Rome Itinerary & its many churches

I’d add Basilica of San Clemente

We especially enjoyed:

Santa Maria Trastevere
Sant Maria Sopra Minerva
San Pietro in Vicoli
Santa Maria Della Vittoria
Santa Maria del Popolo

And of course St Peter’s

Santa Maria Maggiore remains one of my favourites. You might also want to look at Aventine Hill, where the Basilica of Sana Sabina is. A lovely contrast to some of the more ornate decorations. There are at least 3 churches up there, all along one road, as well as views from a little park

You have a great list. We absolutely loved the following. Typically, you'll find great descriptions/tour notes in the RS guide.
St. Peter's
Santa Maria Maggiore
San Giovanni in Laterno & (Scala Santa)
Santa Maria Trastevere
Chiesa Gesu
Chiesa Di Sant'Ignazio

Santa Marie Sopra Minerva (missed this one because it was closed for renovation. Anxious to see it on our next trip)

I would definitely add San Clemente (layers of churches) and San Luigi dei Francesi (for Caravaggio). Santa Maria in Aracoeli Basilica has frescoes by Pinturicchio, columns taken from ruins, statue of the baby Jesus possibly stolen by maffia (and I believe returned) and stories of women hopeful to have a child climbing the stairs. And obviously not a church, but I'd add Jewish Synagogue in the Jewish Ghetto.

ST Cecilia, Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Santo Stefano Rotondo , Santa Maria in Domnica, Basilica of Saint Sabina, and 100's more. See Wikipedia entry "churches of Rome" for more. Brad

Christine H/Jules- thank you! I am adding San Clemente, especially for the excavations. I read about it previously and must have written it down on a lost page of many notes.
Lisa- The golf cart tour I'm interested has Santa Sabina on the itinerary. Thank you for the suggestion.

Sophra Minerva(the only Gothic one) and San Clemente.

Hi NoNegativeVibes, my trip is also coming up mid-September. I’ll be in Rome for 7 nights though, so a few more days than you. I also love churches! I’ve based a lot of my time in Rome with visiting churches:) I love churches in general, love the art, love the architecture, love the feeling of peace inside and most are free!

Here’s my ambitious list:

San Marcelo Al Corso
Sant’ Ignacio di Loyola
Sant’Andrea Della Valle
St. Mary Minerva
San Saba
St. Cecilia
Santa Maria Trastevere
St. Cosma and Damian
Santa Maria Ara Coeli
Gesu
St. Peter’s
St. Louis of the French
Pantheon
Santo Spirito
St. Prudentiana
St. Praxedes
Maria Maggiore
Capuchin crypt
Santa Maria Della Victoria
Santi Quattro Coronation
San Clemente
St. John Lateran

Hope this helps.

The Pantheon, go as early as you can before the tour groups arrive. St Cecilia in Trastevere dates back to the later Roman period and is build over the home of St Cecilia (small fee to visit these ruins In the crypt).

So many great suggestions here! I particularly love San Clemente and that list of the oldest churches that Brad contributed. One way to think this through is to break down your dream list by eras. Do you love the baroque? What particularly appeals to you - mosaics? austere simplicity? exuberant ornamentation? layers upon layers of churches and ruins? Do you want to see the earliest churches as people were adapting the styles and building materials that they found around them to the newly legal Christian religion? So many options! Have a great time exploring.

Which company are you using for the golf cart tour? I'd like to do the same thing. I've seen a few that do an evening tour which sounds beautiful.

I see someone added Sant’Andrea Della Valle. If you are an opera fan, this one is not to be missed as ht first act of Tosca is set in it, and it has been copied closely in some productions. When I visited it a few years back and inquired, the docent immediately took me to the chapel of the setting.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I apologize for the delayed response. I am currently working on a rough draft itinerary for the Rome portion of my trip...second day in a row of this madness. There's so much I want to see and not enough time. I had planned on a day trip to Orvieto, and I don't see where that is going to fit unless I really scale back.

AZDoodleMom the golf cart company is Turtle Tours. If you reach out to them prior to booking they will send you a discount code to use.

Your absolute “must see list” omits the very best one, The Church of San Clemente. You have access to thousands of years ruins below the church, so awesome!

I feel your pain ! I have been watching excellent Youtube videos by ExcitingEurope on many of the churches. I want to see them all !

We spent a week in Rome last Christmas, we not only get to see those beautiful churches, we also got to see their nativity scene, some of them are quite elaborate.
I love visiting churches too... have to admit after seeing >10 churches in Rome, I was a little "churched out". The only ones I remember (without looking at the photos) are the Pantheon, San Clemente, the Capuchin Crypt(not a church but a cool place to check out), San Pietro in Vincolin and St. john Lateran, and Santa Maria della Vittoria (the unforgettable Ecstasy of Saint Teresa). Pantheon at night is amazing, we got to literally "hug the pillars" and walk around outside to really appreciate the huge structure with only a few other tourists linger around.
We went with our teens, our teens reported that even though they do not care for sculptures, the sculptures in Rome are absolutely amazing and very very impressive.
The national theater was showing "The nutcracker" during Christmas, we got front row box seats, the price was a a fraction of what Lincoln Center charges. Live orchestra the "proper way".
Enjoy Rome!

Suki- I have added San Clemente, thank you.
Stephen-I wish there were more featured churches on that Youtube channel. They are very well done and go into great detail of the history and features of each. My only problem is that I was hoping after watching these it would help to eliminate a few on my list, allowing more time for other things. The videos only confirmed that these are still must sees for me.
leeshao-What wonderful time to be in Rome...memories to always cherish!

