The fountains and piazze of Rome

The most famous staircase in the world rises from the "sinking boat" fountain designed by Bernini and his dad in the bustling Piazza di Spagna. It is a graceful arc of stairs—set off by azaleas in spring and always overflowing with chattering Romans and tourists—tied in an off-center double bow at the very heart of Rome's most elegant shopping district. Fun fact: There are, in fact, no "Spanish Steps." There's an hourglass-shaped "Spanish Square" (so named since it once hosted the Spanish Embassy) at the foot of a world-famous staircase named after the twin-towered church at the top, but I guess "Trinità dei Monti Steps" just didn't have the same ring to it... » more

The world's most famous wishing well is a riot of sculpture and a favorite late-night gathering place in Rome... » more

Sit at a café table on the oblong Piazza Navona square—built atop the oval of an ancient Roman stadium, lined by palaces and churches, and centered on Bernini's fantastic Four Rivers fountain—and just watch the carnival of Roman life spin past you... » more

Leave it to the Italian to turn the daily, pre-dinner stroll into the premier social event of each day. During the evening passeggiata ("little walk") between 5 and 7pm, half the city turns out in their best clothes to see and be seen—but mostly to be seen fare la bella figura, ("cutting a beautiful figure"), especially along Via del Corso... » more

This huge oval space, centered on an fountain sprouting ancient Egyptian obelisk of Ramses II, between the banks of the Tiber River and the terraced 19th-century Pincio Gardens leading up to Villa Borghese Park once formed part of the gardens belonging to the family of the crazed and despised Emperor Nero. After complaints that Nero's ghost haunted the pine grove on the site, the church razed it and built the amazing church of Santa Maria del Popolo, crammed with art and architectural works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Raphael, and Pinturicchio... » more

Walk up Michelangelo's sloping carriage staircase, past the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, to the top of the Capitoline Hill (seat of the Roman government and whence we get the word "capitol"). Skirt around the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius (a replica of the AD 2nd-century original), past the two palazzi housing the Capitoline Museums (fabulous ancient art, plus baroque paintings by the likes of Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, and Il Guercino), and around to the back Palazzo Senatorio. Here you'll find a hidden, magnificent panorama across the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, with the Colosseum peeking out in the background... » more

Rome's morning flower and produce market fills a piazza at the very heart of the centro storico; by the lunch hour it is ringed with traditional trattorie; by evening the pubs open and the square transforms yet again into a major hub of Rome's nightlife scene... » more

A few steps from one of Rome's main city bus stops lies a trio of ancient temples crawling with stray cats and overflowing with weeds, and the crumbling set of steps upon which Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March... » more

Slung into the Murcia Valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the elongated grassy jogging oval known as the Circo Massimo was once the largest stadium in all of Rome, a 2,000-foot-long track where the empire threw its most extravagant chariot races to entertain crowds of up to 300,000 screaming spectators... » more

The forgotten forum, a pair of teensy, utterly ancient temples slung between the back side of the Capitoline Hill and the Tiber River, across from the Mouth of Truth, in what was until modern time a cow pasture... » more

A peek-a-boo view of St. Peter's from the top of the Aventine Hill—and the entrance to the private fiefdom of an order of knights that has survived since the Crusades... » more

Massive traffic circle around the Fountain of the Naiads ringed by arcades of shops, cinemas, and two sights: Michelangelo's Santa Maria degli Angeli church and Museo Nazionale Romano: Baths of Diocletian... » more