Other Things To Do In Rome - Particularly If You Have Been There Before

[Keith1010]

We have been to Rome several times and most recently a couple of weeks ago.

 

We did many things on our own but we did a tour that took us to some areas that we have not visited before.

 

One of these was the Catacombs outside of Rome. It was absolutely amazing and we saw much more than I expected. It is amazing how they created not only the Catacombs we visited but all the others.

Some are open to visitors and some are not.

 

We also visited the Park of the Aqueducts.

While we also visited some areas in Rome a few of the places are ones we had not been to before.

Rome is a wonderful city to explore on your own but I do think there are some places where an organized/private tour can be educational and add to the overall experience.

Keith

[Daisyloo]

Keith, we also visited the catacombs outside of Rome, and I agree they were really interesting. We visited as part of our tour with "Top Bike". It was a great tour, out the Appian way. We visited the catacombs, the aquaducts, and a sheep farm where we stopped for a snack of wine and farm made cheese. It was on electric assist bikes and we saw so much. We have also done a bike tour of Rome itself with "Top Bike". The beauty of the tours is that on bikes, we got into areas that most tourists don't see. You also cover a lot of ground on a bike. The guides were great and I would recommend this type of tour for anyone who wants to see a lot of Rome

[iancal]

We have been to Rome numerous times. On our last trip, in Nov, a few years ago we had no plans. We spent three days simply walking around. No agenda. We stepped out in the morning and did it on a whim. It was wonderful not to have a defined schedule. Weather was perfect and the lighting was very different than we had experienced on prior visits.

[picsa]

Another alternative is not go to Rome, but go somewhere else.

 

From Civitavecchia it is a short bus ride to Tarquinia which is a lovely hilltop town with a vast number of Etruscan tombs just outside.

[jean87510]

Keith, we also visited the catacombs outside of Rome, and I agree they were really interesting. We visited as part of our tour with "Top Bike". It was a great tour, out the Appian way. We visited the catacombs, the aquaducts, and a sheep farm where we stopped for a snack of wine and farm made cheese. It was on electric assist bikes and we saw so much. We have also done a bike tour of Rome itself with "Top Bike". The beauty of the tours is that on bikes, we got into areas that most tourists don't see. You also cover a lot of ground on a bike. The guides were great and I would recommend this type of tour for anyone who wants to see a lot of Rome

We rented bikes from top bike in may 2017 and are renting them again in this November to go back to the appian way. That was our favorite day in Rome on a Sunday seeing the catacombs, the sheep, stopping for a gelato... it's the reason we are doing it again. The bikes were well maintained and we had a basket to hold things. It was a lot of fun exploring this part of Rome.

 

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[cruise kitty]

We rented bikes from top bike in may 2017 and are renting them again in this November to go back to the appian way. That was our favorite day in Rome on a Sunday seeing the catacombs, the sheep, stopping for a gelato... it's the reason we are doing it again. The bikes were well maintained and we had a basket to hold things. It was a lot of fun exploring this part of Rome.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app

 

We did the same on our last trip, very enjoyable relaxing day, pretty much impossible to get lost, & when we were there it wasn't crowded at all. Loved seeing all the sites along the road. It does seem that they do alternating opening days with some of the Catacomb tours, one of them was closed on our visit... but this was two years ago so maybe things have changed.

[BarbinMich]

We've been to Rome several times: once as part of a land tour of Italy (when we saw quite a lot with our wonderful guide) and 2 times involving a cruise. Since we had seen quite a lot of the famous landmarks on the land tour, on one of the pre-cruise trips we visited the Borghese Gallery, located in Borghese Gardens (a former estate). It's a small gallery but has a wonderful collection of paintings and sculpture. The "Gardens" is really a huge public park and at the western edge, there's a belvedere with an incredible view across the Tiber to the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo below it on the river. We walked from Borghese down to the Tiber and over to the Castel because we are big fans of the opera, "Tosca," and the ill-fated lovers jump to their death from the Castel at the end. It's a round fortification built with an internal ramp winding it's way up to the top level where the Pope resided at one time and, of course, there are views from there of Rome spread out below. The Castel was previously known as the "Mausoleum of Hadrian" built in 135-139 A.D. by Hadrian, a Roman emperor. I believe the topmost levels, including the one where the pope lived, were built later. The papal apartments and art collection alone are worth a visit. Finally, another location we enjoyed latter that afternoon was Palatine Hill's Campigdolio (lovely pink buildings), that loom more than 100 ft above the Roman Forum. So had great views of the latter and we had late afternoon light behind us which made for great photos. From there you can also see the Colosseum. Enjoy!

