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Ancient Ruins in Rome

Ancient Ruins in Rome, Italy

Rome Ancient Ruins

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What travellers are saying

  • amanda m
    Liverpool, UK470 contributions
    Stunning!
    Nothing quite prepares you for the first glimpse of the colosseum, it is magnificent in every way imaginable.
    Staff are helpful, and it is very informative and well laid out for tourists, stairs are steep though!!
    Amazing photographs here, just amazing!
    Review of: Colosseum
    Written 29 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jonathan C.
    La Jolla, California, USA288 contributions
    Pantheon
    One of the most recognizable and preserved ancient buildings in Rome - a temple to the Roman Gods and Goddesses.
    Review of: Pantheon
    Written 28 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Arthur M
    Hamilton, Canada811 contributions
    Great views of the city and the Colosseum
    Essentially paired up with the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in a ticket, so we have enjoyed walking around these complexes and knowing about the ancient Rome and what had happened back then and what life was like back then.

    Happy that Italians have preserved them very well for the history buffs and tourists and visitors in general! Great visitor facilities!
    Review of: Palatine Hill
    Written 15 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • tforturton
    Cardiff, UK68 contributions
    Best catacombs, but a bit of a trip
    When I was last in Rome, I didn't get to see the catacombs, so this time I was determined to fit them in. These are supposed to be the biggest and best, so I booked a tour before we left. Getting there is a bit of a task, as they are quite a way out of the centre. We got the metro to the Colosseum, and caught the 118 bus from the far side. This goes down the Appian way, and will stop right outside the Catacombs.
    There is a gift shop, a ticket booth, and some vending machines. You can buy tickets, but the booth shuts between 12 and 2, so make sure you get there early. The machines sell drinks and chocolates, etc, and take smaller notes, but you're better off with some loose change.
    After a long wait, our large group was given a brief introduction, and then we went down. There are a lot of uneven steps, and it's a bit claustrophobic, so that's something to bear in mind. We wandered the corridors of the third level, and the guide talked us through all the points of interest. Clearly the christians had been digging away for a long time, because the area was huge, and we saw just a small part of it. We enjoyed the tour, which took about an hour, but there's little else to do once you come out. We went back to the bus stop and within minutes the 118 turned up, going back to the city. Please note - this stretch of the Appian Way is lined by high walls, and the road is very narrow. You are literally standing on the edge of a busy narrow road, so be careful. Sadly, no phots allowed.
    Review of: Catacombs of Saint Callixtus
    Written 25 June 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Rachel91752
    London, UK973 contributions
    Amazing visit
    We first visited here in 2016 so we’re excited to see how the work has evolved. The video at the beginning is fascinating and gives you a sense of how amazing this site used to be. Really interesting to see some new sites and the use of VR really adds to the experience.

    Our guide who’s name I missed was funny and informative.

