Lazio Live Cam

The Aurora Hotel is in a corner of paradise; in the center, with garden, parking and private beach, less than 2 hours from Rome or Naples.

A lifetime can be spent discovering Italy. The unmatched artistic treasures from Venice to Rome to Taormina are still unfolding. The natural splendors and drama of the Amalfi Coast to the Tuscan Countryside to the Dolomites change with the seasons and the time of day. The rich variety of cuisine and delicious local wines are endless. It is a country that is so rich with treasures that it is essential to choose your explorations wisely. Our lifetimes have been spent sharing our country. Let us take you on the back roads to the heart of our lifestyle. Let us introduce you to the lesser-known museums that house works by masters not usually seen. Let us book you into incredible, privately owned hostelries throughout Italy with kitchens that serve real local cuisine and wine. Let us show you Italy "under the skin", so you will come back again with a new set of eyes.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican city

Arriving from the Via della Conciliazione to St. Peter's, visitors are immediately impressed by the size of the Square facing S. Peter’s, feeling encircled by the magnificent four-row colonnade designed by Bernini. But only after you slowly climb up the sweeping three fights of steps (also by Bernini) and only after you get inside the Basilica, will you be truly amazed by the size and richness of the symbol of Christianity which surface totals about 22,000 sqm, making it the largest church in the world (136 m. high with the Cupola measuring 42 m. in diameter). Inside the church, enjoy viezing masterpieces of the most important artists in history: Bernini’s majestic bronze baldachin (29 m. high), Michelangelo’s Piet‡ and St. Peter’s statue, Canova’s Tomb of Clement XIII as well as Giotto’s mosaic of the Navicella (located above the middle entrance to the Portico). Don’t mind the waiting in line to visit the Sistine Chapel -Michelangelo’s ultimate gift to humanity and milestone in the history of Italian painting-. Reach the top of the Cupola, designed by Michelangelo, by climbing 330 steps: once up there you can enjoy a spendid view of the square below and Rome. And, turn the corner and visit the Vatican Museums which preserve numerous and timeless pieces (mainly in painting), the art of the most illustrious artists of all times.

Castel Sant'Angelo

From St.Peter's, you can walk back along Via della Conciliazione and reach Castel Sant'Angelo, the second stop of our itinerary. Built on the banks of the Tiber, this imposing mausoleum ordered and probably designed by emperor Hadrian (2nd century A.D.) who wished to have a tomb built for himself and his successors. Over time, Castel Sant'Angelo became both a fortress against the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, and a prison and finally a magnificent papal residence. Today, it is a national museum where, besides the stuccoes, frescoes and furniture of the papal apartments, you can also admire an important collection of armoury. Opera lovers will remember that right from its famous terrace -where you can enjoy a enchanting view of Rome’s historical center-, Puccini's Tosca (the protagonist in the opera bearing the same title) threw herself down.

Piazza Navona

Walk just across the Tiber from Ponte Sant'Angelo and to the left, you get to Piazza Navona. From an aerial view Piazza Navona has the shape of an arena. This is partly because it was built on the Domitian stadium (you can admire the ruins in the adjacent church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, which was designed by Francesco Borromini, showing a great example of the Roman Baroque sculpture). On the Piazza, you will find three fountains: Fontana del Moro, Fontana di Nettuno and most importantly, in the center, the Fontana dei Fiumi (the Nile, the Gange, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata) designed by Gian L. Bernini. Travellers coming from the beginning of December till the Epiphany, have traditionally found this piazza occupied by stalls selling sweets and toys in addition to the usual painters and musicians that entertain visitors daily.

Pantheon

The simple and harmonious structure is the result of the insertion of a spheric space in a cylinder, as the height from the ground floor is equal to the measure of its diameter. The Pantheon was built to be a temple dedicated to all the gods, erected by Menenio Agrippa in 25 B.C. and later rebuilt by Hadrian around 120 A.D., it became a Christian church in 609 A.D. and later a fortress in Medieval times. Today, it serves as a second national cemetary (the other being Santa Croce in Florence). Along its rounded walls, you may visit the tombs of important artists including the painter Raphael whose contribution was fundamental to the projection and realization of St. Peter’s Basilica; as well as those for the ex-sovereigns of Italy (in fact, you will find that guards belonging to the Royal House of Savoy vigil over the tombs). Opposite the Pantheon, there is Piazza della Rotonda with a beautiful fountain designed by G. Della Porta.

Piazza di Spagna

Famous for its steps (created by Francesco De Sanctis in 1723-26) and its fountain in the shape of a boat partly submerged in water known as "La Barcaccia" (designed in 1629 by Pietro Bernini and his son Gian Lorenzo) -Piazza di Spagna is a meeting place for both Romans and tourists. At the top of the steps there is the Church of Trinità dei Monti, ordered by the king of France Louis XII in 1502. To the left you can see Villa Medici near the Pincio, today the seat of the Academy of France. From Piazza di Spagna, the streets -which host the most important fashion shops and the sites that have marked the history and culture of Rome- are arranged in rays shooting outwards from the square. Don't miss visiting Caffè Greco in Via dei Condotti.

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is the most important archaeological area in Rome, extending from the Capitol hill to the Palatine. As far back as the seventh century B.C. this area was used for political, commercial and religious activities. To the original Roman Forum were later added the Imperial Forums called Foro di Cesare, Foro di Augusto, Foro di Nerva, Foro di Vespasiano and the most imposing Foro di Traiano of which we can still admire the Column and Markets.

Campidoglio and Capitol Museums

Go up the Cordonata (Michelangelo's monumental stairway) which connect the low-lying Campus Martius to the Capitoline Hill and the Piazza Campidoglio. Its top and bottom are adorned with pairs of ancient sculptures. Egyptian basalt lions taken from the Temple of Isis crown the fountains at the base, while colossal marble Roman copies of Greek originals from a temple in the Circus Flaminius, stand guard at the top- representing the Dioscuri - Castor and Pollux. The Piazza itself, also designed by Michelangelo, is encircled by three palaces: the central one, Palazzo Senatorio, is the seat of the Municipality; the two on the sides, Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, keep the splendid treasures of the Capitol Museums. In the Pinacoteque there are more than 200 paintings, from the 14th to the 18th century by extraordinary painters such as: Tiziano, Pietro da Cortona, Caravaggio, Guercino, Rubens and many more. In the middle of the piazza, there is a copy of the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius, donated by the Christian emperor Constantine, whose plinth was made by Michelangelo. The original copy of the statue has been placed inside the adjacent Museum.

Trevi Fountain

Rome's most famous fountain will live up to your expectations, foaming dramatically from an entire wall of the Palazzo Poli. The figures in its composition narrate the various legends associated with the discovery of the same fount which provides the water that serves the fountain. The statue of Ocean, represented on a conch-like coach pulled by winged horses, has center stage in the group of figures in the monumental group. Among other sculptures, there are figures of tritons as well as real or mythological sea animals. The small square is one of the most crowded places in Rome, where thousands of tourists wish to partake in the tradition which says that if you want to return to Rome one day, with your back to the fountain, throw a coin into it and your wish will come true. This foutain has achieved world-wide fame after Federico Fellini's "La dolce vita".