Rome: What to See Beyond the Basics

[slidergirl]

No one has mentioned the Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. It is a rather unimpressive (from the outside) looking church right behind the Pantheon on the left side. Outside the church is a wonderful statue, designed by Bernini, of an elephant with an obelisk in it's back. Walk inside the church and you will be wowed. It's the only example of a Gothic Church in Rome, I believe. Beautiful blue frescoed ceilings, gorgeous stain glass windows, amazing statuary (include one by Michelangelo), and the high alter holds the sarcophagus containing the body (minus the head) of St. Catherine of Siena. If you are hot and tired from touring around the Pantheon, make a trip into this church.

 

If you want a fantastic view of Rome at night, save your pennies and book about 2 months in advance for dinner at La Pergola, up at the Rome Cavalieri hotel. It is on the highest point of the highest hill in Montemario. It has an amazing view of the Vatican and Rome!!!!! Trouble is, dinner for two people will set you back about 300EU (that's probably on the low side):eek: But, hey, the only Michelin 3 star restaurant in Rome at a 5 star hotel in Rome, what do you expect??? ;) No, I didn't eat there, but I stayed there. One of the Concierges offered to take me up there for the view one evening before the restaurant opened.

[USVI-4-me]

I need information for our 4th visit to Rome. Researching for a port intensive cruise makes me think of too many questions.

 

In addition to ones answered on this Thread, I wonder if there is a website or book that layers and labels the sights in the Forum. I have a book called "Then and Now" but it is pictures over the remains. I'm looking for layers.

 

On daytrips and first walks through it's hard to absorb and digest what the remains represent, ie. what it was, when built, who used it. Now, I want to know better what I see and spend time for an intensive visit.

 

Unfortunately, the suitcase or backpack can't hold all the reference books. I need to whittle the information down to a good layered and labelled source. Thank you for your help.

 

-Marisa

[2Fltravelers]

I need information for our 4th visit to Rome. Researching for a port intensive cruise makes me think of too many questions.

 

In addition to ones answered on this Thread, I wonder if there is a website or book that layers and labels the sights in the Forum. I have a book called "Then and Now" but it is pictures over the remains. I'm looking for layers.

 

On daytrips and first walks through it's hard to absorb and digest what the remains represent, ie. what it was, when built, who used it. Now, I want to know better what I see and spend time for an intensive visit.

 

Unfortunately, the suitcase or backpack can't hold all the reference books. I need to whittle the information down to a good layered and labelled source. Thank you for your help.

-Marisa

 

Hi Marisa:

 

May I suggest a visit to Domus Romane if time permits before going to the Forum. It is around the block from Piazza Della Republica and Trajan's column and market. Open since 2010, we visited in November 2012 and found it to be incredibly helpful in deciphering all of the layers of ancient Rome, from the villa that was uncovered at the site during construction of a parking lot, to the ancient streets, baths, pools, etc. and surrounding community. There are English tours several times a day and in addition to the English audio description each area is illuminated, sometimes with 3 -dimensional holograms as items, places, etc. are being explained. You should reserve online as space is limited and fills up quickly. The tour is less than an hour and from there you can walk to Trajan's column, market and the Forum. We were skeptical at first but were encouraged by friends who had visited and all of us were very impressed.:)

[tom_uk]

One addition and one point to note:

 

a) San Clemente (church): just a few minutes from the Coliseum. The church itself is interesting-enough, but the real highlights are the church below the church (8th/9th century); and the classical remains below even that. Stunning.

 

b) on a recent visit (mid-April 2013), Santa Maria del Popolo was boarded up - significant restoration / repair working going on, I understand. You'll need to check whether it's finished before making the trip out to that area. I was a bit disappointed - I'd walked through the gardens of the Villa Borghese to the Pincio, down the steps to Piazza del Popolo, and had intended to finish my afternoon with a visit to Sta Maria d. P., but it didn't happen.

