Carter's Top 5

1. Vatican Museums- great Etruscan, Egyptian, Roman, and art collections. Raphael's School of Athens combines all of the Greek philosophers into one scene. Portraits of Raphael's contemporaries include Da Vinci (Plato) and Michelangelo (Heraclitus). Sistine Chapel- figures seem to jump out of wall. Also has good frescoes by others.
2. Naples Archeological Museum- most of the art from Pompeii and Herculaneum along with some stuff from Rome. Alexander the Great mosaic (in all books about him) and other famous mosaics and frescoes are here.
3. Caravaggios in churches- walk into a church for free and see one or two (or three) amazing pieces of artwork. It isn't overwhelming like a museum. Best two- Madonna of the Pilgrims- male pilgrims has dirty feet. Crucifixion of Peter- a line zig-zags all the way from the feet of a Roman to the rope which is lifting up the cross. Peter has a good expression.
4. Ostia Antica- port of ancient Rome, covered by silt and sand, this is a small intact town with great mosaics and the ancient "Wall Street." You can walk into all of the ancient houses and buildings. Also contains ancient public toilets.
5. Galleria Borghese- contains almost all of Bernini's masterpieces. A couple of Raphaels and numerous Caravaggios. My favorite is Raphael's Deposition of Christ. Each figure has a unique personality. Amazing color too.