    Look forward to coming back again once all the excavations are complete!
    Review of: Domus Aurea
    Written 23 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Kate A
    Zurich, Switzerland7 contributions
    Caracalla
    We’ve already seen a lot of Rome, so decided to see something we hadn’t before, and that I’d always been curious about. We really enjoyed Caracalla, it’s so lovely. The scale of it is hard to put into context. Be sure to get the VR headset… I think it would really help.
    Review of: Terme di Caracalla
    Written 29 December 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • 20bothwell
    United Kingdom58 contributions
    one of the best things we did in 3 weeks in rome
    this place was unreal a surprise in a city full of amazing sites
    seriously the history and the way it is presented , must see, highly recommended
    Review of: Mercati di Traiano - Museo dei Fori Imperiali
    Written 31 December 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • юля
    Israel1 contribution
    Amazing trip
    It’s an amazing place , you can really be so close to the past. You can come with kids to , there’s an audio guide in 9 languages
    Review of: Stadio di Domiziano - Navona Square Underground
    Written 3 January 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Mairwen1
    United Kingdom7,905 contributions
    Ancient Centre of City Life
    This was the second of the imperial fora which was built by the Emperor, Augustus over a period of almost 40 years and was inaugurated in 2 BC. I found the forums confusing (and I don’t think I’m alone). There are several. Caesar had one. So did Nerva and Trajan and they are all clustered together. It can be hard to tell where one ends and one starts. To complicate matters, what’s left is mainly ruins. For the most part, what you see are chunks of columns, missing statues, patches of flagstones and discarded blocks of marble and stone.
    Nevertheless it is worth a look mainly because it is very close to the Colosseum and can be easily seen from the public footpath. If you are walking along the Via dei Fori Imperiali (the street of the Imperial Forums) towards the Colosseum, you’ll pass right by Augustus’ Forum, on the left hand side.
    There are a number of decent information panels in both Italian and English which help a lot and it’s worth stopping and taking the time to read them. They give a good insight into the grandeur of what originally stood here and helps you understand how it all functioned. Once the centre of city life in ancient Rome, ceremonies of state and public meetings were held here, the senate met to declare both war and peace and the law courts operated. The forum included an open plaza lined on its long sides by colonnades with niches. Rows of statues lined the niches but largest of all was a colossal 14m tall statue of Augustus, glorifying the emperor. In the middle of the square, Augustus was represented on a majestic triumphal chariot. Built with exotic marbles, the ancient historian, Pliny called the forum ‘one of the most beautiful buildings in the world’.
    The best preserved structure in Augustus’ forum is the Temple of Mars Ultor, dedicated to the Roman god, Mars the Avenger which stood as tall as a 9-storey building. An elevated path leads through the middle of the forum and gives you close-up view. It also makes you realise just how far below today’s ground level, ancient Rome sat. I’d highly recommend taking a few extra minutes to follow this short path.
    NOTE: A night-time sound and light show at the Fora of Augustus started on 10th June. We weren’t in Rome long enough to catch it but it looked like an interesting way to see the forum areas.
    Review of: Forum of Augustus
    Written 10 June 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Ugo C
    Reykjavik, Iceland746 contributions
    Historic site turned weird
    This place (or somewhere around this place) is where Julius Caesar was killed, which makes it a very important historic site. It is very impressive to see, but now it's overrun by feral cats
    Review of: Largo di Torre Argentina
    Written 17 August 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • dapper777
    Monaco32,321 contributions
    Highly recommended.
    The Parco degli Acquedotti is an urban green area of Rome.
    It is included between the Appio Claudio district, via delle Capannelle and the Rome-Cassino-Naples railway line, covering an area of approximately 240 hectares.
    The name derives from the presence on the surface or underground of seven Roman and papal aqueducts which supplied the ancient Rome.
    When we visited the site, we admired and enjoyed seductive landscapes of wild and still untouched nature.
    Certainly it is one of the most fascinating parks in Rome.
    It is enclosed between Via Appia and Via Tuscolana, between the scenic attractions of the Roman countryside up to the area of the Castelli Romani, in an atmosphere as it has been frozen in time, extremely enjoyable in the pink light of the sunset, when the imposing arches of the Claudio and Felice aqueducts, framed by pine trees, stand out against the sun in all their suggestive and evocative beauty.
    Rich in history, the Parco degli Acquedotti is one of the green lungs of the city and is part of the Suburban Regional Park of the Appia Antica.
    Its name derives from the fact that here was the hub of the water network of ancient Rome, where the aqueducts that supplied the capital with water, the immense patrician villas, the baths and the fountains intersected, joined and overlapped.
    Highly recommended.
    Review of: Parco degli Acquedotti
    Written 26 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Selley83
    Gateshead, UK20 contributions
    A good visit
    We stopped off here walking back down the Appia Antica. Service a little brisque but tour guide decent. Creepy underground tunnels (empty) and ends up at underground
    Houses. Worth a visit if passing by. We did want to purchase from gift shop but no staff!
    Review of: Catacombe San Sebastiano
    Written 18 April 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia25,355 contributions
    A place of ancient pandemics.
    The waters of the Tiber made the island look like a boat. By the way, the only island along the entire length of the river. Usually a fortress is created on the island, around which the city is already growing. Such as in Paris around Cite, in Moscow or in New York around Manhattan. It turned out differently in Rome. Tiberina turned out to be on the contrary a place where they did not want to settle. There is a legend that the body of the Roman tyrant king Tarquin the Proud was allegedly buried here. Subsequently, the strategy of psychological repression continued to operate. Here the Romans organized a hospital for plague patients - the temple of Aesculapius. Gradually, the island ceases to be a cursed place and acquires a high status. The temple of Aesculapius has not survived to this day. In its place, in 988, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III created the Church of St. Bartholomew.Otto approached the matter thoroughly, even transporting the remains of the apostle here. Imaginary or real is the question. However, the church that we see has nothing to do with the original one. Otto's church was washed away by a flood in 1557. The current one was built in 1624. In addition to the church, there was even a papal residence in the Torre dei Pierleoni, which now doesn`t make an impression comparable to, for example, the castle of Sant'Angelo. After the flood , the Romans remembered the original medical glory of the island and the hospital was opened here in 1584 . With the wonderful name Ospedale Fatebenefratelli ("Brothers, do good"). In addition, you can look at the bridges. They are the oldest here. However, only one arch remains of the oldest Ponte Rotto. The bridges leading to the island from the Jewish ghetto are called Ponte Fabricio, and the one leading to Trastevere is Ponte Cestio. They were also built before BC, but subsequently rebuilt many times and it is difficult to distinguish the antique part in them.
    Review of: Isola Tiberina
    Written 21 November 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bandit-One
    Lucerne, Switzerland7,639 contributions
    Still impressive
    The Foro di Cesare (or Forum Iulium or Forum Julium, Forum Caesaris) dates back to 46BC. That's more than 2000 years of history looking at you.

    Even though a lot is in ruins, there is indeed a lot to see still. Thought originally to be an expansion of the Forum Romanum this place later on had two additional purposes: a place for public business that was related to the Senate in addition to a shrine for Caesar himself.

    It's a really impressive sight and must have been breathtaking back in its day. Well, it still IS to this day.
    And then there you also got the Chiesa Santi Luca e Martina martiri, the Curia Iulia, the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, the Largo Romolo e Remo, the Tempio di Venere Genitrice, the Tempio della Pace and the Statua di Cesare of the man himself on site. A very rewarding visit. Especially if you have the time to get to know the history and background a bit. Be it by book, by the plaques around the site or by a guided tour.

    Surely a must-do when in Rome.
    Review of: Foro di Cesare
    Written 16 April 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Arthur M
    Hamilton, Canada811 contributions
    Just a field with worn out track marks
    This was apparently a chariot racetrack and while conveniently located near the Colosseum, be very mindful of bird poop while walking in between the two sites.

    And upon arrival at the site, it felt underwhelming. It's just grass with clear ancient vehicle marks. Other than that, there's nothing else. Can definitely be skipped. Was a great exercise walking back and forth from the Colosseum though.
    Review of: Circus Maximus
    Written 15 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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