Discover All About Rome History

A brief list of places like this are the Roman Forum, Capiloline Hill, and the Trevi Fountain. Both the Castel Sant' Angelo and the Colosseum are able to be viewed for free from the outside, but the Pantheon is free. There are many other attractions as well.

One the last Sunday of the month, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are free and open to the public. Every church in Rome can be entered for free and there are many mosaics, sculptures, and paintings that can be seen. If you want to see ancient relics, or the bones of martyrs, they are among the things offered.

You can explore paintings by famous artists, Michelangelo, Bernini, and Caravaggio to name a few. Caravaggio's paintings of the Saints Paul and Peter for example can be seen at the Santa Maria del Popolo. It is open the the public Monday through Saturday, from 7am-12pm, and again from 4-7pm. One sunday they open an hour later in the morning, but stay open until 1:30pm, and from 4:30-7:30pm. This is just a few of the many things that are free in and around Rome.

A bit on the creepy side, you might find the Santa Cecilia in Trastevere of historical interst. This is where poor Cecilia became a martyr and the Patron Saint of Music. Her enemies tried twice to kill her, trying not only to suffocate her in her own steam bath, but also by trying to behead her. Even after three whacks of the ax her head was not completely severed and the went on singing hymns for three more days before she finally passed.

Now, another reason people are often on a tight budget is because the spend so much money on accommodations, and food. Hotels are expensive, no matter what deals may be offered, and many don't even include meals. Even eating at fast food restaurants can get expensive, and prices are often much higher in another country. This sucks down many budgets, where the money could be better spent enjoying the time they have.

For a real change, and a very reasonable alternative, you should try to rent a holiday apartment. These have many advantages over conventional lodging, the biggest being perhaps privacy. A holiday apartment has at least one bedroom, and in most cases up to four. They not only come fully furnished with all the comforts of home, but there is a full kitchen and all you have to do is buy groceries and cook. What better way to get to know the people of this awesome city than to mingle among them at one of the market areas? Now you will have a choice of dining experiences, and be able to pick a really nice restaurant if you want.

A holiday apartment can save you a lot of money over the length of your stay in Rome. Many hotels are well over a hundred dollars an night, but your holiday apartment can be much less than that. If you have four friends, and you all stay at one of the many apartments available, you may spend $1000 for a week. That comes out to $250 per person for the entire week!