Have you seen the most popular highlights of Rome already and are seeking new things to see?
Or are you an off-the-beaten path sort, in pursuit of something a bit outside the usual tourist things, away from the crowds?
Our list of “Cool Things in Rome Hardly Anyone Ever Does” should give you a fun jumping-off point for your next adventure in The Eternal City.
Would you like to create a custom tour of Rome with a private guide? Are you interested in areas hard to get to on foot, or outside of Rome, for which you need a car and driver? Please get in touch! DriverInRome is here and ready to help with any sort of day trip or private tour you have in mind.
Not the Principal Sights in Rome but Far From “Secondary”
Rome is known for its impressive archeological monuments and grand scale as a city. Famous tourists sights like the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and Trevi fountain attract millions of visitors a year. Crowds of art lovers pack themselves into the Vatican museums and brave the seemingly endless corridors and galleries to finally get a glimpse of the Sistine Chapel.
If you are fortunate enough to have enough time in Rome to see some of the secondary sights, you will find that the selection of splendid churches and fascinating ruins awaiting you is truly vast. Lists of those sights, such as the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the ruins of Hadrian’s Market, are pretty easy to find by googling a bit.
With the following lists we’re attempting to dig one layer deeper, to the truly unique and hardly-visited gems of The Eternal City. They aren’t the principal tourist sights in Rome but we think they’re pretty cool, and hardly secondary in terms of the pleasure of all sorts they offer the visitor.
Our lists are divided into these four categories:
- Quirky Churches in Rome
- Green Spaces in Rome to Soothe the Soul
- Unique Places to View Art in Rome
- Not-Your-Typical Archeological Sites in Rome
QUIRKY CHURCHES IN ROME
Our top picks for unusual churches in Rome could be a motif for a little out-of-the-ordinary walking tour of The Eternal City!
All these churches are in the historic center of Rome and not too far on foot from Roma Termini train station, with the exception of the mausoleum of Santa Costanza. (If you prefer a chauffeur we are at your service.)
For more details please read our blog post “Four Quirky Churches in Rome You Have to See.”
Basilica di Santo Stefano Rotondo al Celio (St. Stephen in the Round)
This ancient basilica with a circular floor plan, the first of its kind in Rome, has a distinctive interior dominated by a ring of twenty two marble columns. The walls are adorned by frescoes, and one of the chapels houses rare mosaics from the 7th Century. A 2nd-Century Mithraic temple and the remains of ancient Roman barracks are located under the church.
General info and history:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/church-santo-stefano-rotondo-al-celio
Santa Maria della Concezione (Capuchin Crypt, Our Lady of the Conception)
If you’re up for a truly quirky and perhaps macabre experience, look no further! In this crypt the ornamentation is created with the bones and skulls of Capuchin monks, some 4,000 in all.
General info and history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt
Opening hours and tickets:
http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it/il_museo_3.html#english
Mausoleo di Santa Costanza (Mausoleum of Saint Constance)
This basilica is like a Christmas stocking overflowing with treats — in this case architectural, artistic, and religious ones. The mosaics on the ceiling are extremely beautiful, and among the oldest Christian mosaics still to be found in Rome.
General info and history:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/basilica-santagnese-outside-walls-and-mausoleum-santa-costanza
Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem)
If religious relics and awesome lore are your thing, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The story goes that the Empress Helen, Constantine’s mother, after her pilgrimage to the Holy Land during the 4th Century, brought back fragments of the True Cross and one of the nails used in the Crucifixion, which are now exhibited in the basilica.
For general info about the basilica, its history, the relics, and how to arrange a visit:
https://www.santacroceroma.it/en/
For an academic evaluation of the Titulus Crucis:
https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/2014/02/lom388011
GREEN SPACES IN ROME TO SOOTHE THE SOUL
If you know where to look you will find Rome contains a nice selection of green spaces, many of them public with free entry.
All these gardens and parks are in the historic centre of Rome, reachable on foot (30 minutes at the most) or by metro from Roma Termini train station. (If you prefer a chauffeur we are at your service.)
Succinct descriptions follow. Read the full blog post “Green Spaces in Rome to Soothe the Soul” for more details.
Villa Celimontana
Winding walkways, green lawns, and lush trees furnish the visitor with a very pleasant place to stroll or to sit on the grass and read, picnic, or take in some sun.
Villa Celimontana is a free public park in Rome, open from 7am til sunset (at the time of this blog post).
Brief history and description:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/villa-celimontana
Hours and detailed info:
http://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_luoghi/ville_e_parchi_storici/ville_dei_nobili/villa_celimontana
The gardens at Palazzo Barberini
A green oasis in the heart of Rome. The gardens, which have been restored to their original design, can be visited free of charge.
For photos and a brief description:
https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2016/05/palazzo-barberini-museum-and-gardens/
Monastic Garden of the basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
The story of the monastic garden goes back hundreds of years. Its unusual elliptical shape is due to the fact that it occupies the amphitheatre of what once was a palatial complex dating back to the 3rd Century CE.
The garden is a place of harmony and peace, as well as beauty and symbolic meaning.
Visits to the basilica and monastic garden must be pre-arranged.
https://www.santacroceroma.it/en/features-3/l-orto-monastico.html
UNIQUE PLACES TO VIEW ART IN ROME
These unique spaces to view art in Rome cover a variety of architectural contexts and range of artistic eras and forms, and include many world-class artists and works of art.
Read our blog post "Unique Places to View Art in Rome" for the full story.
Bernini’s Sculpture of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
The stunning sculpture in pure white marble depicts Saint Teresa of Avila’s vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden arrow, causing the convergence of joy and pain — the ecstasy — that Bernini’s masterpiece so vividly portrays.
Located in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (Saint Mary of the Victory), one of most important examples of Baroque architecture in Rome.
To learn more about the sculpture of the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa:
https://www.theartpostblog.com/en/ecstasy-saint-teresa-bernini/
Caravaggio’s Painting of the Madonna of Loreto
Rather than glorify the divine, Caravaggio chose to communicate that the divine can be encountered in any common or earthly setting, by any common man. In this painting Mary is barefoot like the pilgrims who have come in adoration.
The painting is located in the basilica of Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio (Saint Augustine in Martian Field), near Piazza Navona.
For a deeper understanding of Caravaggio and the painting:
https://caravaggista.com/2013/08/a-quiet-holiness-caravaggios-madonna-di-loreto/
Doria Pamphilj Gallery
This art gallery, featuring masterpieces from the private collection of the Doria Pamphilj family, is housed in the sumptuous surroundings of the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, a true palace reflecting 500 years of history and the influence of some the greatest noble families in Italy.
https://www.doriapamphilj.it/en/rome/
Galleria Sciarra
Galleria Siarra is truly a unique space to view art in Rome — a courtyard, a pedestrian thoroughfare between buildings, topped by a glass and metal dome.
The decorations of the space were painted in the late 19th Century, the celebration of women being the dominant theme.
Free public access during business hours.
General info:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/node/1895
https://www.wantedinrome.com/yellowpage/romes-galleria-sciarra.html
Palazzo Altemps/Museo Nazionale Romano
Along the lines of the Doria Pamhilj gallery, Palazzo Altemps is also an exquisite historic dwelling housing an impressive art collection, this one being all sculptural.
https://museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/en/palazzo-altemps/
Via Marghutta
Once a bohemian melting pot of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, and artisans, today the street is a sophisticated center of contemporary art galleries, upscale antique shops and sophisticated restaurants.
For more detailed history of Via Marghutta:
https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/margutta
NOT-YOUR-TYPICAL ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES IN ROME
Besides being not-so-typical these archeological sites are also not hideously over-visited. All three are in the historical centre of Rome.
Please have a look at our blog post “Not-Your-Typical Archeological Sites in Rome” for a more thorough description of each.
Cripta Balbi (Theatre of Balbus)
The complex at Cripta Balbi (Theatre of Balbus) is an extraordinary example of urban archeology. The setting is the remains of an entire Roman street that presents a unique view of life 2,000 years ago.
For general info, hours, and tickets:
https://museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/en/crypta-balbi/
For more information on urban archeology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_archaeology
Teatro Marcello (Theatre of Marcellus)
Teatro Marcello (Theatre of Marcellus) tells the viewer a peculiar tale of urban upcycling.
The classic Roman amphitheatre, inaugurated 90 years before the Colosseum, was transformed into a dwelling for the noble Orsini family during the Renaissance. Today it houses exclusive apartments for the very well-heeled of Rome.
For a history of the theatre:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Marcellus#cite_note-Cartwright_2013-2
Terme di Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla)
To get a sense of the social atmosphere of ancient Rome and the grandeur of the public baths during Imperial Roman times, there’s no place better than the Baths of Caracalla. The sprawling thermal complex was (astoundingly) not the largest of its day but arguably the most spectacular.
The not-so-typical thing about the Baths of Caracalla today is that you can tour it with a virtual reality visor. With this high-tech headgear you can experience the splendour of the complex as it was almost 2,000 years ago.
For general info, hours, and tickets:
https://www.coopculture.it/en/poi/baths-of-caracalla/