 

Never mind - next time!

Edited May 19, 2013 by tom_uk

[USVI-4-me]

Hi Marisa:

 

May I suggest a visit to Domus Romane if time permits before going to the Forum. It is around the block from Piazza Della Republica and Trajan's column and market. Open since 2010, we visited in November 2012 and found it to be incredibly helpful in deciphering all of the layers of ancient Rome, from the villa that was uncovered at the site during construction of a parking lot, to the ancient streets, baths, pools, etc. and surrounding community. There are English tours several times a day and in addition to the English audio description each area is illuminated, sometimes with 3 -dimensional holograms as items, places, etc. are being explained. You should reserve online as space is limited and fills up quickly. The tour is less than an hour and from there you can walk to Trajan's column, market and the Forum. We were skeptical at first but were encouraged by friends who had visited and all of us were very impressed.:)

 

Thank you for posting. Domus Romane (closed on Tues.) is on our agenda. U-tube has a sample tour.

 

Just found: www.euratlas.net/Roma/rome100.htm has printable charts of ruins in the Forum area.

 

-Marisa

[hazeleyez3]

Can anyone tell me about experiences with a tour guide that does a good job with the out of the way places? I know it can be done on your own, but we're spoiled and like to be driven and lectured a bit. Great info...

 

 

We found Max Leotta on Tours By Locals, but he has his own website as well: maxleotta dot com. He is actually a guide, not just a driver-guide and he was great with getting us to some places not filled with tourists.

[cruisemom42]

Hi Marisa:

 

May I suggest a visit to Domus Romane if time permits before going to the Forum. It is around the block from Piazza Della Republica and Trajan's column and market. Open since 2010, we visited in November 2012 and found it to be incredibly helpful in deciphering all of the layers of ancient Rome, from the villa that was uncovered at the site during construction of a parking lot, to the ancient streets, baths, pools, etc. and surrounding community. There are English tours several times a day and in addition to the English audio description each area is illuminated, sometimes with 3 -dimensional holograms as items, places, etc. are being explained. You should reserve online as space is limited and fills up quickly. The tour is less than an hour and from there you can walk to Trajan's column, market and the Forum. We were skeptical at first but were encouraged by friends who had visited and all of us were very impressed.:)

 

I'd read about the Domus Romane for a couple of years now. I'd even had reservations on a previous Rome visit that were cancelled due to flooding of the areas visited. So I was very excited to be able to see them on this trip.

 

Unfortunately, I found them to be disappointing. The ruins are pretty scant, compared to what is available at other sites in Rome. And they make such a big production out of the displays, with the lasers, holograms, clear floors, dark rooms, etc. Very gimmicky -- in my own humble opinion, of course. Our guide (I use the term advisedly since she contributed nothing to the taped remarks) spent the whole time telling our group to "Move here, no, stand there, no circle around me here!" "Now line up over there!" "Now sit down here!"

 

Among places already mentioned here on this thread, I'd rate this one fairly low compared with, for example, the Capitoline Museum or San Clemente or the Roman houses under the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo or Trajan's market.

 

The best part of it, to me, was the well-done film on Trajan's Column and the chance to peek at the column itself from ground level at the Palazzo.

 

I don't mean to take anything away from other reviewers of the Domus Romane who enjoyed it. But I've been curious about it as on Tripadvisor it has often been rated above some of the major attractions of Rome -- that I definitely cannot agree with, having been there.

[Deb0702]

I'd read about the Dom's Romaine for a couple of years now. I'd even had reservations on a previous Rome visit that were cancelled due to flooding of the areas visited. So I was very excited to be able to see them on this trip.

 

Unfortunately, I found them to be disappointing. The ruins are pretty scant, compared to what is available at other sites in Rome. And they make such a big production out of the displays, with the lasers, holograms, clear floors, dark rooms, etc. Very gimmicky -- in my own humble opinion, of course. Our guide (I use the term advisedly since she contributed nothing to the taped remarks) spent the whole time telling our group to "Move here, no, stand there, no circle around me here!" "Now line up over there!" "Now sit down here!"

