Rome - Smaller Must-Sees/Hidden gems?

Congrats on your upcoming trip to Rome! You have a wonderful itinerary planned so far. I share your interest in hidden gems, and am eager to learn from our fellow forum members.

My suggestions for your question:

• The Baths of Caracalla Virtual Reality tour. The VR tour brings the baths complex to life through highly accurate 3D renderings based on archaeological evidence gathered over the last 30 years. Very kid-friendly.
• The Domus Aurea tour (Nero’s Golden House). One part of the tour also includes a VR experience. I enjoyed both VR tours immensely, but Caracalla more so.
• Consider swapping your Sunday and Tuesday itineraries. The Appian Way is closed to car traffic on Sundays, making for a safer, less stressful bike ride. I walked the Appian Way as far as the Tomb of the Scipios, and experienced a number of brushes with passing cars. Plus, many of the churches have services on Sundays, and you want to be able to go inside the churches.
• In Trastevere, visit Santa Maria in Trastevere. Gorgeous Medieval Roman church.
• If you choose Testaccio, go to the market there. Better yet, sign the family up for a food tour of Testaccio!
• If you visit Monti, DEFINITELY get gelato at Fatamorgana! My favorite gelato spot in all of Rome.

Happy planning!

We went to the Capitaoline Museum and they had a phamplet for a children's tour of the museum.

Just a few suggestions based on your itinerary:

Day 1: A less crowded way to get from Saint Peter's to the Castel Sant' Angelo is to follow the Passeto di Borgo, the fortified passage communicating between the two. The street it runs along is not all that interesting but some of the Passeto is built upon the remains of the original 8th century Leonine Walls. If you look up at the openings along the way You can almost imagine Pope Clement VII fleeing along the passage in 1527 while the soldiery of Charles V took potshots at his as he passed.

Day 2: When you leave Santa Maria in Cosmedin, head across the street and say hello to the round Temple of Hercules Victor and it's neighbor, the Temple of Portunus. Both of these are ancient structures that survived centuries of spoliation by virtue of having been taken over as churches. Proceed over the Ponte Palatino. From one side you can look back and see the opening of the ancient Cloaca Maxima, the ancient subterranean structure which drains the otherwise swampy Forum area. On the other side of the bridge is the remaining section of the ancient Pons Aemlius, built in the 2nd century AD. Once across the bridge you are in Trastevere.

Day 5: Once you visit the Baths of Diocletian you could cross the street and visit the excellent Palazzo Massimo, part of the National Museum of Rome. It has a spectacular collection and is usually not at all crowded. Or you could nip up the Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando and visit the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria. This is a nice enough little church but is also houses Bernini's "Ecstasy of Santa Teresa" arguably his greatest work.

Thanks for the tip on the Baths of Caracalla. My son's been talking about them after reading about it. RS' book made it sound like the Baths of Diocletian might be better preserved but the VR experience sounds great and that might be a better option after all.

Thanks for the Appian Way tip - I'll have to investigate that further (I'd been trying to group things geographically as best I could and the flea market is only open on Sundays. Maybe I'll need to split up our geographic explorations more). Would it be better to walk the Appian Way and maybe rent bikes in Borghese Gardens? Not sure how far it is to get all the way to the Aquaduct park - it seemed like a fair distance that might be covered easier with bikes than on foot...

Thank you everyone! These are just the tips I was hoping for.

I second the suggestion to visit Palazzo Massimo across from the Baths of Diocletian. Stunning frescoes on the top floor, and a dizzying coin collection from ancient to modern times. Highly recommended, especially for a rainy day.

The Baths of Diocletian are indeed better preserved than the Baths of Caracalla because Dioclectian’s baths were converted into a church. I visited the Baths of Caracalla on my first trip to Rome before the VR experience and came away scratching my head trying to imagine the scale of the complex. The VR experience solves the ruins conundrum and transforms the the ruins in a beautiful way. If you pop over to Santa Maria in Trastevere, you’ll see the Caracalla baths’ library columns inside the church! Pretty cool Roman spolia re-use/recycle action.

Is the flea market a showstopper item for your itinerary? The Aqueduct Park is too far to reach on foot.

You’ve done a great job organizing the itinerary geographically so far. Throw everything into a Google map, and you can continue to tinker with plans and timing. That’s how I’ve done much of my planning for all my trips to Rome.

Here's a couple of church nuggets you can just slip in to your plans. Near Colosseum - San Clemente (archaeology in basement level), St. Peter in Chains - Michelangelo statue at tomb of Pope Julius II.

