Marco Polo - Rome: Travel with Insider Tips

Michelangelo designed the diamond-shaped square of the Capitol and the faades of the surrounding buildings

In the largest arena of the ancient world, gladiators fought wild animals

Ruins of temples, arches and basilicas on the Forum Romanum give an impression of this ancient centre of power

A rendezvous, and the place where the people of Rome buy their fruit and vegetables

The dome of this Roman temple was the model for many Renaissance churches

Romes most beautiful and liveliest Baroque square

You are not even allowed to dip a toe into this famous Baroque fountain, but everyone throws in coins )

1000 works of art, countless sculptures by Bernini and Paolina Borgheses radiant nakedness in the Baroque pleasure palace of Cardinal Borghese

On the Spanish Steps, one of the worlds most famous flights of steps, people from all around the globe meet around the clock

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, on which Michelangelo painted the story of Creation over the course of four years, is 41 m long

St Peters Basilica is the emblem of the Eternal City and every pilgrims goal it is the worlds largest church and the heart of Christianity

Antique sculptures surrounded by old steam engines in a former power station

Shockingly modern in classical Rome: Zaha Hadids new museum for the 21st century

Renzo Pianos auditorium at the Flaminia Stadium not only looks like a spaceship the acoustics too are out of this world

The road of catacombs for archaeologists, cyclists and joggers

Legendary frescoes, mosaics and sculptures from the apartments of Empress Livia in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme

Brunello Cucinelli, prince of cashmere, patron of the arts and man of sustainable business, opened his new showcase boutique in Via Borgognona

A star feature of the Casa delle Donne, the International House of Women, is the new vegetarian Bio Bio Bar in the garden and during the day its open for men

Did all that walking along the Via Appia Antica make you hungry? Then stop at the Antica Hostaria L Archeologia garden restaurant, where fountains splash, roses bloom and the pasta is wonderful

Two English Romantic poets lie in the Protestant cemetery. John Keats arrived in Rome with an advanced case of tuberculosis and died there in 1821. Shelley was drowned in the Gulf of La Spezia the following year

Residents of Rome refer to the bulky white monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II as the typewriter. But from the top row of keys, the roof terrace at a height of 213 ft, you have a fantastic panoramic view of all periods of history

They may be carved in stone, but that doesnt stop the strange statue parlanti from talking. Once satirical verses criticising papal rulers were hung round their necks, and in the case of Pasquino the Romans still do this

In ancient times Testaccio was a rubbish tip where the Romans piled up the pottery shards of amphorae they had no plastic or textile shopping bags. Today the ragazzi come here to give their all on the dance floor

Bring your day to a triumphant end on the Pincio hill admiring the sunset over Rome

The 2000-year-old altar of peace, the Ara Pacis Augustae, is now protected by Richard Meiers ultra-modern glass roof

If you think the glossy sheen of the equestrian statue on the Campidoglio looks too new, you are right . Corrosive exhaust gases were too much for the original Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and he rode off to the Musei Capitolini

Gina, a high-class snack bar on Piazza di Spagna, will make you a gourmet picnic with salmon rolls, cheese, olives and wine, and all you have to do is find a nice spot in the park of Villa Borghese