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Cool Places to Visit in Rome?
#1
Can someone recommend some cool sites to visit in Rome that aren't your usual tourist traps? Someone mentioned a noble's house that is being restored, and has to be seen by appointment-but I was unable to find the post. My mother, who is an artist and ancient history buff like me, is going to Rome in July, and I'd like to make a couple of recommendations to her.<br>
Thanks <p>Pax et Lux,<br>
Julia Legio III Cyrenaica<br>
Maker of Amphorae<br>
<br>
"As you change your thoughts, so you change your world..."<br>
</p><i></i>
Saluti, Love and Light
Iulia Cassia Vegetia
a.k.a Julia Passamonti-Colamartino
Legio III Cyrenaica
Maker of Amphorae
<a class="postlink" href="http://venetiancat.com">http://venetiancat.com
Once I learned to herd cats, I realized that ANYTHING is possible..."
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#2
I can't think of any places in Rome that aren't for tourists, but some are more overrun than others. The Etruscan museum (Villa Giulia IIRC) is a little out of the way, but very much worth the visit. THe Aurelian Wall walk is also quite nice, and if you walk there from the forums you'll pass a less known triumphal arch (IIRC it was Gallienus', of all emperors )<br>
<br>
And you definitely want to go walking in Ostia Antica. You're sure to find something of interest. <p></p><i></i>
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!

Volker Bach
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#3
if you are planning on going to florence as well, there are some very cool ou of the way places, etruscan and roman towns in tuscany etc. <p></p><i></i>
aka., John Shook
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#4
Hi,<br>
<br>
It's hard to avoid tourists in Rome, but check out the magnificent, charming little church Santa Prassede, just of the big basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. Very nice early (Byzantine) mosaics.<br>
<br>
Hans <p></p><i></i>
Flandria me genuit, tenet nunc Roma
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#5
check out<br>
<br>
Porta San Sebastiano: it is a very nice spot, although there might be car traffic, but it certainly worth it. The is also a small museum of the Walls<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>
Jeffery Wyss
"Si vos es non secui of solutio tunc vos es secui of preciptate."
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#6
you masy want to spend some time visiting the Museo della Civilta Romana. It's located outside the city in one of those vaguely gigantomanian satellite cities (IIRC built under Mussolini) and has wonderful aaargh potential.<br>
<br>
On the one hand it is great to see a museum complex that has devoted so much timel, effort and fundes to the reconstruction of all things Roman. They even have casts of all the reliefs on Trajan's Column at eye level (though too cramped to gert a good picture )<br>
<br>
On the other hand the quality of the reconstructions is ... limited? Let's just say it gives you a good idea where the prop designers for such gems as 'Hercules meets Romulus and Remus' or 'Scaevola against the Amazons' got their inspiration.<br>
<br>
It's also quite empty. Only school sclasses seem to go there.<br>
<br>
Volker <p></p><i></i>
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!

Volker Bach
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#7
I'd second the recommendation for the Etruscan museum. Was really nice when when i went there in the summer, and some of the exhibits are stunning, especially the temple pediments. Quiet too since it's out of the way, and the park it's located in is lovely. The Palatine wasn't so busy when i was there, since the walk up the hill puts most of the tours off.<br>
<p></p><i></i>
In the name of heaven Catiline, how long do you propose to exploit our patience..
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#8
Get ready for much walking<br>
<br>
The Ara Pacis is under reforms to make a museum and not visitable.<br>
The Domitian baths are closed and you can only visit the nearby museum about Italian pre-history and roman epistographical history.<br>
The Roman National Museum while filled with displays was for my taste quiet a let down from what I expected.<br>
The Hadrian Mausoleum (Castelo St. Angelo) is not really worth it either save for the outside views.<br>
The Caracalla baths are a must...just amazing the size of that complex.<br>
The Capitoline museum is also a must.<br>
The forum areas are also a great view.<br>
<br>
Lesser visited areas I found great...Near the Termini railroad station you can visit the original ancient Roman walls and just nearby go along the Aurelian wall till it joins several aqueducts that make a very impressive impact. Several of the city gates to the South have now a very restricted traffic and are nice to visit.<br>
<br>
Stroling through (or between) the major attractions you can squeeze several cool sites like Aurelian´s Column, the Panthenon, Marcellus Theatre, by the Argentina square (sp?) near the Panthenon a great dig of the area where Caesar was allegedly stabbed (Pompeii forum) and now its a stray cat preserve.<br>
<br>
All in all, whatever you do, get wise beforehand, get all the books you might need and study your daily route in detail. The total absence of informative displays or signs is breathtaking and the few displays you might find are just in Italian...so, you better know that this temple in front of you is X because no one will tell (Unless you get a private explained tour). Very poor organization IMHO.<br>
<br>
Btw..From my experience I did not get neither robbed or abused and I used quite some public transport means including the subway. My g/f though got whisled at several times and cars drive like demented across zebra stripes and through red lights. <p></p><i></i>
[Image: ebusitanus35sz.jpg]

Daniel
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#9
the strollign point is a good one, if you can face the walk. i spent 10 days there last summer and used the metro once. The rest of hte time i dragged my girlfriend round lookign at progressively more ruinedpiles of bricks whose grandeur was inversely proportional toh ow excited i was about them in many cases. Certainly the lapis niger didn't fill her with any special warm glow, nor did being made to visit the Tulianum. Fortunately nmuch of this was offset by the ubiquitous gatti di roma <p></p><i></i>
In the name of heaven Catiline, how long do you propose to exploit our patience..
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#10
Quote:</em></strong><hr>you masy want to spend some time visiting the Museo della Civilta Romana.<hr><br>
<br>
I'll second this suggestion. It's far from the crowds (me and my gf were one of perhaps 5 couples there when I visited in June 2001), and I found that it contained reconstructions of much that I'd not otherwise have had the time to get to see. And because it is reconstructions, they don't mind you taking pictures in most of the museum (also a plus, IMO).<br>
<br>
On the other hand, Rome is just such a great city with so many great places to visit (also on foot).<br>
<br>
There is a plaza in the middle of the town with 4 Republican temples which doubles as a cat sanctuary (the place Ebusitanus mentions). If they still have them, take the guided Tour around it if you can - it was free back when I took it (they ask for a donation for the cats), and quite entertaining. <p>Strategy <br>
Designer/Developer <br>
Imperium - Rise of Rome</p><i></i>
Regards,

Michael A./MicaByte
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#11
I heard that the are going to move the museum to the center (downtown). This is good as I also hope they will take the opportunity to modernize it in content.<br>
<br>
The musuem was basically let untouched since Fascist times when roman-stuff was the ideology but scientifically unfounded. Ever since the end of WW2 basically no updating occurred. The gap with what was increasingly discovered in other countries, regards roman army, grew to outstanding proportions. <p></p><i></i>
Jeffery Wyss
"Si vos es non secui of solutio tunc vos es secui of preciptate."
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