Near baths of Diocletian - Santa Maria della Vittore - beautiful little church with a famous Bernini statue of St. Theresa. Warning: it closes midday around 12 noon - 3 pm or so. Opens again in late afternoon. Look up details.

The mosaics at Santa Prassede are wonderful.

What I love about Rome is how little parish churches have amazing works of art in them. Imagine having a Michelangelo in your local church!
San Pietro in Vincoli: Michelangelo's Moses (complete with horns).
Santa Maria del Popolo: the Chigi Chapel with Bernini's Habbakuk and the Angel.
Santa Maria della Vittoria: Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa.

We walked through the Porta Portese flea market from one end to the other, and unless we missed some side street or something it was 98% cheap clothes, shoes, underwear, cheap kitchen ware, etc. It's not the Paris flea market or a vintage or antiques market. I'd say this is one thing on your excellent list you could skip.

Thanks everyone! These are great tips. Nancy - that's good to know about the flea market - I'd been thinking there was a bit of cheap underwear, etc. at the beginning but that it would lead to vintage items/antiques. If that's not the case, that solves the problem Joanna noted with the Appian Way and we can switch the Tues/Sun agendas. It sounds like there are some antique stores near Piazza Navona so maybe I can get that funky shopping/hunting experience that way (hopefully they're not all super high-end).

While you have a pretty full schedule, see if any of these fit on or to your way from your must sees

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

For what may be the best gelato in Rome, try Old Bridge. The shop is across the street from where people line up to get into the Vatican Museum.

Busy days but if you have some stamina and energy left at night, consider the tours http://www.viaggioneifori.it/en/.

Darrenblois has brought to your attention The Ecstasy of St Teresa . This is one of Bernini's greatest works . Watch this video to be better able to appreciate the magnitude of this brilliant work and its creator - Gian Lorenzo Bernini - https://youtu.be/y9nbDXdmLaE

For your bike rental experience I heartily recommend doing the Appian Way tour through Top Bikes. You’ll have an escorted tour that includes the Appian Way, catacombs, Aqueduct Park and a visit to a goat farm for a cheese and wine snack. The guides are great and will teach you about the scenery as you pass. Your kids will be welcome and you’ll have the option of electric assist bikes.

A strong vote for the Palazzo Massimo and the 3rd floor frescos— simply stepping back in time.

A couple of more suggestions: San Clemente church (walking distance or a short bus/tram ride from the Coloseum) is very interesting with it's 3 or 4 levels of churches/Roman temples. Le Domus Romane near Piazza Venezia is also very interesting, but it requires a prepaid reservation to tour because the entry is within a government building. Also note that Monti is walking distance from many points while Testaccio requires a metro ride to Pirimide and then a walk uphill.

Edit: I just noticed that San Clemente was already mentioned, so i second that suggestion.

Baths of Diocletian and St. Peter-in-Chains are both definite do's.

Also, north of Porta Pia is St. Agnese and St. Constantia. 3rd century, almost Coptic-looking, awesome mosaic. Great stuff.

I think you are starting to see the problem here.....Rome is a city FULL of smaller must-sees and hidden gems. A body could spend years seeking them all out. That's why we all keep coming back.

We enjoyed walking through and browsing at the flea market, it is a lot of clothes and such with a couple of antiques here and there. My husband got a few nice silk scarves and pocket squares, I got a dress and the best porchetta sandwich ever at one of the food trucks. All in all we had a good time. On the way back this is a great stop https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-aventine-keyhole-rome.

This has turned into such an interesting thread - thanks for starting it dmacario77!

I heartily agree with the church suggestions from our fellow contributors. San Clemente is a personal favorite, and the Context Travel tour I took back in February spent a large amount of time discussing this church's layered history, along with the Quatro Coronatti and the Case Romane ruins under the church of SS Giovanni e Paolo. I took this tour from Context Travel. It looks like they also offer a family-oriented similar tour here.

The church of Santo Stefano Rotondo and its Mithraeum are on my "must do" list for the next Rome trip. Revealed Rome offers an interesting write-up about the church and its frescoes. Santa Costanza is on the list as well.

Gerri - Thank you SO MUCH for the Atlas Obscura list of off-the-beaten-path places to visit in Rome! I have visited several of the places on the list, and look forward to exploring more!

To reciprocate on the additional resources, and if you're into REALLY off-the-beaten-path sites, check out the book Secret Rome. The book is chock full of ideas, several of which overlap the Atlas Obscura list, and some I still haven't found in my sometimes errant navigation of Roman streets - ha! Tops on the Secret Rome list is the anamorphic frescoes at Trinita dei Monti. Looks so cool and similar to the dome eye tricks at Iganzio.

Excited to hear more suggestions from our fellow forum members!

