within Rome’s municipal boundaries. Visiting brings the city’s religious identity into focus alongside its imperial past. Its significance also reaches into Rome’s artistic development: centuries of papal patronage helped shape the architecture and cultural character of the surrounding capital.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill form a central part of Rome’s ancient landscape. Explore the Forum’s ruins, then continue towards the remains of the Flavian Palace on the Palatine. Views towards the Circus Maximus connect this archaeological area with another of the city’s great spaces for public gatherings, giving the surviving monuments a broader geographical context.
Colosseum
The Colosseum is Rome’s defining ancient landmark and the natural centrepiece of an exploration of its monumental past. Its setting makes the visit especially rewarding: the Arch of Constantine stands nearby, with the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum forming part of the surrounding archaeological landscape. See it alongside these neighbouring remains to appreciate the concentration of ancient monuments in this part of Rome.