Off the Beaten Path Rome! Tips for Food, Neighborhoods, Activities, Etc.
 

Hi Rome Experts!

This will be my 4th time in Rome and 2nd for my kids -- ages 6, 10 and 11. We are also coming so I can take a class and are renting an apartment for the first time. Because we have seen all the major sites, though I know we will eat gelato on the Steps and at the Fountain, I'm really interested in off the beaten path places to discover and new activities to try. I would like us to go restaurants and places that are not in the city center, as we are not bound by being close to the Pantheon or Colosseum like previous trips. We will venture to any neighborhood for good food and experiences. I'm also lucky as my kids are real foodies, into art and music.

Any suggestions for restaurants, neighborhoods to explore, small art galleries, fun activities etc. starting the 2nd week in June.

Thanks all.

P.S. Posted this ? on TA too just in case you see it.

Is your apartment off the beaten path?

Ostia Antica and St. Paul Outside the Walls. Castel Gandolfo. Tivoli.

I guess by Steps you mean the Spanish Steps but what does at the Fountain mean?

Are you sure you've seen everything in the city center? That's a lot of sights.

- bike tours with the kids going places you haven't been
- Jewish quarter on a Saturday or Sunday morning: delightful

It would help to have a brief list of the things you've seen on previous trips. I could spend half an hour making a list of hidden gems in Rome, but I would hate to hear that you've seen all of that.

Into art: then take them to the Borghese.

For dinner, Ambasciata d'Abruzzo in Parioli is a great neighborhood restaurant. North of Villa Borghese.

http://www.ambasciatadiabruzzo.com/

Ian

Thanks so much for your replies. I'm excited about restaurant suggestion in Parioli as that is where we will be staying. Bike riding and Jewish quarter are also great suggestions. Never done the Borghese either and I know we will be close!

By Fountain, I meant the Trevi Fountain. We have also been to the Catacombs, the Vatican many times, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Tivoli Villa, Hadrian's Villa, the Spanish Steps. If we have missed something, please let me know.

But really interested in exploring other neighborhoods and sights and eating at new places.

Thanks for getting the list started!

Enjoy your day.

<< If we have missed something, please let me know. >>

You have missed tons of things in the central part of Rome. The Borghese is one of my favorite places in Rome but I never mentioned it since you assured us that you've seen everything.

Have you wandered around Trastevere? I didn't see it on your list. It's a wonderful old area and once you get away from the main square the restaurant and cafe prices drop and you see mostly residents rather than tourists. It has the old world Rome look. There are three wonderful churches - Santa Maria, Santa Cecelia, and San Francisco a Ripa.

Plazzo al Temps.

I notice that you don't have churches on your list. The churches in Rome are works of art. Just a few feet from the Pantheon is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Santa Maria Maggiore (near Termini) is one of the 4 main basilicas. San Clemente where you can descend 3 layers to the 1st c. BC temple - it's so interesting.

Have you seen the other fountains in Rome? Every time a new water supply was found a fountain was created to pipe the water into the city. Some of them are outstanding.

Daytrip to Tarquinia (1 hour by train). Piccies comprise the 2nd-half of this set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougla...7637640291643/

The jewish ghetto on saturdays is pretty dead. Sundays is a better idea. Also on sundays, go to the citta del altra economia in testaccio, a heaven for families. Trastevere, esp piazza san cosimato in the afternoons is great for kids, too

I certainly wouldn't suggest riding bikes on the streets of Rome, especially with a five-year-old. However, riding bikes in the Villa Borghese gardens would be safe and fun.

I think there are museums other than the Borghese Gallery that are more suited to children. A few suggestions:

The Corsini Gallery, a small museum with a fantastic collection of great masters.

The Doria Pamphilj Gallery, where you can enjoy the splendid Renaissance palazzo itself, as well as its small art collection. My granddaughter loved it.

The Villa Farnese, a Renaissance Villa, set in a lovely garden, with frescoes by Raphael, among other works of art. Already at age 3, my granddaughter was fascinated by this place.

The Barberini Gallery, a fantastic museum with a great collection of Italian paintings from the late medieval period to early modern times, and a splendid ceiling fresco, with padded benches provided so you can lie down and contemplate it without straining your neck.

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, with a world-class collection of ancient sculpture, and also ancient Roman mosaics, and very rare wall paintings from the villa of Livia, wife of the Emperor Augustus. My granddaughter loved their collection of Roman jewelry.

The Capitoline Museums are also great for ancient sculpture, but maybe a little too large with kids.

Highly recommend Ostia Antica if you haven't already done that. An easy trip out from Rome and a remarkable site. I'll bet the kids would love it, too.

Palazzo Valentini. IMO, a wonderful experience.

Been to Trajan's market? Very cool.

I have lost count of trips to Rome (maybe a dozen?) and I still have a list of numerous sites to visit in the very center.

We do something new to us on each visit and still leave with a list of unseen major sights.

Perilli near Piramide is a good family restaurant. The sights atop the Aventino are all worth your time.

Don't forget that there is so much to see even outside the capital. I live in Palestrina, 35 km east of the city, which is an amazing historic town built on a huge pagan temple dedicated to the goddess of fortune. There is an archeological museum, diocese museum, the home of Sistine Chapel composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the main cathedral with a copy of Michelangelo's "pietà" which he carved while living in Palestrina...cobblestone steps and flowers decorating the quiet neighborhoods, great local cuisine and frequent food festivals, the absence of tourist traps. Only when you leave the city do you get a feel for authentic Italy.

The reason I suggested the Villa Borghese was because the OP stated that the children are INTO art and music and IMO a child might get a kick out of some of the Borghese sculptures. I apologize if this was somehow a totally inappropriate recommendation.

Dukey1 -- the Borghese has been on my list girls years. I will make sure we name it. I'm excited as we are staying so close. So thanks....also thanks to everyone else. I feel like I will start this trip with a fantastic list of places to see and things to experience within and out if the city. In one day, Fodorites have come through as usual. I may some questions after I look up some of the suggestions, but please know that I take my kids traipsing all over the world to some far flung destinations, so they are pretty adventurous and also keen on culture -- even some museums other kids might find boring. Adriene, we have seen the fountains -- they are facinating. Some of your other suggestions are a go for sure. Thanks all.

Off the beaten track is tricky, since you never know what qualifies as the beaten track (for example, it would never have occurred to me to mention the Borghese in this context).

There is one place, that doesn't take too long to see, and is quite interesting in a macabre sort of way. The Capuchin Crypt consists of 5 or 6 rooms decorated with bones. The bones aren't just stacked like they are in the catacombs in Paris, they are arranged, like art. Imagine hiring Hannibal Lecter as your interior designer - the rooms are about what I would expect the result to be.

glenmd, you stole my thunder! I was about to recommend the Capuchin crypt, the kids will love it! Its on Via Veneto, near Piazza Barberini.