lifeofmytime

Hi all,

I spent close to a week in Rome about 12 years ago, and have seen many of the major sights and attractions. I'm returning in May, but only for a couple days. I was hoping to explore some areas and sights within the city that might be off the beaten path. Hoping for suggestions.

Some info:

• I will have travel companions, one of which has mobility issues, though may have some time to do my own thing.
• My interests are food, gelato, wine, amateur photography, markets, piazzas and exploring interesting neighborhoods
• We may do a hop on/hop off bus tour. May be helpful for my companion with mobility issues; however, the attractions on the tour are mainly ones I've seen before. Anything interesting near the usual routes outside of the listed attractions would be helpful.
• I'm staying near the entrance to Villa Borghese at Viale San Paolo del Brasile and Piazzale Brasile.
• Things I've seen/done that I don't need to repeat: Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Mouth of Truth, churches (saw a few - don't remember the names off hand)
• I already have plans to explore Villa Borghese (including Terraza del Pincio), and would like to make it to Trastevere as I didn't get there last time. Any specific suggestions there would be appreciated.
• Suppers for both evenings are already planned, but lunches are wide open.

Would appreciate any and all suggestions!

lifeofmytime

Also, I realize "Off the Beaten Path" is a bit of a misnomer. More like Off "My" Beaten Path.

SusanP

I hate to tell you this, but you are not in a good location, especially for somebody who has mobility problems. It's close to Villa Borghese, of course, but isn't close to anything else. While there is a bus stop at the bottom of Viale S. Paola del Brasile, there aren't a lot of places you can get to with one bus. For instance, it takes two buses to get to the Piazza Navona area. It takes two buses and a tram to get to Trastavere. It's a very steep walk down either Via d. Porta Pinciana or Via Veneto. Coming back up would be trouble for somebody with mobility issues.

That said, in Trastavere, see S. Cecilia, and don't miss going down in the crypt for an amazing mosaic chapel. Also, of course, S. Maria in Trastavere for more mosaics. And since you like just seeing neighborhoods, the whole area is nice. Aristo Campo on Via d. Lungaretta is good for lunch.

progol

I agree with SusanP that your location is a bit awkward for exploration. If it’s possible to find a more central location, you might be able to get around more easily.

Here’s a planning thread for my trip to Rome in 2017. There’s a lot of great info on this thread.
8 Days in Rome in March 2017 - planning thread

Jean

For your independent exploring, you don't mention any interest in museums and/or galleries. But if you are interested, two that I wouldn't miss are the Galleria Borghese (timed entry reservation required) and the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme.

If you didn't take the Scavi tour under St. Peter's Basilica on a previous trip, I highly recommend it. Seek reservations immediately as they are limited.

Excavations office

Lexma90

In Trastevere, I would make the same recommendations that SusanP has made; I think the sculpture to Saint Cecilia is amazing.

For gelato, these are not near your hotel, but our favorite is Giolitti, which is nearish the Pantheon. Gelateria della Palma is nearby, but I don't like it as much. You may have to do some serious taste-testing.

One possibility for your mobility-impaired friend, that I used for my parents when they visited Amsterdam (my dad can't walk for long distances) - a pedicab. I found a service online, and arranged for a tour of one area (of Amsterdam), then she pedicabbed them to an out-of-the-way museum, then she took them back. I don't remember if I've seen pedicabs in Rome, but if so, it's a fun alternative to a bus or cab.

One very interesting church is the Basilica of San Clemente. Kind of behind the Coloseum, it's one church, built on top of an older church, which is built on top of a mithraem, and then I believe under that is a Roman villa. Fascinating.

michael_cain_77398

Here are some great sites that aren't on the standard itineraries:
Vatican Scavi - As mentioned before.
Colosseum: Dungeon and Belvedere Tour - You might have "done" the Colosseum, but you haven't really done the Colosseum if you haven't been to the dungeons and the Belvedere.
Domus Aurea: Nero's Golden House - Newly reopened.
Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia - fascinating, and less visited than the museums that focus on classical Rome or the Renaissance.
Terme di Caracalla 4D - You rent goggles that show you what the baths looked like in their glory. There are over a dozen interactive recreations. It's stunning.

In Trastevere, visit Chiesa Rettoria di S. Cecilia and the Villa Farnesini

The first three of these need advance reservations, so you'll want to act fast. And most involve walking on uneven surfaces.

SusanP

Jean and Lexma90 make good suggestions, although I think the mithraem is the bottom of the four layers of San Clemente.
The best gelato I ever had was in a tiny shop halfway over Ponte Fabrico/Ponte Cestio from the Jewish Quarter (another interesting neighborhood) into Trastavere. Really interesting flavors! Another place is on Via del Governo Vecchio (west of Piazza Navona) right before Via Sora. With gelato, the main thing is "research," the more the better. 😁

SusanP

I was typing at the same time as michael. The Domus Aurea is good and has a really neat 3D experience at the end, you feel as if you're right there as it was, but it's only open to visitors on the weekend, because the restoration work is still ongoing (at least that was the case a year ago). Also, I'm not sure whether you can go there without a tour.

Traveler_Nick

Hop on/off bus isn't worth much. Most of the sites are inside the pedestrian only zone. Check what they claim are the stops. My guess is you'll find them a fair distance from the actual sites.

Some of the lesser visit sites are hard to get to with mobility issues.

Mostra dell?Acqua Paola al Gianicolo | Sovrintendenza

Acqua Paola fountain and the nearby Gianicolo viewing terrace are a hike. I guess you could take a bus but likely not a great idea.

