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The Rome that's hidden beneath the streets

Published 14 days ago • 1 min read

​Unusual Things to do in Rome​

The City Beneath the City

This Week:

Rome is full of famous sights, but some of my favorites are the ones you have to go below the street to find. There's a whole second city under the surface, and most people never think to look for it.

And in summer it stays cool, so when the heat peaks, this is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon in Rome.

A few I'd send you to first:

​Domus Aurea: Nero's golden palace, where you tour with the archaeologists and VR goggles rebuild the rooms around you.

​San Clemente: a church where you climb down through three layers of the city under one roof.

​The Catacombs: miles of burial tunnels under the Appian Way, where the early Christians laid their dead one on top of the other.

​The Capuchin Crypt: a chapel decorated entirely in bone. You won't forget it.

Book ahead:

Most of these sites you can only see with a guide, and a good one is what turns a dark room into the best part of your day. Here are the three I'd book:

​Catacombs tour (Walks of Italy): a small group out to the Appian Way with transport included, so getting there is one less thing to figure out

​Catacombs and bone crypts tour (The Tour Guy): pairs the catacombs with the Capuchin bone crypt in one trip, the easiest way to see both

​Domus Aurea guided tour with VR (GetYourGuide): the only way in, led by the site's archaeologists, with the goggles that rebuild the palace around you

Escape the heat for an hour or two, and go see a side of Rome most people never do.

Happy exploring!

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Citywise Global, LLC

Elyssa Bernard

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