Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Square, Religious Site, Trastevere
 

This piazza is a popular spot for afternoon coffees and evening cocktails at its outdoor cafés, but the showpiece of the square is the 12th-century church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The 13th-century mosaics on the church's facade -- which add light and color to the piazza, especially at night when they are in spotlight -- are believed to represent the Wise and Foolish Virgins. Inside, the enormous golden mosaic in the apse is the city's finest, a shining burst of Byzantine color and light set off by giant columns. In August, processions honoring the Virgin Mary gather at the church as part of Trastevere's traditional feast, called Festa de Noantri (Our Own Feast). OPEN: Church daily 7:30-1 and 4-7.

Ara Pacis

The Ara Pacis Augustae is an altar to peace envisioned as a Roman goddess. It was commissioned by  Augustus Cæsar, consecrated on 30 January 9 BC and decreed by the Senate to celebrate the peace established in the Empire after Augustus's victories in Gaul and Spain. It had earlier been dedicated on 4 July 13 BC. The altar was meant to be a vision of the Roman civil religion.

The Ara Pacis was sculpted entirely in gleaming white marble, descripting scenes of traditional Roman piety, in which the Emperor and his family were portrayed in the act of offering sacrifices to the gods. Various figures bring forth cattle to be sacrificed. Some have their togas drawn over their heads, like a hood; this signifies that they are acting in their official capacity. Others wear laurel crowns, traditional symbols of victory. Men, women, and children all approach the gods.
The Ara pacis's Altar is considered a masterpiece of Roman sculpture; the figures in the procession are not idealised types, as are typically found in Greek sculpture, but are instead recognizable portraits of individuals.

Baths of Caracalla

Baths of Caracalla were Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between 212 and 216 CE, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla. Today the ruins of the baths have become a popular tourist attraction.

The Caracalla bath complex of buildings was more a leisure centre than just a series of baths. The "baths" were the second to have a public library within the complex. Like other public libraries in Rome, there were two separate and equal sized rooms or buildings; one for Greek language texts and one for Latin language texts.

The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century.

The ruins stand as the backdrop for the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in the summer opera season. It has also become a venue for modern cultural events, such as the gymnastics competition during the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the concert of the Three Tenors at the conclusion of the 1990 World Cup.

The baths are open to the public on payment of a small charge, which is not payable by students or pensioners. Access is limited to certain areas to avoid damage to the mosaic floors, which are, however, clearly visible.
 

Baths of Diocletian

The Baths of Diocletian also called Thermae Diocletiani in Rome were the grandest of the public baths, or thermae built by successive emperors. Diocletian's Baths, dedicated in 306, were the largest and most sumptuous of the imperial baths and remained in use until the aqueducts that fed them were cut by the Goths in 537. The baths are similar in size and plan to those of Caracalla and oriented to the southwest so that solar energy heated the caldarium without affecting the frigidarium, they are well preserved because various parts later were converted to ecclesiastical or other use.

Catacombs of Rome

Originally are ancient Jewish and Christian underground burial places near Rome, Italy.

Christians used to cremate their dead due to their belief in bodily resurrection. Hence they began to bury their dead, first in simple graves and sometimes in burial vaults of pro-Christian patricians.

The first large-scale catacombs were excavated from the 2nd century onwards. Originally they were carved through soft rock outside the boundaries of the city, because Roman law forbade burial places within city limits. At first they were used both for burial and the memorial services and celebrations of the anniversaries of Christian martyrs (following similar Roman customs). They probably were not used for regular worship. Many modern depictions of the catacombs show them as hiding places for Christian populations during times of persecution. This is unlikely, however, since the large numbers of decaying corpses would have made the air nearly (if not completely) toxic. Additionally, the general locations of the catacombs were known to the Roman officials, making them a poor choice for a secret hiding place.

There are forty known subterranean burial chambers in Rome. They were built along Roman roads, like the Via Appia, the Via Ostiense, the Via Labicana, the Via Tiburtina, and the Via Nomentana. Names of the catacombs – like St Calixtus and St Sebastian alongside Via Appia – refer to martyrs that are supposedly buried there.

Christian excavators built vast systems of galleries and passages on top of each other. They lie 7-19 meters (22-65 ft) below the surface in area of more than 2.4 km² (600 acres). Narrow steps that descend as many as four stories join the levels. Passages are about 2.5x1 meters (8x3 feet). Burial niches were carved into walls. They are 40-60 cm (16-24 in) high and 120-150 cm (47-59 in) long. Bodies were placed in chambers in stone sarcophagi in their clothes and bound in linen. Then the chamber was sealed with a slab bearing the name, age and the day of death. Fresco decorations were typically Roman. The catacomb of Saint Agnes is a small church.

The Circus Maximus