Things to Do When in Rome

Seasonal Activities

The activities you can do when in Rome (apart from the mandatory sightseeing) usually involve nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking and listening to good music. Conceivably you could work up a sweat running up and down the Spanish Steps; it's just that everyone will get excited thinking you're chasing a pickpocket. If you're with kids or just a child at heart, there are pony rides and Sunday Punch and Judy shows on Gianicolo Hill, a short walk southeast of the Holy City. Otherwise, there are a few serious fitness options: swimming, cycling, jogging and horseriding.

During Holy Week (Easter), Catholics from around the world make pilgrimages to Rome 's various basilicas and to hear the Pope give his address at the Vatican . On Good Friday there's a procession of the Cross from the Colosseum to Capitoline Hill.

When in Rome in the summer, Testaccio is the place to be when one of Rome 's best-preserved areas becomes a stomping ground for the young and hip. A festival of nightclubbery and general coolness goes down every evening from 10pm . Other summer festivals include Jazz at the Villa Celimontana and tropical music at the Foro Italico. Along the River is held on the north bank of the Tiber throughout July - Rome turns into Los Angeles with beach volleyball, in-line skating and art shows. Trastevere is filled with street theatre, craft stalls and food booths during the Festa di Noantri (20-28 July).

Hidden Treasures

Few tourists that travel to the ancient city know that within Rome 's medieval churches lie some of the most beautiful Byzantine mosaics in Italy . Many decorate the apses of the city's important churches, including Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria in Trastevere and San Clemente . The oldest mosaics date from the 4th century, when the Roman art of mosaic-making was evolving into early-Christian and Byzantine styles. Those depicting Santa Costanza retain some Roman characteristics: a white background, geometric composition and ornamental motifs.

During the reign of Constantine, who decriminalised the Christian religion, many churches were built and ornamental mosaic became the main form of decoration. Often used to cover vast wall areas inside new churches, they were a form of architectural tapestry that, with their uneven tesserae of coloured glass and gold, brilliantly reflected light to create strong effects and sharp colour contrasts.

Rome 's early-Christian mosaics also illustrate the progression from the naturalism of Roman art to the symbolism of Christian art, often reflected in the various representations of Jesus Christ. A mosaic in a mausoleum under St Peter's Basilica shows Christ in the form of Apollo. In Chiesa di Santa Pudenziana (390 AD) he is enthroned between the apostles (who are dressed as Roman senators) and his magisterial air is reminiscent of Jupiter. By the 9th century, in Santa Prassede, he has become the Lamb with his faithful flock.

The mosaics of Rome 's medieval churches are a fascinating and often overlooked treasure for those who cannot spare time to travel to Ravenna or Monreale. The following suggested itinerary covers some of the lesser-known churches.

The mid-4th-century Mausoleo di Santa Costanza was built by Constantia, daughter of Constantine , as a mausoleum for herself and her sister Helen. This round church is in the same grounds as the Basilica di Sant'Agnese Fuori-le-Mura , Via Nomentana, a few kilometres north of the centre (catch bus No 62 from Piazza Venezia). As well as the fascinating paleo-Christian mosaics on the barrel-vaulting of the ambulatory, the 7th-century mosaic of St Agnes and Popes symmachus and Honorius I in the apse of the basilica are also worth a look.

According to tradition, Santa Pudenziana , one of the oldest churches in Rome , was founded on the site of a house where St Peter was given hospitality. The structure actually incorporated the internal thermal hall of the house. The mosaic in the apse dates from 390 AD and is the earliest of its kind in Rome but, unfortunately, was partially destroyed by a 16th century restoration. The church is in Via Urbana.

Santi Cosma e Damioano , Via del Fori Imperiali, harbours magnificent 6th-century mosaics on the triumphal arch (Christ as the Lamb enthroned, surrounded by candlesticks and angels, as well as the symbols of the evangelists) and mosaics in the apse feature Cosma and Damian being presented to Christ by Peter and Paul and, underneath, Christ as the Lamb, with the 12 apostles also represented as lambs. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are portrayed on either side.

The 9th-century Chiesa di Santa Prassede, Via Santa Prassede, was founded in honour of St Praxedes, by Pope Paschal I, who transferred the bones of 2000 martyrs there from the catacombs. The rich mosaics of the apse date from the 9th century and feature Christ in the centre of the semi-dome, surrounded by St Peter, St Pudentiana and St Zeno (to the right) and St Paul, St Praxedes and St Paschal (to the left). Below is Christ as the Lamb and his flock.

