In the centre of Piazza Colonna stands the Column of Marcus Aurelius, with its interesting bas reliefs.

The column was built after the Emperor’s death in 180 AD and completed in 193 AD. It is a victory column, built in the Doric style, 30 metres high – with a base of 10 metres high. A further three metres of the original base are underground since its restoration in 1589 and the street level of the area was raised.

During the restoration, carried out by Fontana, Pope Sixtus V ordered that a statue of St Paul be set on the top, either to remove any lingering paganism attached to the column or to match it to Trajan’s Column, where he’d had a statue of St Peter put on top.

The column has spiral bas relief detailing the wars Marcus Aurelius was engaged in against the German Marcomannis and the Iranian Samaritans. It is closely modelled on Trajan’s Column, which was built in 113, and it has been said that the creators of the later column pinched scenes from Trajan’s history.

There is one scene, however, that is unique to Marcus Aurelius’ Column: the strange and compelling images of a supernatural figure (perhaps a god) sending a great storm to save the Roman army during a battle. Christian soldiers claimed a similar event several centuries later.

Inside the column are about 200 hundred marble steps that lead to the platform at the top of the column, with narrow slits in the walls to provide light. These steps are now closed to the public.

The Pantheon is one of Rome’s most famous buildings, and its dome and columns have been inspiring architects for centuries.

The original temple, commissioned in 27BC by Marcus Agrippa, after the Battle of Actium, was destroyed in an earthquake. In 126 AD Emperor Hadrian commissioned a new temple dedicated to “pan theos” – all the gods. The temple was restored by Emperors Septimus Severus and Caracalla in the 3rd century.

The immense dome is over 48 metres high with a central oculus of 8 metres in diameter, which provided the only light in the circular temple below. The massive bronze doors weigh over 20 tons each. The portico has 16 white marble columns. The temple housed statues to the gods and animal sacrifices were carried out under the oculus.

As Christianity spread throughout Rome, the temple fell into disrepair, and in 356, when public pagan worship was outlawed it seemed that the temple might be destroyed as many others were. Luckily it was saved and it 408 it became a secular building. In 609 Pope Boniface IV had it consecrated as a Christian church – the first pagan temple to be transformed in Rome – and dedicated it to St Mary and all the Martyrs. An altar was placed in the apse, surrounded by golden mosaic depicting crosses.

Between 667 and the 16th century, the church was vandalized and robbed several times. The gold roof tiles were stolen and replaced by bronze tiles, which in their turn were removed for use in Bernini’s baldacchino in St Peter’s Basilica.

The walls of the Pantheon are filled with monumental tombs, including that of the artist Raphael. On the altar is an original 17th century icon of the Madonna and Child; to the right of the apse are the remains of 2nd century decorations and to the right of the entrance is Melozzo de Foli’s 15th century “Annunciation”.

The Navona Piazza has been one of Rome’s liveliest areas for over 1900 years and is a great place to linger over a meal in one of the restaurants or stop for a coffee in one of the outdoor cafés while admiring the fine buildings and fountains around this lovely square.

The square is situated on the site where in 80 AD the Stadium of Domitian once put on athletic events for the public. The church Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore was built in 1450. It was designated a public square at the end of the 15th century when the central market was moved here. In 1501 in the southwest area of the market a statue of Pasquino was set up; it was known as the “speaking” statue as people used to leave poems and rude messages around it.

Among the buildings of note are the Palazzo Braschi which houses the Museo di Roma, the church Saint’ Agnese in Agone, the Palazzo de Cupis and the Palazzo Pamphili, the family home of Pope Innocent X.

In the centre of the square is Gian Lorenzo’s beautiful Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the 4 Rivers), commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1651. Four sculptured rocks of travertine rise of out the basin, supporting four river gods, representing the rivers Nile, Danube, Ganges and Plate. These rivers in turn represent the four continents where Catholicism was the main religion: Africa, Europe, India and the Americas. The river gods surround an ancient Egyptian obelisk, topped with the Pamphili symbol of a dove with an olive branch.

