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Six places to escape the crowds in Rome

From the Colosseum to the Vatican, Rome's best-known sites attract throngs of sightseers, particularly in the high season. Here are six of the Eternal City's best hidden attractions to escape the tourist crush.

Published: 29 May 2023 13:56 CEST
Updated: 9 July 2023 08:25 CEST
Here's where to head if you need a break from the crowds in Rome.
Here's where to head if you need a break from the crowds in Rome. Photo by Giulio Gabrieli on Unsplash

The National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia

Perhaps because of its location – just north of Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese park, a little outside the city centre – or its subject matter (the pre-Roman Etruscan civilisation), Villa Giulia is one of the Italian capital’s most overlooked attractions.

That’s a shame, because many who do pay the museum a visit consider it a highlight of their Rome trip, combining a stroll through a Renaissance villa and grounds with the opportunity to check out one of the world’s largest collections of Etruscan artifacts.

READ ALSO: TRAVEL: Nine tips for making the most of a Rome city break

On some days the museum gets so few visitors that some report feeling like the only people there, and numbers tend to be low even on free museum Sundays – perfect for getting a break from the crowds on a busy day.

The Non-Catholic Cemetery

Often referred to simply (and incorrectly) as the ‘Protestant Cemetery’, Rome’s non-Catholic Cemetery on the edge of the Testaccio neighbourhood is a verdant haven away from the city’s chaos.

Amongst its graves are those of the English poets Keats (‘Here lies one whose name was writ in water’) and Shelley, as well as the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci and Inspector Montalbano author Andrea Camilleri.

READ ALSO: Eight things you can do in Rome for free

Entrance is free, though visitors are asked to make a small donation of a few euros for the graveyard’s upkeep.

Across the street from the non-Catholic cemetery is the Rome war cemetery, which commemorates the soldiers who died liberating Rome during World War II; another peaceful oasis for rest and contemplation.

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

Its gated entrance and position at the other end of a large courtyard behind an imposing building are probably what keep tourists away from the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere; from the outside, you wouldn’t necessarily know this was a space open to the public.

Those who do venture within will find a 9th century church containing a statue of the brutally martyred Saint Cecilia, a Roman aristocrat who in the 3rd century was locked up for three days in a steaming caldarium and then (unsuccessfully) beheaded for trying to convert members of her family to Christianity.

READ ALSO: Six essential apps that make life in Rome easier for foreign residents

For a small donation, visitors can descend underground to view the real attraction: the 2,000-year-old Roman ruins and mosaics beneath the church that made up part of the saint’s house, as well as a spectacular crypt built in 1899 to house her tomb and those of her husband and brother, as well as two popes.

The Baths of Caracalla

Not far from the Colosseum and Circo Massimo chariot racetrack, the Terme di Caracalla is one of ancient Rome’s largest public bath complexes, and one of the most intact today.

As well as being off the beaten track, its vast size means any visitors are naturally spread out throughout the grounds. The only time you’ll find a crowd here is on summer evenings, when ballets, music concerts and operas are staged amongst the ruins.

If you get the chance, make sure to rent the VR goggles from the ticket office that reveal how the baths would have looked in their original splendour.

The Gardens of Saint Alessio

Visitors to Rome flock to the ‘Parco Savallo’ orange gardens on the Aventine hill for their romantic terrace with impressive views over the city and St. Peter’s basilica and the opportunity for a sunset photoshoot.

But the Giardini di Sant’Alessio, less than a hundred metres up the road, is where locals go. This little park also has orange trees and a nice view, but is far more peaceful – plus you’re allowed on the grass.

READ ALSO: Five ways to have the perfect romantic weekend in Rome

If you’re in the area, stop by the Sant’Anselmo Benedictine Abbey complex, where on Sunday evenings you can attend an evensong service and hear Gregorian chants sung by the monks who live there.

Rome’s Botanical Gardens

Situated at the foot of the Gianicolo (‘Janiculum’) hill in the Trastevere neighbourhood, Rome’s botanical gardens offer an oasis of calm in one of the city’s most crowded districts.

The plants themselves may not be anything spectacular and the grounds may be a little run-down, but if you want a quiet stroll to clear your head or a pause on a bench surrounded by palm trees, it’ll only set you back a few euros.

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ROME

Rome to test new ‘IT-alert’ warning system on Wednesday

People in the Italian capital will get a text message from the government on Wednesday as Italy continues to test the new nationwide emergency warning system.

Published: 27 September 2023 11:26 CEST
Rome to test new 'IT-alert' warning system on Wednesday

On Wednesday September 27th at 12pm, all mobile phones in Rome and the surrounding Lazio region are set to receive a message from the new nationwide ‘IT-alert’ system.

“People who get the message have nothing to fear and don’t have to do anything except read it,” said Rome’s city council in an announcement on Tuesday.

The local authority invited “everyone, whether they have received the message correctly or not” to go to the IT-Alert.it website and fill in a questionnaire, saying “users’ responses will allow us to improve the tool.”

The test of the system in the capital was originally set to go ahead earlier in September, but was postponed amid bad weather as regional authorities wanted to prevent panic in the case of a genuine emergency.

READ ALSO: ‘IT-Alert’: How Italy will warn you of nearby emergencies via text

It will now go ahead on Wednesday and means all devices connected to mobile networks in the area will ring or vibrate at the same time, with the tone different to usual notifications.

Phones will not receive alert messages “if they are turned off or without reception” and may not make a noise if on silent or set to vibrate.

The system will not require people to subscribe to notification services nor to download any apps.

“Every mobile device connected to the mobile operators’ networks, if turned on, can receive an “IT-alert” message,” the developer’s website explains.

IT-Alert, which has already been tested many in other Italian regions, has been set up to warn of “a major emergency or an imminent or ongoing catastrophic event”, the website says.

The ongoing test of the system is designed to fine-tune the service before it is rolled out across the country from the end of 2023.

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