i arrive in rome tomorrow (2nd trip)and have about 3 days to explore but want to avoid the crazy crowds if possible (ie vatican, colosseo). what are your suggestions for off the beaten path rome sights, museums, and the like?

Visit the Villa Giulia Museum, etruscan artifacts.
Get out of Rome, go to Villa Adriana in Tivoli (belonged to Hadrian), Villa d'Este would be more crowded in the summer but it is a pleasant trip.

Do you like cats? This is a wonderful sight and a worthy cause...free tour of the Toree Argentina ruins is included:


http://www.romancats.com/

I noticed that you are going now, not in the summer. Check the schedule for Villa Farnesina on Via della Lungara(limited hours), close to Palazzo Corsini, just next to the Botanical Garden. All of them can be visited. Have lunch at the edge of Trastevere, on the same block you will find a couple of restaurants. From there take the paseggiata del Gianicolo to the top with nice sunset views of Rome.

or go to Ostia Antica, another site outside Rome.

As the last poster said Ostia Antica is a remarkable place we had a wonderful guide their through Presto tours. There were 3 of us and it's not that expensive, give it a look.

Tivoli is also a great option but be careful of the tour company you go with the one we had, not Presto, was awful.

EUR is a short metro ride out of town

A vast Fascist-architecture of Mussolini where he created an all-new area of monuments, stadiums, offices, convention centres, etc.

Very very unique