Hidden Gem(s)in Rome?
 

Hi folks,

Visiting Rome for the first time in June and have plans to hit the usual stops: Colosseum, Vatican, Basilica, and a cooking class.

however, we also have a couple of free days. One day is going to be 100% free to relax and maybe roam. :)

On our other free day, we’re looking for something that would only take a short amount of time and wouldn’t require a bunch of travel (for this reason, Pompeii was eliminated from our itinerary).

So, we’d LOVE to hear your hidden gems!!

An excellent nearby day trip is to Tivoli to see fountains.

You could see the excavations at Ostia Antica.

https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural.../ostia-antica/

As for the quest for "hidden gems," you'd have to give more info on your specific interests. There are dozens of amazing things in Rome that aren't mentioned in most guides.

Not so unknown anymore... The Scavi tour under St. Peter's.

Excavations Office

i highly recommend the Capuchin Crypt.
https://www.italyrometour.com/the-church-of-the-bones

While certainly not hidden, The Borghese is a true Gem. Is it on your list? If not, it definitely should be at or near the top.

the crypt is something I think might scare our younger kids.

but off to Google I go to learn about The Borghese!

how easy is this to get to from central rome?
would we use train? Taxi?

we considered this, but it looks to be a 45 min cab ride from central Rome. Is that accurate?

https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural.../img/treno.png From Rome Porta San Paolo (https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural...img/metrob.png Piramide), https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural...img/metrob.png San Paolo or https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural...img/metrob.png Eur Magliana, train https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural...g/romalido.png up to Ostia Antica station. The station is directly opposite the Park. You can walk to the Park from the station across the footbridge

https://www.ostiaantica.benicultural...ological-park/

There's a commuter train (the Roma Lido train) that goes to Ostia Antica from Porta San Paolo (metro station Piramide). It's part of the Rome public transportation system, so you can use a regular bus ticket or tourist pass to get there. You might even be able to make a free transfer from a bus or metro, but I'm not sure.

You should give us a little more information about your family and your interests. Apart from the church with the skeletons, which has no significance beyond the creepy aspect, the excavations under the Vatican might be off the program, because they have a minimum age (14 I think).

Ostia Antica has been popular with every kid I've ever taken there. It's one place that might be better seen with a guide, because it's not well marked. The last time I was there (in 2019, I think) I was pleased to see they had an audio guide. However, it was practically useless. You were supposed to enter the number you saw on a sign in front of a place of interest. After the first two signs, we never saw another, except for one that was lying in the middle of a road. I hope they've improved that.

Another place that my little granddaughter liked was the Gallery in Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. It's a Renaissance palace, still owned by the descendants of the Doria Pamphilj family. The rooms are gorgeously furnished in period style, and the family's art collection is still hanging on the walls.

My granddaughter's favourite museum was the National Roman Museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. She had a big interest in ancient Greek and Roman mythology and she really liked the sculptures there. They also have a collection of ancient jewellery and household goods, which interested her. And there is a mummy of a little girl buried with her doll. It's not known why she was buried with Egyptian rites; the rest of her family was buried Roman style. I wondered if she had died soon after their arrival from Egypt, when the old way seemed like the only right way.

Here's a very recent thread that might interest you:

https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/rome-beyond-the-obvious-things-to-see-things-to-do-1713558/

[QUOTE=bvlenci;17448939]There's a commuter train (the Roma Lido train) that goes to Ostia Antica from Porta San Paolo (metro station Piramide). It's part of the Rome public transportation system, so you can use a regular bus ticket or tourist pass to get there. You might even be able to make a free transfer from a bus or metro, but I'm not sure.

You should give us a little more information about your family and your interests. [/eQUOTE]

Kids are 17,15,12

Interests: while they enjoy museums, they don’t enjoy them enough to ass any more on.

they like history, so perhaps Ostia Antica is a good bet if we can get there easily.

I think the Tivoli estates might be neat, but I don’t know if we have enough time (we’re already scheduled to visit the Appian Way and Aqueducts, so it might be a Sophie’s choice).

History being an interest, they might enjoy a visit to the Basilica of San Clemente. https://basilicasanclemente.com/eng/...e-excavations/, where they will pass under the present-day church to the medieval church below and finally to the Roman temple of Mithras. It's like a time machine.

When you said the crypt might scare your younger children, I thought they must be pre-schoolers, or elementary age. LOL. Unless they have very controlled and limited TV, I bet they’ve seen much scarier things on TV or in movies. However, based on that concern, you might want to look closely at a website of the sculptures in the Borghese because some do have very adult content. I do not think either place has recommended ages, but you could check. I would not want you to be surprised at the Borghese.

oops. Yeah, I probably chose a poor word.
instead of scary (like a horror movie) I meant to communicate that they’d be “unsettling,” kind of like not being a fan of visiting a funeral home.

I was going to recommend that. Also agree that Borghese is fabulous.

Basilica of San Clemente & Capuchin Crypt are both good & my teens liked. They take less than an hour each to see.

