After an initial let down when we realized there are no bones here, we found the information shared…read morehighly worthwhile and our group was glad we made the trek out. It's essentially a history lesson in an underground graveyard. Be aware that you'll be underground and it smells very musty and is very humid. I was thankful for fresh air when we finally emerged. We took an Uber from the center of Rome and a car back, about 30 minutes. With dwell time of waiting for the bus and how busy the busses are, I think a Uber in this case was a good value. Overall I'd say this isn't a must do activity in Rome but if you have a couple hours and want a low key activity, this is a good one.

Very interesting tour led by a lovely guide. Definitely a must see! Bonus is a view of the oldest…read moredocumented Nativity.

This palazzo was so much more than I had ever expected. It is the state museum in Rome of Greek and…read moreRoman antiquities. It has a great collection of high quality pieces and the Palazzo itself is facinating. It's built on top of ruins and the have left them uncovered so you can look into the past.

Across the street from the church was Palazzo Altemps. Wow, we were very impressed with this…read moreluxurious palace designed by Melozzo da Forli for Girolamo Riario. The palace became the home of the Altemps family in 1568, and there is a stunning inner courtyard. The 16th- to 18th-century palazzo is beautiful with a grand central courtyard, many frescoes and original painted wood ceilings. The museum holds a rich collection of Roman and Greek antiquities as well as an Egyptian Collection and an entire gallery of portraits of Caesar. In the palace dining room are frescoes and mosaics brought from the Villa of Livia and the Villa of the Farnesina. The frescoes and mosaics have been reconstructed in their original dimensions. The star feature of the museum is the Lodovisi Art Collection consisting of 104 sculptures, Ludovisi Throne and the Ludovisi Acrolith. The Mattei Collection features work brought from the Ciriaco Mattei villa. The Drago Collection has four reliefs; and in the Mother Goddesses Room, visitors can see the head of Ephesian Artiemis, which was discovered in 2009 during excavations of Via Marmorata. You are also able to see the Church of Saint Aniceto, which was built within the palace. The building also holds the recently restructured Goldoni Theatre, that functions as a conference center as well. This is certainly a museum that is not to be missed.

Never answer the phone. Can't even leave a voicemail. Went by visiting the website for hours opened…read morebut it was locked up and only showed Mass times for the Church.

Tourists often miss out on the hidden gems. One of these, and possibly one of the most unique and…read moreinteresting of the Eternal City's "hidden museums," is inside the Chiesa Sacro Cuore di Gesù. It is the century old Museo del Purgatorio (Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory). Actually, I was hoping to see more; when, in fact, it is just one small room with one display case filled with weird things. It is said to hold artifacts that have been burned by the hands of souls in purgatory. The collection was instigated by a French missionary priest, Father Jouet. During a fire that destroyed a portion of the church and a painting of Our Lady of the Rosary, people were said to have seen the face of a man in the flames who was believed to be a trapped soul. Father Jouet saw this as a sign that purgatory existed. Whether you believe in purgatory or not, it's worth taking the time to visit the church and seeing this unusual exhibition. Admission is free, but they do appreciate donations. Do make sure that the church is open. It took us 2 visits to see this little museum!

It's the Roman theater of Ancient Ostia. What's not to love?…read more It was built by Agrippa under the reign of Augustus back in the 1st century BC. It was rededicated after it was expanded to 4000 seats in 196 AD. It was the work of Septimius Severus and Caracalla that prompted the rededication per the inscription on the plaque on the theater that still exists today. We weren't able to step inside or step up to the viewing area due to construction and/or restoration. I'm assuming they are fixing the crumbling steps since it's currently used as an amphitheater-type concert venue. I think it would be cool to visit it in the evening as a spectator in a venue. The theater was built to be a part of a corporate complex called Piazzale delle Corporazione. The theater is prominently displayed as you're walking through the square. This is where you can get great photo opportunities during its restoration. We enjoyed our visit here. It's a great way to actually see ancient Roman city life and imagine what is was like in that century.

Rome's OG Netflix. This semi-circular masterpiece could once seat up to 4,000 people, all crammed…read morein to laugh, cry, and judge each other in togas. Now it mostly hosts echoes and pigeons, but if you're lucky, you might catch a confused tourist trying to re-enact Julius Caesar. It was built by Agrippa (yes, that Agrippa--Augustus' bestie) in the 1st century BCE. Still more structurally sound than some 21st-century buildings. She's undergoing a little restoration. Amazing!

We enjoyed our English tour for an hour exploring the fascinating remains of the patrician "Domus"…read moreof imperial Rome, belonging to powerful families, with mosaics, wall decorations, polychrome floors, paving blocks, and other remains, has been further enhanced by experts who recreated the past with virtual reconstructions, graphics and videos. We walked on a glass floor & down glass steps in the dark viewing walls, rooms, peristyles, kitchens, baths, furnishings and decorations taking a virtual tour of a great Domus of ancient Rome. In the underground area opposite Trajan's Column, we admired the remains of a monumental public or sacred building: great concrete platform, walls made of large blocks of travertine and tuff, remains of colossal columns made of single grey Egyptian granite blocks, the biggest to be found in ancient Rome, bricked rooms with vaulted ceilings, dating from the early years of the emperor Hadrian, according to stamps on the bricks. This new area boasts an exhibition, showing is how how the area of Trajan's Column looked at the time of its construction. A working model recreates the buildings as they appeared then, especially the huge Ulpian basilica, which stood right next to the column. A video brings to life the two adjacent buildings, perhaps libraries. Finally, a virtual reconstruction of the column gave us a close up look at the bas-reliefs and the story they tell of Trajan's military campaign: the conquest of Dacia, present day Romania. This event ended with the death of King Decebalus & the emperor's triumph. This was a unique example demonstrated how the artistic heritage of antiquity, regenerated by careful and painstaking restoration, was enhanced with the use of new technologies.

