Explore Rome’s Hidden History

San Clemente al Laterano

Layers of religious history

If you want to dig deep into Rome’s many historical layers, there is no better place than the Basilica of San Clemente near the Colosseum, where the only visitors are well-informed ones. The experience begins in the twelfth-century “modern” church, which is a place of worship for Catholics and a place of study for scholars. The medieval frescoes span the eighth through eleventh centuries and are among some of the most important in a city spoiled for choice when it comes to frescoed ceilings. Descend into the ruins of the fourth-century church on which the current one was built, and then enter the second-century temple erected by followers of the god Mithras, complete with the remnants of the sacrificial stone altar carved with a depiction of Mithras slaughtering a bull.

    Piazza di San Clemente, 00184 Roma RM, Italy 

Centrale Montemartini

Marble masterpieces in modern surroundings

The Capitoline museums overlooking the Roman Forum offer a dizzying display of ancient sculptures and artwork, but the lines are long, the rooms are often crowded, and the overall experience is marred by checklist tourists. Enter the old Montemartini thermoelectric plant, which was converted into temporary museum space in 1997 when the Capitoline museums were being renovated and the city moved hundreds of its sculptures here so visitors could still have access. The contrast of the white marble masterpieces against massive shiny industrial machinery from the late nineteenth century turned out to be a hit, and the museum is now permanent. You’ll find it in the funky district of Ostiense near the pyramid that marks the Non-Catholic cemetery, where poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley are buried, and near St. Paul’s Gate, where visitors can explore the third-century fortified walls.

    Via Ostiense, 106, 00154 Roma RM, Italy

Villa Medici

An artist sanctuary near the Spanish Steps

I can never quite figure out why more people don’t visit the sixteenth-century Villa Medici set on Pincio Hill near the top of the Spanish Steps. It’s never crowded despite showcasing some of the city’s best exhibitions, all put on by the French Academy in Rome. It has in-house residencies for artists and creators, and the exhibition space offers rare glimpses of the Roman skyline through massive windows. Guided tours of the complex and grounds must be reserved in advance, so the artists in residence are not disturbed. Though often booked, the villa also offers accommodations well worth checking out.

    Viale della Trinità dei Monti, 1, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

Chiostro del Bramante

Spellbinding exhibits in a historic palazzo

Bramante’s Cloister used to be one of the city’s best-kept secrets, tucked behind Piazza Navona and set inside an ancient palazzo designed by architect Donato Bramante around 1500. But over the years, the organizers have brought in a series of major exhibitions, which has put the cloister on the map. Still, it is a special place and one that can be magically quiet, especially during weekday evenings. The former convent is divided into exhibition spaces and is often rented out for glitzy events attended by well-heeled Romans. I come here often to see exhibits, meet friends at the bistro, and shop for gifts at the design store. The trick to beat the crowds is to study the online reservation calendar, then go when there are the most spaces available, as entrance is strictly controlled.

    Arco della Pace, 5, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Scuderie del Quirinale

A museum worth planning ahead for

For those who have been to Rome many times, there is no doubt you’ve passed the former papal stables on the Quirinal Hill that have been turned into an exhibition space hundreds of times. The massive building is easy to overlook, mostly because it shares a piazza with the presidential palace and an imposing fountain with sculptures of Roman horse tamers who are most likely Castor and Pollux. The 16,000-square-foot space spans several floors that now house exclusive visiting exhibitions. Visitor numbers are strictly controlled, meaning there is never overcrowding, but this also prohibits last-minute outings. The Scuderie has hosted exhibitions by Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Pablo Picasso, and Utagawa Hiroshige. The space also offers hard-to-find views over Rome’s skyline, given that it is on the highest of the city’s seven hills.

    Via Ventiquattro Maggio, 16, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

Coppedè Quarter

A storied art-deco neighborhood

It’s easy to slip into the mindset that one only sees certain types of architecture in Rome, be it ancient, Romanesque, baroque, Renaissance, or even fascist. But close to the city center is a delightfully whimsical art-deco neighborhood, which looks far more like what you’d find in Barcelona than in Rome. The Coppedè Quarter is a collection of 26 palazzi and 17 villas that are elaborately decorated in a variety of styles, including liberty and art deco, built between 1915 and 1927 by Gino Coppedè. Start at Piazza Mincio and its fountain of frogs, into which the Beatles allegedly jumped fully clothed after performing at what was then the nearby Piper Club in 1965, as legend has it. Highlights of the district are the Palazzina del Ragno, or Spider Palace — named so for the mosaic spider decoration that adorns the front door — and the Villino delle Fate, or fairy house, whose asymmetrical architecture conjures images of fairy tales. The area has been the backdrop of many Italian horror films, but it is also a refreshing place to wander when the eye needs a change from ancient fare.

Piazza Mincio, 00198 Roma RM, Italy 

Largo di Torre Argentina

A first public look at important ruins

Anyone who has ever visited Rome has passed this rather nondescript set of ruins that seems half buried in the middle of a taxi stand behind the Pantheon. If you look over the wall, you’ll see hundreds of cats kept in a sanctuary there and a pile of pillars that are explained on a graffitied plexiglass street-level map. But the sacred area of Largo Argentina ruins are among the most important in the world, given that they are the site where Julius Caesar is said to have been assassinated on the Ides of March, 44 B.C., marking the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. As of summer 2023, the ruins are open for the first time to the public (previously only scholars could visit). You should descend into the ruins before everyone finds out that the site is open.

