Beyond the Colosseum: Eight sites that reveal Rome's hidden history

1. Best for opulence and history: Domus Aurea

Known in English as the "Golden House of Nero", the archaeological site of Domus Aurea doesn't get top billing for tourists on the level of, say, the Colosseum, Forum or Pantheon. But it should.

The ancient palace, which once sprawled across up to 300 acres of land, was constructed by Emperor Nero in 64 CE – the same emperor who went down in history as "fiddling while Rome burned". While that's unlikely to be accurate, we do know that he benefited from the massive fire of 64 CE by using the cleared land to build the palace of his dreams. According to the ancient historian Suetonius, the palace was bedecked with gold, gems and shells; it had a circular banquet hall that rotated to delight its guests. Many of these opulent details have disappeared – but a surprising number remain, from the stuccoed ceilings to the colourful frescoes. Today, a visit to the site also includes virtual reality experiences and light projections to bring even more of its splendour to life. 

Because of the fragility of the site – the Domus Aurea has been closed several times after suffering from flooding and drainage issues, even losing a 645 sq ft section of its ceiling after heavy rains in 2010 – it is only available to visitors on pre-booked, archaeologist-led guided tours. These are available in Italian or English and bookable through the Domus Aurea website.

TIP: The temperature inside is only 10C, so dress appropriately.

Website: https://www.coopculture.it/en/poi/domus-aurea/
Address: Viale della Domus Aurea 1, Colle Oppio Park, Via Labicana side

2. Best for fantastical architecture: Quartiere Coppedè

What Gaudì was to Barcelona, the architect Gino Coppedè was to Rome – although few visitors to the Italian capital know of Coppedè today. That may be because, to see his work, you have to visit a small quarter just north of Rome's historic centre. However, it's well worth the short trip (it's just 1km, or a 15-minute walk, from the Borghese Gallery, or a 2km, 15-minute bus ride from the Termini train and bus station).

Designed entirely by Coppedè between 1915 and 1927, the Quartiere Coppedè looks nothing like other parts of Rome. It's generally described as Art Nouveau – but more accurately is a mix of Coppedè's fantastical visions of Baroque, Mannerist, Medieval and even Ancient Greek styles, all coming together in a delightful, whimsical mishmash. Think Venetian-stylepalaces, medieval-style turrets and even an arch reminiscent of Ancient Rome, all in a district of less than half a square kilometre.

Address: Piazza Mincio, Trieste

3. Best for Early Christian art: Catacombs of Santa Priscilla

Most visitors to Rome head to the well-known catacombs along the Appian Way. Far less famous– but equally, if not more, fascinating – are the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla, located just to the north of the historic centre on the Via Salaria (not far from the Quartiere Coppedè).

Used for burials from the 3rd to 6th Centuries, the catacombs were the resting place of numerous martyrs and no fewer than seven different popes, making them one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Rome – in fact, they once were known as the "Queen of the Catacombs" for their significance.

Today, the underground tunnels and vaults remain decorated with spectacular Early Christian art and iconography, including what is often interpreted to be the oldest image of the Virgin Mary ever found, dating to the 3rd Century. More interesting still is how many of these frescoes have sparked debate around women's early involvement in the Church. One, for example, appears to depict a woman leading a banquet – evidence for women being more involved in the Early Christian Church than many have assumed.

TIP: The catacombs are closed on Monday, and it's worth booking your tour in advance. They're also only 13C, so dress appropriately.

Website: https://www.catacombepriscilla.com/home-eng/
Address: Via Salaria, 430
Phone: +39 06 4542 8493

4. Best for contemporary art: Mattatoio

The Mattatoio (formerly the MACRO Testaccio) isn't like other contemporary art museums. For one, it's located in a slaughterhouse – a surprisingly fitting venue for the former meatpacking district. For another, a recent redevelopment means it's not only an exhibition space, but a centre for artistic and cultural research – including as the home of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Roma Tre.

Today, massive pavilions where areas once dedicated to, say, slaughtering pigs have been reborn as locations for contemporary art of all kinds. Think workshops involving movement, music and drawing for children; DJ sets accompanied by image projections and text to tell stories of the Mediterranean; and even plays directed by students of the Silvio dAmico National Academy of Dramatic Art.

Keep an eye on the museum's online calendar of events to see what unusual exhibits and performances might be planned during your Rome visit.