This has turned into such an interesting thread - thanks for starting it dmacario77!

+1...thanks. And thanks to all for your insight.

Hi dmacario77,

Quick follow-up to your Appian Way bike tour idea... Conde Nast Traveler profiled TopBike Tours' bike tour of the Appian Way, Aqueducts, and Catacombs as one of their top 15 tours of Rome. Here's a link to the TopBike Tour info for that Appian Way ride.

Hope that helps!

Thanks so much, everyone! I thought 5 days was a solid amount of time but now I'm wishing for a month ;) I look forward researching out all of these great ideas more and then finally experiencing it all.

Just an afterthought - When near the Pantheon , stop in at Tasso D'Oro for a Café Granita con Panna - Shaved coffee ices layered with whipped cream . Need I say more ?

Another vote for San Clemente and also St. Peter’s in chains !! Right near the colosseum.

The church of Santo Stefano Rotondo and its Mithraeum are on my "must
do" list for the next Rome trip

Joanna, the Mithraeum has been closed to visitors for some time and there doesn't appear to be any info on when it'll be open. That said, the basilica is well worth a visit without seeing the excavation (I've been)!

http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/beni-culturali/beni-archeologici/mitreo-di-santo-stefano-rotondo.html

Some more general background for you (scroll down to text for this church):
https://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi52.htm

Hi dmacario77,
Your question has elicited so many wonderful replies that i can hardly wait for my return trip to Rome to follow through with the suggestions myself! Just want to give another vote for the Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. It was one of the high points of our last visit and our 10 year old grandson still talks about it! Also, I have to admit that I did enjoy the Porta Portese Market. Lots and lots of people and stuff but the experience was fun ( another hit with grandson) and we made some unusual purchases while teaching him about "negotiating" prices. Get there early before the crowds descend. Because of the number of bodies present be mindful. The children will love this trip. Safe and happy travels.

Thanks so much for the additional links and information about Santo Stefano Rotondo, Kathy! I've added those resources to my ever-growing Rome files for reference and follow-up.

And great to know Santo Stefano Rotondo is well worth seeing! On my trip to Rome a couple months ago, we tried to stop at Santo Stefano Rotondo on our Context Travel Fall and Rise of Rome tour led by Dr. Phil Ditchfield. He was excited to show us the church and said you could see the Mithraeum when booked ahead through a guide. However, when we arrived to the church, it was closed for 2 months without a reason given. Such random closures seem to be the norm in Italy, especially for more restricted sites. I ran into a similar closure when working with guide Patrizia Sfligiotti 2 years ago when we tried to schedule a visit at the Circo Massimo Mithraeum - it too was randomly closed for a month! Getting to see the lesser-known Mithraic temples around Rome seems to be a bit of a mystery cult all on its own, ha! I'll keep trying, and in the meantime, prioritize a visit to the Baths of Diocletian to see the Mithraeum pieces they removed from Rotondo.

I'll definitely make sure to verify details about the Rotondo before setting plans on the next visit - good advice and much appreciated!

dmacario77, thanks for this excellent and productive post and thread! I’m sure it will be consulted by visitors to Rome for years into the future.
I like it so much that I hope you will not mind if I make a new, similar posting for Istanbul, where I will be headed exactly one month from today. I was there a couple of years ago and visited the many “biggies”, so now I will be seeking out the hidden treasures!

I will also be in Rome in June and have to remember to print this thread.

Saving thread for future reference.

In addition to all the amazing recommendations, so glad that you included the Jewish Ghetto Walk. On our first visit to Rome we hired Jewish Roma for this tour. It truly was the highlight of our trip. On our second visit several years later we revisited the Ghetto on our own. It's an area that you never forget. Also a wonderful experience for your children. We enjoyed lunch at an outdoor cafe. For an extra treat visit the family owned bakery for the specialties of this area.

In the Jewish Ghetto is an area of really interesting ruins that you can walk through for free. Portico d'Ottavia was a cluster of 1st/2nd-century structures - temples, libraries and public meeting spaces - that were later used as a fish market in the Medieval era through the 19th century. The exterior of the Theater of Marcellus (Teatro di Marcello; 1st century) is there as well. That one pre-dates the Colosseum, construction initiated by Julius Caesar and completed by Augustus.

