Please suggest which are the best museums and churces in Rome, Italy other than Vatican Museum and Vatican Church. Is there any museum in Castel St. Angelo, Rome? I

You might want to consider going to the library and checking out a guide book - there are ALOT of churches and a variety of museums.

The "best" church in Rome absolutely isn't St Peter's, which I assume is what you mean by "Vatican Church". Though it's full of pilgrims, the current building is relatively recent(completed as late as 1626), and if you have the good taste to loathe baroque art, it's pretty missable, unless you've got religious or tribal reasons for visiting it. The excavations underneath (usually called 'the scavi')are interesting though.

The Roman churches that are gob-smackingly wonderful are all buildings that date back before the awful Renaissance Popes decided to aggrandise themselves by building this disgraceful monument to their egos. The inscription on the front of St Peter's is about the popes who rebuilt it: not about the saint or god to whom it's dedicated. That tells you all you need to know about their priorities.

The three greatest churches:

1, 2 & 3: Santa Maria Maggiore. Wonderful mosaics - and like most real Christian churches, it shows a thousand years and more of constant (and sensitive) modification

4. San Clemente. Has the huge advantage of owing its real wonderfulness (layers of previous churches underneath the current one) to Irish persistence. But even the newest church (mostly 12th century, but, sadly, "restored" in the 18th) is glorious

5. Santa Sabina on the Aventine. Virtually unchanged (f not the easierst place to find from the usual tourist hotspots) since being built in the 5th century, though it was restored in the 9th and 13th centuries - but sensitively. IMHO the most beautiful church in Rome - though lovers of St Peter's Liberace-style kitsch probably find it a bit too elegant.

I agree with suec1. You need to research for yourself and decide what sounds most interesting or "best" to you. The Galleria Borghese would be at the top of my list.

BTW, there are exhibits in the Castello.

I add a "vote" for the Galleria Borghese in the Villa Borghese and Gardens. Fabulous setting and the most beautiful Bernini sculptures I have ever seen. Also, the Pantheon, a "church" from pre-Christian Rome.

Please buy a guidebook. You've asked all kinds of questions here recently to which the answers can be found in any reasonably up-to-date guidebook.

Not sure about the "best", but to me, the 2000 years old frescos at Romano National Museum (near Station Termini) are absolutely incredible.

I second JudyC's recommendation (the museum is housed in/also called Palazzo Massimo). The frescoes are wonderful, as is the collection of Greek and Roman sculpture.

I recently returned from spending 10 days in Rome, and visited many museums and churches. Highest on my list for museums is the Borghese Gallery. Check out their website, as you must buy tickets in advance since admission is limited. All the churches we saw in Rome were beautiful, and it is impossible to name a favorite as they each have something unique. One of the most impressive for me was Santa Maria Maggiore which is near Termini. This church has what is believed to be a piece of Jesus' manger. The church is stunning, don't miss it. It is closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon, as is typical in Italy.

I highly recommend the Borghese Gallery and the Capitoline Museums.

As for churches I would recommend, in order, Santa Maria del Popolo, San Giovanni in Laterano, St. Peter in Chains and Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Borghese museum is my all time favorite!

San Luigi dei Francesi is a little church near Piazza Navona which houses 3 incredible paintings by Caravaggio. St. Ivo is also another gem in between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.

The 'Borghese is indeed an absolute knockout.

My favorite church for genius works of art is Santa Maria del Popolo, home to two unforgettable Caravaggio works and a couple of Bernini masterpieces. You can usually view these nearly alone, for the price of a few cents to turn on the lights.

Also love Santa Sabina - wonderful mood and far older than the typical Roman REnaissance or Baroque masterworks. A great place to sit for a few minutes of reflection, whether on faith or history. As said above, there are so many great churches with great works of art. I'd look in a book to see what attracts ... different people like different things.

A museum I like a lot is Scuderie del Quirinale, which is not really a tourist attraction, so many people don't want to put in time there. They mount special exhibitions, rather than showcasing a permanent collection.

A nice site for Roman culture is
www.inromenow.com

They list current musical performance, art exhibits, etc, plus interesting recommendations for dining, and more. Their calendar is for events only of the current week, but they also give a pretty good sense of regularly occurring concerts in different venues, such as museums and old palazzi. This week, for instance, an American gospel qhoir gives a concert at Chiesa di SS Pietro e Paolo.

Here's another idea straight for the InRomeNow site:
Music at Bibli
Via Fienaroli 28 (Trastevere)
More than a bookstore, Bibli is a real community center, with a great tea room, an amazing Sunday brunch buffet, Internet point, and a salon where concerts, readings and discussions take place regularly.
€8 includes a glass of wine, snacks and a complimentary copy of Suonare News with a CD tel 06 581 4534
Trio Escher di Roma perform trios for violin, cello and piano by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
Saturday, April 25, 9:30 pm

Another notch for the Borghese. Done the Vatican Museum twice and then did the Borghese last time out and was overwhelmed by the artwork (not to mention not being overwhelmed by the crowds).

HTH
K

My choice: The Borghese.

Everyone has different tastes. Plus, you need to now what you're looking out. suggest you read several good guide books (about the sights in detail - not just hotels and restaurants) and then decide for yourself.

Although St Peter's is incredibly impressive (there is no such ting a the Vatican church) I prefer San Clemente of all the rome churches and the etruscan museum in the villa giulia.