Hidden Gems in Rome
- Trastavere
Trastavere is a suburb of Rome, in which we stayed for the whole time we were in Rome. It was only a 15 minute walk to our classes across the Tiber River, and only about 20 minutes from the Pantheon. The suburb is less touristic than areas across the river, and was home to tens of delicious restaurants, of which we were only able to try to a handful. There was a farmer’s market every morning in a piazza 5 minutes down the street, and the same plaza was holding an outdoor film festival while we were in Rome. A group of students went there to see Pinocchio, which was dubbed in Italian with English subtitles
- Torre di Argentina Cat Sanctuary
The Largo del Torre di Argentina was the first roman ruins that we visited, a series of temples, or rather clusters of columns that have remained standing from the first centuries AD. They set abour 20 feet below ground level in a piazza, because the ground level has risen that much since they were built, and there had to be excavations down in order to find their base. One of the most surprising things about it, is that there are many feral cats roaming the ruins because there is a cat sanctuary on the lower level of the ruins. They take in stray cats throughout the city, allow visitors to pet them, and hope to find homes for all of these cats. Talk about a fun playground for the cats – remains of old roman temples.
- Botanical Gardens of Trastervare
From where we stayed in Trastavere, we walked 15 minutes west to get to a Botanical Garden, owned and maintained by a university in Rome. Here, there are many different areas, each with unique display of planet life. Some of my favorites included a bamboo garden, a Japanese garden, a long row of palm trees, and a greenhouse of succulents and cacti. It was only 8 euro to enter, and it was a beautiful and peaceful alternative to walking around downtown for a morning or afternoon.
4. Market along the Tiber
During the summer months, there are long rows of white tents set up along the Southern side of the Tiber River. These house restaurants, shops, and even carnival games. A group of students went to dinner at one of the restaurants in these white tents, and the food and the atmosphere were amazing.
- Monuments BEFORE the crowds
As crowded as they are, the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain are absolutely beautiful and you should definitely go see them if ever in Rome. However, if you want to actually see them without tourists covering every edge, it’s a great idea to go early in the morning. A friend and I left our apartment around 6:30 am and walked to the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi and we were able to see all of them perfectly, with very little interruption. By 8am there were already about 30 people lined up to see the Trevi, so the earlier the better if you want to capture some photos without anyone blocking your view.