[cruisemom42]

Every time I visit Rome, I dive a little deeper. Rome has so many layers, many of which still coexist.

 

I've been to several of the catacombs along the Appian Way and in other parts of Rome (along other ancient Roman roads converging on the city). Well worth seeing at least one of them.

 

I also have spent quite a bit of time over my last couple of visits on the Appian Way -- I've walked the first few miles, stopping to investigate various tombs and the two villas that are open (Villa of Maxentius and Villa dei Quintili). I can also recommend a short visit to the Museum of the Walls, which is found right where the old Appia Antica enters into the city proper.

 

Last May, I made arrangements in advance to visit some areas of the Roman era under San Sebastiano church and catacombs. There are three pagan tombs that you can see on the tour, but we went to several areas that are not open to the public generally -- amazing places with frescoed walls and mosaic flooring, and we were shown around by the archaeologist who headed the excavations (these were only recently recovered...).

 

A few years back I started a thread with some ideas for what to visit in Rome beyond the most well-known attractions. It's got some interesting and still valid suggestions for anyone looking for ideas:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1496996&highlight=Rome+less+visited

[roothy123]

We've been to Rome several times: once as part of a land tour of Italy (when we saw quite a lot with our wonderful guide) and 2 times involving a cruise. Since we had seen quite a lot of the famous landmarks on the land tour, on one of the pre-cruise trips we visited the Borghese Gallery, located in Borghese Gardens (a former estate). It's a small gallery but has a wonderful collection of paintings and sculpture. The "Gardens" is really a huge public park and at the western edge, there's a belvedere with an incredible view across the Tiber to the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo below it on the river. We walked from Borghese down to the Tiber and over to the Castel because we are big fans of the opera, "Tosca," and the ill-fated lovers jump to their death from the Castel at the end. It's a round fortification built with an internal ramp winding it's way up to the top level where the Pope resided at one time and, of course, there are views from there of Rome spread out below. The Castel was previously known as the "Mausoleum of Hadrian" built in 135-139 A.D. by Hadrian, a Roman emperor. I believe the topmost levels, including the one where the pope lived, were built later. The papal apartments and art collection alone are worth a visit. Finally, another location we enjoyed latter that afternoon was Palatine Hill's Campigdolio (lovely pink buildings), that loom more than 100 ft above the Roman Forum. So had great views of the latter and we had late afternoon light behind us which made for great photos. From there you can also see the Colosseum. Enjoy!

Thanks for the info on the Campigdolio buildings. I had already figured out, with much effort, where I needed to be to peer down at Palatine Hill - or at least I think I know! However, I had no idea when would be a good time to go. From your comment, I'm now thinking I'll go late afternoon.

[roothy123]

If you're a cat lover, google the cat sanctuary within the ruins at Largo Argentina.

 

If you're a lighthouse lover, google the lighthouse that's somewhere near Garibaldi Piazalle, which is basically an overlook. The lighthouse isn't a traditional by-the-sea one, and I think it was built in the 1900s, so not exactly old and 100% authentic. However, if you like lighthouses, it might be worth a trip.

 

The huge building called Victor Emanuele Monument/Vitorianno (Altar of Fatherland, Patria) has an elevator (euro 7) at the back which goes to a viewing terrace. I think the view is supposed to be similar to the one you get from the aforementioned Campigdolio buildings.

 

There's also the "Aventine keyhole" through which you can apparently see the Vatican and parts of Italy in one glimpse.

 

I haven't been to any of these places, so can't say whether they are worth visiting or not. However, they sounded fairly interesting, so thought I'd post

[roothy123]

Oh sorry; just looked at the older thread cruisemom posted. Some great ideas in there, including at least one or two of the things I suggested above.

[BarbinMich]

. . .

The huge building called Victor Emanuele Monument/Vitorianno (Altar of Fatherland, Patria) has an elevator (euro 7) at the back which goes to a viewing terrace. I think the view is supposed to be similar to the one you get from the aforementioned Campigdolio buildings.

 

There's also the "Aventine keyhole" through which you can apparently see the Vatican and parts of Italy in one glimpse. . .

Don't know if I'll ever get back to Rome, but those are two places/viewpoints I didn't know about so thanks for the info. The Victor Emanuele Monument is NW of and looms over the Forum. The Monument is quite a magnificent building. The Campigdolio buildings are a little closer to the Forum and a little bit SSW of the Monument.

The Aventine Keyhole looks to be a bit off the beaten track, as it's a few blocks from the Circus Maximus which is SW of the Campigolio.