Weekend in Rome - something a bit different

[mattie]

I've been to Rome once before on a school trip, which being a Roman Catholic school meant more time than might be considered decent in the Vatican. We also went to most of the usual suspect places, although I remember the Colosseum tour being truncated for some reason.

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to visit that are a bit more off the beaten track? Off for a weekend in a few weeks and not sure I fancy being made to deliberate why the suffering fuck the Vatican feels the need to horde half the world's gold supply, nor why it's guarded by a bunch of court jesters.

Stuff to do with Mussolini would be interesting - I'm sure the mentaler would have had some mad buildings put up around the place. And statues. But statues are a bit dull. And statues of Mussolini were probably thrown in the Tiber.

 

[Santino]

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when I'm there I work in an office during the day and in the evenings just stay in someone's house and watch telly.

 

[mattie]

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when I'm there I work in an office during the day and in the evenings just stay in someone's house and watch telly.

Excellent bon motting, although it does read as strangely rehearsed.

 

[Santino]

Excellent bon motting, although it does read as strangely rehearsed.

It's a repeat. I also offer on-demand quips.

 

[gabi]

I'm spending Xmas in Rome. Never been there but my gf studied there for 5 years, i'll pick her brains tonight...

Can i recommend an awesome site btw if you dont have anywhere to stay.. www.airbnb.com - a whole apartment in the centre for £90 a night.

 

[geminisnake]

While I was very briefly in Rome a few yrs ago we walked around the financial district iirc and explored the shops in the termini! We did also go to the gardens of a museum and took photos of lizards If you google map it it's just up from the termini. We were getting the train to Napoli and didn't want to go too far away!

Tbh I would just explore. We did that in 'Dam one day. Let's go 2nd right and 3rd left kinda thing. Maybe that doesn't work so well in a place that isn't a giant cobweb though.

 

[Santino]

Tbh I would just explore. We did that in 'Dam one day. Let's go 2nd right and 3rd left kinda thing. Maybe that doesn't work so well in a place that isn't a giant cobweb though.

It's well annoying if you do that and then later you find out you were two minutes from some really interesting things and missed them, all for the sake of some romantic notion of discovering things yourself.

 

[weepiper]

The Protestant Cemetery at Pyramids is a good visit, it's beautifully laid out gardens and various famous types are buried there, Gramsci and Shelley amongst others IIRC. San Lorenzo is an interesting place to wander round, it's near Termini and has lots of antifascist street murals. Fed will be along in a minute I'm sure with more suggestions

 

[weepiper]

Pyramide. Phone won't let me edit

 

[mattie]

Ta for comments.

Hiring a scooter is on my list. As is booking decent travel insurance.

 

[Remus Harbank]

John keats’ house by the Spanish Steps is lovely. The house is as it was when he died.

If the weather is good walk along the Via Appia Antica, outwards from Rome – the street hasn’t changed for 2000 years (apart from the cars)

The Caracalla thermae are impressive.

Trastevere at night.

A trip with the Roman tube for a bit of seediness.

Castel Sant'Angelo (original Hadrian’s mausoleum) great to see how rightfully paranoid popery can get (including a fortified 800m escape route from St Peter’s)

 

[weepiper]

Mussolini's Wedding Cake (sorry can't remember what it's actually called) is good, this is just one of the ridiculous statues at the base of it



this is the Protestant Cemetery







San Lorenzo



and I loved the Pantheon if you didn't see that last time

 

[geminisnake]

Fed's got legs!!! And he's wearing a T shirt!!!!

@Santino I have an acquired brain injury I would forget where I had or hadn't been so no need for anger Rome is so full of amazing things to see I really wouldn't care. I want to stop at markets next time I'm there!

 

[Geri]

You could do the Tosca tour, and visit the location of each of the three acts.

Might only be worth doing if you like opera though, and one of the places is the French embassy, so they might not let you in.

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/roman-holiday-on-the-trail-of-tosca

 

[eatmorecheese]

There's a church on Piazza Barberini (on the metro) that is decorated with the bones/skeletons of hundreds of monks. I've forgotten the name of it... Won't take you long to look around, but truly freaky...

Loads of catacombs, some off the main trail. Catch a bus for 20 minutes up Via Nomentana (through Porta Pia) and follow the signs off the main road to the left.. Up the same road is one of Mussolini's villas. I was last there 10 years ago; the grounds were a park but the main house was boarded up. Not sure what it's like now...

For Mussolini architecture, the suburb of Eur off to the south of the city (on the metro) is worth a visit. The buildings leading up to St Peters (Vatican) are also from the Mussolini era.

Tbh, I visited Rome so often when my parents lived there over a four year period but still didn't see 10% of the riches...