Like every metropolitan city, Rome is a bustling, buzzing hive of outdoor activity. While much of that is naturally a source of excitement for tourists, there comes a time when anyone will want to find some peace and quiet. No spot in Rome could serve that purpose better than Villa Borghese.

Moderate-sized by some standards, the Villa Borghese is 148 acres (80 hectares) of greenery containing aviaries, museums and a stunning artificial lake. A vineyard in the 16th century, Cardinal Borghese had it transformed into a park with geometric landscaping ala Versailles. A villa, whose design was based on a sketch by Cardinal Borghese himself, was later constructed.

By the end of the 18th century an artificial lake had been added in the center, which contains a small Ionic temple dedicated to the God of Healing.

Aviaries held several exotic bird species like peacocks and ostriches for the Borghese’s viewing pleasure and gazelles once graced the gardens.

Donated to the Eternal City at the turn of the 20th century, it had grown to hold several temples, fountains and numerous sculptures. Among the latter are the original Tritons from the Fountain of the Moor from the structure in the Piazza Navona. The ones currently in the fountain are 19th century replicas.

The park, open to the public for 100 years, holds many other delights as well. At certain times of the year visitors may be fortunate enough to catch one of the many horse-jumping events in Siena Square. The Piazza di Siena amphitheater is sometimes used for outdoor concerts and there is a botanical garden. Nearby is a beautiful 18th century arch, the ‘Arco di Settimio Severo’, a stunning example of Baroque architecture.

There’s even a small bar located in the middle of the park where a hungry visitor can have some authentic Italian pasta or sip a Campari. Not far from there are several pavilions built for the 1911 World Exposition representing many countries.

But unquestionably, much of the impetus for tourists are the many museums housed on the grounds.

The Museo e Galleria Borghese, for example, has on display several sculptures by Bernini, the artist responsible for many of Rome’s famous fountains. Among other pieces, Bernini’s Abduction of Proserpina by Pluto is here. The gallery also holds many paintings by masters of the Renaissance including Titian and Raphael.

Also on the grounds is the Museo Nazionale Etrusco, housed in the Villa Giulia. The villa derives its name from having been built as a summer residence for Pope Julius II in 1553. As the name suggests, the museum contains a number of Etruscan works excavated from the hills outside Rome.

Located north of the Spanish Steps, the entrances are above the Piazza del Poppolo and the Porta Pinciana at one end of the Via Veneto. The Villa Borghese offers tired tourists the perfect respite in a busy holiday. Spend a half-day or longer, fully recharge and prepare to take on the incomparable Roman nightlife.

An entire article could easily be taken up solely by listing the names of all the galleries and museums comprising the Vatican Museums. Naming the artists and their works would take up several more. Describing them takes entire catalogs, held in the Vatican Library.

Growing from humble beginnings with Pope Julius II’s 1506 acquisition of the sculpture of Laocoön and his sons in the grips of a sea serpent, it now numbers dozens of individual galleries and thousands of works of art.

The Etruscan Museum, founded in 1837 is one of the later additions, holding many excavated samples of ancient works unearthed in southern Etruria and elsewhere. It is nearby the mosaics and ancient sarcophagi from the glory days of the Roman Empire held in the Egyptian Museum, which it resembles.

There is the Gallery of Tapestries, a collection of wall coverings from the 15th through the 17th centuries. First exhibited in 1814 these extraordinary weaves would be welcomed in any of the major museums of the world.

Nearby is the Gallery of the Maps, named after its painted walls. Forty different panels devoted to varying regions around the globe form a collection that was once as practical as it is beautiful. Before Global Positioning Systems and other modern technology, these maps were among the prime means for locating and tracking the Church’s far-flung spheres of influence.

Among the highlights of the Vatican Museums are the Raphael Rooms. A series of four connecting rooms, built between 1447 and 1455, these house many of the works of that Renaissance master. The rooms, ironically however, are not named for holding his paintings, but because of his work decorating them over a ten year period.

The plainly named Vatican Picture Gallery holds works that belie the room’s designation. Here are works of many masters, including Giotto, Perugino, van Dyck and Poussin.

Visitors may be disappointed if they visit the Gregorian Museum of Profane Art looking for early samples of pornography. The word was simply used to distinguish subject matter that was not sacred in theme. Opened only in 1970, here are Roman sculptures of the Republican and Imperial periods, sarcophagi and much else.

The Carriage Pavilion was opened even later, in 1973, in a building constructed under the Square Garden. It houses the carriages used to transport various Popes and other officials of the church. The main objects are supplemented with photographs of processions, harnesses, documents and other related items.

Of course, the centerpiece of the Vatican Museums is unquestionably the world-famous Sistine Chapel, in particular its 10,000 square foot ceiling painted by Michaelangelo. The chapel holds many works by Italian masters, not least of which is the master’s Last Judgment completed twenty years after the ceiling.

Still, it is the ceiling that commands attention. Nine panels display figures from the Bible, Sibyls, Noah, random male nudes and Jehovah bringing Adam to life with a touch. Goethe said it best when he stated:

“Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.”

