10 Best Walks in Rome


 

Once in the heart of Rome the best ways to appreciate the “eternal city” is to get lost through its streets.
 
Urban walking in the city will allow you to discover places little visited by tourists.
You will find new neighborhoods and new streets. And also open-air museums and areas forgotten by maps where nobody ever goes.
 
So I invite you to put on the most comfortable sneakers you have. You must prepare everything you need for an urban walk in Rome.
You will discover and create your own pathway through the city.

1. Tor Marancia – for street art

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The Redeemer Child by Seth – BIGCITYLIFE PROJECT

Tor Marancia is an area of Rome that extends into the XX Ardeatino district.
 
With the urban redevelopment project known as BIG CITY LIFE PROJECT the neighborhood acquired new life thanks to some beautiful street art that you will see!
 
In 2015, 22 beautiful works of street art covered the entire facades of some buildings. Each work created to adapt to the building, taking into account the peculiarities and architectural features.
 
Along Via di Tor Marancia 63 you will find my favorite street art called “Redeemer Child” of the French artist Seth. The work represents a young man looking at the sky from the top of a coloured and stylized staircase.
To arrive at Via di Tor Marancia, walk 20 minutes from the Garabatella district. On public transport you can take the 714 bus from Termini Station

2. Pasquino: the talking statue

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Statue of Pasquino by Carlomorino – WikimediaCommons

The statue of Pasquino, known by the Romans as a “talking statue” became famous at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
 
Pasquino represented the voice of the roman people, and almost every night, someone hung satirical phrases at his feet or around his neck.
These sentences or verses known as “Pasquinate” mocked the most important people of Rome and very often the Roman clergy.
 
The statue of Hellenic origin represents a Greek warrior and the Romans found it during some excavations in 1501. Over time the statue lost its limbs but  the “Pasquinate” increased in number.
 hang your satirical sentences on a bulletin board placed next to the statue in  Piazza di Pasquino n. 77

3. Ostiense & Marconi area – open-air museum

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Gasometer by Giorgio Minga – Wikimedia Commons

This is not the usual museum closed between four walls that you are familiar with.
 
Right here in the Ostiense – Marconi area, you can admire an urban redevelopment project that includes some old disused factories, known as Gasometer, Centrale Montemartini, Mira Lanza and Ex Mattatoio.
 
I advise you to venture out and take a peek into Mira Lanza soap factory. The structure nowadays houses the “India Theatre” and you can also admire the beautiful street art -open air museum in the surrounding area.
 
From here you can admire the famous Gasometer, a structure positioned near the river Tiber with the aim of storing the illuminating gas.
This structure has become part of the urban context of Rome.
To reach this area, take the Metro A and get off at the Marconi or Piramide stop, then walk 20 minutes

4. The “small” Vatican: underground cemetery

Crypt of the Popes

Catacombs of San Callisto by DNLAOR 01 – WikimediaCommons

In the area between Via Ardeatina and the Appia Antica, surrounded by a green area  you will reach the Catacombs of San Callisto, the most important in Rome.

These undergrounds are known as “the small Vatican” or even as “the official cemetery of the Church“.

As you wind through the underground passages and the tunnels that extend for about 20 kilometers, you will see the tombs of 9 of the first pontiffs of Rome.
From Termini Station catch Metro A (direction Anagnina) to the San Giovanni stop (in Laterano).
From here, take the 218 bus (towards Ardeatina) to the Fosse Ardeatine stop
open every day (except Wednesday): 9.00 – 12.00 / 14.00-17.00
To purchase tickets online click here.

5. The Wheat Mountain: the emperor’s mausoleum

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The interior of the Mount by TcfkaPanairjdde – WikimediaCommons

This small mountain preserves the remains of an underground mausoleum.
The mausoleum belonged to Alessandro Severo ,the youngest emperor of Rome, crowned at the age of thirteen.
 
