Rome is more than a fascinating European capital city. It is a spectacular encyclopedia of living history. Rome is halfway down Italy's western coast, about 12 miles inland. It has been said that every road in Rome leads to eternity. The city is vast, though the historic center is quite small. The whole experience of Rome is so powerful as to be almost overwhelming at times. The best way to prepare for a visit is to study a little of the history of the region, to be as well rested as possible, and to arrange an itinerary that allows time to explore, rest, and reflect on the magnificence of it all.

There is a steady stream of spectacular festivals, exhibits and events for the whole family. Guided walking tours and bus tours for every energy level and budget provide great assistance in becoming acquainted with the past and present of this amazing city. The public transportation is excellent and offers the convenience of buses and subways at a nominal cost.

Whether the visitor is seeking a quiet, romantic cafe on the Campo de’ Fiori; a fast food McDonald’s with air conditioning on the Piazza Della Republican or a cozy and intimate family operated restaurant with one or two exquisitely prepared selections of the day on the Piazza Santa Maria, there is great food for each taste. The city boasts a wide variety of shopping opportunities. Spanish Square presents high fashion selections while the more modestly priced clothing is to be found on the Via del Corso and Via Tritone. North of Spanish Square are areas famous for their antique shops and art galleries. Porta Portese hosts a huge flea market every Sunday morning.

Rome does not go to sleep at sunset. Open air symphonic concerts, ballet and opera performances, live rock and jazz are all available. The city’s 300 fountains, its sculpture, its glorious panorama of ancient, medieval, Renaissance, baroque and modern art, music and architecture are all part of the reason that Pope Gregory 14’s remark in the 16th century is still true today. Pope Gregory said of the joys of exploring and discovering the city of Rome, “A Lifetime is not enough.”

You'll probably never forget your first glimpse of the Colosseum/Colosseo, one of the world's most famous buildings.

The building, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, received its more common name from a giant statue, or colossus, of Nero, which stood close to the spot. Designed to replace the excesses of Nero's unpopular Domus Aurea (or Golden House), the Colosseum was begun by Vespasian and inaugurated after his death in 79AD by his son Titus. Up to 50,000 spectators enjoyed immense gladiatorial shows of death and violence. They entered through numbered arches - the Roman numerals above the entrances are still visible in places. Later the Colosseum was denuded by popes who wanted to use its marble elsewhere. It was also damaged by an earthquake.

Over the road from the Colosseum, next to Via San Giovanni in Laterano, you'll see a partially excavated area. This was the site of the gladiators' barracks. A small arena suggests that here they were given the opportunity to practice their crowd-pleasing moves.

The Colosseum is located at the foot of Mussolini's Via dei Fori Imperiali; from Piazza Venezia head past the Roman Forum. Colosseo Metro station (Linea B) is right opposite. The Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum are next to the Colosseum, as is the Arch of Constantine, cobbled together from earlier monuments. The Circus Maximus is a short walk away; the Baths of Caracalla are a little further.

A full price ticket to the Colosseum costs €8 and includes entrance to the Palatine. The Colosseum is open every day from 9am. Closing time varies from 4.30pm in the winter to 7.30pm in the summer. The ticket office closes 1 hour before closing time. Info and bookings: tel. (+39)06 39967700. Expect a queue.

If you're on a tight budget or timescale, just walk around the outside. You'll miss any special exhibitions that might be on, but there are a few places where you can peer inside; in any case the interior contains no great surprises and probably nothing you won't have seen on television. Free tours run around the exterior; the guides regale you with gory, occasionally dubious, details and generally ask for a tip. Those without licenses sometimes get picked up by police, which could make your visit more interesting.

The building was originally constructed by the Emperor Hadrian between 123 and 139AD to serve as his mausoleum. Like the earlier Mausoleum of Augustus, the cylindrical tomb would have been topped with statues. A grand reminder of the emperor and his dynasty. Inside you can still walk up the wide spiral passage designed for the ascent of the funeral cortege.

A century and a half later, the tomb was incorporated into the Aurelian Wall, and from then on the defensive importance of the monument saw it undergo many military adaptations.

After spending the Middle Ages passing through the hands of various warring Roman families, the fortress was acquired by the papacy in 1377. Having got their hands on this imposing edifice in such a strategic location, the popes had no intention of letting go. They set to work to make the building into a technically-advanced and impregnable citadel to which they could retreat during times of unrest. A covered passageway (the Passetto del Borgo) still connects Castel Sant' Angelo to the Vatican. This was the pope’s emergency escape route. Unprepared for discomfort even under siege, the pontiffs also developed the internal part of the fortress, fashioning elegant papal apartments, and a strong room with a giant safe for the Vatican's mountain of loot.

