Back to Homepage Travel - The Ten Golden Rules Travel - Pay With a Credit Card Travel - Determine Insurance Needs, Alway Confirm Everything Copenhagen Points of Interest Paris Points of Interest Brussels Points of Interest Wasa Museum Stockholm Kutna Hora Ossuary Leonardo in Krakow Rome Points of Interest Chersonesos, Ukranie Nice - Museums of the Riviera Sucevita, Romania Kizhi Pogost, Russia Sanssouci, Germany	Rome Points of Interest The Etruscan Museum "You can make a good start with the Etruscans, at The National Museum of Valle Giulia ("The Etruscan Museum"), just at the other end of the park from the Galleria Borghese, 9 Piazzale Valle Giulia, which displays the world's finest collection of Etruscan sculpture, jewelry, pottery and household goods. "Who were the Etruscans? That's the $64 question! Nobody really knows where they came from or even exactly when or where they landed in Italy (at some point, they settled in Tuscany, bringing with them a highly-developed culture). According to legend, they were one of the three tribes (the Latins, Sabines and Etruscans) living on the hills of Rome, who ultimately banded together for protection. And Etruscan kings are actually thought to have ruled Rome for at least a century, about 100 years after the legendary founding of the city by Romulus and Remus (754 B.C.). Whatever their origins, it is clear that they beautified and improved wherever they went, and what is known today about their civilization is based on what has been found of their art, which is astonishingly advanced and "modern" (I saw one vase that I'd swear was a Picasso). Most artists, anthropologists, and archaeologists would never pass through Rome without making a pilgrimage to the Etruscan Museum; don't miss Room XIII, which houses what experts consider to be the most important find of the museum (the "Apollon"); and don't miss the famous "Sarcophagus of Caeres" on the first floor. Historical station break "With the expulsion from Rome of the last ancient king, in 509 B.e., the era of the Roman Republic was launched. It lasted for nearly 500 years-through the vicissitudes of the invasions of the Gauls and the sacking of Rome by them in 309 Re.; the two Punie Wars; and the attack by Hannibal-until Julius Caesar became dictator, and the colorful era of the Roman Emperors (Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero) began. To have a marvelous glimpse into those times, try the National Roman Museum "The local citizens know this as the Museo Romano all Terme; it's located on the Piazza Esedra, directly across from Terminal Station, in the Baths of Diocletian. Don't miss such famous pieces of Roman sculpture and art as "The Pugilist" (a copy from the Greek original) in Room V (which earns its title of "The Room of Masterpieces"), the "Head of a Young Girl" in Room IV, the "Marble Altar of Ostia" in Room VII, and the "Fragments of the Secular Games" held under Augustus Caesar and Septimius Severus; and don't fail to allow plenty of time to explore all the treasures of Roman statuary and mosaics. Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (the Baths of Diocletian) "Just next door to the Terme Museum (walk down the street to your right as you exit from the Terme) is the best-preserved hall of the Baths of Diocletian, which was converted by MicheIangeIo into the "Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli". Constructed in the third century A.D., this was one of the largest baths of its kind, with staggering proportions that make our modern-day saunas seem puny indeed (of course, the Roman baths were social gathering spots as well, where concerts and lectures were of ten held). The Capitaline Museum "Arthur has already referred to the great Campidoglio, on one side of which is the Capitoline Museum, with the Conservatori on the other. You'll want to spend most of your time at the Capitaline, which will provide you with a rare and wonderful opportunity to put faces on the ancient Romans. There are several rooms devoted to busts of "just plain folks" from the Imperial era, and other rooms containing the better-known heads of Roman Emperors and other celebrities of the time. And don't miss the mosaics from Hadrian's Villa, the famous statue of The Dying Gaul, and the equally renowned 'Boy Extracting a Thorn from His Foot' (the latter two being copies from the Greek). All of these-except "the Boy"-are in the Capitoline; he's in the Conservatori. By the way, on your way up the steps to the Capitoline Hill, halfway, on your left, you'll see a real live caged wolf who's kept there in honor of the legendary wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. The Pantheon "The Pantheon, at Piazza della Rotonda. is the only complete building of ancient Rome left standing-and it's one of the greatest free sights in the world. From it, you'll get a good idea of how to fill in the details of other Roman buildings that have only a column or two remaining. Built by Agrippa in the time of Augustus Caesar (around 27 B.C.) as a temple to the gods Venus and Mars, it was originally a rectangular structure. Later, all but the front columns and portico were destroyed by fire, and when it was rebuilt under the Emperor Hadrian (130 A.D.), it was constructed as the inspiring round architectural wonder that you see today. The painter Raphael is buried here (among many other dignitaries); his famous "Madonna and Child" is hung right above his grave. Since the sole source of interior light is from a hole in the impressive dome, the Pantheon stays open from 9 to one hour before sunset. The Church of St. Clement "And finally we come to the Christian era. if you'd like to experience in a most direct way what it must have felt like to be an early Christian in Rome, make a visit to the catacombs of the Church of St. Clement, on the Via S. Giovanni in Laterno, a street at the side of the Colosseum. Even if you later visit the more massive Catacombs outside the city, you'll have a more intense experience here, because you are allowed to wander through the maze of underground rooms by yourself, without benefit of guide. It's sinister and dark, with the spooky sound of rushing waters beneath the ground in this early meeting place of Christians and worshippers of Mistra (a vigorous, masculine cult who venerated the God of Light-or the Sun). The church itself, medieval and made of stone in that distinctive yellow-orange earth color that you see only in Rome, is run by Irish Dominican Fathers. Take the subway ("Metropolitana") to the Colosseum, walk to your left around the Colosseum to Via S. Giovanni in Laterno (the second street on your left), and then walk down that street for two blocks."