According to the legend  the hill was always completely covered with wheat.
The peasants picked up the ears of wheat on Sunday, without respecting the Christian rules that required to rest during that day. The legend says that the place was cursed because of this, and the wheat ears turned to stone.
 
Admire this small mountain from Piazza dei Tribuni
Reach it by foot from the Metro A Porta Furba Quadraro

6. The Arch of Drusus and the door of St. Sebastian

St. Sebastian Door

View by Karelj – WikimediaCommons

Admire the largest and best preserved “Porta”in all of Rome.

Thanks to a restoration intervention, the gate was connected to the Arch of Drusus (built in honor of Drusus Major) located a few meters away, and which was part of one of the aqueducts of Rome “acqua Antoniana”.

On the structure you can admire many graffiti and monograms engraved by pilgrims who crossed the doors to enter the city.

The best day to visit it is on Sunday, because the Appia Antica is closed to traffic!

From Termini take line 714 towards Nervi / Palazzo dello Sport and get off at the Colombo / Marco Polo stop and walk for 8 minutes.

7. The archaeological park: the tombs of Via Latina

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A view of the crypt by Ragusaibla – Wikimedia Commons

This beautiful archaeological park is located in the middle of the Roman suburbs. This site is a must-see: here you can admire the ruins of the thermal complex of the Villa di Demetriade with the Basilica that the noblewoman dedicated to Stefano Protomartyr, its baptistery, the altar and the apse.

You will be able to visit the tombs belonging to the families of the Valeri and the Pancrazi. They preserve beautiful frescoes representing mythological scenes and natural landscapes, female figures and marine animals.

The park is situated in Via dell’Arco di Travertino 151, and it can be reached by Metro: Line A, Arco di Travertino stop

8. Tor Pignattara: for more street art

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Outside view of the Mausoleum by Antonia Falcone- Wikimedia Commons

The area of Tor Pignattara is located almost in the vicinity of the historic centre of Rome.

Thanks to the “I LOVE TORPIGNART PROJECT” the neighborhood became alive with some beautiful street art. Here are some streets in which you will find some beautiful works that are among my favourites:

“Coffee break”: Via Ludovico Pavoni n.118;

“The squirrel”: Via Antonio Tempesta n. 215;

“The Stomach is full but the heart is hungry”: Via della Marranella n. 110;

“If the wind screams, I will shout against the wind”: Via della Marranella n. 110;

“The atlas”: Via Galeazzo Alessi n.219.

And it doesn’t end here! This is an area that I define as the result of a melting pot between ancient history, modernity and culture. In fact, as you walk through the neighborhood, right next to the church of Saints Peter and Marcellinus in Via Casilina 641, you can discover the ruins of a Mausoleum referred to as the tomb of Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine.

9. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome

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Macro Museum by LPLT – Wikimedia Commons

The Macro (also known as the Museum of Contemporary Art Rome) is a meeting point point between artists and the entire city. It’s a quiet place that welcomes contemporary art by creating exhibitions and many different projects.

Inside the modern structure you will find in addition to the exhibition halls, a cinema and a library, a bar, a restaurant and also a garage. The museum is situated in Via Nizza n. 138 and you can get there by Metro A  stop Termini or Metro B stop Castro Pretorio.

The admission is free and the opening hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 10am to 8pm. Saturday from 10am to 10pm.

10. The Dream Garden: villa of the Empress

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Exposition by LaLupa – Wikimedia Commons

Visiting this museum is one of the most beautiful things you can do here in Rome!
Once inside the room dedicated to the frescoes  from the suburban Villa that belonged to the empress Livia, you ‘ll be projected inside a garden, surrounded by nature and silence.

Due to the wishes of the empress, her Villa was frescoed with colorful paintings and various optical illusions, green spaces with oleanders, oaks and pines and laurel bushes.
You will also notice the presence of daisies, violets, chrysanthemums and irises, flying birds and some perched on trees.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 9.00-19.45

 

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