On the southern side of the square is the Fountain of Neptune; on the northern end is the Fountain of the Moor, both designed by Giacomo della Porta. Gian Lorenzo Bernini sculpted the statue of the Moor in 1673 and Antonio della Bitta added the statue of Neptune to the southern fountain in 1878.

The remains of the Theatre of Marcellus on Via del Teatro Marcellus are the only surviving ruins of a building used uniquely for mythological dramas in ancient Roman times.

Julius Cesar had wanted to build a theatre and had the land where the theatre stands cleared and levelled, but before work could begin he was murdered. In 23 BC, Emperor Augustus had the theatre built for his nephew Marcus Marcellus – who was also his son-in-law and his designated successor. Young Marcellus died long before the building was finished.

The theatre was built of tuff and concrete and sheathed in travertine. It was a semi-circular building of 110 metres in diameter and could seat over 10,500 spectators. Built on three levels, it represented the three orders of classical architecture: the ground level’s columns were Doric, the first level’s columns were Ionic and the columns on the top level were Corinthian.

In the 12th century the theatre became a fortress and then, in the 16th century was transformed into a palazzo. At this time the third level of Corinthian columns was removed and the stones used in building houses in the area.

Today only a small part of the original theatre remains and is a great tourist attraction. The upper part of the palazzo has been transformed into highly sought-after apartments.

During your stay in Rome, you will certainly visit many of its famous ruins, including those that lie between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, where you will find the remains of the Imperial Forums.

The first of these forums was begun by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and finished by Augustus. The forum was an extension to the Roman Forum and a Temple of Venus was built there with an equestrian statue of Caesar in front of it. It became a popular public square and just before Caesar’s murder, the Senate agreed to move there.

After Caesar’s murder, his successor, Augustus waged war on Brutus and Cassius and after his victory against them, he founded the second of the Imperial Forums, with a temple dedicated to Mars Altor (Mars the Avenger). The Forum of Augustus was built at a right angle to Julius Caesar’s forum and had deep porticos opening onto large exedras. Used by the public and senators alike, its main function was that of a law court.

In 75 AD, after the conquest of Jerusalem, Emperor Vespasian had the Temple of Peace built. Its courtyard was a garden filled with statues and ponds and had no civil function, so it wasn’t considered a Forum in itself, but it was a favourite meeting area for the wives of various Roman officials.

The Forum of Nerva was inaugurated in 97 AD. Its construction began under the reign of Emperor Domitian who wanted to connect the two forums and the Temple of Peace. He built the Temple of Minerva in this rather narrow forum that served as access to the two larger ones. The work was finished under the Emperor Nerva’s rule and bears his name.

The Forum of Trajan was built in 112 AD, to commemorate the Roman victory over the Dacians. This was the biggest and greatest of all the forums, where the Basilica Ulpia was erected and also the large Temple of Trajan, built after the emperor’s death. Two libraries stood between the temple and the basilica. The basilica, unlike Christian churches, was a secular building.

During the nineteen thirties, Mussolini built the Via dei Fiori Imperali that runs through the centre of the Imperial Forums. All that remains of these magnificent squares and buildings are the ruins on each side of the avenue.

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96). As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era.

You will find the Arch of Constantine between the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. It is the last Triumphal Arch to be erected in Rome.

In 312 AD Constantine I led his troops against Maxentius for a final battle at Milvran Bridge. The emperor’s army was hopelessly outnumbered, and according to legend, Constantine had a dream in which he saw the sign of Christ’s Cross in the sky and a voice said “By this Sign, Conquer”. The emperor had his men make a wooden cross, which they carried into the battle.

Constantine commissioned the arch in commemoration of his victory over Maxentius. Dedicated in 315, the arch is 21 metres high, 26 metres wide and 8 metres deep. It comprises three archways, the centre one is 12 metres high and 7 metres wide. The two smaller arches on either side are 8 metres high and 4 metres wide. There are four pairs of Corinthian columns on the back and the front of the arch.

