126 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Rome - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Rome

Santa Maria della Concezione Crypts

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

Quartiere Coppedè

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

Porta Alchemica

An alchemist's "magic door" stands in the middle of a Roman park.

The Dome Illusion

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

Galleria Sciarra

This hidden Art Nouveau courtyard is an opulent feast for the eyes.

The Aventine Keyhole

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.

The Mouth of Truth

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Rome

Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari

This delightful little museum is dedicated to only one thing: pasta.

Servian Wall at McDonald's

Inside this Mcdonald's you can dine on your Big Mac and fries next to a 2,500-year-old Roman wall.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Rome Behind Locked Doors: Music, Magic, and Secret Crypts

Join us as we go beneath Rome’s streets and behind its locked doors to explore hidden and overlooked places, witnessing a capital city that most tourists rarely experience—strange, magical, and filled with intrigue.

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Stories About Rome

Children at the edge of Lago Ex SNIA, an accidental lake in eastern Rome that resulted from a construction error in the 1990s.

Rome’s Accidental Lake Is an Urban Refuge and Catalyst for Activism

The body of water, which shouldn’t even exist, has a long history as a source of both controversy and comfort.

by Lidija Pisker

A 17th-century Swiss etching of Emperor Tiberius on horseback, by Matthäus Merian the Elder.

Tiberius, Imperial Detective

In ancient Rome, murder was a private business, unless the emperor took an interest in the case.

by Emma Southon

Giulio Iannarone, of the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, slides out one of the racks of valuable paintings in the vault.

Inside Rome’s Secure Vault for Stolen Art

Some of the art is real, some fake, but it's all had a brush with the criminal underworld.

by Alessio Perrone

November 10, 2020

If you look closely, the Baths of Caracalla look a bit like the Golden Arches.

The Roman Baths of Caracalla Will Not Be Getting a McDonald's After All

The relationship between Rome's cultural heritage sites and the burger chain is long and contentious.

by Matthew Taub

"Tempio del Dio Ridicolo."

The Latin Typo That Gave Us the Temple of Ridicule

Ancient Rome never had an "Aedicula Ridiculi," but plenty of people thought it did.

by Caroline Wazer

The sundial celebrating Marcus Novius Tubula's electoral victory.

Found: A Celebratory Roman Sundial, Two Millennia Old

A tribune of the people is still celebrating his electoral victory.

by Natasha Frost

November 8, 2017

Wolf puppies!

Found: Wolf Puppies Born Outside of Rome for the First Time in Decades

The animals are part of the city's founding mythology.

by Sarah Laskow

September 26, 2017

Ancient Roman lead pipes found in Ostia Antica.

Ancient Romans Were Using Lead Pipes Earlier Than We Thought

Soil samples provide a record of Roman water usage.

by Kelsey Kennedy

August 29, 2017

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