Now is the time to visit Rome

This is an ideal time to visit Rome. Earlier this year, Rome was the scene of widespread improvements before hosting a record number of sporting events. Museums and churches were restored. Leading hotels were renovated. Smart new restaurants opened. Landmarks and art treasures, which were shrouded in scaffolding during years of restoration, were finally visible again.

"Few times of the year are better than autumn to visit Rome," says Peter Wirth, manager of the Hotel Hassler. "The November weather is temperate. The summer and early autumn tourist crowds have departed and Romans reclaim their favorite streets, museums and restaurants. Visitors gain the true feeling of Roman life."

Colosseum

Of course, the most sensational "new" site in Rome is actually centuries old. A $35 million restoration has stripped centuries of dirt while also strengthening the overall Colosseum.

Commissioned in AD 72, Rome's Colosseum looks a little more like it did in the bad old days when it first hosted gladiator fights, mock naval battles and public executions carried out by wild animals.

Earthquakes, the pillaging of pieces of its outer frame, heavy car traffic and Rome's nearby subway had damaged key parts. The scrubdown and facelift reveals secrets of how one of the world's most famous, and often neglected, monuments remained standing for 20 centuries. Some surprises have already emerged during the project's first six months.

Visitors will find that the monument's Travertine limestone is once again a vibrant dark ivory—what Rossella Rea, the Colosseum's director, calls "yellow ivory." Pollution had turned the stone a variety of colors from dirty cream to jet black. Holes pockmark the structure where jewels once hung.

The Spannish Steps

The monumental stairway of 135 steps was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy and the Trinità dei Monti church.

Pompeii

Italy has reopened one of the most famous ruins of Pompeii, following threats the site might lose its UNESCO World Heritage site listing and millions in EU funding unless it is restored.

The Villa dei Misteri (Villa of Mysteries), an estate on the outskirts of Pompeii's city centre that features some of the best-preserved frescoes of the site, is now open to the public after one of many restoration projects ordered by the EU.

The historic city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, had been accused of neglect, and the EU had given the Italian government to the end of 2015 to fix its problems. The fresco below has been repaired.

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