Visit the Cappella di San Zenone , when in Rome , inside the church is the most important Byzantine monument in the city, built by Paschal I as a mausoleum for his mother. Known as the Garden of Paradise , the chapel has a vaulted interior covered in mosaics, including Madonna with Saints, Christ with Saints and, in the vault, Christ with Angels. The chapel pavement is an early example of opus sectile (polychrome marble), and in a small niche on the right are fragments of a column brought from Jerusalem in 1223. It's said to be the one at which Christ was scourged.

Across the Tiber is the Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere , Piazza del Mercanti, built in the 9th century by Paschal I over the house of St Cecilia, where she was martyred in 230 AD. The impressive mosaic in the apse was executed in 870 AD and features Christ giving a blessing. To his right are St Peter, St Valerian (St Cecilia's husband) and St Cecilia herself. To his left are St Paul , St Agatha and St Paschal. The holy cities are depicted underneath.

Roma Gratis

When in Rome , the following sights won't burn a hole in your pocket - they're free:

Roman Forum
Pantheon
Views from the Pincio, the Gianicolo and the Capitoline
Trevi Fountain
Bocca della Verità
St Peter's Basilica
Every church in Rome
Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums on the last Sunday of the month
Walking through Villa Borghese or Villa Pamphilj parks

Travel to the Market

Rome 's fresh-produce markets are treasured reminders of a more traditional way of life. There's generally a dazzling array of fresh fruit and vegetables, often meat and fish stalls, the usual delicatessen fare and sometimes stalls selling clothing, shoes or bric-a-brac.

The lively daily market in Campo de' Fiori is certainly the most picturesque and worth the travel, but also the most expensive. Prices seem to rise if the shopper has a foreign accent.

Trastevere locals shop at the excellent Piazza San Cosimato market, a traditional neighbourhood market adjacent to one of the best food-shopping streets in Rome, Via Natale del Grande.

The covered Piazza dell' Unità market, near the Vatican , is another good place to shop. The Ponte Milvio market, north of the city centre, caters for well-heeled shoppers.

The huge market at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele is Rome 's biggest and goes all the way around the square. It is one of the cheapest markets in the city and the place to find exotic ingredients alongside the usual fare, as it is in the most multi-ethnic area of Rome. It is colourful but not the most salubrious of places - watch your handbag. Great bargains can be found on Saturday afternoon when the market is closing.

The Testaccio market on Piazza Testaccio, is the most Roman of all the city's markets. It is noted for its excellent quality and good prices.

Food markets operate from around 7am to around 1.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

King & Queen of Fashion

In the Roman fashion world two names stand out - Valentino Garavani and Laura Biagioth. When Valentino set up his alta moda in 1959, his clientele included Jackie Kennedy, Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn. While his couture collections featuring superb evening gowns have always been inaccessible to all but the most wealthy of customers, his ready-to-wear lines for both men and women, introduced in the 1970s, have become staples of the fashionable set.

The eternally elegant Laura Biagiotti is Rome 's queen of fashion. Luxurious knitwear, sumptuous silk separates and lots of white and cream are her trademarks. Biagiotti is a generous philanthropist and has funded many restoration works in Rome. She has even named a perfume after the city.

Fellini's Felines

While animal rights is not a major consideration for the average Roman, the welfare of the city's huge stray cat population is a fascinating exception. Most of the city's feline residents are semi-wild, although it can be hard to pick the strays from the pets just out for a stroll.

The strays are often as well fed and contented, thanks to the army of women who feed them left over pasta. There are an estimated 10,000 cat colonies in Rome, many located in archaeological areas, such as the Colosseum, Foro di Traiano and in Largo di Torre Argentina. Some 500 of these colonies are under veterinary supervision, either by private animal welfare groups or by the city's own services.

Since the introduction of an extraordinarily humane law in 1988, Rome 's stray cats are guaranteed the right to live where they're born - meaning that locals can't chase them away, whatever problems they cause. This right is also included in the model for national legislation.

Couture for Clerks

Whether you're after papal party gear, nun's knickers, incense burners or a life-size painted wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, the streets around Via dei Cestari and Via di Santa Chiara (near the Pantheon) are where you'll find it. A great place to travel for wacky souvenirs when in Rome. Anniable Gamarelli is the pope's official tailor and is responsible for providing the new pope with a set of clothes long before anyone knows who it will be. So they make three different sizes - tall and thin, short and fat, and average - and hope that one fits.