Thanks again!

NoNegativeVibes, I leave Tuesday for my first solo trip to Italy. I'm both excited and nervous!! I have a huge amount of churches on my itinerary, I hope I get to all of them. I'll be sure and report back when I return. Enjoy your trip :)

Hi Joby,

Here's to the most fantastic solo trip to Italy ahead for you! I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience. I'm sure it will be wonderful!!

I completely understand how you are feeling...the same here. I have 24 days before my trip and seeing that number on my countdown calendar is stirring up anxiety. When I mentioned this to my 91 year old FIL, he asked if it was because I was traveling alone and afraid. I told him I love traveling alone, that's not a problem at all. It's the fact that I have very few days off from work where I can sit down and finalize my itinerary for each of the cities I am visiting. I am not the type of traveler who arrives at a destination and 'wings it.' I come up with a planned itinerary, hoping it all falls into place, but with the expectation that there will be hiccups along the way. However, I try to explain to family and friends that when I take a trip like this it may be the only chance I have to get there. I would be so disappointed if I missed out on attractions because I failed to 1. check hours/days of operation 2. book in advance if required 3. check available transportation options/schedules. I have watched a number of Italy travel vlogs where the person missed out on the best places to see because they failed to research the destination prior to and discovered long lines and crowds and only got a glimpse of the exterior.

I have always planned my/our vacations and it is something I look forward to. In fact, I will most likely return from this trip and within a few weeks start planning next years' trip. I confess, it is an addiction and a healthy one at that!

Coming in late here but you have a great list of churches - most of which I've been fortunate enough to visit - and I swear I've yet to meet an old Italian church or chapel that wasn't at least a little interesting! It's a sickness for which my patient, long-suffering husband would dearly love to find a cure for, I'm sure. HA!

I'll recommend that you tuck a small pair of binoculars into your luggage for viewing some of the more ornate ceilings, such as Gesu's, and for details of some of mosaics, such as at Basilica Santa Prassede. A small mirror can be helpful as well so you don't strain your neck! (Gesu had a large one in the nave that helps with that; hope it's still there.). As well, it'll be useful for viewing sculptures positioned high above on the exterior of some of them.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli: Basilica has frescoes by Pinturicchio,
columns taken from ruins, statue of the baby Jesus possibly stolen by
maffia (and I believe returned)

The Santo Bambino/Bambinello you see today is a copy; the original was stolen in 1994 by unknown thieves and never recovered, Just as the original was, the copy is carved from a piece of olive wood from Gethsemane.

Thank you Kathy! I love the binoculars suggestion, now added to my packing list. Some may look at me like I am crazy and others may wish they had a pair of their own.

They will definitely wish they had their own! :O)

"They will definitely wish they had their own! :O)"

Oh yes, yes they will! I always have binoculars and they come in so handy!

You probably have checked this already but some churches have closed hours midday....I walked over to Santa Maria della Vittoria to see the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa but it was closed until later in the afternoon. My hotel was nearby so very easy to walk back. It looks like it is currently closed between Noon and 4P. The sculpture is just breathtaking, so worthwhile to get there when it's open.

https://www.carmelitanicentroitalia.it/dove-siamo/conventi-della-provincia/s-maria-della-vittoria-roma

Thank you Pam! Yes, I have checked every attraction, including the many churches that I am interested in seeing and have noted the hours open/closed and mass times. And it is for this very reason that I am what some would consider an over-the-top trip planner. It allows me to make the best use of my time, while ensuring I don't miss out on seeing what I came to see.

If you want to take a little bus trip from Termini station north on via Nomentana, you can check out the Church of Santa Costanza, an early 4th Century Byzantine structure with some of my favorite mosaic. Just beautiful. Don't think it's been mentioned here.

And...not far from there on the other side of the street--I believe within walking distance--is Villa Torlonia, the wartime home of Mussolini. I saw it in 2017 when it was dilapidated with overgrowth, but I believe they've spiffed it up some since then. There is a museum inside that is very cool.

And it is for this very reason that I am what some would consider an
over-the-top trip planner. It allows me to make the best use of my
time, while ensuring I don't miss out on seeing what I came to see.

I'm exactly the same way. Especially in Rome. So many things to possibly see, but based on logistics or weather or just how I'm feeling that day, if I have everything on a spreadsheet, and I have a weekly bus/Metro pass, I can call an audible very easily that morning when I'm drinking coffee and planning my day.

St Clementi is very close to San Pietro en Vincoli and so you can do them adjacent. Note that churches tend to close midday for a big chunk of time e.g. 12:30 to 4 -- so be sure you check websites in planning. We sat a long time outside San Pietro en Vincoli not being aware of that.

St Clementi is very close to San Pietro en Vincoli and so you can do
them adjacent. Note that churches tend to close midday for a big chunk
of time e.g. 12:30 to 4 -- so be sure you check websites in planning.
We sat a long time outside San Pietro en Vincoli not being aware of
that.

That is exactly what happened to us. Had a leisurely lunch around the corner, got to St. Peter in Chains at about 2:30. Closed, open at about 4:00. Fortunately, there was a food truck down at the bottom of the stairs with some tremendous gelato, so we had dessert. Then...it being a beautiful afternoon in February, about 60 and sunny, we sat against one of the pillars in the sun and dozed. Looked like itinerants! But it was worth the wait. Michelangelo's statue of Moses is my very favorite of all his works, with the other being the Tondo Doni at the Uffizi in Florence.