Can you tell me what is included in the Jewish Gehetto walking tour along the east bank of the Tiber? I assume we will start from the Capitoline Museum, after our visit there. And then I think it ends in Campo de Fiori. Does it include any major sights along the way, like a stop in the Pantheon?
Both are worth a visit if you have interest in them. Hadrians villa is outside of the Rome city center but easy to get to. The Castel Sant Angelo is close to St. Peter's basilica and Vatican city.
donna
Villa Adriana is a wonderful picturesque ruin but a hassle to get to and is pretty much an all day commitment. I love it but don't see how it is a choice between Sant'Angelo and this. Castel Sant'Angelo can be visited briefly -- 'worth it'? depends on what you expect. 35 years ago I dithered over spending about a Euro(in Lira then) to see the Pal d'Or at St. Marks. Was it going to be worth an extra charge? -- when I suddenly realized what a doofus I was being. I am spending thousands to visit Italy and I am going to worry about the loss of a buck if something is a disappointment. The money spent on museums and monuments etc is piddling compared to the cost of the trip -- if you have any interest in something don't weigh the cost.
It is not the cost of seeing Castel Sant'Anelo in Rome, it is more the lack of time. Our time in Rome is limited before we are off to other parts of Italy. And there is so much to see in Rome. I would just like to know if the collection of art, archaeological finds, and weaponry, is worth our limited time. as weaponry is not of interest to me. Is the art and frescoes something special, and not to be missed? I have found limited information on the collection housed there. k
I think the poster means Castel Sant'Angelo aka Hadrian's Mausoleum. I wouldn't put it ahead of any major sights such as Forum, Colosseum or Vatican. In terms of secondary sights you plan to visit, it might be most enjoyable if you have children who would enjoy exploring a castle. I've visited twice (once was a free day), but there are other secondary sights I've enjoyed more. Of course, it all depends on your interests.
EDIT: I don't remember the art or frescos as being not-to-be-missed. There is sometimes an interesting exhibit though. One exhibit I enjoyed was stolen art recovered by the Carabinieri, and I believe it included some really good pieces.
One point in favor of Castel Sant'Angelo is that for many walkers, it's right on the way to the Vatican City. (Not if you are going by bus or rail to the Vatican, however.) The approach across the Tiber is lovely. We also saw the Carabineri recovered art exhibition, years ago, which included the "Hot [Greek] Pot" bought by Thomas Hoving for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
Some people love [ancient] Roman monuments wherever they can find them. But there have been plenty of additions to Castel Sant'Angelo. It was an absolute must for me, because it is the (fictional) location of the most important scene in Puccini's opera "Tosca." But if you haven't seen the opera, you don't need to see the Castel!
I don't mean this unkindly, but it would be helpful to know what other, perhaps second-rate (we don't know), exhibit you're considering skipping to see Castel Sant' Angelo. It is certainly not that important for someone's average first visit to Rome.
We visited Castel Sant'Angelo on our third visit to Rome. I would not make it a high priority; however, the view from the top is nice.
The principal attraction of Castel Sant'Angelo is the building itself and it's long history. If you have little interest in that and little time then it is probably best missed.
For those confused by the mismatch between the poster's question and the responses above, it appears the poster completely removed her original question and replaced it with an entirely different question instead of posting a separate new question.
Not sure how this question; Has anyone gone on the Southern Italy tour? Would like to know what the few days in Rome include? became part of my posted question??