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Of the global cultural wonders which have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, only one represents an entire country: Vatican City. The world’s smallest sovereign state is – as well as being the spiritual home of the world’s billion or so Catholics – an incomparable storehouse of artistic treasures. It’s also one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, so a pre-booked ticket which takes you to the head of the line is a must. Once you’ve mounted the remarkable double helix stairs at the entrance to the Vatican Museums, a unique overview of the origins and development of Western art awaits you. It’s a journey which takes you from fine Greek and Roman statuary to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, the undisputed masterpiece of the Renaissance, and on to contemporary ecclesiastical works. And that’s before you’ve even stepped inside the colossal house of worship that is St Peter’s Basilica, with Michelangelo’s Pietà and countless other sacred works.

Michelangelo is considered one of Tuscany’s most famous sons, but many of the masterpieces for which is he is best known are not found in Tuscany. In fact, Michelangelo spent much of his life in what is now the Italian capital of Rome, and you can see much of his artistic legacy in Rome today. In his artistic youth, Michelangelo was held in local esteem by the ruling Medici family of Florence, but he was by no means an artistic legend by the time he arrived in Rome in 1496 at age 21. But the following year, he began work on a commissioned piece that would become one of his most celebrated sculptural works - the stunning Pieta, which now sits near the entry of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The other Michelangelo masterpieces in Vatican City are his enormous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling was painted from 1508–1512, and the Last Judgement fresco behind the altar was painted from 1534–1541.

Getting to Pompeii from Rome is a two-step process. First, you’ll need to take the train to Naples, and then change trains to the slower Circumvesuviana line that will take you to the excavation site at Pompeii. (The Circumvesuviana is in the same station as the main trains to and from Naples, so that part is easy - it’s just in a different part of the station.) From Rome-Naples on the high-speed train takes 1 hour 10 minutes, and then from Naples-Pompeii on the Circumvesuviana takes a little over a half-hour. You can catch an early train from Rome and be at the entrance to Pompeii with plenty of time to explore the site before retracing your steps for the journey home. It’s definitely an investment in time, since you’ll spend nearly four hours of your day in transit, but it beats missing out on the ruins of Pompeii completely.

Day 1: Coach Trip Wind through the streets of Naples with great views from an open top bus, complete with commentary. The bus has three different routes, stopping at all of the best sights Naples has to offer, so this is the perfect opportunity to see the whole of the city in one day. Day 2: Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii Take a day trip up through the city of Pompeii, which was famously destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. During your tour of the ruins, you’ll be taken to the Forum, the Baths and the Brothel, to give you a sense of what Roman life was like. Day 3: The Bay of Naples To get away from the busy city, try heading to the Bay of Naples for fantastic views and Roman spas. Many of the spas are built into caves next to an extinct volcano and in the past Romans used to come to bathe in the hot springs. You can also arrange boat trips to the picturesque islands along the Amalfi Coast, such as Capri and Ischia.

While it's impossible to see all that Rome has to offer, there are a few things you simply can’t miss—after all, have you really been if you don’t see the Colosseum or the Vatican? See below for our list of must-do experiences in the Eternal City.