 

Among places already mentioned here on this thread, I'd rate this one fairly low compared with, for example, the Capitoline Museum or San Clemente or the Roman houses under the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo or Trajan's market.

 

The best part of it, to me, was the well-done film on Trajan's Column and the chance to peek at the column itself from ground level at the Palazzo.

 

I don't mean to take anything away from other reviewers of the Dom's Romaine who enjoyed it. But I've been curious about it as on Tripadvisor it has often been rated above some of the major attractions of Rome -- that I definitely cannot agree with, having been there.

 

I really enjoyed this tour, for basically the same reasons you didn't enjoy it, LOL. It was my first visit to Rome and I am by no means a student of Roman history or architecture, so for me it was enlightening and enjoyable.

 

It was so interesting to hear how these ruins were discovered and to actually see the layers of Rome built one on top of the other. There is much to see in Rome at street level but I didn't truly understand how much is below ground buried, used as the foundation for structures built by later generations. At the Domus Romane, you go down into the layers under a fine Renaissance building, it's dark and that's what makes the holograms possible. I thought it was cool. :) It's not possible to walk through these underground excavations so you walk above them on a plexi-glass type floor and look down into the rooms of two fabulous Roman homes. The rooms are illuminated as you walk over them. The guide is only there to keep the group moving & looking in the right direction in the darkness.

 

The homes under our feet were not ordinary homes and certainly belonged to very important families. Mosaics and pools and a fine marble staircase, which was noted to be an exceptional find. If I remember right, there has never been another staircase like it discovered in Rome and it shows this was certainly the home of an extremely important family. The hologram made it easy to imagine the family moving between the rooms and up and down the staircase.

 

Interesting too, is the fact that this beautiful Roman residence is not the bottom layer. There are deeper layers still.

 

The tour is just 1 hour. It's quick and well suited for first time visitors to Rome. The teenagers we had with us definitely enjoyed it, much more than a museum and I think it will stick with them. Now that I've seen it and understand about the layers I would not make the effort to go back and see it again. I will however be going back to some of the bigger more extensive sites when we return this summer. :)

Edited May 21, 2013 by Deb0702

[USVI-4-me]

Dorothy,

I appreciate your post with a different view.

-Marisa

[hansolosmom]

This is fantastic information, so thanks everyone for this!

 

We're ending up with extra days in Rome, my dh decided we should leave on a Thursday & who was goings to argue with extra time in Italy :)

 

So now we have a day to go down to the Appian way & the Domine Quo Vadis church, but there are the St. Sebastian & St. Callisto catacombs is either one "better" or are they pretty similar?

[Aussie Gal]

I just visited the Baths of Caracalla on my recent visit. Wow! Definitely should be on any ancient Rome-lover's list to see when in Rome.

 

I wrote a more in-depth review with some photos about it:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1846586

 

We visited the Baths of Caracalla on our first visit to Rome back in 1994. We walked from the Colosseum to the Baths and we didn't find it too hard though it was a very warm morning in September. From the Baths we kept on walking and returned to our hotel in Via Quirinale. It took us a couple of hours but it was most enjoyable and well worth the walk as I wanted to see where the Three Tenors had sung a year or so previously.

 

Jennie

[cruisemom42]

Via Triumphalis Tour

 

Starting in January 2014, the Vatican has begun offering a new tour that visits a Roman-era necropolis discovered underneath a Vatican parking garage a few years ago.

 

This is NOT the same as the popular Scavi tour under St. Peter's basilica, but it is an interesting tour nonetheless. It has been nicely excavated, with walkways over the necropolis and good information. As of now, you can only book the tour (as an individual) in combination with a ticket to the Vatican museum.

 

You can read more about the site and my review here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1971387