There's signage in English to tell you what you're looking at. Example here (not my photo):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d245856-r571406713-Via_Portico_d_Ottavia-Rome_Lazio.html#photos;aggregationId=&albumid=&filter=2&ff=302425244

Other info:

http://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_luoghi/roma_antica/monumenti/portico_d_ottavia
http://www.sovraintendenzaroma.it/i_luoghi/roma_antica/monumenti/teatro_di_marcello

What impressed me more about this little corner were the people living in flats with 2000 year-old relics right on their doorsteps! These are also not my photos but will give you an idea:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d245856-Reviews-Via_Portico_d_Ottavia-Rome_Lazio.html#photos;geo=187791&detail=245856&ff=170049256&albumViewMode=hero&aggregationId=101&albumid=101&baseMediaId=170049256&thumbnailMinWidth=50&cnt=30&offset=-1&filter=7&autoplay=

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d245856-Reviews-Via_Portico_d_Ottavia-Rome_Lazio.html#photos;geo=187791&detail=245856&ff=90191437&albumViewMode=hero&aggregationId=101&albumid=101&baseMediaId=90191437&thumbnailMinWidth=50&cnt=30&offset=-1&filter=7&autoplay=

As you walk through the Ghetto, look for the brass" stumbling stones" memorializing the names and residence locations of victims of the Holocaust.

https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/the-stumbling-stones-of-jewish-memorials.html

saving this thread

I want to hear from dmacario77. What did she see, so we can all say, OH, you shoulda seen this! :)

Roma is a place to be savored. You do it too fast, and it shows its ugly side and spits you out like sour milk. Embrace it and well...it's simply one of the world's greatest cities. We spent a week a year ago March and just did not want to leave. And it was nothing in particular--just the vibe, the can-do friendliness of the people--accepting of tourists for sure, in a bemused sort of way like, ah, you see why we're here?

Buying some prosciutto, riding the bus, doing laundry for God's sake. All fun, all meaningful.

Time to go back...

In Italy they have a saying: Roma, non basta una vita - For Rome, one lifetime is not enough.

From the introduction to The Smiles of Rome: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers (Ballantine books 2005 - Susan Cahill, ed.)

Rome has the power to blow your mind and heart, delivering man, woman and child from small-mindedness, bestowing a much larger capacity for the beauty of the world than you started out with… it’s the accumulation of pasts in Rome and one’s consciousness of those layers - in the city and in one’s self - that can make Rome a life-changing experience. Once Rome enters your consciousness, your perspective on human time may change, deepen, mellow… Everywhere, something invisible makes itself felt in the visible, making the whole city seem to pulsate with hidden presences, a register of the human psyche and of twenty-eight centuries of history striated by horror, by thrilling legends, and anonymous kindness. Getting to know Rome, we come home to ourselves…

Thank you SO much for sharing that quote, Bob. Oh my... I could not agree more! If you let her, Rome sinks her talons deep into your soul, and I am always striving to learn more, and most especially, to SAVOR more every time I visit, just as Jay says.

Thanks also for the book notification. I have added it to my ever-growing list of Roman and Italian history and non-fiction books!

In reciprocation, if you haven't done so already, I highly recommend reading Anthony Doerr's Four Seasons in Rome. A friend recommended this book after my first trip to Roma, and reading Doerr's lyrical descriptions of his experiences was the perfect epilogue to my own experience. Well worth checking out!

Thanks so much, everyone! Your suggestions were so helpful - this thread turned out to be such a wealth of insights and tips. We got back a couple of weeks ago and had an amazing time. We loved Rome and I'm so glad we had 5 days - although that wasn't nearly enough. We were busy all the time but still didn't get to do everything we'd hoped to (a good reason to go back...). There were so many highlights, it's hard to know where to begin. All of the major sites were everything we'd hoped but what made Rome truly wonderful were the little experiences and people we met. I couldn't believe how friendly everyone was, considering what a big city Rome is. Every cab driver acted like a self-appointed tour guide, giving us great information along the way and we were in our neighborhood long enough that we started recognizing people and them, us. Just walking around at night, eating gelato and enjoying the piazza scenes is something we'll always remember as some favorite moments.

Also, if you're ever in Rome with a boy, I highly recommend getting him a Roma soccer jersey the first day you're there and having him wear it every day. I couldn't believe what a fuss people made over my 9 yo son's jersey - a baker gave him free food, another guy whisked him to the front of a line and people were just generally really nice about it. It was very fun. (Like I said, I couldn't get over how friendly and welcoming Romans are.)

I know that everyone's advice helped make it a smooth and easy trip - thank you!

dmacario77, thank you so much for your report, and I'm personally delighted that you gave Rome enough TIME to learn to love her as much as some of us do. Bob, Jay and Joanna are spot on as far as time being necessary to really appreciate all that the Eternal City has to offer, and your report just confirms the sentiment.

It's also lovely when people we've helped get back to us with post-trip reports as I often wonder how it went for our adventurous new friends! :O)

saving thread.