Rome secrets
 

I'm going to Rome for the second time this weekend. I have seen the big stuff, and this time I want to see the little things that most tourists don't get around to seeing, or don't know about. So I'm looking for people to share their secrets or info tidbits that they may have. Thanks :)

PS it can be anything!

HI
I'm no Rome expert compared to some, and I doubt these are secrets, but maybe they are new to you, tho' I don't know if they fit your interests:

Basilica di San Clemente, lower basilica, frescoes from the 9th-12th century. Scenes depict Sisinius, a Roman prefect who went to arrest his wife for attending a mass. He and his servants were struck blind, and they tried to carry off a column,mistaking it for his wife. The captioning in Italian makes this one of the earliest comic strips. One of the sentences reads "Go on, you sons of harlots, pull!" Walk down a few levels and you will hear and see the rushing water that once supplied drinking water to ancient Romans.

San Pietro in Montorio: Church has a commanding view of Rome fom the Gianicolo hill, supposedly built on the site of Saint Peter's crucifixion. In the adjoining courtyard of this church is the charming Il Tempietto, a miniature temple/church designed by Bramante. It can hold about 12 standing people.

Rome has over 100 churches that are worth visiting. You have probably already seen the most important of these (Vatican, S.M. Maggiore, S.Giovanni in Laterano, S. Paolo Fuori le Mura, etc.). You could now visit the second and third tier churches. A stroll in the Aventino and/or Gianicolo districts would be worthwhile. So too walking through the Villa Borghese Gardens (have you seen its three important museums?)

Nope I haven't.. thanks. And Elaine that's exactly what I'm looking for, neat anecdotes/spots like that (tho not necessarily just churches).

RAR,

I recommend the book Secrets of Rome (look at Amazon). It is a neat travelogue/reviews by people who actually live in the city of both popular and hidden secrets.

This may not be the advice you are looking for but the best "secret" I found in Rome is walk the back streets and neighborhoods. We found many unique shops and monuments in parks etc just by getting "lost". Enjoy!

We really enjoyed the tour of the Vatican gardens. Not exactly a secret but not done by too many tourists.

RAR, I think that Cotes is referring to a book called "City Secrets: Rome"

It's a collection of favorite "secret" places in Rome by architects, artists, writers, archaeologists, and historians at the American Academy in Rome. I have it and would highly recommend it. (There is also a companion book, "City Secrets: Florence, Venice, and the Towns of Italy")

I wouldn't exactly call these "secrets" but a few things I really liked were...

. The trompe l'oeil dome of St. Ignatius

http://home.online.no/~cnyborg/ignazio.html

. The charming little Fountain of the Turtles in Piazza Mattei, in the Ghetto

. The Via di Borgo Pio, near the Vatican

http://www.initaly.com/regions/latium/borgopio.htm

. The "Street of the Dueling Churches", Via del Quirinale, across from the Quirinale Palace. Within a short distance of each other are Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and his rival Bernini's Sant'Andrea al Quirinale.

http://www.letsgo.com/ROMA/03-LifeAndTimes-63

. Via Marghutta, a bit north of the Spanish Steps. A very peaceful short street with art galleries and antique shops.

. The lower part of Tiber Island. We spent part of a glorious sunny day in April just hanging out in this very uncrowded part of the island. I suspect most people just cross over Tiber Island on their way to and from Trastevere.

Very cool, I'll have to check out some of these (especially the 'dueling churches'). More more! :)

Not sure if you're into art, but I enjoyed the Palazzo Doria Pamphili. The Pamphili family was one of Rome's influential families and even gave the city a pope. I think the palazzo is right on Via del Corso. You can tour the apartments, one of which I believe still contains the mummified remains of a saint, although you cannot see it too clearly if I remember correctly. Another large gallery has various paintings, and another has some sculpture.

I don't know if you've seen the church on Via Veneto called Santa Maria della Concezione. It houses a collection of human bones in its basement; these bones are arranged in strange decorations to suggest the beauty of death as a beginning rather than an end. I wouldn't actually call this church a "secret," but rather less frequently visited. Don't go if you have a weak stomach!

Another stop for some art is Palazzo Altemps, which houses a really interesting (though not large) collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.

As for some more churches, I also liked Il Gesu (VERY baroque) and Sant'Ignazio, which was mentioned by another poster. You might also try the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (not far from the Pantheon) for a rare example of some Gothic architecture in Rome. It also has a sculpture by Michelangelo on the side of one of the altars.

Hope this helps. I'll try to think of some more. Have a great time!

MMM

while i have several "guides" to rome, my favorite is still "City Secrets Rome".
if you were able to cover every "secret" or mentioned place in this book you would have a great experience..outside the usual, first time visitor's, experience.
and~~the maps of each area include in the book are quite accurate, and it fits easily into a purse or pocket~