Highlights of Lazio

They say that all roads lead to Rome and in the region of Lazio this is definitely the case. The Italian capital is a melting pot of attractions and a city which is guaranteed to excite all senses. Here are just some of the highlights.

 UNESCO World Heritage sites

Explore the historic centre of Rome and the Properties of the Holy See and San Paolo Fuori le Mura; visit the Renaissance Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este (Tivoli); discover the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia.

The Sistine Chapel

Painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, the chapel is a work of high Renaissance art. The complex design demonstrates Michelangelo’s great skill in creating a huge variety of poses for the human figure.

The Treasures of Rome

The Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Castel Sant’ Angelo, the Mouth of Truth, the Baths of Caracalla, Villa Borghese – an endless list of treasures to be seen!

Montecassino Abbey

Founded by St. Benedict in 529, this Benedictine Abbey was the site of the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, where the building was destroyed by Allied bombing and rebuilt after the war. The Abbey and the Polish war cemetery are worth the visit.

Markets

There are several good outdoor markets, flea markets, and places to buy antiques in Rome. Porta Portese (Trastevere), which opens on Sundays from 7am until 1pm, is the most important flea market in Rome selling almost everything.

Gaeta

A city of medieval walls, narrow alleys, a C13th Castle and long sandy beaches. Visit Monte Orlando that rises above Gaeta, famed for its split mountain ‘Montagna Spaccata’. Legend says the mountain split into three crevices when Christ died.

Shopping

One of the most popular shopping areas is the Via del Corso and the streets that radiate from it. Alternatively, Via Cola di Rienzo in the Prati neighbourhood, north of the Vatican has a similar assortment of stores but far fewer tourists.

Il Bagnaccio hot springs

Bathe in pools that have been carved out of white clay in a bucolic landscape that remains unchanged since Etruscan times. Located 6km north of Viterbo.

Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve

This fertile Nature Reserve covers more than 7,000 acres of rolling oak forest on the borders of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. Explore this rural landscape of wild boar and porcupine that offers many walking, biking and riding trails.

Grand Villas

Discover the grand 16th and 17th century villas with beautiful gardens and water-play features located in the surrounding Roman landscape. Visit the Villa Lante at Bagnaia, the Villa Farnese at Caprarola and the Villas Aldobrandini and Torlonia in Frascati.

Rome Pass

Save money and time by purchasing the OMNIA card - a tourist pass covering all the top attractions in Rome and The Vatican City. Free entry to museums and discounted prices for many other attractions and public transport.

Catacombs

Visit the fascinating macabre catacombs. Hundreds of kilometres of the oldest and longest underground burial tunnels in the world can be found beneath the city of Rome and its outskirts. The oldest tunnels date back to the first century.