VICTORIAN AND ARACOELI, Church Of Aracoeli

Walk around the marble ramps of the Vittoriano and take the steep 14th-century staircase of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, one of the many churches in Rome with the Saint's name, which is why they're always also indicated with a "last name".

You should know that this beautiful thirteenth-century church connected to a Franciscan convent stands where an ancient temple dedicated to Juno once stood and where, according to tradition, the Tiburtine Sibyl announced the birth of Jesus to Emperor Augustus. You can also reach the church by passing behind the Vittoriano, taking a nice walk among the smooth surfaces of the monument's pure-white marble and the church's medieval brick walls, enjoying the pleasant contrast between its simple façade and the nearby stately architecture.

You'll discover a wealth of decorations and a remarkable mix of styles inside, from Romanesque to Baroque, which is quite common in the churches of Rome. Let me point out its oldest parts, which are the beautiful floor with geometric inlays of colored marble, the two pulpits resting on the pillars at the end of the central nave, and some thirteenth-century arched tombs with sculptures and frescoes of the time....