Something different in Rome
 

Hi,
I've been to Rome several times and I'm looking for something different to do. We'll be there on Sept. 4th for 4 nights. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Vicki

Something we like to do is look up whatever temporary art exhibits are on, and go to see one or two. We have been in some interesting buildings and parts of Rome, that way.

I'm guessing you've already seen every museum and ruin? There always seems to be something we've yet to see in Rome.

Thanks for the imput. There's still so much I have to see and I just know that there's so many traveler's that have had such remarkable experiences in this city. I just want to get down to the nitty gritty!!!
Thanks again!

Ok, I'll be specific... Have you seen:

St Theresa in Ecstasy
San Pietro in Vincoli
Terme de Caracalla
Santa Maria Maggiore
San Angelo

Now I will let others build on the list!

Hi, keystoney!

I agree with tuscanlifeedit--there's always more to see in Rome! I'm not sure a lifetime would do more than scratch the surface.

But this may satisfy your interest in something different:

On the Via Veneto, down toward the Piazza Barberini, is the church of Santa Maria della Concezione, and in its basement is...an ossuary. Yes, you heard correctly: an ossuary, a crypt, a bone-house, the final resting place for thousands of Capuchin monks from centuries past. In this crypt, the bones of some 4000 monks are fashioned into wall decorations, chandeliers, crucifixes. Skulls are stacked in heaps some 5 or 6 ft. high. The skeletons of more revered church leaders are left intact and clad in brown robes. Altogether, an extremely impressive, even awesome display, evidently with a brevity of life/memento mori theme.

You asked for something different, and I'd say this qualifies. [:-)]

Have a wonderful trip in the Eternal City!

(NB: I know some people use the word "ossuary" to mean a bone-receptacle and not a bone-house, but in fact both meanings are acceptable.)

What about a lovely early Christian church?

Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura is a jewel, and Santa Costanza immediately behind it offers a fascinating mix of Christian and classical imagery in its mosaics. Santa Costanza is also an unusual round church.

I will second smalti's suggestion...it is very fastinating. Here is a link so you can see that it is more like art than just a bunch of bones.

http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/capuchin.html

How about Palazzo Altemps?It's near Piazza Navona and houses the wonderful Ludovisi collection.

http://web.tiscali.it/romaonlineguid...cca/sBHy15.htm

How about Ostia Antica?Archeobus out to see the Aquaducts/Via Appia Antica/Catacombs?

I agree that the Cappuchin Crypts is worth a visit and takes less than an hour to see--no photos allowed but they sell post cards. Have you seen the following: the protestant cemetery and pyramid, Aventine Walk with the churches in that area and the green door with a view of the Vatican, Baths of Caracalla, Keats House, Santa Scala (Holy Stairs), the "cat sanctuary"? Or you could allow for some day trips outside of Rome. Have a great trip.

Vicki - Or if you want to do something really different ... how about going on the Gladiator training course ;)

Steve

We've been to Rome several times, and on our last visit we finally visited the Baths of Caracalla. We were very impressed! Its right in the city but in a big park so it feels like a nice break from the city. The sight is quite large and takes at least a few hours to see, but its worth it.

Another place that I really enjoyed is the Pyramid of Cestius and Porta San Paolo in Testacio. The pyramid is quite large and makes up part of the old Aurelian wall. There is a small, privately owned museum there that houses some interesting artifacts. There is also an old protestant cemetary behind the pyramid. Testaccio itself is an interesting neighborhood to walk through, with some good restaurants and cafes.

Tracy

Tracy--Did you ever see the History Channel program, "Rome: Engineering an Empire"? In it, CAD models (computerized, 3-D recreations) of various sites showed landmarks of classical antiquity restored from ruins to like-new splendor. The highlight of the show was a lengthy walk-through of the Baths of Caracalla, largely speculative I suppose, but fascinating and impressive.

The show came out months ago, but is rebroadcast from time to time.

smalti, I'm wracking my brain right now! I love ancient history so I watch a lot of shows on the history channel. I'm thinking that I did see it though, right after we got back from our last trip. If I recall correctly, it was, as you said, a computerized rendition of how the Baths may have looked. They were gorgeous; very oppulent and splendid with lots of mosaic tiles. When we visited the Baths we were surprised by how huge the buildings were, so it was wonderful to watch them "come to life" in such a way.

Tracy

<i>There's still so much I have to see ... I just want to get down to the nitty gritty</i>

Can't you just tell us exactly what you have already seen in your previous visits? Otherwise, we are all just shooting in the dark.

St. Pauls Outside the Walls?
Janiculum Hill park?
Ostia Antiqua?
The Appian Way?

HI:)Well as others have said where have you been in Rome ? i don't think if i visited Rome a Hundred times i'd ever run out of places to see :) a lot of people do all the &quot;major&quot; sites and never visit the &quot;lesser&quot; ones;) we found St Clemente by accident ...wow is that a little &quot;gem&quot;or what :) ?
give us the places you've been and we will all post you replies :)
XxEm

I agree with St. Clement's; it is so very interesting with the layers of history unearthed below its floor.

Giorgio de Chirico's house/museum, near the Spanish Steps. If you are familiar with his work you will enjoy the house which includes his studio.

http://tinyurl.com/ja29r

Centrale Montemartini
Ancient sculptures set among moribund machines of an abandoned and then restored power station.

http://tinyurl.com/h3j4o

If you haven't yet visited the church of Santa Maria della Victoria I second the recommendation. In addition to the Ecstacy of Saint Teresa, everly inch of the interior is absolutly gorgeous and is the epitone of the Baroque style. The most beautiful small church I've seen in my many trips to Ialy.

A second recommendation is to visit the Forum Hotel, at sunset, go to the roof top terrace bar, have a class of wine with the one you love. Offer a toast to the past glory of Rome as the sun slowly sinks behind the Imperial and Roman Forums, then turn to the one you love and offer a toast to the present and the future. A most memorable experience. Have a great trip.

It's funny, but we visited quite a few of the sites mentioned on this thread on our first trip to Rome! (I did make an effort to see as many of the churches as I could fit in.)

Have you read Angels and Demons? Make sure you get to all of the churches and fountains mentioned in the book.

The churches I didn't get to were the ones &quot;outside the walls&quot; or further out. We traveled mostly on foot and didn't get to some of the churches that were further from the center.

I found the Cappucin church to be kind of creepy. Here's what I wonder: At the time of Michelangelo, it was agaist the law to dissect corpses, punishable by death. How is it that the monks were able to DECORATE with bones?

missypie,

Probably because the monks had been dead and buried for hundreds of years. The bones in the crypt were gathered from a number of other Capuchin cemeteries and brought there to create this reminder that life is short.

I've visited the crypt a number of times, most recently with an anatomy student. It was a new experience to hear, &quot;Why that's a second vertebrae. You can tell because of the way the . . . &quot; It freaked some visitors passing us.