Explore Roma

1. Stadium of Domitian and the Underground of Piazza Navona

What a wonderful place in an unconventional Rome : five meters below the street level of the current Piazza Navona, lies one of the best preserved and least known archaeological sites in Rome. This is the ancient athletics stadium, the first and only brick one in the history of ancient Rome, strongly desired by Emperor Domitian and reserved for athletics, wrestling and boxing competitions: it could hold as many as 30 thousand spectators! To visit the Stadium of Domitian , the cost of the regular entrance ticket is €9.00 , with a 40-minute guided tour.

2. Francesco Borromini’s Perspective Gallery

Francesco Borromini was an architect among the greatest exponents of Italian Baroque , famous for having designed some of the most beautiful Roman churches such as the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza. But in the courtyard of Palazzo Spada there is a little-known work by Borromini, the perspective gallery . These are nine meters of marble colonnade which actually seem like 38, thanks to a play of perspective based on a single vanishing point combined with the ceiling, which progressively descends while the pavement rises, even by 60 centimetres. An optical illusion worth discovering!

3. Borghese Gallery

In the collective imagination, the art galleries of Rome are the renowned complexes of the Vatican Museums, the MAXXI, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, the Capitoline Museums, yet there are also alternative places in Rome where you can breathe great art . Inside the green lung of the historic center of Rome, Villa Borghese, the Borghese Gallery offers visitors a catalog of works by the best prestigious artists: Bernini, Raphael, Canova, Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio are just some of the names that crowd the walls and exhibition spaces of the Borghese Gallery. The price of the regular entrance ticket is €13.00.

4. Domus of Palazzo Valentini

A historic site where archeology and visual technology merge. Since 2010, at the excavations carried out at Palazzo Valentini, it is possible to take advantage of an evocative journey to discover the patrician domus of the imperial age adorned with mosaics, decorated walls, polychrome floors: the existing archaeological finds are integrated with digital projections of the highest quality and clarity , which reproduce with faithful precision the homes of the ancient Romans. A project conceptually curated by the unforgettable Piero Angela and which figures well in the list of alternative places in Rome where you can discover history outside the box.

5. Casina delle Civette in Villa Torlonia

What is a villa with Central European architecture doing in Rome, halfway between a cabin and a small Black Forest castle? It is one of the many unusual places to discover in Rome ! The Casina delle Civette in the park of Villa Torlonia was for many years a private residence of Prince Alessandro Torlonia, who at the end of the 19th century wanted to build what was originally a Swiss Hut, out of pure desire to own an eccentric residence. Over the years, the Prince continued to modify the structure, integrating different architectural styles. The name Casina delle Civette derives from the fire-painted windows on the ground floor, which reproduce owls and other birds.

6. Coppedè neighborhood

Can a housing complex be an inspiration for arthouse films? If you are in Rome, the answer is yes! Gino Coppedè , the Florentine architect from whom the neighborhood takes its name, structured the project by going beyond the stylistic canons of Art Nouveau, resulting in the creation of an unusual housing complex, located in the Trieste neighborhood , with Piazza Mincio at its epicenter. Coppedè is the secret place of an unusual Rome , an unconventional alternative to discover the most intriguing curiosities to see in the city. The arch of Via Tagliamento, the mystical decorations of the facades of the buildings, the atmosphere of the Villino delle Fate or the Palazzo del Ragno, the Fountain of the Frogs in Piazza Mincio: evocative, magnetic and alienating places, used as settings for memorable films such as Cabiria , the first Italian blockbuster, Inferno by Dario Argento and The Omen by American director Richard Donner.

7. The Round Plan Churches of Rome

There are hundreds of magnificent churches in Rome , but those with a circular plan are very rare . The Pantheon in Rome is certainly the most famous votive building with a circular plan, together with the Basilica of Santo Stefano Rotondo del Celio and the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Castel Sant’Angelo, but there is always an alternative Rome to explore and of equal beauty . Like the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza , located on Via Nomentana. A wonderful church, in early Christian style and structured on two concentric circular spaces, with twelve windows and twelve pairs of columns that recreate an enchanting play of light and shadow, enhancing the 4th century mosaics placed on the walls of the ambulatory. A little-known place of worship but with great artistic impact.