Likewise the Campidoglio terrace. It's up I think three flights of stairs.

DaveJJ

I too recommend the Domus Aurea. I'd also suggest the Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini. After we toured here we went up and around the corner to enter Trajan's Market. We also enjoy Crypta Balbi. Across the street is the Largo Argentina, the cat sanctuary.

StCirq

I am generally not a fan of HOHO buses, anywhere. But the third or so trip I made to Rome I had two toddlers in tow and a spouse who'd never visited the city, and it was a far more relaxing way of being introduced to the city than trying to navigate on foot for our first few hours there. The narrative was puerile enough to keep the toddlers entertained, and it kept us off the dangerous streets for a bit (one of my toddlers was an inveterate dart-into-traffic type). I don't mean to suggest that toddlers and a mobility-limited adult are equal travelers, but I wouldn't discount the HOHO bus as an OK introduction to the city.

lifeofmytime

Thanks so much to all for your helpful responses. Unfortunately, we’re staying with a larger group so can’t change our hotel.

I don’t mind recommendations that aren’t ideal for my mobility-challenged friend as I know she’ll be exploring some of the sights I’ve already seen so I will have some time to venture off on my own.

Vttraveler

We enjoyed going up to the Piazza Garibaldi on theGianicolo (Janiculum) for the great views of the city.
There is a pleasant walk from this point downhill into Trastevere. Part way down you will reach Bramante's Tempietto in the cloister of San Pietro in Montorio. In Trastevere you can visit Santa Maria in Trastevere and the piazza around it, then cross over the Isola Tiberina into the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood.

TDudette

You do know to get reservations for Borghese, yes? When we were there, we had to check our bags.

I would add: Piazza Navona; Campo de'Fiori; a Bernini tour (if there is one); return to Vatican museums (no way to see everything in one visit); side trip to Tivoli gardens; St. Ignatius ( https://santignazio.gesuiti.it/en/ ) with its fake dome; and Giolitti's for gelato (pay first).

Also please google 'tram closest to villa borghese' for tram info. DH and I used tram and bus often in Rome. Google for tram info: https://www.google.com/search?q=rome...vI-_1VMwlkLHKM

mama_mia

Another vote for Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. In addition to the crypt and the marvelous statue of the saint by Maderno, check out the frescoes in the choir. They were painted by Pietro Cavallini in the 13th century and depict beautiful angels in a scene from the Last Judgment. His art was very influential.

About a 7 minute walk from there is the church of San Francesco a Ripa, which has the statue of Blessed Ludovica Albertoni by Bernini.

I know we walked between Santa Cecilia and Santa Maria in Trastevere...Google maps shows it to be about an 11 minute walk. From Santa Maria in Trastevere (great mosaics) it is just another short walk to Villa Farnesina. To get to Trastevere and Santa Ceciia (close to tram stop), you could take a tram from Torre Argentino. However, that would be quite a walk from your hotel and maybe two buses, so might be easier to cab over to Trastevere.

sassy27

I did a food walking tour in the Jewish ghetto during my second trip to Rome. I booked it through viator and did this my last day there. I really enjoyed it and it did crisscross some of what I previously saw but not too much.

dfrostnh

I think the HOHO tourist bus was the only waste of money I did on my visit last September. It was crowded, the narration was poor and if you didn't sit on the top you didn't get a good view of things. I think someone with mobility issues would have difficulty with the narrow stairs to the top of the bus. I also got a bus pass and eventually figured out how to use my phone to choose what bus I needed and when to get off (google maps). I used hiking poles to help me with walking.
I was only there for 4 days and one day was devoted to an InRome cooking class. I used this blog about 24 hours of eating in Rome to identify places to eat https://www.eater.com/2018/5/9/17315...-meals-layover I especially enjoyed Mercato di Testaccio where I got a sandwich from the recommended sandwich guy (obviously a popular booth) and ate in the central seating area. Good place to people watch. The InRome class included a visit to the Campo Fiori market.
I enjoyed shopping down one of the narrow streets with the intent of finding some jewelry at a Murano Glass shop. I just picked a small nearby restaurant with an interest menu. After lunch I continued on since I saw a sign for the Trevi Fountain. That was one of my favorite photo ops. The crowd was so thick that I took a picture and commented on facebook that I guessed I was someplace famous. I did edge closer to get a better look at the fountain but it was a good example why it's a good idea to skip the popular tourist spots.
I wish I had booked a walking food tour since I have enjoyed them in other cities.

vincenzos

First of all congratulations for your choice of the place where to stay. it is exactly where I, and I am Roman, would stay to visit the city. It's not a case that most of the luxury hotels are just steps away from there in Via Veneto.
1) A couple of excellent restaurants not far from there: Cesarina in Via Piemonte and Hostaria Po in Via Po.
2) Do not miss the the Coppedè district, 10-15 minutes walking from there
3) Cross Villa Borghese till Piazzale Flaminio, catch tram nr. 2 till the other end, cross the Tiber and visit the Foro Italico, the area of the Olympic Stadium
4) Here a map of the museums in Rome; a few of them, very important ones, are just in that area
5) These sites shouldn't be missed for any reason at all. They are even more important than the Colosseum of the Vatican.
6) Rome is full of obelisks from ancient Egypt and more modern, go around to discover them
7) Here some other suggestion

lifeofmytime

Many thanks for all of this information. As always, Fodorites are a treasure trove of helpful information. Really appreciate it!