Rome is a world.
As an Italian, it is hard to explain the greatness of this incredible city!
You can breath history everywhere you go, art, magnificence!
What might seem an incredible monument everywhere else in the world (being it statue, building, fountain or church!), in Rome might be not even noticed, as there is just so much greatness all around!
As of today, Rome is the twin city of Paris (the other incredible European capital!) and it receives over 35 million visitors per year.
Most tourist though follow the same triangle: Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain.
Yes, they’re iconic… yet there is so much more to see and things to do in Rome!
In the past, we talked about the most curious fun facts about Rome (which left us, and will leave you speechless too!), and 15 mouth-watering dishes you should try when visiting the eternal city!
Today, we thought of revealing you 7 incredibly underrated places in Rome you should visit to have a more local experience of the city!
If you’re searching for classic things to do in Rome, this guide goes one level deeper.
These are places that don’t scream for attention, but which reward curiosity, and Italians love them!
So, let’s go beyond postcards and let’s dive right in! 😀
7 Secret Places in Rome
1) The Aventine Keyhole:
Rome in One Perfect Frame
On “Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta”, on the Aventine Hill, there’s a simple green door.
No sign. No grand entrance. Just a keyhole.
Look through it! 😉
You might have seen it in some movies perhaps, such as the oscar-winning “The Great Beauty”.
From this keyhole, you will see St. Peter’s Basilica perfectly framed at the end of a manicured hedge-lined corridor.
The dome appears centered with almost mathematical precision, which made us wonder whether they built before the door, the plants, or if it was just casual and it was only discovered centuries later…
Nobody knows for sure, although there are theories that it was all calculated by the famous Italian engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi in the 18th century !
This view aligns with the headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a Catholic lay religious order dating back to the 11th century… so tecchnically, by peeking through the door you’re also peeking into a sovereign territory 😉
Fun fact: From this 3cm hole you can see Renaissance dome, baroque geometry, a secret garden and Italian political history 😉
2. Quartiere Coppedè:
Rome’s “Fantasy” District
Rome has ancient ruins pretty much everywhere!
And that goes for Baroque fountains too!
And renaissance palaces too! It is Rome after all! 😉
Said that, if you focus closely, in some parts of Rome you will also notice gothic chandeliers hanging over streets (similar to those in Prague and Paris!).
Quartiere Coppedè, built between 1915 and 1927 by architect Gino Coppedè, is one of those areas of the city: it is a surreal mix of Art Nouveau, medieval, baroque, Greek, and even Assyrian influences.
The centerpiece? Piazza Mincio and the Fountain of the Frogs (Fontana delle Rane).
Fun fact: The Beatles reportedly jumped into this fountain fully dressed after a concert in 1965 😉
In this neighbourhood you can explore the Rome after the empire, notice the sum of the ages, the experiments that have been made, and the layers of innovation and eccentricity even in the 20th century!
Personally, I would recommende to visit it from late afternoon to evening for the best light and atmosphere (almost no tourist during the whole day though! 😉 .
3. The Appian Way Bike Path
(Via Appia Antica)
Built in 312 BC, the Via Appia is one of the oldest Roman roads still accessible today.
It is a green, immersive, path through some of the most impressive Roman ruins, such as catacombs, old acqueducts (still used today!), ancient graveyards, massive umbrella pines perfectly aligned…
Imagine cycling on 2,300-year-old basalt stones!
This road, once upon a time connected Rome to Brindisi (in the Puglia region) and was a strategic military artery of the Roman empire.
Today, parts of it are protected inside the Parco dell’Appia Antica and make for a great cycling (or walking!) experience just outside of Rome!
Insider tip: Rent a bike near Porta San Sebastiano. Go on Sunday when traffic is restricted 🙂
4. Basilica of San Clemente: Three Layers of Time
San Clemente is not simply “one of the many” churches of Rome (did you know that there are over 1000 churches in the city? 😉 ).
Actually, it is “three” churches stacked vertically (so damn Italian! xD).
On Level 1, you can find a 12th-century basilica.
On Level 2 you can observe a 4th-century early Christian church.
And on levell 3, you can witness a 1st-century Roman house and a Mithraic temple (a temple dedicated to the Persian god Mithras, popular among Roman soldiers).
What makes this place truly curious and worth visiting though, is that on ground floor you can hear underground water flowing from ancient Roman structures beneath your feet 😀
My tip with this one is to not rush it, take you 30-40 minutes to visit and observe: it deserves time to truly appreciate! 😉
5. Gianicolo Hill at Sunset
6) Centrale Montemartini:
When Marble Meets Machinery
Centrale Montemartini is an underrated masterpiece, fullstop!
Originally built in 1912 as Rome’s first public power plant, it was decommissioned in the 1960s.
In 1997, during renovations of the Capitoline Museums, a selection of classical sculptures was temporarily moved here.
Visitors loved the contrast so much that the exhibition became permanent.
By visiting this gallery, you can find side by side massive diesel engines, steam turbines, industrial boilers, and among them, statues of Roman emperors, Greek gods and Egyptian sarcophagi.
It is such a crazy combination, but it leads the mind wondering about history, about ages, and about the meaning of our existence itself 🙂
The museum contains around 400 ancient sculptures, many from the Republican and Imperial periods.
You can get the tickets to this marble and steel exposition straight at the door or through the Gallery official website.
Not to miss: The “Hall of the Machines” was to us the main shock moment… Standing beneath giant early-20th-century generators while facing statues of Athena or Apollo watching them, just wow!!!
7. Trastevere at 7:00 AM
(The Version Nobody Posts)
Trastevere is pure Italian chaos at night: bars. orange aperols, street musicians, young folks walking around and couples on romantic dates!
After 7:00 am, this whole area becomes cinematic!
This neighborhood dates back to ancient Rome, when it was a working-class district outside the main city walls.
The name “Trastevere” in Italian literally means “across the Tiber.”
Walking here early morning, when the city finally sleeps (although Rome never truly sleeps they say!), it can reveal its true structure: medieval alleyways, peeling ochre facades, laundry hanging between buildings, the smell of fresh espresso drifting from corner cafés… it is another experience away from the chaos!
Tip: If you happen to walk there, be sure to take a look also at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in Rome!
Rome at 7 AM has not tour buses, no shouting guides, no queues…only locals opening their shops, and local coffees offering cheap warm crossaints 😉
Conclusions 🙂
And here we are at the end of this article 🙂
Int his article we’ve seen 7 places of Rome you might never heard before, but which believe me, are truly impressive: they feel local, and they will make you see Rome with different eyes (let alone take great photos, different from those of everyone else!).
Yes, you should also see the Colosseum. Of course xD
But if you want to understand the city — not just photograph it — step slightly off the main axis and you won’t regret it! 😉
Before going, as always, I want to ask you:
- Have you ever been to Rome before?
- How was your experience?
- Do you have other tips you would like to leave for the other readers?
Let us know in the comments below! 😀
Hereafter, I will leave you a few articles that you might also be interested in checking out:
Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article! 🙂
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