8. Biopark of Rome

The oldest zoo in Italy rightfully enters the list of alternative attractions to experience in Rome . Located in the heart of Villa Borghese, the Biopark is home to 1144 species of animals and plays an important role in the protection and defense of animals at risk of extinction. How strange to imagine giraffes, elephants, Komodo dragons, hippos and lions in a park like Villa Borghese, the cornerstone of the promenades of tourists and Roman citizens heading towards the Historic Centre. It’s really true: Rome always offers unconventional experiences !

9. Jasmine Walk

Are you planning a visit to the Vatican? Well, then take advantage of this short but fascinating alternative experience to get there! The jasmine walk is a road that originally connected the Papal State to Italy and is located in the San Pietro railway station , which was the papacy’s railway, but which was progressively abandoned: during the Jubilee of 2000, one of the two tracks it was removed to create a walkable itinerary. The scenography is wonderful: in spring the jasmines color and perfume the Roman air and above all, being an elevated line, you can enjoy an unusual perspective of the dome of St. Peter’s .

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10. Belvedere Socrates

A secret viewpoint for Rome: we are all aware of the splendid view that dominates Rome from the Janiculum, or how romantic and intimate the Lovers’ terrace is on Monte Mario, but in the capital there are many hilly places from where you can admire the endless panorama, off the typical tourist routes . One of these alternative places is the Belvedere in Piazzale Socrate , in the Balduina district. The view is monumental: you can enjoy a unique perspective in Rome on the Dome of St. Peter and the Prati district.

11. Montemartini power station

An old power plant that houses centuries-old sculptures: can there be a more representative unusual place than this, in Rome? The Centrale Montemartini is the branch of the Capitoline Museums and the structure of the museum is itself a relic of industrial archaeology. It is located on Via Ostiense, in a neighborhood little visited by tourists and this makes it even more of an icon of alternative Rome . Engines, turbines and mechanical parts alternate with statues and busts that tell the various evolutionary phases of the history of Rome, with findings that range from the excavations of the Monumental center of ancient Rome (Circus Flaminius, temple of Apollo Sosiano, Campidoglio) to finds that adorned residences of both imperial and private ownership. The regular entrance ticket costs €10.00 .

12. Works by Caravaggio in the Churches of Rome

Rome is so rich in art and monuments that it may happen that you enter an isolated church and notice, in a niche of the building, a canvas by Michelangelo Merisi , aka Caravaggio . One of the secrets of Rome are the works of Caravaggio which are publicly accessible in some churches of the capital. In the churches of San Luigi dei Francesi , in the basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo and in the church of Sant’Agostino there are six works by the talented painter. The triptych dedicated to San Matteo is located in San Luigi dei Francesi, The Conversion of San Paolo and the Crucifixion of San Pietro are preserved in Santa Maria del Popolo and Michelangelo’s masterpiece, The Madonna dei Pellegrini, is located in the last church, Saint Augustine. A truly unmissable curiosity of Rome for art lovers !

13. Non-Catholic Cemetery

Everyone knows the Pyramid of Cestius which towers imposingly over Piazzale Ostiense, in the heart of Southern Rome. Few know that behind it there is one of the most unusual places in Rome , especially if you think of the strong bond that exists between the Capital and the Vatican: the so-called “English Cemetery”, or non-Catholic cemetery. We are in the Testaccio district and here, in this small corner of greenery in the middle of a densely urbanized neighbourhood, non-Catholic people who died in Rome are buried who, due to the rules of the Church, cannot be buried on consecrated territory. In the Non-Catholic Cemetery there are several tombs of illustrious people: John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Antonio Gramsci, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Gregory Corso, Emilio Lussu and Andrea Camilleri rest peacefully in the shadow of the Pyramid of Cestius.

14. Orange Garden Keyhole

Can the Dome of St. Peter fit through a crack of a few centimeters? Certainly, if you look at it through the keyhole of the Priory of the Knights of Malta ! This particular place in Rome is located in a wonderful location, next to the Basilica of Saints Bonifacio and Alessio and Santa Sabina all’Aventino, in the heart of the splendid Giardino degli Aranci , inspiration for a famous scene from the Oscar-winning film The Great Beauty of Paolo Sorrentino.

15. Holy Staircase

An unusual proposal for a sightseeing tour in Rome , but certainly a sacred and highly emotional experience even if you are not fervently Catholic. The Scala Santa is a sanctuary located in the immediate vicinity of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano and, according to Christian tradition, it is the staircase that Jesus Christ traveled to reach the room where he would later be judged by Pontius Pilate. A curiosity relating to the Holy Staircase is that the faithful climb the 28 marble steps on their knees, as a sign of penance and atonement and devotion to Jesus Christ.

