If you’re planning on going to Rome this summer, be warned: queuing in the boiling heat is not for the faint of heart. With temperatures soaring up to 40°C on almost a daily basis, preparing a trip with precision to the Eternal City has never been more pressing.

It’s advisable to book popular spots such as The Vatican Museums or The Colosseum via their official websites to spend less time waiting in the heat.

However, whilst they are captivating, there are other less popular museums dotted around Rome that are perhaps just as interesting. 

Here are a few.

National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia

Housed in opulent Villa Giulia, the National Etruscan Museum showcases masterpieces from an era even more ancient than the Roman Empire. 

READ ALSO: How to get free access to Rome’s museums with the MIC card

Gems include sculptures such as the Sacrophagus of the Spouses (530 – 520 BCE), Apollo of Veii (510 – 500 BCE), and the Head of Leucotea (340 – 330 BCE). The museum also has the golden Pygri Tablets, which are written in Etruscan and Pheonician, the language of ancient Carthage (now Tunis). They’re 2,500 years old. 

Where: Piazzale di Villa Giulia, 9,  00196 Rome, Italy.

How much: €12 and tickets can be purchased from the official site.

Spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala

For something a bit more unusual, yet equally wonderful, check out the oldest pharmacy in Rome (and reportedly Europe). Nestled in the bustling Trastevere zone, the Spezieria was founded in the 16th century for friars living in a convent nearby.

READ MORE: What you need to know about Italy’s free museum Sundays

The hall has old instruments for weighing medicine, apothecary jars, frescoed ceilings. It has quite an exclusive feel too: only 20 people are allowed inside. 

Where: Piazza della Scala, 23, 00153 Rome, Italy.

How much: €5 on site, but it is advisable to contact them via email at [email protected] first. 

Ara Pacis Museum

The Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace) is truly a marvel. The glass museum that hosts it was designed by acclaimed American architect Richard Meier, and opened in 2006. The altar was built and sculpted to celebrate Rome’s power under Augustus and was inaugurated in 9 BCE. 

It was then unearthed again in 1937, due to the efforts of archaeologist Giuseppe Moretti. The altar has previously been buried due to the terrain and numerous River Tiber floodings. 

Where: Lungotevere in Augusta ,00186, Rom, Italy.

How much: €12 but it is advisable to contact them via email at [email protected] first.

Hendrik Christian Andersen Museum

Built between 1922 and 1925, Hendrik Christian Andersen’s museum hosts an array of sculptures chiselled by the Norwegian artist. 

There are over 200 of his sculptures inside, mainly on the ground floor. The first floor is kept for temporary exhibitions for alternative artists. Andersen died in Rome in 1940 and his grave can be visited at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome’s Piramide area.

READ MORE: Six places to escape the crowds in Rome

Where: Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini, 20 , 00196 Rome, Italy.

How much: €6 and they can be bought online here.

VIGAMUS – The Video Game Museum of Rome

If art is not your thing, there are still museums around for you. Take the 12-year-old video game museum for instance, a centre dedicated to the origins and culture of video games. 

Expect to find Game Boys everywhere, large figurines of game characters and games. It’s an interactive experience for anyone seeking to do something beyond the usual in Rome.

Where: Via Sabotino 4, 00195, Rome, Italy.

How much: €10 and they can be bought online here