The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Hidden
Rome

Discover 60 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Rome, Italy

Unusual
Attractions
in Rome

Community Picks Recently Added

Crypt of the Three Skeletons.

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."

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Cats lounging on ancient architecture

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

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

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Added by Annetta Black

Porta Alchemica

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

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Added by athomio

Quartiere Coppedè

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

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Added by athomio

The entire ceiling

The Dome Illusion

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

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Added by Annetta Black

The Aventine Keyhole

The Aventine Keyhole

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a once and future Crusader stronghold.

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Added by Annetta Black

Mithras slaying the bull - Context Travel

The Mithraeum at Circus Maximus

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

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Added by Annetta Black

The Mouth of Truth

The Mouth of Truth

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

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Added by EricGrundhauser

A chandelier made of human bones dangles from the ceiling.

Arciconfraternita Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.

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Added by CadaverFormosus

Vatican Necropolis.

Vatican Necropolis

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

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Added by danielrthorne

Pyramid of Cestius

Pyramid of Cestius

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.

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Added by Annetta Black

(WikiCommons)

Via Appia

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

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Added by Americanaux

St. Valentine's skull.

St. Valentine's Skull

Here lies the head of the patron saint of lovers -- or does it?

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Added by Annetta Black

The Protestant Cemetery

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.

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Added by Spacedlaw

Zuccari Palace

Zuccari Palace

Architectural monsters are devouring this palace's every door and window.

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Added by pboduch

Marks left on a small wooden table and on the sleeve and chemise of the Venerable Mother Isabella Fornari, abbess of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of St. Francis in Todi. The four marks were left by the deceased Fr. Panzini, former Abbot Olivetano of Mantua, on the 1st November 1731.

Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.

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Unique
Food & Drink
from Rome

Carciofi alla Giudia

Gastro Obscura

Carciofi alla Giudia

Created in Rome's Jewish ghetto, the fried artichokes herald spring.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Susan Van Allen

Eucalittino

Gastro Obscura

Eucalittino

Outside Rome, a tranquil abbey turns eucalyptus into liqueur.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Susan Van Allen

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Stories
About Rome

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 08, 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

The Crossness Pumping Station in London was so intricately decorated that it was nicknamed "The Cathedral on the Marsh."

Modern Cities Owe Their Cleanliness to These Innovative Old Sewers

Crucial advances in where we put our poop, throughout history.

by Kavya Ram Mohan

The Colosseum still has secrets.

Found: A Medieval Horse Head Hidden in the Colosseum

The skull dates back to the 12th or 13th century.

by Sarah Laskow

January 19, 2017

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