Things to Do Near the Colosseum
Things to Do
Near the Colosseum
The Colosseum is just the beginning. Here is everything worth doing in the neighbourhood we call home.
Every year, millions of people visit the Colosseum — and then, having ticked it off the list, they move on. What a shame. The neighbourhood surrounding the arena, the ancient Celio hill and its surroundings, is one of the most extraordinary in Rome: layered with history, quiet at night, genuinely local. The Roman Forum. The Aventine keyhole. Underground basilicas. The Baths of Caracalla. A handful of restaurants where the owners greet you by name. This is the neighbourhood we live and work in every day, and this is our honest guide to making the most of it.
Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
Your Colosseum ticket already includes access to both the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill — a fact that astonishes many visitors who discover it only after they have left. Walk the Sacred Way where triumphant generals once paraded, trace the foundations of temples and basilicas, stand before the Arch of Titus. This was the centre of power for an empire that stretched from Scotland to Mesopotamia.
Palatine Hill rises above the Forum and rewards the climb with sweeping views over the entire archaeological area. It was here that Rome's emperors built their palaces, and the remains — the frescoed rooms, the vast terraced gardens, the nymphaeum — are every bit as impressive as the arena itself. Allow at least two hours for the combination.
Our tip: Book online in advance — the Colosseum entrance queues can be long, but the Forum has a separate gate that is far quieter. Arrive before 9 am or after 4 pm for the best light on the ruins and far smaller crowds.
- The Temple of Saturn — one of the oldest temples in Rome, with its eight surviving columns
- The Arch of Titus — beautifully preserved with extraordinary carved reliefs inside
- The view from Palatine Hill over the Circus Maximus and the Aventine beyond
The Arch of Constantine
Standing directly between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Rome — and yet most visitors barely glance at it while rushing past. Take a moment. Built in 315 AD to celebrate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, every carved panel tells a chapter of Roman history.
Admiring it requires no ticket and no queuing. At certain times of day, the light pouring through its arches casts extraordinary shadows across the stone, and from a specific angle to the south, the arch perfectly frames the Colosseum behind it.
Our tip: Position yourself about thirty metres south of the arch at golden hour. The Colosseum frames perfectly in the central opening — one of the classic shots of Rome, and almost nobody takes it.
Basilica di San Clemente
Just seven minutes' walk from the Colosseum, San Clemente is one of the most extraordinary sites in Rome — and one of the least visited. The upper church is a beautiful 12th-century basilica with golden mosaics and a medieval schola cantorum. Descend the stairs and you step into a 4th-century church, its walls still bearing early Christian frescoes. Descend further, and you find yourself in a 1st-century Roman house with a functioning spring and the remains of a Mithraic temple.
Three civilisations, stacked one on top of the other, all within a few hundred metres of the Colosseum. It is one of the most visceral experiences Rome has to offer, and the queues are almost non-existent.
Our tip: The underground levels can be cool even in summer — bring a light layer. The basilica is run by Irish Dominican friars, who are wonderfully knowledgeable if you have questions about what you're seeing.
- 12th-century mosaics — among the finest Byzantine examples in Rome
- 4th-century frescoes depicting the life of San Clemente
- A Mithraic temple with original altar, intact beneath the city
- An ancient underground spring, still flowing after two millennia
The Knights of Malta Keyhole & Orange Garden
A twenty-minute walk from the Colosseum brings you up the Aventine Hill to one of Rome's most charming and least crowded corners. At the entrance to the Priory of the Knights of Malta, a small bronze keyhole offers what may be the most famous optical illusion in the city: peer through it, and you see the dome of St Peter's Basilica perfectly framed at the end of a long tunnel of clipped hedges, miles away across the city.
It costs nothing and takes thirty seconds. Just metres away, the Giardino degli Aranci — the Orange Garden — offers a long terrace with one of the finest panoramic views over Rome: the Tiber winding below, the Janiculum beyond, the dome of the Pantheon in the distance. In spring the orange blossom is extraordinary.
Our tip: The keyhole queue, such as it is, forms early in summer mornings. The Orange Garden is magical at sunset — pick up a bottle of local Castelli Romani wine from a deli on Via Marmorata and watch the sky turn pink over Rome.
Baths of Caracalla
Built between 212 and 216 AD, the Baths of Caracalla were the second largest thermal complex in the Roman empire, capable of serving over 1,600 bathers simultaneously. Today they stand in magnificent, towering ruin — and an astonishing number of visitors never make the twenty-five minute walk from the Colosseum to see them.
Wandering through these vast halls gives you a visceral sense of Roman ambition and engineering. Floor mosaics are still visible in places. Frescoes survive on sheltered walls. And the underground tunnels — open for guided visits — reveal a hidden world of service corridors, heating systems and storage chambers beneath the baths.
Our tip: In summer, the Baths of Caracalla host an open-air opera season. Watching a Verdi performance here, among ancient walls under the stars, is one of Rome's finest experiences. Book well in advance — it sells out months ahead.
- The vast frigidarium — Rome's ancient equivalent of an Olympic swimming hall
- Original black-and-white floor mosaics of athletes and marine creatures
- Underground tunnels with Roman engineering visible throughout
- Open-air opera season in July and August — world-class productions under the stars
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
Most visitors never make the fifteen-minute walk from the Colosseum to San Giovanni in Laterano — the oldest and most important basilica in the Christian world, and the official cathedral of Rome. Its interior is staggering: an enormous Baroque nave, colossal marble statues of the Apostles lining the aisles, a medieval mosaic apse glittering with gold, and an ornate gilded ceiling that took three papal reigns to complete.
The adjacent cloister, with its twisted Cosmatesque columns and central garden, is one of the most tranquil spots in the entire city. Entry to both the basilica and cloister is free.
Our tip: Directly across the piazza is the Scala Santa — 28 marble steps traditionally believed to have been climbed by Christ before Pontius Pilate, ascended on their knees by pilgrims every day of the year. Whether or not you share the faith, it is extraordinary to witness.
Eat & Drink in the Celio
The streets immediately surrounding the Colosseum are, almost without exception, a tourist trap. But venture two blocks into the Celio and everything changes. Here you find neighbourhood trattorias where Roman families have been eating for generations, wine bars run by people who actually know their producers, and a handful of genuinely excellent restaurants that don't rely on foot traffic from the arena.
Look for paper tablecloths, handwritten menus on the blackboard, and a proprietor who greets at least three tables by name. These are the signs that you have found the real thing.
Our tip: Ask us for restaurant recommendations at check-in. We know every corner of this neighbourhood and update our personal list constantly — we only recommend places we eat ourselves, and we never accept commissions from any restaurant.
- Via Claudia and Via Capo d'Africa — the best streets for aperitivo and wine bars
- Cacio e pepe, carbonara, coda alla vaccinara — the dishes to order in this neighbourhood
- Supplì — Rome's finest street food, best eaten fresh from the fryer
- Local Castelli Romani whites — crisp, mineral, and perfectly suited to the Roman heat
Stay in the Heart of It All
Our apartments in the Celio district put every one of these experiences on your doorstep. Wake up to the Colosseum. Walk to the Forum. Come home to a neighbourhood that feels like yours.
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