Rome/Esquilino-San Giovanni

Metro Line A connects Termini station with the basilica of San Giovanni. There are also several buses from the downtown area, best caught at Piazza Venezia or by the Colosseum, where you can connect with Metro Line B.

• 🌍 Santa Maria Maggiore, Via Liberiana 27, ☏ +39 06483195. Built in the 9th century, this ancient basilica crowns the top of the Esquiline Hill. Tons of gold decorate the interior together with impressive mosaics (particularly when the floodlights are turned on), and there is a museum on the premises. If you are in Rome on Corpus Christi (Corpus Domini), which is the Thursday after the 8th Sunday after Easter, an early-evening service is held in San Giovanni by the Pope followed by a procession along Via Merulana to Santa Maria. Good opportunity for a close up view of the Pope.
  
  This is a very large church with lots to see, as for example, the main part of the church has two layers of mosaics and paintings high on the walls, the altar and apse are spectacular, and then there are several more or less large chapels you won't want to miss, including the one with the amazing golden baptismal font. Allow at least an hour if not an hour and a half or more to visit the interior, even if you do not take any special tours, and also allow time to view the exterior from all sides. Overall, at least 2 hours would not be too much time to allot. 
• 🌍 San Giovanni in Laterano, Piazza di San Giovanni Laterano. This is the cathedral church of Rome and first of the major basilicas. It's also the Pope's (as Bishop of Rome) Church. As such it ranks above all other churches in the Roman Catholic Church, even above St. Peter's. Be sure to check out the 4th-century baptistery (still in use - in Piazza di San Giovanni, slightly apart from the main basilica) and the medieval cloister (brilliant Cosmati columns) 
• 🌍 Scala Sancta (North-east of the basilica, across the road). The Scala Sancta (Holy Stairs) is, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the staircase used by Jesus Christ to approach Pontius Pilate to be sentenced to death. Attracts numerous pilgrims who climb the stairs on their knees. 

• 🌍 Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 12. It was constructed to hold relics of the Passion of Jesus. They include two thorns of his crown, part of a nail and three small wooden pieces of the Cross. The authenticity of these relics is much disputed, however. 
• 🌍 National Museum of Musical Instruments (Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali), Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 9/A. Tu-Su 09:00-19:00, M closed (ticket office closes 30 min earlier). Next door to Santa Croce. A collection of around 3000 pieces, although only a third of these are displayed. €5 adults, €2.50 concessions. (updated Feb 2016)
• 🌍 Museo della Liberazione, Via Tasso 145 (Manzoni metro station on Line A). M-F 09:00-13:15, 14:15-20:00; Sa Su holidays 09:00-20:00 (last entry: 19:15). This small museum records the liberation of Rome from German occupation during the Second World War. During the occupation the building was used as a prison. Stair lifts and chair lifts available for wheelchair users (call ahead). Free. (updated May 2019)

• 🌍 Porta Maggiore. Impressive gate built by Claudius in AD 52 and formed by the arches of two aqueducts. It was subsequently incorporated into the Aurelian walls. Nearby is the "Baker's tomb", erected for himself and his wife by a freed slave who became a rich baker. Note the friezes round the top representing the stages of breadmaking. 

Movies are shown and some performances are held for free in Piazza Vittorio during the summer.

• 🌍 Mercato Esquilino. An indoor market of ancient provenance that has moved from its longtime outdoor home all the way round the outside of Piazza Vittorio; it is still only a couple of blocks east of the piazza. The mercato is divided into a food section, with good and cheap produce, meat, and fish, and a clothing section, with clothes of all kinds, shoes, luggage, etc., at low prices and generally not fabulous quality. Get there in the morning for food; it's generally closed by afternoon. 

There are a lot of Chinese and Indian restaurants, but you will also find many typical trattorie.

• 🌍 Palazzo del Freddo (Gelateria Fassi), Via Principe Eugenio 65 (just south-east of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele), ☏ +39 06 4464740. Ice cream: not as marvellous as Giolitti or San Crispino but still worth trying. Prices are reasonable, quality good. Old ice cream making equipment on display. 
• 🌍 Ristorante Baia Chia, via Machiavelli 5 (corner of Via Machiavelli and Via Merulana). closed Sundays. Good value Sardinian fish restaurant. Seafood antipasto, three pasta dishes, grilled fish and dessert for around €40. Don't try to order, just let them bring it to your table. Excellent Sardinian wines extra. 
• 🌍 Panella L’Arte del Pane, Via Merulana 54 (5 mins from Santa Maria Maggiore). Very upmarket (with matching prices) baker. Great window displays but you may find the taste doesn't match the appearance. 
• 🌍 Aquila Nera, Ristorante Pizzeria, Via Principe Amedeo 49-5 (near Via Cavour and Termini station, close to the corner of Via Amedeo and Via Daniele Manin, next to Hotel California). A street side restaurant with excellent food, attentive service and warm atmosphere. Eat outside or inside, depending on the weather. Try the fish fillet baked in potato which should please anyone who likes fish - it is excellent. Their marketing says they are a pub, perhaps to pull in tourists hankering after home but this is an Italian restaurant. The waiters hustle passers by into becoming satisfied diners. The white table cloths, linen and cutlery are presentable. The menu is varied and does not stress pizza, though they do have it. There are a variety of meat and fish dishes and pasta. The house wine is modest but good value. There seems to be no wine list. €25-35 for dinner including wine and bottled water. 

• Rome/Nomentano — for the nearby Porta Maggiore