Authentic Rome Photos

Photograph by Bob Krist

Tiny boutiques and top-name designers make Rome's Via Condotti a go-to destination for fashionable clothing, jewelry, accessories—and people.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Modern love among the ruins: A couple enjoys, and documents, a private moment near the Colosseum, imperial Rome's massive amphitheater built in the first century to host gladiatorial competitions and public events.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

It takes a neighborhood to play chess in backstreet Rome, here near Piazza Navona. Impromptu chess games can pop up anywhere in this city of neighborhoods—as do the impromptu gatherings of self-appointed chess consiglieri.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Head-turning advertising takes on a creative twist along Via del Babuino, where space-suited women ride Segways bearing the promotional saying, "Fall in love with BlackBerry." Traditionally a street of shops purveying old-line brands, Via del Babuino has seen an influx of newer vendors.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Roman masterpiece, the ancient Pantheon holds court on Piazza del Pantheon. Built in the second century A.D. as a temple to the Roman gods (pantheon means "all the gods" in Greek), Rome's Pantheon became a Christian church in the seventh century—and still serves as one today. "The Pantheon is the essence of Rome," says Rome art historian Stefano Aluffi-Pentini. "This is the one place where you still see the colors of Rome as it was—where you see the Roman world in full color."

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Standing tall, a masterful bronze statue of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, crafted in the second century, and today the only surviving equestrian statue of a pre-Christian Roman emperor, enjoys protection from the elements in a purpose-built gallery in the Palazzo dei Conservatori wing of the Capitoline Museums.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Café, restaurant, wine bar, and living room, easygoing Etablì's eclectic furnishings, extensive wine selection, and Roman menu with international flavorings foster relaxed conversations.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Mattei di Giove, designed by noted baroque architect Carlo Maderno—who also designed the facade of St. Peter's Basilica—teems with busts, bas-reliefs, and sarcophagi collected by the palazzo's namesake owner, Marchese Asdrubale Mattei.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Bob Krist

Tradition calls: A member of the Brotherhood of Santa Maria dell'Orto (St. Mary of the Garden) dons ceremonial apparel for a formal event. The brotherhood owns the Church of Santa Maria dell'Orto in Trastevere, built in the 1500s and known for its interior frescoes, as well as a carved stone turkey commissioned, it is said, by the guild of chicken vendors in the 18th century to honor the arrival of the first turkey from the United States.

Read more about "Authentic Rome" in the July/August 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler.