Lesser known sites to visit in Rome

For restaurants wander around away from the touristy sites.

Or do what I did, follow a group of workers who had been plastering a side of a building…it was a cafeteria style sit down place. It was cheap and the food was tasty and plentiful.

The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is stunning.

Have you visited the Domus Aurea Museum?

I leave Tuesday for a trip that ends in Rome. I want to avoid the huge tourist sights that I visited last trip. Without links, here's what I have scheduled:
Galeria Colonna Museo
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
Spada Museum
Domus Aurea -- tickets sell very fast, so buy as soon as your date opens.
Basilica San Clemente
Palazzo Valentini Roman Ruins
Jewish Museum
Appian Way horseback ride

There's also Ostia Antica for a day trip, but when I looked at my itinerary, I decided I had enough ruins for this trip. I'm skippping Borghese Gallery since I will be in Florence for 4 1/2 days prior to Rome and my itinerary is filled with art museums.

I can't help you with restaurants because I'm not a foodie and grab a bite at whatever is near by when I'm hungry. Or I do a food tour.

Have a great trip. Buon Viaggio!

I vote for the Domus Aurea as well. It is SO interesting!

I agree with the Basilica San Clemente if you haven't done it. It's near the Domus Aurea and to me really cool to see the layers of building in both places.

Have you been to the Baths of Caracalla? Capitoline Museum? Seen the Aventine Keyhole?

Your question has been answered here quite a few times, BUT unfortunately it is tricky to search because people use different terms for lesser known sites in Rome. Here's one that contains my own answers among others:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/unusual-ideas-for-rome

An Italian friend clued me into this site so we will visit in October https://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/content/il-museo-della-forma-urbis.

Open only Saturdays is Galleria Colonna, which we will revisit as it has been years https://www.galleriacolonna.it/en/where-we-are/.

Palazzo Valentini https://www.palazzovalentini.it/en/ is very interesting and we always enjoyed the Case Romane https://www.coopculture.it/it/poi/case-romane-del-celio.

Only open until Sept 22, this is a fun and interesting evening activity https://www.viaggioneifori.it/en/.

I liked Palazzo Barberini

Take a look at some Youtube videos by ROMEWISE

Geez, thanks a lot everyone!

I will be in Rome for 13 days in October. It'll be my first time in Rome, so I've got a lot of plans to see the big sights. But I am also compiling a list of smaller, lesser known sights to visit.

Thank to you, my list has gotten significantly longer.

Ugh!

Incidentally, Atlas Obscura is a good place to look for lesser known things. I already have a long list just from going through that site.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/rome-italy

If you've not been to Ostia Antica, you might want to go. Easy to get there by local public transit, not usually crowded, and, while not as big as Pompeii, very interesting ruins.

San Clemente Basilica --- it's one of the best things we've seen in all of Europe - it's built on many different centuries of levels - 1st Century, 4th Century, 11th Century - the history is insane.

A second for San Clemente Basilica!

I agree about San Clemente. If you like cats, the Largo Argentina ruins with cat sanctuary.

Good question and there's so much to see! I asked this question last autumn, got some great replies that helped us plan a wonderful trip over NYE. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-recs-for-2nd-tier-gems-over-ny.

Agreed, Ancient Rome videos were SO helpful before our trip, and it's how we discovered some of the museums.

Here's the list of best sites from our Dec 2024 trip -
BEST museums & cites - Palazzo Massimo was absolutely FABULOUS. A sister museum, Palazzo Altemps was also great, but we had museum burn out by then! Vicus Caprarius, the underground aqueduct museum close to Trevi fountain was truly unique and unlike anything else we visited, an unusual gem where you see the water flowing below you. (Check about getting advanced reservations on WhatsApp.) Teatro Marcello was a delight to walk through. Museum of the Wall on the outskirts of Rome was a really nice break from the crowds. All things I hadn’t seen on my previous 25-ish visits to Rome.

If you want restaurant recs and other ideas, here's our TR from our 8-day trip last December. Have a fabulous time! https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-was-jammed-over-ny-but-still-fun

Another vote for Palazzo Barberini and for Largo Argentina.

When we say go eat where the workers eat, I don't picture men with their sleeves rolled up holding a trowel, I picture the lawyers and court officers who work at the main courthouse and get their meals in the surrounding enotecas.

The Supreme Court of Italy is in the palace of justice:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Cassation_(Italy)

Ten minutes' walk west of it is a street crammed with bars and cafes, Via Properzio,
and ten minutes south of it, across the river, a little bit short of Piazza Navona, is another grove of bars that gets a lot of professional custom. For example: https://www.bardelfico.com/it/

Yet another vote for San Clemente. It's fascinating.

Something no one has mentioned so far is the incredible street art in Rome. There are many ways and tours to see it I'm sure, but I'll add what I did. I had a private tour of some of it. The guide took me on the back of his Vespa. Riding through the streets of Rome that way was as much fun as seeing and learning about the art.

The company that I used is Scooteroma. This is a link to the tour that was the basis of mine in the Tours section of their website: https://scooteroma.com/tours/street-art-vespa-tour/

From there you can explore all the other tours they offer and learn more about how it works. Note that if "we" would prefer a more sedate option, they have a 3-wheeled Ape Calessino or the new electric car that can do similar routes or provide a special itinerary planned just for you just like they can if you're on the back of a Vespa.

I was 71 and weighed 200 pounds when I did my tour. Based on my experience, now at 50 pounds lighter and 78, I'd do a Vespa tour again. There are so many options that sound like fun. It's hard for me to express how exhilarating it was to ride on the streets of Rome in such an iconic way -- truly a unique experience.

I always try to visit Torre Argentina. It is near the Pantheon and has ruins with a cat sanctuary. https://www.gattidiroma.net/web/en/
And you are viewing where Julius Caesar was assassinated. One of my favorite Italian photos is a cat stretched out in the sun right on the spot where he was attacked. I also like going out to view the ancient aqueducts that provided water to the city.

Domus Aurea
Basilica San Clemente
Palazzo Valentini Roman Ruins
Scavi tour at the Vatican
Largo Argentina