Pope Joan is a female Pope who is said to have served from 855-857, though her story did not gain prominence until the late 1200s, and,...

Overlooking Trastevere is the beautiful Fontanone - the Big Fountain. The fountain is the counterpart to the Trevi Fountain; both mark the end points of Roman acqueducts. Take the time to enjoy the view, then walk down the steps and enjoy a beautiful dinner at any of a number of great restauraunts in Trastevere.

Just off the city center is a large, gleaming pyramid. This is the tomb of Caius Cestius and it was constructed between 18 and 12 BC. At the time of its construction, it would have been in an open area; the city had not yet spread to this point. The Roman walls constructed under Marcus Aurelius in the 270s actually used this pyramid as part of the walls. If you travel on the subway in Rome, Pryamide is a subway stop, and the stop is connected to Rome's secondary train stat

Raphael's Isaiah is a powerful fresco tucked inside Sant'Agostino near Piazza Navona. This Renaissance version of the prophet is inspired by the works of Michelango.

The pilgrimage church of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is dedicated to the third of Rome's great martyrs, after Peter and Paul, and, as the name suggests, fuoir le mura, it sits outside of the former city walls. St. Lawrence (Lorenzo, in Italian), was a deacon of the church who was killed on August 10, 258 in the Roman persecutions under the Emperor Valerian.

The Basilica of San Silvestro in Capite claims to have the head of John the Baptist.

The church of San Agostino, Rome

The sculpture by Bernini of the Elephant and the Obelisk.

The religion of ancient Rome called for animal sacrifice on an altar. To protect the priest from seeing any bad omens, the altar was...

In the beautiful Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesci, just a block from Piazza Navona, is a chapel containing three Caravaggio...

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is a church that I have yet to visit. The foundations of the church date, actually, to the Severan Emperors...

The basilica of San Stefano Rotondo is unique in Rome! The interior is not a basilica style, but a circular church. And note the...

In the lively Campo de' Fiori of Rome there stands a grim statue with a hood pulled over his head and his stern eyes staring out across...

The theater of Marcellus is an ancient theater (as the name suggests) that is currently in use as a modern apartment building. The...

I thought it would be interesting to treat the Seven Pilgrimage Churches of Rome on Sundays. The tradition of visiting pilgrimage...

The Church of St. Agnes in Agone contains the relic of a young martyr — Saint Agnes — whose story is one of the most moving and...

One of the most fascinating types of churches in Rome are the titular churches — churches that were once house-churches, and still today...

This little Fountain of Books is located in a wonderfully rich part of the city, and is easy to overlook. It borders the Piazza Navona,...

At the intersection of four Roman streets, each corner features a fountain with a river god or symbolic figure. The site sits directly between Santa Maria Maggiore and the Spanish Steps, with obelisks visible at both ends — a product of papal urban planning. Don’t miss San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini’s unforgettable little church tucked into one corner.

The Arch of Janus is a four-sided structure located near the Tiber River, close to where Romulus and Remus reportedly washed ashore. Adjacent to it is the church of San Giorgio al Velabro. While named for the two-faced god Janus, there is no historical connection to the deity.