How is it possible that the #1 rated attraction on the "other website" (tripadvisor) doesn't even…read morehave a single review on yelp? Time to change that! The archeological remains of Rome's ancient baths and houses have been uncovered below street level, this place once belonged to the great "domus" of ancient Rome. What is different about this place from all the other ruins in Rome is they managed to integrate modern technology by presenting virtual reconstructions through graphics and videos -- you can literally picture yourself as if you were taken back in imperial Rome. Walls, rooms, kitchens, decorations are seen in pure form and living color. All through the 1+ hour tour, I kept saying, "how did they do that?!" The Palazzo is still fully operational and has government offices that surrounds the archeological museum. There are guards standing at the entrance that will question you, just tell them that you're here to buy tickets or that you are taking the tour. We tried buying tickets online but their website isn't very user friendly and very slow. A very interesting history lesson for 9.50 euro/person and kept us dry from the unpredictable weather! the only sad thing is, taking photos are not allowed inside.

We took an excursion that only took us to Rome from Civitavecchia, the cruise port, the bus ride…read morewas 4 hrs rd trip leaving us w just 4 hrs to see the city but I have been to Rome some 7 times, my husband was scared of missing the bus so we only saw the Piazza Navona and the church there then came back to the bus stop. I was so excited to find out we stood right in front of the museum, the entrance was free and it was nicely air conditioned. The Museo Napoleonico in Rome presents the collections of Count Giuseppe Primoli, the great-grandson of Joseph and of Lucien Bonaparte. Born in 1851 to Princess Charlotte Bonaparte and Count Primoli di Foglia, Giuseppe Primoli belonged to the Roman branch of the imperial family. He spent most of his youth in Paris, at Napoleon III's court and moved to Rome after the fall of the Empire. Totally devoted to his family on his mother's side, he started a collection of works of art and various objects linked with the Bonapartes. The collection - comprising family souvenirs, objects donated by Princess Mathilda and Empress Eugénie, items bought from antique dealers or purchased in auction sales - grew consistently until its owner died in 1927. Count Primoli donated it to the city of Rome where many Bonapartes had sought refuge. I had gone to a French lycee and learned about Napoleon, I had gone to Corsica and seen the house where he was born, it was amazing, Corsica was a beautiful island, one thing I never saw was a picture of Josephine, his life long love and devotion to her, never learned about his long quest to have an heir so all those questions were answered by this massive museum. When I was young I was irritated w all the French revolution, guillotine and eternal wars between Europeans but as I get older I get fascinated by it all and going back to my roots, coincidentally on the 14 hours flight back from Barcelona, Lufthansa had the movie Napoleon w Vanessa Kirby and the amazing actor Joaquin Phoenix, wow she was so glamorous, that was not how real oil paintings of Josephine showed her, she looked pretty plain Jane but she was a real character. I must have spent hours studying the history of all the pictures, I was very impressed with the fact it was free and the museum curators were very helpful. Highly recommended even if you are not a Francophile.

Nice history about Napoleon and his family. Great to do to fill in time between bigger site seeing…read moreevents. Free admission and 5 euro for audio-- audio is recommended for the full history and hidden treasures.

It's ok. If you're a Bernini fan, or really into church architectural history, It's probably a 5-…read morebut seriously, it's small, and it's very dark. We were here on a cloudy day and it was impossible to see much. I wish I'd brought 50 euro change- you need it to light up 2 of the works. Although I don't know if it would have been worth it. We went out of our way for this- given the great Yelp reviews, and, honestly, I could have skipped it. Sure the dome is interesting- but you're going to look at that for 5 minutes. Go to the big museums instead- unless you are going right by this place, then sure, pop in- but don't go out of your way unless you've got a religious reason or a very particular interest.

Once again, we stumbled upon this church after leaving the Piazza de Quirinale. Just a stones throw…read moreup Via del Quirinale from the piazza, this is a beautiful example of the Roman Baroque period. The church was constructed in 1661 and the interior not completed until 1670. Inside, the main "sanctuary" is divided into 6 chapels, each with it's own beautiful artwork. Unfortunately, on the day of our visit, some event was taking place inside that required us to only get a glimpse of this beautiful building. On a trip back, the church doors were closed... so we were unable to view this building in greater detail. It is one of those things that if I had more time back, I would have returned one more time to check it out, but alas, that didn't happen. This was the 3rd Jesuit church constructed in Rome and was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII. Rumour is that the architect (Gian Lorenzo Bernini) considered this church to be his finest work and was known to spend hours inside admiring his handiwork. There is a small (ish) garden located next to the church that is open to the public and is quite tranquil.

Once the home of Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus -- emperor, actor, and crazed politician…read more This spot is steeped in drama. Dude was nuts, but it is an absolutely worthwhile addition to your itinerary. For most visitors, an hour will do. Just remember to do your homework before arriving -- it makes this learning experience richer.

So there are terrible signs directing us to the domus. We got there 15 minutes late. Unable to go…read moreon the next tour because that is in itaian People use hard hats for this excursion.