The same might be said of many of the masters whose work is housed in the Vatican Museums.

Though the name may not be entirely accurate (they were built by the French), the Spanish Steps in Rome deliver true delight to visitors of any nationality. ‘Ah,’ some will say, ‘they are just stairs’. A way to get from the Villa Mèdici to the Piazza di Spagna. But, as any traveler knows, it’s how you get there that counts as much as the destination.

Constructed between 1723 and 1725 the Spanish Steps or Scalinata di Spagna are 137 steps arrayed near the Piazza di Spagna - a triangular outdoor plaza and one of Rome’s most frequently visited tourist destinations.

These lovely steps, dark, elegant and winding up a moderate graded hill, connect some of the most active and delightful areas in Rome. At the same time, they are beautiful to see all on their own. A pleasure anytime of year, they are especially wonderful in spring when the city festoons the area with azaleas from its many municipal greenhouses.

They are alive with flowers, people and the hint of the warm summer to come. Rome can be hot, in the mid-80s, even in late October. Nearby are some of Rome’s most upscale boutiques and dozens of restaurants, shops and sidewalk cafes. The steps themselves used to be a favorite place to rest and have a small lunch, though that is now forbidden. Naturally, Rome being Rome, that law is often ignored.

At the bottom is the La Barcaccia fountain (Fountain of the Old Boat), one of Bernini’s many great outdoor works in the Eternal City. In the center is a sculpture of a ship that may have been designed by his son, Gian Lorenzo. Commissioned by Pope Urbano VIII Barberini in 1627, the water flows outward through ‘leaks’ in the ship.

While you are at that end, stop in and see the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. Then have something cool to drink in one of the numerous bars before starting your climb.

As you travel up, there are three large flat areas on which to rest and people-watch, shop or eat. At the top, be sure to look back and admire the stunning view before continuing on to the Church of Trinta dei Monti.

More formally known as the Santissima Trinita al Monte Pincio, construction began in 1502 but continued for almost two centuries. Built in the late Gothic style, the facade is neo-classical. Outside there’s an obelisk, one of Rome’s many instances of this Egyptian-style sculpture, first brought to Rome around the 3rd century AD.

Only a couple of blocks away is the infamous Via Veneto where many Italian girl was ogled and pinched in the 1950s. Today, the area is tamer but no less interesting. It’s full of shops, restaurants and beautiful examples of Rome’s architecture, old and new.

No visit to Rome would be complete without visiting this landmark of Rome. Though created by the French, and named for the long-gone 18th century Spanish Embassy to the Vatican, it is an international delight to all.

Though named after Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the chapel construction, the Sistine Chapel was given everlasting fame by Pope Julius II. For, in 1508, it was he who commissioned Michaelangelo to paint frescoes to cover the 10,000 square foot ceiling.

But on the way to the ceiling there are many delights for visitors to Rome and Vatican City, of which the Sistine forms a part. The chapel is nearby the Vatican Museum, itself worth a day or two. And, St. Peter’s is also not far away with another Michaelangelo masterpiece, the Pieta not to mention the  dome of the basilica.

The chapel itself is on the small side, only 41m (135 ft) by 13.4m (44ft). But within these walls are works of art that would happily be acquired by any of the major art museums in the world. All have benefited from a large restoration project carried out from 1979 to 1999.

Many famous names are represented and many others that should be better known. There are several Botticelli works here, including the 1482 Life of Moses and The Punishment of Korah. Alongside and nearby are Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli, master artists of the period.

Of course, the main attraction - and properly so - remains the Sistine Ceiling. Formerly decorated only with a bland covering of painted stars, after four years of literally back breaking labor, Michaelangelo transformed it into the glorious nine-panel magnum opus it is today.

Drawing from stories in the Old Testament, Michaelangelo festooned the ceiling with Sibyls, prophets, Noah, obscure nude males, and - not least - Jehovah giving life to Adam with the touch of a finger.

Cleaned and restored in the 1990s, the ceiling shows the magnificent colors of one of the five greatest painters the world has ever seen. As Goethe described it:

“Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.”

Spending four years on a specially constructed scaffold, the paint nearly making him blind, the great artist had to devise and supervise a dozen innovations. Just as one example, an entirely new plaster - intonaco, still in use today - was created to resist mold and hold the paint properly.

Though the main sections were completed in 1512, Michaelangelo returned to the work more than 20 years later to paint the Last Judgment, beginning in 1535 and finishing the work in 1541. It too is not to be missed. Nor can it be, really, since it covers the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel.

Among other fascinating aspects is the depiction of St. Bartholomew, a self-portrait that shows the figure having his skin flayed. Michaelangelo was heavily criticized at the time, and by powerful figures, for his frequent depiction of nude figures. Though he won a temporary victory, the genitalia were later painted over.

Even those not usually interested in fine art come away from seeing the Sistine Chapel with a sense of awe. No visit to Rome is complete without a viewing of this site of so many masterpieces.