The eternal city of Rome, constructed of ruins and in whose name the Caesars sought to claim the world, opens for the visitor like a living museum. The centuries peel back with each new vista in this great city of gladiators, lunatic drivers and sumptuous pasta dishes. Vespas, nippy little Fiats and red sports cars speed past trendy sidewalk bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellini's ; while 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.

Trastevere

Address: Rome

Capitoline Hill

Address: Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome Rome

Admission: EUR14, with concessions available Museums are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 8pm. Closed 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December.

Telephone: +39 06 671 02071

Roman Forum (Foro Romano)

Address: Via dei Fori Imperiali Rome

Admission: Free Open daily from 8.30am until dusk. Closed on New Year's Day, 1 May and Christmas Day

Telephone: +39 06 3996 7700

The Colosseum

Address: Piazza del Colosseo Rome

Admission: EUR13.50. Tourist tax: EUR1 Open daily from 9am to 6.15pm in summer, and from 9am to 4.30pm in winter

Telephone: +39 06 700 4261

Pantheon

Address: Piazza della Rotonda Rome

Admission: Free Open Monday to Saturday, from 8.30am to 7.30pm; on Sundays from 9am to 6pm. Closed New Year's Day, 1 May and Christmas Day

Telephone: +39 06 6830 0230

The Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna

Address: Rome

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi)

Address: Rome

St Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro)

Address: Piazza San Pietro Rome

Admission: Entry to the Basilica is Free. Entry to the Dome is EUR4 (EUR5 with lift); and entry to the Necropolis is EUR10 Open daily from 7am to 7pm (April to September), and 7am to 6pm (October to March)

The Sistine Chapel & Vatican Museums

Address: Viale Vaticano Rome

Admission: Entry to the Museum is EUR15, with concessions available. Entrance is Free on the last Sunday of each month Museum open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6pm

Time Elevator Rome

Address: Via dei SS, Apostoli 20 Rome

Admission: EUR14.62 Open daily from 10.30am to 7.30pm

Telephone: +39 066 9921 823

Basilica di San Giovanni

Address: Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano Rome

Admission: Free entry to the Basilica, but EUR2 to see the Cloister. Tourist tax: EUR1 Open daily from 7am to 6.45pm

Telephone: +39 06 6988 6433

Unusual Rome for Kids

Address: Via Paolo Emilio, 7 Rome

Telephone: +39 348 329 6384

Villa Doria Pamphili Park

Address: Via San Pancrazio Rome

Looney's

Address: R. B. Bandinelli 130, Ciampino Rome

Telephone: +39 067 932 1977

Puppet Shows

Address: Rome

Castel del Monte

Address: Rome

ATP Masters Series: Rome

Where: Foro Italico,Rome

When: 9 – 15 May 2011

RomaEuropa Festival

Where: Various venues throughout Rome.,Rome

When: 21 September to 2 December 2011

Birth of Rome Celebrations

Where: Various,Rome

When: 21 April 2012

Rome Marathon

Where: Starts at the Colosseum,Rome

When: 18 March 2012

La Terrazza dell'Eden

Address: Hotel Eden, Via Ludovisi 49 (Via Veneto) Rome

Food Type: Italian

La Rosetta

Address: Via della Rosetta 8 (Piazza Navona) Rome

Food Type: Seafood

La Pergola

Address: Hilton Hotel, Via Cadlolo 101, San Pietro Rome

Food Type: Mediterranean

Alberto Ciarla

Address: Piazza San Cosimato 40, Trastevere Rome

Food Type: Seafood

Agata e Romeo

Address: Via Carlo Alberto 45 (Termini) Rome

Food Type: Italian

Ai Tre Scalini

Address: ViaPanisperna Rome

Food Type: Italian

Arancia Blu

Address: Via Prenestina Rome

Food Type: Vegetarian

Il Leoncino

Address: Via del Leoncino 28 (Piazza di Spagna) Rome

Food Type: Italian