IMO, with teens, you run the risk of being "museumed out,"
Find something active for a day.
My rec: Guided e-bike ride on the Appian Way. There's a version that includes a stop at the catacombs as well.
We used StarBikes tour and they were excellent. Start point is just a few blocks from San Clemente as well.

Ostia Antica is a decent option if you're not visiting Pompeii.
Short train ride to Orvieto is a great way to see a classic hill town (funicular ride from the train station).

Does your trip include leaving Rome?
2 nights in Sorrento is a great option if you're up for leaving the city.

Absolutely not saying you should go. You know best what might disturb your kids. I did take a group of students, age 14-18 on a HS trip to Italy. They found the crypt interesting and in a way, kind of a way to honor and remember the dead. It is not at all like a funeral home, more like a “Day of the Dead” memorial. It is certainly not a must see sight, but can be an easy to do, quick visit place.

OTOH, the Borghese is one of the most beautiful buildings and the collection of sculpture so fine, it is number one on the list of galleries I recommend in Rome. Funny thing though, the kids might find it less interesting than the crypt.

Orvieto would make a great, easy day trip.

Without knowing how much time you have overall, or the rest of your trip, it is hard to make good recommendations. I do think your kids are the perfect ages to see Pompeii. If you actually do have two full days completely free, I might try to fit it in by seeing it on the way to Sorrento (take the train and stash luggage at the entrance to Pompeii, spend a night in Sorrento, take a ferry down the coast the next day and back to Rome by train. It is easier than it sounds. You probably have hotels and everything in Rome already booked though.

BTW, do not miss going inside and having perhaps a brief tour of the Pantheon. Without it, Brunelleschi may not have figured out how to build the dome in Florence, and that became the basis for solid dome building ever after.

Those interested in history would probably enjoy some time at Castello Sant'Angelo. It's about 2000 years old. On the banks of the Tiber, near Vatican City.

https://www.thegeographicalcure.com/...le-sant-angelo

yes, we have other stops after Rome.

we were thinking about Ostia Antica, but weren’t loving the 45 min ride there and back, but it’s been suggested enough that it may be worth it.

I can't tell exactly what you are already planning when you say you will hit the "usual stops." You didn't mention the Forum and Palatine Hill. I'd recommend those and the Baths of Caracalla.
Our teenage son also enjoyed hanging around the Piazza Navona and the square in front of the Pantheon and counting the cats at the nearby cat sanctuary.

[QUOTE=Vttraveler;17450061]I can't tell exactly what you are already planning when you say you will hit the "usual stops." You didn't mention the Forum and Palatine Hill. I'd recommend those and the Baths of Caracalla…z”

I loved the Baths at Caracalla. It was empty which was nice. Also they have the VR which is cool to do,

Not hidden, but there are three Caravaggio paintings in the church of St Luigi dru Francesci near the Pantheon. Insert a coin to turn lights on a painting.

It's easy to walk to this church and see a Michelangelo masterpiece:

TheRisen Christ, Cristo della Minerva in Italian, also known as Christ the Redeemer or Christ Carrying the Cross, is a marble sculpture by the Italy High Renaissance master Michelangelo, finished in 1521. It is in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, to the left of the main altar.

Great idea! I think it is the only gothic church in Rome. It also contains some marvelous frescos by Filippino Lippi.

I wholeheartedly support the Borghese as well, one of my favorite museums. I also think the crypts are a toss up. My son thought it was very cool if a little unsettling and my daughter thought it was morbid. Both of mine were in their late teens when they went.
Context offers some interesting tours, an underground tour and Ostia Antica. Their website might give you some good ideas on different things to explore. I think we did a tour of Villa Farnesina with them, great guide and a good walk too.
A cheesy photo op but we went to Bocca Della verita . I have an Audrey Hepburn fan and she thought that was fun.

Yo Warner,
Maybe consider renting ebikes to explore the Appian Way? Sundays would be best coz it is car-free then.
Or if you all like gardens, check out Ninfa Gardens, an hour away near Latina. *Note that you must sign up ahead for a guided tour and that its only open on specific dates.
Hope all goes well.
I am done. the end.

The Gardens of Ninfa are really wonderful, developed in the ruins of the medieval town of Ninfa, owned by the noble Caetani family. The town was abandoned in the 14th century. The gardens are maintained by the Caetani foundation, which also maintains the nearby Castle of Sermoneta, which was also a Caetani property. The foundation was established by the widow of one of the last members of the family, which died out in the 20th century.

Until recently, the gardens were not open often, but now they seem to be open every weekend, and on national holidays, and some other dates. They may be closed in the winter. I only see a calendar through the 1st of November.

You must reserve your visit, and numbers are limited.

There remains the problem of getting there, as there is no public transportation serving the gardens. The nearest train station is 7 km away at Latina Scalo, and you can get a taxi from there.

https://www.giardinodininfa.eu/

You should also try to visit the castle and the beautiful town of Sermoneta, also not served by public transportation. It seems to be open the same dates as the garden, although the calendar only goes through the 25th of June.
​​​https://www.giardinodininfa.eu/colle...i-di-sermoneta
There are tour groups from Rome that visit the garden and the castle. I wouldn't want to visit with a very large group.

[QUOTE=yestravel;17450064]Great