20 Attractions to Explore Near St. Peter's Basilica

The suspected grave of Apostle Peter is located in the Vatican Necropolis. The Necropolis lies nder the Vatican City, 5-12 meters below Saint Peter's Basilica, and it was originally a burial ground outside of the the city walls of Rome. Guided tours can be arranged here in advance, if you contact the office of the Vatican sponsored archaeological excavations(scavi).

Located under St. Peter's Basilica, it was built to memorialize the location of Saint Peter's grave. The complex consists of several graves, and it is was partially torn down during the reign of Constantine I in about AD 330 to provide the foundation for the first St. Peter's Basilica.

The Sistine Chapel in Rome is named for Sixtus IV della Rovere, who was Pope from 1471 to 1484. The interior walls of the chapel are covered in exquisite frescoes painted by some of the greatest Italian artists in history, including Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, and of course Michelangelo, who painted the stunning frescoes which adorn the ceiling. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling an

St. Peter's Square is probably one of the world’s most famous squares and one of the most breath-taking. Designed by Bernini during the seventeenth century, it houses over 300,000 people. The most impressive part of the square, besides its size, is its 284 columns and 88 pilasters that flank the square in a colonnade of four rows. Above the columns, there are 140 statues of saints created in 1670 by the disciples of Bernini.

A majestic 135-acre building complex in a garden setting in the city of Castel Gandolfo, Italy. It consists of a 17th-century villa, an observatory, and a farmhouse with 75 acres of farmland. It has been a museum since October 2016. It served for centuries as a summer residence and vacation retreat for the pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, and is afforded extraterritorial status as one of the properties of the Holy See. It overlooks Lake Albano.

With the size of about 57 acres, the Gardens of Vatican City covers more than half og country. The garden is protected by stone walls expect on its east side. Up untill 2014, the gardens was a private area, and since then it was opened to the public by Pope Francis. The pope is the owner of the gardens.

With 54 galleries, this is one of the largest and most visited museums in the world. The museum displays works from the humongous collection acquired by the Catholic Church over multiple centuries. The collection includes the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art. The museum contains about 70,000 art pieces. The museum was founded in the 16th century by Pope Julius II.

It was originally the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian and became the burial place of the Antonine emperors until Caracalla. It was built in AD 135–139 and converted into a fortress in the 5th century. It is split into five floors which can be reached by a spiral ramp that first reaches the chamber of ashes and subsequently the cells in which a number of historical figures were incarcerated.

St. Angelo Bridge is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy. It consists of seven stone arches and five main spans of about 60 feet (18 m) each, supported on piers 24 feet high. During the Middle Ages the bridge became particularly important because it was the only controlled passageway for pilgrims going to Saint Peter’s Basilica – first the one built by Constantine I, and then the current, 16th-century one – to visit the apostle’s grave.

The Janiculum is a Roman hill, overlooking the right bank of the Tiber, whose maximum height is 88 meters, not included in the group of seven traditional hills. The eastern slope slopes down towards the river and at the base is the historic district of Trastevere, while the western one, less steep, is the oldest part of the modern district of Monteverde; to the south-west of the hill is Villa Doria Pamphili, while on its eastern slopes are the botanical gardens of Rome and the Regina Coeli priso

The Villa Farnesina in Rome, built in the early six¬teenth century for the rich sienese banker Agostino Chigi and now owned by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, is one of the noblest and most harmonious creations of the Italian Renaissance. Villa Farnesina masterfully represents the principles of classic balance, harmony and proportions belonging to the early Sixteenth century Rome.

The Ara Pacis is, at its simplest, an open-air altar for blood sacrifice associated with the Roman state religion. This monument made in marble celebrates the peace in the Mediterranean area established by the emperor after his victorious campaigns in Hispania and Gaul. This is a splendid monument dedicated to the peace and prosperity that the reign of Emperor Caesar Augustus had brought to Rome.

The fanciful church of Sant'Agnese in Agone is a Baroque blend of masters. The powerful Pamphili family built the structure on the site of an earlier medieval church, to display their prestige. Fronting the grand piazza, it's an impressive church and unmistakable. The church is a titular deaconry, with Gerhard Ludwig Müller being the current Cardinal-Deacon. As well as religious services, the church hosts regular classical concerts in the Borromini Sacristy, from sacred Baroque works to chamber

A beautiful fountain in Rome at the northern end of Piazza Navona. The monumental complex was designed in 1574 by Giacomo della Porta, who had also designed the basin of the Fontana del Moro. The work was sponsored by Pope Gregory XIII. The fountain was used as a washbasin for laundry and market goods as well. It bears an image of Neptune, god of the sea, fighting with an octopus together with the sea nymphs.

A majestic roman palace that serves as an important example of High Renaissance architecture. It was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and built between 1517 and 1589. The 56 m façade, occupying the longer side of a spacious piazza, is three storeys tall and thirteen bays wide. It is built of brick with strong stone quoins and has a heavily rusticated portal.

Piazza Navona is one of the largest and most beautiful piazza squares in Rome with three impressive fountains, including la Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi with its large obelisk at the center. The baroque church of Sant'Agnese in Agone provides an impressive backdrop. Defined as a public space in the last years of the 15th century, when the city market was transferred there from the Campidoglio, Piazza Navona was transformed into a highly significant example of Baroque Roman architecture.

The Fountain of the Four Rivers is also known as The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and is located in the Piazza Navona in Rome. The fountain was an important source of potable water for the locals before the days of indoor plumbing, but even more importantly it was a grandiose monument to the power and glory of the pope and his family.

A majestic museum in Rome that has a collection of paintings, photographs, etchings, clothes, and furniture, charting the history of Rome from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The collections initially included 120 water-colours by the nineteenth-century painter Ettore Roesler Franz of Roma sparita, "vanished Rome", later moved to the Museo di Roma in Trastevere.

The Campo de’ Fiori is one of the main squares of Rome. It is lively both during the day; with its flower, fruit, and vegetable market, and by night; when the terraces are packed with people. It hosts a daily market each morning, with local produce, flowers and delicacies, and comes alive at night when throngs of young Romans gather here to drink at the many bars in the area. Learn about its unique history and how it came to be a bustling commercial area over time.

The Villa Doria Pamphili is a huge and beautiful park situated just outside the ancient walls of Rome. It is the second-largest public park in Rome after the regional park of the Ancient Appia. It was built by the Noble Roman Pamphili family in 1630. The baroque style Casino del Bel Respiro is one of the central attractions of this park and It overlooks a geometric secret garden, raised above the valley below, which contains a series of embellishments and curious architecture.