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Why?  Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to Rome on holiday every year to steep themselves in the remnants of the ancient Roman Empire, glory in the artistic treasures of the Vatican City, and gorge on pasta and pizza as fountains play in dozens of pretty piazzas.

When?  The best time to travel to Rome is during the spring (April and May) when the city experiences lovely warm holiday weather with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. The height of summer (July and August) can be uncomfortably hot for foot-slogging sightseers.

Who for?  Travel to Rome if you are a serious tourist, intent on seeing some of the world's greatest historical sites. For Catholics a visit to Rome is beyond a holiday, more of an unforgettable pilgrimage to the Vatican City, and even non-Christians are awed by Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Art-lovers will find marvels on every street corner.

More Info:  Our Rome travel guide is the best way to begin your acquaintance with 'the eternal city'. The Rome travel guide contains all you need to know to plan a holiday in Rome, from entry requirements to how to get around, details of the top attractions and suggestions on where to eat.

Overview

The eternal city of Rome, constructed of ruins and in whose name the Caesars sought to claim the world, opens for the visitor as a living museum. The centuries peel back with each new vista in this great city of gladiators, lunatic drivers and well-rounded pasta posteriors. Vespas, nippy little Fiats and red sports cars speed past trendy sidewalk bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellini's La Dolce Vita. The chillingly stark facades of the Stadio Olimpico complex bring back Mussolini's attempts to reinvent the architecture of the Caesars.

For a taste of the Baroque, visitors need only climb the famous Spanish Steps, walk through the Piazza Navona or toss a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Renaissance splendour is perhaps best revealed in the Pope's residence, the Vatican Palace, or in Michelangelo's efforts on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. From early Christian Basilicas to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon, the sequence of history trails back to the height of the Roman Empire.

It may sound like a city of contrasts, but Rome's timeless magic lies in its ability to blend the old with the new. Empires have risen and fallen, old gods have been replaced with new ones, but Rome remains.