Nowadays visitors can explore the legacy of all three uses of the monument: the funeral passage of Hadrian, the defensive battlements and the beautifully-frescoed interiors. The edifice is confusingly warren-like - in fact, a recent court case exposed how the curator had appropriated some rooms inside the monument to use as a private apartment, apparently undetected.

As well as the glorious frescoes, the papal apartments often house temporary exhibitions. Spend some time wandering to make sure you don't miss anything - such as the small but prettily-decorated bathroom of Pope Clement VII. There are fine views over Rome from the terraces around the upper level, and even a small cafe where you can sit and admire the panorama. The best views of all are from the large terrace beneath the building's crowning statue. Tosca threw herself off this terrace in Puccini's opera.

In the summer there are sometimes special evening events held here, which have in the past included medieval warfare displays and folk music recitals, as well as a bar on the highest terrace.

Castel Sant' Angelo is located on the banks of the Tiber in the heart of Rome. It's close to the Vatican, and the same bus services serve both destinations (including the 40 express from Stazione Termini). The nearest Metro station is Lepanto (Linea A). Opening hours are 9am-7pm, Tuesday - Sunday.

In ancient Rome burials weren't permitted within the city walls, so tombs and funerary monuments were placed alongside the roads leading into town, outside the gates. For those who couldn't afford grand tombs, communal graves in catacombs made a practical alternative. Romans favoured cremation, so it tended to be particular religious groups, with their own beliefs about the afterlife, who buried their dead in catacombs. The Christian catacombs of Rome are famous, but there were also catacombs used by other groups such as the Jews. There are other catacombs in Italy, too, including some in Siracusa, in Sicily.

Catacombs are underground tunnel systems, dug out of the soft volcanic rock (tufo in Italian, tuff in English) of the Roman countryside. Each tunnel is lined with niches where bodies were placed, wrapped in linen shrouds with some lime to aid decomposition, then sealed with carved marble slabs (for those who could afford it) or brick. As demand grew, the catacombs could be extended outwards or down further into the earth. Some extend downwards for five levels and include miles of tunnel.

Popular myth portrays the catacombs as tunnels where persecuted Christians would hide, but this is far from the truth, as all the Rome tour guides will take pains to explain. They were simply used for burials, and perhaps for religious ceremonies associated with burial and remembering the dead. The catacombs were mostly in use from the 2nd century, when Christians were still subject to persecution and had problems acquiring land for burials, but they continued to be used afterwards, up until the fifth century. Later, many of the bones of martyrs and saints were removed and distributed among churches for safekeeping and worship, while the catacombs became lost to memory. They began to be rediscovered and explored in the sixteenth century, and now they are tourist attractions, although mostly run by religious foundations. They are overseen by the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, which has a webpage featuring up-to-date opening times (see links panel on the right), admission prices, bus routes and a decent overview of the Christian catacombs both in Rome and elsewhere.

There are five sets of catacombs (catacombe in Italian) in Rome which are open regularly to the public. They are all very similar, and the visiting experience is pretty much the same whichever you choose. On arrival you purchase a ticket, await a guided tour in your language of choice, and are then ushered rapidly around a small section of the catacomb for about twenty minutes, while the guide rattles off a fairly mechanical commentary along with a few jokes about getting lost. In each you will see only a small proportion of the tunnel complex, but enough to give you an idea of how these places were used. You'll see grave-niches which have been emptied and some which are still sealed. Fragments of marble inscriptions in Greek and Latin and engravings of early Christian symbols such as the fish are displayed on the walls. It's an interesting experience, particularly if you are interested in the history of Christianity, but some people do find the tours - and the debunking of myths - an anti-climax.

Since you have to travel outside the centre of Rome to see any of the public catacombs, I'd recommend combining the excursion with another attraction. The catacombs along the Via Appia Antica (San Sebastiano and San Callisto) are the most visited by tour parties, but they are also convenient for seeing the rest of this outstanding archaeological area. You could spend a half-day or more visiting the Catacombs of San Sebastiano, walking along the ancient Appian Way, visiting its monuments and discovering the little-known countryside archaeological park of the Caffarella. Alternatively the catacombs of Sant'Agnese and of Priscilla are slightly more atmospheric and a shorter journey from the heart of town; Sant'Agnese is part of an interesting historical site.

Below is a brief description of the various sets of catacombs open to the public. It's a good idea to check the latest opening times before travelling, as opening hours are limited, and you could end up wasting time waiting for the catacombs to open after lunch. The tours are in narrow dark corridors, with uneven rough earth flooring and steps to negotiate.