Must-see in Rome: a first-timer's guide

A brief history Rome, founded by legend in 753 BC, grew from hill villages into the capital of an empire stretching from Britain to Persia. After the empire fell it became the seat of the papacy, which financed the renaissance and baroque churches, fountains and squares that define the centre. Capital of a united Italy since 1871, it is a working city built directly on top of 28 centuries of its own ruins. 10 must-see attractions 1. Colosseum — the 50,000-seat amphitheatre of gladiator games, opened in AD 80. 2. Roman Forum and Palatine Hill — the political heart of the empire and the emperors' hilltop palaces. 3. Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel — Michelangelo's ceiling at the end of a two-kilometre gallery walk. 4. St. Peter's Basilica — the largest church in Christendom; climb the dome for the view. 5. Pantheon — a 2nd-century temple with the world's biggest unreinforced concrete dome and its open oculus. 6. Trevi Fountain — baroque theatre in stone; the coin toss is said to bring you back. 7. Piazza Navona — a baroque square on the shape of a Roman stadium, with Bernini's river fountain. 8. Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese — the famous staircase leading up to a park and the Borghese Gallery. 9. Trastevere — ivy-covered lanes across the river, best for evening dinner and wandering. 10. Appian Way and the catacombs — chariot-rutted Roman road and early Christian burial tunnels. Tip: churches enforce covered shoulders and knees, and most close for a long lunch.