4 Best Sights in Esquilino and Environs, Rome

The cathedral of Rome is San Giovanni in Laterano, not St. Peter's. The church was built here by Emperor Constantine 10 years before he built the church dedicated to Peter, making it the ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome (the pope). But thanks to vandals, earthquakes, and fires, today's building owes most of its form to 16th- and 17th-century restorations, including an interior designed by Baroque genius Borromini. Colossal statues stand watch over the towering facade: the 12 apostles plus Christ, John the Baptist, and the Virgin Mary.

Some earlier fragments do remain: under the portico on the left stands an ancient statue of Constantine, while the central portal's ancient bronze doors were brought here from the Forum's Curia. The altar's rich Gothic tabernacle, holding what the faithful believe are the heads of saints Peter and Paul, dates from 1367. The last chapel on the left aisle houses the cloister, which is encrusted with 12th-century cosmatesque mosaics. Around the corner stands one of the oldest Christian structures in Rome: Emperor Constantine's octagonal baptistery. Despite several restorations, a 17th-century interior redecoration, and even a 1993 Mafia-related car bombing, the baptistery from AD 315 remains true to its ancient form.

The 4th-century church at this site was named after the saint who was buried in its catacomb, which burrows underground on four different levels. This was the only early Christian cemetery to remain accessible during the Middle Ages, and it was from here that the term "catacomb" is derived—it's in a spot where the road dips into a hollow, known to the Romans as a catacumba (Greek for "near the hollow").

This massive park, technically part of the Parco dell'Appia Antica, was named for the six remaining aqueducts that formed part of the famously elaborate system that carried water to ancient Rome. The park has some serious film cred: it was featured in the opening scene of La Dolce Vita and in a rather memorable scene depicting some avant-garde performance art in La Grande Bellezza. On weekends, it's a popular place for locals to picnic, exercise, and generally enjoy a day out with their kids or dogs.

According to tradition, the Scala Santa was the staircase from Pilate's palace in Jerusalem—and, therefore, the one trod by Christ himself. St. Helena, Emperor Constantine's mother, brought the 28 marble steps to Rome in 326. As they have for centuries, pilgrims still come to climb the steps on their knees. At the top, they can glimpse the Sancta Sanctorum (Holy of Holies)—the pope's richly decorated private chapel (long before the Sistine Chapel), which contains an image of Christ "not made by human hands." You can sneak a peek, too, by taking one of the (nonsanctified) staircases on either side.