Best 15 hidden gems in Rome: our top picks

Rome gets more than 10 million visitors a year, and most people stick to the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain. They’re worth seeing, but the city shows a different side once you step away from the main routes. 

What makes those lesser-known places interesting is how different layers of history are woven into everyday life: ancient structures next to contemporary art, fascist-era buildings across from medieval churches, and working-class neighborhoods just blocks from former aristocratic palaces. Here are some things to do in Rome if you want to see beyond the usual highlights.

1. Quartiere Coppedè

Between Via Salaria and Via Nomentana is one of Rome’s hidden gems and most distinctive neighborhoods, Quartiere Coppedè.

Designed by Gino Coppedè between 1913 and 1927, it feels far removed from the city’s ancient landmarks. You walk in under an arch with hanging chandeliers, and the streets are lined with buildings decorated in mosaics, stained glass, and carvings of mythical creatures.

At the center is the Fountain of the Frogs, known for the night The Beatles went for a swim in 1965. Other things to look out for are the enchanting fairy cottage and the spider's palace. The area mixes Art Nouveau, Baroque, medieval, and ancient Greek styles and is curiously different from the rest of the city. It's a great addition to any Italy itinerary.
 

2. Cinecittà Film Studios

Cinecittà Film Studios is where Italy cinema found its home and where many international productions have been made. Built in 1937 under Mussolini, it became a creative hub for directors like Federico Fellini, who filmed “La Dolce Vita” and “8½” here.

A guided tour takes you through large-scale sets, including an Ancient Rome reconstruction used in HBO’s Rome. You can also see exhibitions of costumes and props from films like Ben-Hur and The English Patient. The studios are still active today. Despite being low-key, this is still one of the best things to do in Rome.

3. Tor Marancia's street art

In the southern neighborhood of Tor Marancia, 20 large murals turn plain apartment buildings into an open-air art gallery. The “Big City Life” project began in 2015, bringing artists from 10 countries to paint the walls of this residential area.

Each piece tells its own story, often inspired by classical themes reinterpreted in a modern way. You might notice “Rainbow Boy” by Spanish artist Liqen or Seth’s painting of floating children. Walking through these streets gives you a different view, one that reflects the city’s contemporary creativity.
 

4. Villa Torlonia

Villa Torlonia was once Mussolini’s residence and is now a public park with museums. The neoclassical villa and hidden gem of Rome sits in landscaped gardens, with several buildings to explore.

The Casino Nobile has elaborate interiors, while the Casina delle Civette, a Swiss cottage–style house, is filled with stained glass.

Underground, you can visit Mussolini’s wartime bunker. The gardens have fountains, sculptures, and a small lake, and are often used by Romans for jogging or picnics. It's a good place to get off the tourist trail in Rome.

5. Parco degli Acquedotti

Parco degli Acquedotti, part of the Appian Way Regional Park, is home to the remains of seven ancient aqueducts spread across open green fields.

Aqua Claudia, built in 52 AD, is the most prominent, with stone arches that stretch across the landscape.

People come here to jog, picnic, or walk their dogs, and you may see sheep grazing under the ruins. The park has also appeared in films, including the opening of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. This can be a great area to stay in Rome if you're looking for somewhere low key.
 

6. Il Cimitero Acattolico di Roma

The Non-Catholic Cemetery of Rome, near the Pyramid of Cestius, is where many foreigners who lived in the city were buried, including poets Keats and Shelley.

The grounds are shaded by cypress and umbrella pines, and many graves feature intricate sculptures such as the “Angel of Grief.” Cats wander between the headstones, adding to the calm atmosphere. It is a peaceful place to pause.

7. Garbatella

Garbatella feels like stepping into a different side of Rome. Built in 1920 as a garden city for workers, it has winding streets, leafy courtyards, and buildings with curved staircases, arches, and terracotta details. The mix of rationalist and baroque influences gives it a distinctive look.

It’s still very much a lived-in neighborhood. Older residents chat on benches while younger people run bars and cafés in former industrial spaces. Local trattorias serve Roman classics at local prices without tourist menus. Walking around, you’ll come across street art, community gardens, and a sense of familiarity where neighbors know each other. For more of a local feel, see our guide to the best things to do around Rome.
 

8. MACRO Museum

The MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art is in a converted Peroni beer brewery, with its industrial features worked into the design. Inside, there are exhibitions from Italian and international artists across many mediums, often experimental or playful.

