Rome is famous for great historic sites such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, but what makes it a fantastic city is that there are many more sites across the city. A lot of other cities have famous sites but when you visit those sites, there isn’t much to see in the immediate vicinity. In Rome, the famous sites are often next to other interesting sites, like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and Capitoline Hill, and the surrounding neighborhood is filled with beautiful and historic buildings.
Besides the Colosseum and the Forum, two of Rome’s most well-known tourist attractions are the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Both are east of the Via del Corso, a straight street that was built by the Romans (from the Roman empire, not the present) and within 15 minutes from each other. Unfortunately, they were both undergoing renovations when I was there so it was underwhelming, but still crowded.
The Trevi Fountain is a large Baroque fountain that was built in 1762, in front of the Palazzo Poli, a white palace that is now a government building. It is a custom to throw coins into it with your back to the fountain, but obviously that couldn’t be done when I was there due to the barriers. The Spanish Steps are a flight of steps, built in 1725, that connected a church above to the Holy See in the Spanish square, named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See (jurisdiction of the Pope that controls the Vatican), below.
Trevi Fountain, under renovation but still a crowd favorite
Spanish Steps in the background, blocked off due to renovation
The Pantheon is to the west of the Via del Corso, while not far away is the Piazza Navona, a superb square built by the Romans in the 1st century AD and surrounded by historic buildings with an obelisk and beautiful fountains in the center. The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, from 126 AD, with a domed ceiling with an occulus (central hole). Built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, it is incredibly well preserved, because it has been in continual use. Since the 7th century, it has been a Catholic church. It has an interesting shape because it has a circular main body with a portico with granite columns mounted by a triangular front roof.
Crossing the Tiber took me to the Castel Sant’Angelo, a stout castle with round turrets built by the Emperor Hadrian in 129 AD. The top of the castle gives you fine views of the River Tiber and the Vatican, with St Peter’s Basilica visible, as well as the Vittorio Emanuele II memorial. As with the Pantheon, the castle was used after the Roman era by popes as a fortress and even a prison. As such, the castle features several beautifully furnished rooms which served as a papal library and a treasury.
How to get there: Spagna subway station (line A) is right next to the Spanish Steps, after which you can walk southwards to the Trevi Fountain or westwards to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Castel Sant’Angelo. Alternatively, you can get off at Lepanto station (also line A) and walk southwards for less than 10 minutes to get to Castel Sant’Angelo.
Castel Sant’Angelo
Pantheon
Pantheon’s occulus in the middle of its ceiling 
Rooms used by the popes (above and below)
Sparse spiral corridor inside the castle
River Tiber
Ancient catapult atop the Castel Sant’Angelo
Piazza Navona, with its famous obelisk
Marvelous views of St Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City (above) and of the Vittorio Emanuele II memorial (below) can be seen from the top of the Castel Sant’Angelo
