London Stansted to Rome Ciampino Airport
Rome has long been one of Europe’s most important cities. The city is full of ancient monuments, Renaissance palaces, fountains and basilicas.
Visitors to Rome can benefit from the purchase of a Roma Archeologia Card costing 20 euros and valid for one week. The card entitles holders to free admission to many of the city’s museums and attractions.
Flights from London Stansted to Rome Ciampino Airport are operated by Ryanair. The airport is around 15km (10 miles) from Rome city centre. There is a coach service operated by Terravision from Ciampino Airport to Termini Station in the centre of Rome. Tickets cost 8 euros for a single and 13.50 euros return ( 1 is approximately equal to 1.45 euros). Journeys take around 40 minutes. Alternatively passenger may take a bus to the nearby train station and then take one of the regular trains into Rome. Taxis from the airport to the city centre cost around 35 euros.
Places of interest in Rome include:
- Colosseum. Probably the most famous of all the ancient Roman monuments, the Colosseum was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. Constructed in the first century AD by the emperor Vespasian and later finished by Titus, the amphitheatre could seat over 50,000 spectators. Romans came here to watch gladitorial contests and wild animal fights, but after the fall of Roman empire the Colosseum was abandoned. In the Middle Ages it was converted to a fortress and then used as a quarry. Currently the Colosseum is being restored and it is possible to tour inside this magnificent structure.
- Spanish Steps. Italy’s most beautiful men and women used to gather by this famous staircase during the 18th century hoping they would be taken on as a artist’s model. Close by marked with a small plaque is a pink house where the poet Keats spent the last months of his life.
- Vatican Museum. This vast museum is home to seemingly endless tapestries, sculptures, books and paintings. There is a gallery of maps and some unforgettable rooms painted by the great artist Raphael, but the highlight of any visit is probably the Sistine Chapel with its frescoes of The Last Judgement and The Creation.
- Trevi Fountain. The custom with one of Rome’s most famous attractions is to turn away from the fountain and throw a coin into the water over your shoulder. Throw one coin to return to the city, two coins and you will fall in love with Rome, three coins and you will marry here. All the money thrown into the fountain is given to charity. The original Trevi Fountain from the 15th century was replaced with the current structure in 1730 after Pope Clemente XII decided he wanted something much more majestic.
- Pantheon. The Colloseum may be the city’s most famous Roman building, but the Pantheon is the best preserved. Built in the 2nd century AD, the Pantheon was converted into a church in the middle ages and is the final resting place of the artist Raphael.
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