Website: https://www.mattatoioroma.it/
Address: Piazza Orazio Giustiniani 4, Testaccio
Phone: +39 06 3996 7500

5. Best for ancient art and sculpture: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme

Conveniently located a stone's throw from Rome's Termini station, this museum is often called Rome's main "archaeological museum". But this is a misnomer and potentially one that can turn off visitors who have had their fill of ancient sites – which could describe why it's often so uncrowded. The Palazzo Massimo alle Terme would be better described as a museum of art and architecture, albeit one where everything on display happens to be ancient: think beautifully preserved paintings, extraordinary bronze and marble sculptures and elaborately-carved sarcophagi.

If you ever took an art history class, you'll recognise some of the works on display here, like the 1st-Century BCE Boxer or the ancient Roman copies of the 5th-Century BCE Discobolus. Most fascinating of all are the museum's areas that have taken whole frescoed walls and ceilings from excavated ancient villas and re-constructed them so you can walk through the rooms yourself, much as, say, Livia, Emperor Augustus' wife, would have done. (Don't miss a stop in the Painted Garden room, with detailed, serene paintings of plants and birds, in which it's said Livia oversaw the making of herself.)

When visiting Rome's ancient sites like the Forum or even the Baths of Caracalla, it can be difficult to picture what they would have looked like when filled with ancient art and sculpture. It's this museum, more than any other, that adds that piece of the puzzle.

TIP: if you have time, get the combined ticket with access to all four National Roman Museum sites – the Palazzo Massimo, Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo Altemps and Crypta Balbi – for 12 euros, instead of the 8 euros for a single entrance, and make a stop at the other museums, too.

Website: https://museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/en/palazzo-massimo/
Address: Largo di Villa Peretti 2
Phone: +39 06 480201

6. Best for rethinking history: EUR

Need a break from Renaissance palacesand cobblestoned streets? Consider EUR a palate-cleanser – as well as a rare (and chilling) window into an era that often goes unremarked-upon at museums dedicated to Rome's glorious past.

A planned neighbourhood to the south of the city, EUR (which stands for Esposizione Universale Roma, or Universal Exposition Rome) was designed and built under the watchful eye of Benito Mussolini to host the World Expo Fair of 1942.

This World Expo Fair, of course, never happened. But building continued after World War Two with the hope of making it a business district. By the 1960s, the neighbourhood had become the amalgam of Fascist and more contemporary architecture that you can still see today.

As a planned district with towering, stark buildings inspired by imperial Roman architecture, like the Colosseo Quadrato (Square Colosseum), a towering modern obelisk and even an artificial lake, it gives an unsettling sense of what many of Italy's cities might look like today, had history gone rather differently.

7. Best for extraordinary ceiling frescoes: Palazzo Farnese

In the heart of Rome, on one of its loveliest piazzas, stands one of the city's most beautiful palaces – one that was built for a pope, designed by Renaissance all-stars including Michelangelo and Giacomo della Porta, frescoed by some of the finest painters of the early 16th Century, and which remains an important political headquarters today. No, it's not the Vatican. It's the Palazzo Farnese, now the home of the Embassy of France. One of the city centre's finest gems, it remains off the radar for many tourists not least because it requires pre-booking a tour (in English, Italian or French) at least a month in advance.

The extra effort is worth it, however. Not only do you get to go behind the scenes in a palace that once belonged to one of the Renaissance's most famous families, the Farneses (the cardinal who commissioned the palace, Alessandro, went on to become Pope Paul III). But you'll be one of the few visitors to Rome to experience the frescoes that are widely known as the finest ceiling frescoes in Rome outside of the Sistine Chapel. The extraordinarily striking, masterful and recently restored frescoes, which date back to the turn of the 16th Century, bring mythological stories like the tale of Bacchus and Ariadne to life.

Photographs aren't allowed inside, so keep your phone in your pocket (and on silent) at all times.

Website: https://visite-palazzofarnese.it/?lang=en
Address: Piazza Farnese 67

8. Best for medieval art: Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

In a city that didn't reach its splendour until the late Renaissance and Baroque periods, signs of the medieval past can be hard to find – unless you know where to look.

One such place is the Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati, located just a half a kilometre from the Colosseum. From the outside, it looks more like a mediaeval fortress than anything else. That's because although the church was founded in the 4th Century, it burned to the ground during the 1084 sack of Rome – only to be rebuilt, but this time with fortifications.

Today, the church has a working convent and a graceful Romanesque cloister, but it isn't just the architecture and religious spirit that takes you back in time. Hidden in the church's Chapel of St Sylvester is one of Rome's finest examples of medieval art: frescoes commemorating the life of St Sylvester that date back to the 13th Century and are as remarkably vibrant and well-preserved as if they were painted yesterday. 

As when visiting any holy site in Italy, remember to dress appropriately (no bare shoulders or short shorts, for example) and to keep your voice down inside the complex.