The permanent collection includes works from the 1960s onward, and temporary shows bring in new perspectives. The building is interesting in its own right, and the rooftop terrace has city views and occasional summer events. After a few days of Renaissance and Baroque art, this is a good way to see Rome’s contemporary side.

9. La Gatta Mangiona

In the Monteverde neighborhood, La Gatta Mangiona (“The Eating Cat”) is a favorite for locals who care about their pizza. The dough is fermented for 72 hours, creating a crust that is both chewy and crisp.

Seasonal ingredients and products from small Italian producers top the Roman pizzas, ranging from traditional recipes to more unusual combinations like pumpkin flowers with rare cheeses or truffle honey. The décor is cat-themed, and the craft beer selection is well curated. Depsite being off the tourst trail in Rome, it is popular with Romans, so it is worth booking ahead.
 

10. Palazzo Spada's Perspective Gallery

Inside Palazzo Spada is one of Rome’s more unusual sights: Borromini’s perspective gallery. Built in 1653 by baroque architect Francesco Borromini, the arcade appears to stretch about 100 feet (30 meters), but it is only 26 feet (8 meters) long.

The trick works through columns that gradually shrink in size and a floor that rises toward the end. A garden statue at the far end looks life-sized, though it is just 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall.

The building also contains the Galleria Spada, where paintings by Caravaggio, Rubens, and Titian are displayed in small, quiet rooms. The exterior is decorated with classical sculptures and intricate detailing. This is great if you're planning a trip to Italy to see art but want to avoid the crowds.

11. Roman Water Infrastructure Tour

A guided tour of Rome’s underground water systems shows a side of the city most people never see. These visits can include the Cloaca Maxima, Rome’s main sewer built around 600 BCE, along with large cisterns and surviving sections of aqueducts still functioning after more than 2,000 years.

Walking through narrow tunnels cut into tufa stone, you learn how these systems supported a city of over a million people without modern tools. The tours reveal how advanced Roman engineering was and how it shaped urban infrastructure for centuries. Comfortable shoes are essential, as the ground can be uneven.
 

12. Basilica of Saint Praxedes

Close to Santa Maria Maggiore, the 9th-century Basilica of Saint Praxedes is easy to miss from the outside but contains remarkable Byzantine mosaics inside.

Built to hold the remains of early Christian martyrs, it is best known for the Cappella di San Zenone. This small chapel is covered in gold mosaics showing Christ, apostles, and saints, with a blue sphere beneath their feet representing the cosmos.

The apse mosaic depicts the heavenly Jerusalem along a gold path. The church also holds a piece of the column believed to be where Christ was scourged. It is a quiet place to step inside and take in art that has lasted for more than a millennium, off the tourist trail in Rome.

13. Mercato Trionfale

Mercato Trionfale is a working market where you can experience everyday Roman life. More than 270 stalls sell fresh Mediterranean seafood, truffles from the countryside, seasonal produce like spring artichokes and peak-summer tomatoes, and cheeses you rarely find outside Italy. For more on Italy's seasons, see our guide to the best time to visit Italy.

There are also prepared foods you can take away, like freshly sliced porchetta or supplì (fried rice balls). Locals have been coming here for generations, and while the building has been modernized, it still feels like a neighborhood institution. 
 

14. Appian Way (Via Appia Antica)

The Appian Way was built in 312 BCE as Rome’s main road to the south, connecting the city to Brindisi. Walking here means stepping on basalt stones worn smooth by chariot wheels over two thousand years ago. It's a great sight that is surprisingly off the tourist trail in Rome.

Tombs line the road, including the round Tomb of Caecilia Metella, because Romans buried their dead outside city walls. On Sundays, the route is closed to traffic, making it easier to enjoy the quiet.

Along the way are catacombs, ancient villas, and the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, where Saint Peter is said to have met Christ. You can walk sections of it or rent a bike to explore farther into the countryside, where sheep still graze among the ruins.

15. Centrale Montemartini

Centrale Montemartini is set in Rome’s first public power plant, where Greek and Roman sculptures are displayed alongside turbines, diesel engines, and control panels. It began as a temporary home for works from the Capitoline Museums but stayed open because the setting worked so well.

You might see the colossal statue of the goddess Roma with a diesel engine behind her, or mosaics mounted against heavy machinery. With more than 400 sculptures and fewer visitors than central museums, it is a place where you can notice the details.

If you want to really get off of the tourist trail, see our guide to the best day trips from Rome.