The main bas relief depicts the Battle of Milvran Bridge, but the other scenes were copied from the Arch of Septimus Severus. The 8 statues on the upper level come from other buildings; the bas reliefs of the river gods over the side arches and the medallions of the rising and setting sun on each end were taken from Trajan’s Forum.

There might be two reasons for this pilferage: one could be that the architects didn’t have enough time between the building and the dedication to do any original decorations a part from the main bas relief. The other reason seems more likely; judging from that bas relief, their work was of such poor quality that they pinched the other works to avoid the arch being a total embarrassment to the emperor.

Palatine Hill is the centremost of the Seven Hills; it is reputedly the one where Romulus and Remus were found in a cave and where Romulus founded his city.

Rising 40 metres over the Roman Forum, the Hill was the “in” place to live for the rich nobles: the views from the summit are magnificent and it was thought that the air was purer here. A great number of palazzos and villas were built.

In the Middle Ages churches and convents were built on the Hill and in the 17th century Cardinal Farnese had the first private botanical gardens in the world laid out here. During 18th century excavations the remains of a Bronze Age settlement were uncovered as well as the ruins of a house believed to be where Augustus, the 1st Roman Emperor was born.

Among the ruins on the Hill, you can see the remains of Septimus Severus’ palace, and the Baths bearing his name. To the north of this are the remains of the two wings that formed Domitian’s palace and parts of a small private stadium. To the northwest are the ruins of the House of Livia (Augustus’ wife).

In 2007 a cave was discovered, believed to be the Lupercal Cave of Romulus and Remus, but more likely a nympharium or a triclinium dating back to Nero’s time. The Palatine Museum on the Hill is worth a visit as it has a fine exhibition of pottery, mosaics and other artefacts from the ancient buildings.

In the valley between the Palatine and Aventine Hills is a long, grassy public park, a pleasant place for a picnic. This park stands on the site of the Circus Maximus, the biggest of all Ancient Rome’s circuses.

The circus was laid out in the 6th century BC and became a permanent structure in around 329 BC. It was used by gladiators and for dramas of Greek and Roman mythology, but its main purpose was for chariot races, as in the famous scene in the film Ben Hur.

The stadium was 621 metres long and 118 metres wide, with a seating capacity for 150,000 spectators. The chariots raced around the central spina, on top of which stood a row of eggs. At each turn, an egg was removed to indicate the number of laps raced.

The circus was also the venue for the annual Ludi, games and athletic competitions connected to religious festivals. These games were organised and funded by rich nobles or the state for the people and dedicated to the gods.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, stones from the long abandoned circus were used for house building, so that today nothing remains but a part of the spina and some of the starting gates. The park is a popular meeting place and concerts are held here in the summer.

The Pyramid of Cestius stands near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It is one of the best preserved buildings of Ancient Rome.

For a long period in Ancient Rome, Egyptian monuments were highly prized. Obelisks were transported from Egypt at great cost and inconvenience, and having a pyramid built was considered a mark of wealth and stature. In around 15BC Caius Cestius commissioned one for this family tomb. Cestius was a magistrate and a member of the Septemviri Epulonum, one of the four Religious Corporations in Rome.

His pyramid was built out of brick and concrete with slabs of white marble on a travertine foundation. It is nearly 27 square metres at its base and is 37 metres high. The burial chamber is rather small, a barrel-vaulted rectangular space measuring 6 metres long, 4 metres wide and nearly 5 metres high. The walls once bore frescoes, but these have been damaged over time by water seepage. Nothing much remains in the chamber as it was looted in the early 1st century AD.

On the outer east and west sides or the pyramid are inscriptions bearing Cestius’ names and titles. A “recent” inscription was added in 1663 by Pope Alexander VII who had the pyramid opened and restored.

When it was first built, the pyramid stood in a field, but with the expansion of the city it was incorporated in the Aurelian Walls in the 3rd century AD. In 2001 both the interior and exterior were restored and further renovation work started in 2011.