    Largo di Torre Argentina, 00186 Rome RM, Italy

Terme di Caracalla

A Roman wonder and music venue

The largest and best-preserved ancient Roman thermal baths anywhere in the world are often a desolate place to wander around. In part because there is so much else nearby, from the Colosseum to the Forum, which to many seem “similar.” The baths complex is also slightly afield, along the street that leads to the Appian Way and its catacombs. But the Baths of Caracalla are one of the wonders of the city. In the summer, the site is a concert venue and where Rome’s opera house holds its seasonal concerts. But I’ve also seen Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler play there. Offseason, it is a sun-soaked ruin begging to be explored.

    Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Parco degli Acquedotti

Escape to nature within the city

It may be a little-known fact that the Trevi Fountain in Rome is the end point of one of the city’s 11 aqueducts that still bring fresh water into the Eternal City. The park in which seven of these aqueducts can be seen is nestled in the Appia Antica archeological park and offers a green respite from the city center. The park is easy to reach on a rented bicycle or by taxi from the center and is the perfect spot for a meaningful walk, especially early morning or late in the day, when the rising or setting sun casts light on the ancient arches. Even though much of the aqueduct network is now buried, the ruins are magical. Follow the marked paths, which have streams, waterfalls, and working farms along them.

    Via Lemonia, 00174 Roma RM, Italy

Piazza Venezia

Panoramic views from the top of Vittoriano

The giant white typewriter or wedding cakelike building in the middle of Piazza Venezia is a landmark for many people, but few tend to explore it. Rather than visiting the war museum exhibition or anything else on display, push past whatever crowd there might be and follow the signs to the elevator to travel to the roof, where there is rarely a queue, though it’s always better to buy the ticket online (they are purchased for the date, not the exact time). Once on top of the monument via the glass elevator, the entire city is laid out all around you — the 360-degree view looks over the ancient Forum to the Colosseum and across the city to St. Peter’s Basilica. It is rare to see the intermingling of ancient and modern Rome from above, and this is the type of place where you can spend hours just taking it all in. On a clear day, you can see the sparkling Mediterranean Sea and the snow on the Apennine mountains outside the city. I never go without binoculars or miss a coffee or aperitivo at the coffee bar on the way up or down.

    Piazza Venezia, 00187 Roma RM, Italy 

Ai Tre Scalini

A locals’ spot for beer and wine

The Monti neighborhood sits above the Colosseum and below the historic center, tucked away, but so central that you will be surprised it exists if you have never been here. In the summer Monti is famous for its dropping ivy, including one annual vine that grows and hangs from a wire above the Tre Scalini bar on Via Panisperna. It’s a neighborhood bar with hundreds of beer and wine labels to choose from. Poets do readings in the winter and sometimes there is live music, but there’s always energy. Even if you go for just an aperitivo, you’ll find it difficult to leave.

    Via Panisperna, 251, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Museo Atelier Canova Tadolini

Halfway between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo

I love this place as a coffee bar or an aperitivo spot — it is just a really great place to sit among statues from the former studio of neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova. As a place to start or end a day of walking around, it’s among the loveliest places in the historical center, about halfway between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. A cappuccino with one of Canova’s artisan pastries is a perfect morning break, or for later in the day, a Negroni or a Negroni Sbagliato (a “wrong” Negroni that substitutes sparkling wine for gin) before moving on for dinner.

    Via del Babuino, 150/A, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

Il Sorpasso

Your aperitivo-hour destination near Vatican

I hesitate to include Il Sorpasso, near the Vatican, on this list because it is such an unspoiled oasis that I almost don’t want people to find out about it. But it is one of my favorite wine bars in the city any time of the year. It’s open all day, but it is at its best during the aperitivo hour, when locals pour in to unwind, especially in the summertime. You can easily get a wonderful meal here, but they also have very interesting nibbles that really do look like mini works of art — and taste even better. It’s tempting to sit outside at one of the small tables, but the best spot is at the bar or one of the inside tables, where people-watching — Roman-watching — is at its finest. Great wine selection, inventive cocktails, and amazing cheese and prosciutto plates keep this on my list of favorite spots.

    Via Properzio, 31/33, 00193 Roma RM, Italy

A side street in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood

Santo Trastevere

Cocktails and exceptional snacks

If consistency is key in a cocktail bar, Santo wins every time. This is a tranquil spot in the heart of busy Trastevere that is always right: the ambience, the mixologist, the snacks — oh, the snacks. They offer an embarrassment of riches when it comes to gin, but go for one of their exotic fruit concoctions that are often mixed with herbs and spices. Santo does offer dinner, but it’s the kind of place where you can go for a cocktail and just eat the snacks they bring along, and you’ll be satisfied.

    Via della Paglia, 40, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.

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Barbie Latza Nadeau - Writer