The "Centro Storico"

The centro storico is the heart of the ancient city. In this area, you'll find lots of ancient ruins as well as some very beautiful piazzas and narrow winding streets. As far as the ancient ruins go, most of the biggies are in this area:
- colosseum
- ancient forum
- pantheon
- a couple of impressive triumphal arches
- capitoline and palatine hills
If you'd like to see what the experts think ancient Rome might have looked like, check out this video (made by one of my professors from UCLA).

Rome Reborn 2.1: A Tour Through Ancient Rome from Bernard Frischer on Vimeo.

In addition to the top notch ancient sites, this area is home to both the Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navonna. Though the restaurants directly on the squares are not the bests, they are really great for having a glass of wine and people watching. Off the squares, you'll find lots of little streets lined with small restaurants. Rome Jewish ghetto is in this neighborhood; it is a labyrinth of confusing little roads which, if I'm remembering correctly, are mostly car-free.

Must-Do List

Wander through the ruins of the Forum starting at the Arch of Septimius Severus and ending between the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum.

Eat gelato while sitting in the square of the Pantheon. After finishing the gelato, check out the inside of the Pantheon.

Check out the huge fountains in Piazza Navonna.

Stroll through the Campo dei Fiori and the Jewish ghetto (with map).