Sta.  Maria ad Martyres, or the Rotunda, once the Pantheon of Agrippa, is in better preservation than any other monument of ancient Rome.  The interior is almost in its pristine condition; it contains no less than fifteen altars.  In this church Raphael is buried.  The Rotunda has no windows, but receives air and light through a circular opening in the cupola.

The best view of ancient Rome is to be obtained from the tower of the Senate-house.  From this place we see stretched out beneath us, Mount Palatine, the site of ancient Rome; the Capitol, in the midst of the city; the Quirinal hill (Monte Cavallo), with the summer residence of the Pope; the Esquiline mount, the loftiest of the hills; Mount Aventine; the Vatican; and lastly, Monte Testaccio, consisting entirely of broken pottery which the Romans throw down here.

I also paid a visit to the Ponte Publicius, the most ancient bridge in Rome, in the neighbourhood of which Horatius Cocles achieved his heroic action; and the Tullian prison, beneath the church of St. Joseph of Falignani, where Jugurtha was starved to death.  The staircase leading up to the building is called “the steps of sighs.”  The Capitol has unfortunately fallen into decay; we can barely distinguish a few remains of temples and other buildings.

Of the graves of the Scipios I could also discover little more than the site; the subterranean passages are nearly all destroyed.

The Marsfield is partly covered with buildings, and partly used as a promenade.

Cestius’ grave is uncommonly well preserved, and a pyramid of large square stones surrounds the sarcophagus.  The aqueducts are built of large blocks of stone fastened together without mortar.  They are now no longer used, as they have partly fallen into decay, and some of the springs have dried up.

The hot baths of Titus are well worthy a visit, though in a ruined condition.  Here the celebrated Laocoon group was found.  Near these baths is the great reservoir called the “Seven Halls of Titus.”

One of the greatest and best-preserved buildings of ancient Rome is the amphitheatre of Flavius, or the Colliseum, once the scene of the combats with wild beasts.  It was capable of holding 87,000 spectators.  Four stories yet remain.  This building is seen to the greatest advantage by torchlight.  I was fortunate enough to find an opportunity of joining a large party, and we were thus enabled to divide the expense.  The triumphal arch of Titus, of white marble, covered with glorious sculptures; the arches of Septimus Severus, that of Janus, and several other antique monuments, are to be seen near the Colliseum.

The beautiful bridge of St. Angelo, constructed entirely of square blocks of stone, leads across the Tiber to the castle of the same name, the tomb of Hadrian.  The emperor caused this large round building to be erected for his future mausoleum.  It is built of immense stone blocks, and now serves as a fortress and state-prison.