A must for fans of the macabre, the Church of Immaculate Conception has the bones of some 4000 Capuchin monks set out in patterns on the walls or simply left as skeletons and wrapped in their original gowns.

Piazza Navona is perhaps the closest Rome has to a central square: go to be a tourist, stroll past the pavement artists and check out Bernini’s typically grandiose Fountain of the Four Rivers.

In the heart of the old city, Giolitti may be Rome’s best place to enjoy great ice cream, with no fewer than seventy flavours on offer until 2am each morning.

Just opened after a drawn-out (even by Italian standards) refurbishment, the Galeria Borghese is one of the city’s finest small collections, with a fantastic array of Bernini statues.

With a Mithraic temple in its lower levels, an earlier Christian church above, and a medieval basilica above that, San Clemente is Rome’s unique history in microcosm.

In the centro storico, the church of Sant’Ignazio has a marvelous and often overlooked trompe l’oeil false cupola, covered in figures in various states of action and repose.

The Porta Portese flea market straggles all the way down Via Portuense to Trastevere train station, a riot of antiques, bric-a-brac, old clothes and pure junk.

The most complete ancient Roman structure in the city, the Pantheon, finished around 125AD, is still to be marveled at for its enormous dome. Inside, you can visit the tomb of Raphael.

The Vatican Museums make up the richest and most extensive museum collection in the world. The Raphael Stanze and the Sistine Chapel are worth the price of entrance alone.

Spectator sports are popular in Italy, although the hallowed calcio, or football, is far and away the most popular, and tends to overshadow everything else - a rule to which Rome, with two clubs in the top flight, is no exception. As for participation in sport , there isn’t the same compulsion to hit the hell out of a squash ball or sweat your way through an aerobics class after work as there is, say, in Britain or the US. However, Mussolini placed a special emphasis on fitness, and the notion of keeping fit and being active is as fashionable a notion here nowadays as it is in most European countries - especially when it offers the opportunity to wear the latest designer gear.