Hadrian's Villa - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The Villa d'Este in Tivoli, with its palace and garden, is one of the most remarkable and comprehensive illustrations of Renaissance culture at its most refined. It was famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Via Francigena was an uncodified path that gathered the walkers as they funneled into Italy from all over Europe. It was a conglomerate of many roads merging together for safety, convenience and hospitality. In medieval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul.

One of the largest bath complex in ancient Rome, which has a capacity of over 3,000 people. It served as a bath for the people residing in the Viminal, Quirinal, and Esquiline quarters of the city. This architectural complex, located close to the Termini rail station and the Palazzo Massimo Museum, is one of the most popular archaeological museums and sites in Rome, with about 1 million yearly visitors.

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme is a palace in Rome, in the Castro Pretorio district, in Piazza dei Cinquecento, near the Termini station. The building was built between 1883 and 1886 by the last descendant of the Roman Massimo family, the Jesuit priest Massimiliano Massimo, on land belonging to the family; he commissioned the architect Camillo Pistrucci with the construction. This last palace features one of the best archaeological and classical art collections in the world.

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, is a unique 16th century church with a long and fascinating history. The basilica is dedicated to the Christian martyrs, known and unknown. By a brief dated 27 July 1561, Pius IV ordered the church "built", to be dedicated to the Beatissimae Virgini et omnium Angelorum et Martyrum. The entire site is truly incredible. You come face to face with the best of the Renaissance and the might of Ancient Rome.

Lake Albano is a crater lake in the Alban Hills southeast of Rome. Elliptical in shape, formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters. It is fed by underground sources and drained by an artificial outlet. It hosted the canoeing and rowing events of the 1960 Summer Olympic Games that were held in Rome.