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Best landmarks & sacred sites in Rome, ranked honestly

Ranked by Reality: whether each one delivers for people who went. The chips show if it lives up to its hype.

St. John Lateran — photo by GP

Worth itReality 90 +251St. John Lateran★ 4.8Ancient Rome & Monti · Sacred siteRome's cathedral and the Pope's seat: giant Apostle statues, gilded ceiling, quiet cloister

San Clemente — photo by Fernando Baratella

Worth itReality 89 +482San Clemente★ 4.7Ancient Rome & Monti · Sacred site12th-century church over a 4th-century basilica over a Roman house and Mithraic temple

St. Peter's Basilica — photo by christophe cardeau

Worth itReality 85 −63St. Peter's Basilica★ 4.8Vatican & Prati · Sacred siteThe largest church in Christendom, home to Michelangelo's Pietà and Bernini's canopy; free

Piazza del Popolo — photo by JAIME L. C.

Worth itReality 81 −24Piazza del Popolo★ 4.7Centro Storico · LandmarkVast oval square at Rome's old northern gate, with an obelisk, twin churches and Caravaggios

Piazza Navona — photo by Posvai Tamás

Worth itReality 80 −125Piazza Navona★ 4.7Centro Storico · LandmarkBaroque oval square on Domitian's ancient stadium, with Bernini's Four Rivers fountain

Santa Maria Maggiore — photo by Jeff Richard

Worth itReality 76 +36Santa Maria Maggiore★ 4.8Ancient Rome & Monti · Sacred siteFree 5th-century papal basilica with Rome's oldest mosaics and Pope Francis's tomb

Trevi Fountain — photo by Niels van overloop

Worth it if…Reality 65 −297Trevi Fountain★ 4.7Centro Storico · LandmarkRome's huge Baroque coin-toss fountain; €2 to reach the basin, free to view from the square

Spanish Steps — photo by Marky3

Skip itReality 43 −368Spanish Steps★ 4.6Centro Storico · Landmark18th-century staircase from Piazza di Spagna up to Trinità dei Monti; free, but no sitting allowed

Mouth of Truth — photo by Elie Ibrahim

Skip itReality 41 −99Mouth of Truth★ 4.3Ancient Rome & Monti · LandmarkAncient marble mask made famous by Roman Holiday: queue, hand-in-mouth photo, done

The numbers

#	Place	Verdict	Hype	Reality	Gap	Google
1	St. John Lateran	Worth it	65	90	+25 · Underrated	★ 4.8 (34,287)
2	San Clemente	Worth it	41	89	+48 · Underrated	★ 4.7 (8,152)
3	St. Peter's Basilica	Worth it	91	85	−6 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.8 (184,700)
4	Piazza del Popolo	Worth it	83	81	−2 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.7 (125,956)
5	Piazza Navona	Worth it	92	80	−12 · Overhyped	★ 4.7 (219,113)
6	Santa Maria Maggiore	Worth it	73	76	+3 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.8 (58,311)
7	Trevi Fountain	Worth it if…	94	65	−29 · Overhyped	★ 4.7 (527,040)
8	Spanish Steps	Skip it	79	43	−36 · Overhyped	★ 4.6 (113,852)
9	Mouth of Truth	Skip it	50	41	−9 · Lives up to the hype	★ 4.3 (26,088)