Archive for 'Latium'

Rome does not lack in famous and astounding monuments. If you visit, you will never be stuck for something to do. However, you might be interested in visiting something uniquely tied into Italian history that is just a little off the beaten track of most tourists, a little less obvious. That something is the Altare dell Patria (Altar of the Fatherland), also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II).

Michelangelo once said that he didn't create sculptures but, rather, freed beings from within blocks of stone. He is known for breathing life into rock. Yet, another great sculptor managed to bring believability to stone so that it seemed to move and live.

This was Gian Lorenzo Bernini, an Italian architect and artist born in Naples and who predominantly worked in Rome. Throughout the city there remains a trail of his masterpieces that truly must be seen to be believed.

Why not find a villa with a pool near Rome and spend a day following Bernini around that greatest of cities?

A visit to the splendid capital of Rome would not be complete without seeing the site where the mighty Circus Maximus once stood.

This was the first and largest chariot racing stadium in all of Rome that could hold up to 250,000 spectators.

Situated between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the remains of the Circus Maximus is now barely recognisable from the huge stadium it once was and is now a public park.

The Circus Maximus site was first established by the Etruscan kings of Rome to grant the publics’ desire for an entertainment meeting ground. Julius Caesar ordered the expansion of this space around 50 BC to accommodate upwards of 270,000 people to view the chariot racing or other entertainment from seats within the stadium or standing on the surrounding hills.

If you’re going on vacation to the splendid capital city of Rome in Italy this year then make a point of spending some time exploring the glorious Piazza Navona here!

Book into a stylish apartment in Rome where you can visit Piazza Navona and other stunning attractions like Palatine Hill and the Pantheon.

Piazza Navona is a rectangular shaped piazza which was constructed upon the site where the stadium of Domitian once stood. It occupies the open space where the arena would have been in this stadium which was built in the 1st century AD.

A huge market was transferred to this space from Capitoline hill during the late 15th century but beforehand, Piazza Navona was brought to new life in the form of exquisite Baroque Roman architecture.

Continuing on from our first article on strange attractions in Rome, here are some more weird and wonderful venues to visit on your next vacation here to spice up your touring itinerary!

Choose from a superb range of vacation rentals in the Rome area where you can easily commute in to tour the city.

Begin your tour with a few hours walking around the spooky Criminal Museum in Rome. This museum, founded in the 1800s was once a prison and now is a public space made up of three sections.

One section concentrates on the categories of crime such as theft or assault. Another section looks at methods of investigation to solve a crime and the third section displays all the gory details regarding the punishment of crimes.

This torture section uses life size models to demonstrate how these terrifying machines were used so if you have a weak stomach, you might want to skip this part!