16. Magic Gate of Piazza Vittorio

Among the curiosities and secrets of Rome , how can we not mention the legend of the Magic Door which transports you to another dimension? The Magic Door in Piazza Vittorio is what remains of an ancient villa owned by the noble Massimiliano Palombara, marquis of Pietraforte, who often hosted the alchemist Francesco Giuseppe Borri, obsessed with the idea of ​​transforming matter into gold. Borri, the legend always tells, disappeared into thin air one day after crossing the door, leaving behind specks of gold and sheets full of incoherent phrases and mystical symbols. As evidence of the paranormal event, Massimiliano Palombara had the symbols and phrases from Borri’s papers engraved on the doors. To date, no one has been able to solve what was written!

17. Small Cathedral

Are we in Rome or Milan? This is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage , one of the few examples of a Gothic style religious building in the capital. Located on the Lungotevere Prati, just before Piazza Cavour, despite being recently built (it was only consecrated in 1921) it has a harmonious and elegant architectural line, which reflects the aesthetic canons of Gothic beyond the Alps, with a façade entirely in reinforced concrete and a triple internal nave with pointed arches and polystyle pillars. In the sacristy of the Piccolo Duomo there is a further glimpse of an alternative and secret Rome , the Museum of the Souls of Purgatory , an exhibition of documents and testimonies that would prove the actual existence of purgatory.

18. Square Colosseum

The EUR, a district in the south of Rome built at the behest of Benito Mussolini on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of Rome in 1943, is an urban planning test of absolute value and the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana , known as the Square Colosseum , is the best representation of the ‘ EUR . Rationalist in design, linear and entirely made of travertine, praised by the best cinematography for its scenic presence, the porticoes are decorated with 28 statues that tell the virtues of the Italian people and, to reinforce this concept, there is an engraving on the facade main which reads:

“A people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators, transmigrators” .

Today the square Colosseum is rented to Fendi, which has made it its general headquarters, but it remains a cult place in Rome .

19. Crypt of the Capuchins

The Crypt of the Capuchins is located next to the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, at the beginning of Via Veneto, in the immediate vicinity of Piazza Barberini. The crypt is a secluded and intimate space, which demands respect and silence: here lie the bone remains of over 3,700 deceased, mostly Capuchin friars, which were used by an anonymous artist to decorate the vaults and walls of the crypt and the 6 chapels that compose it. A place outside the mold of tourist Rome, perhaps tinged with restlessness, but in fact an essential stop on the tour of an unusual and secret Rome .

20. Rose Garden of Rome

There is a plot of land on the Aventine Hill that has always had a vocation linked to the cultivation of flowers since ancient times. Today it has become the Municipal Rose Garden of Rome , an alternative place in Rome where you can spend a morning being enchanted by the smells and colors of roses, present in over 1000 different species including the rose with green petals and the Rosa Chinensis Mutabilis , which changes the color of the petals as the days pass. The best time to visit the Rose Garden of Rome is undoubtedly in summer or during the autumn flowering, but for an alternative experience go there on April 21st: the rose gardens will vibrate with shining splendor for the historic date of the foundation of Rome.

Outside the box, but still a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Historic Center of Rome

Clearly the Historic Center of Rome, protected by UNESCO , best expresses its immense splendor, the fulcrum of millennia of human evolution. Established in May 1980 and to all intents and purposes it has become the 91st site worthy of the title of world heritage site. As the official website of the World Heritage Site states :

“UNESCO site no. 91 concerns the entire Historic Center of the City of Rome within the circle of the city walls with their largest extension dating back to the 17th century, as well as the complex of the Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura. The site, complex and stratified, includes extraordinary archaeological areas inserted within the urban fabric to form a strongly characterizing whole” .

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We have recounted its wonders, magical and unusual places , unconventional experiences, pleasant alternatives to do: Rome is a beautiful city and equally large, so much so that it seems almost endless. By choosing Belstay Roma Aurelia you will stay in a 4-star hotel that offers you an urban , modern and dynamic resort experience, located in a neighborhood detached from the historic center and surrounded by numerous green areas and, at the same time, perfectly connected to reach the key places of Capitoline tourism. Book a Classic Room  (link) for a pleasant budget compromise, choose a Superior Room (link) to treat yourself to a stay in total comfort and in the name of contemporary design. Whatever your choice, we guarantee you an extraordinary Belstay Experience !