All Inclusive Rome in a Day: Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum and Pantheon

The Colosseum was built during the Roman period by the Flavi emperors with the name of "Flavian Amphiteatre", but it is know like Colosseum because near it there was a colossal statue in bronze of emperor Nero.

This place was built to offer at the Roman population entertainment and distractions. It was used for fights between gladiators and to show hunting scenes with exotic and fierce animals.

Already included in the list of World Heritage by UNESCO, in 2007 in was also declared one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The archaeological area of the Roman Forum is between the Palatin Hill, the Campidoglio, Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Colosseum. Walking through the Forum you can still see the remains of the buildings and monuments of the Roman Age. It represented the religious, political, legal and ecomonic centre of the city of Rome.

There are a lot of monuments alredy visible during a stroll, like: the Basilica of Maxenzius,, Arc of Tito, the Temple of Romulus and so on.

The Trevi Fountain is perhaps the most famous fountain in the world. The origin of the fountain dates back to 19 BC, when the aqueduct termination was established, the Aqua Virgo. The first fountain was built in the Renaissance, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V. Its current appearance was by the sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Tied to the fountain is the tradition of throwing a coin into the water to ensure the return to the eternal city. If instead they are launched two will find the great love, perhaps of Italian nationality; a third coin, finally, is to make sure you get married early. In order for it to work, it is recommended to throw the coin with the right hand over the left shoulder.

Piazza Navona is certainly the most elegant Roman square, built on the pre-existing Stadium of Domitian.

Used in ancient times for athletic competitions and competitions of various kinds, today the square hosts street artists, painters and portraitists every day.

In the center of the square is the Fountain of the Four Rivers, designed by Bernini in 1651. The four statues of the fountain represent the most important rivers of the period: the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges and the Rio de la Plata. On the sides there are two other fountains: the Fountain of Moor and the Fountain of Neptune.

Among the buildings that characterize the square are the Doria-Pamphili Palace and the church of Sant'Agnese.

The Pantheon is one of the masterpieces of Roman architecture, one of the best preserved of ancient Rome. Its construction was completed at the time of Emperor Hadrian, in 126 AD, where previously there was a temple built at the behest of Agrippa in 27 BC, but which was destroyed by a fire in 80 AD.

At the beginning of the seventh century the building was donated to Pope Bonifacio IV who transformed it into a church, which is why it is in a perfect state of conservation.

Inside the Pantheon there are the tombs of the kings of Italy and various works of art, including the tomb of the painter Raffello Sanzio.

The origins of these museums date back to 1503, when Pope Julius II donated his private collection. From that moment on, both the family of the pope and other popes, increased the collection of museums, until it became one of the largest in the world.

Inside, among the numerous exhibition spaces, it is possible to visit the Pio-Clementino Museum, created by the collections of the Popes Clement XIV and Pius VI, in which are kept the most important Greek works of the Vatican; the Gallery of Geographical Maps, in which the frescoed maps on the walls represent the Italian regions and the various papal possessions; the Raffaello Rooms, frescoed by the great Italian painter and his descendants and representing the apartments of Pope Julius II.

The Sistine Chapel is one of the most important treasures of the Vatican, and beyond. It owes its fame to its frescoes but also to the fact that here the Popes are elected.

The construction of the building took place between 1473 and 1481, during the papacy of Pope Sixtus IV, from which the Chapel takes its name. The project was entrusted to the architect Giovanni de Dolci, remembered only for the design of this architectural work.

To make the chapel a unique jewel are its frescoes that decorate the walls and the ceiling. The task of decorating it was assigned to important Tuscan and Umbrian painters of the time, such as Botticelli, Perugino and Michelangelo.

Among the most famous works inside there is the masterpiece of Michelangelo, "The Last Judgment", a large fresco taken from the book of the Apocalypse of John.

The painter took five years to fresco the apse, from 1536 to 1541. The assignment was assigned to him by Pope Clement VII, to replace the frescoes that previously decorated the walls of the apse.