Rome is a city that, although the subject of frequent visits, has something to offer every time, amazing even the tourists used to move around the world.
Even beyond the most famous attractions, the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain in the first place, its most hidden sides will surprise you: ancient shops, little-known neighborhoods, particular views, courtyards and testimonies of the Roman Baroque. In the next few lines some suggestions will be provided for those who wish to dedicate a part of their stay in the “eternal city” to wonders normally sacrificed to other attractions. But, in addition to those described below, there are also other “unusual” places to reach, such as:
- the Ancient Pharmacy of Santa Maria della Scala
- the Arco degli Acetari
- the Church of Santa Maria in Vallicella
- San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
- Centrale Montemartini
The Hendrik Christian Andersen Museum
The capital is full of museums, including some of the most famous structures in the world. On the other hand, it is the entire Italian peninsula that attracts tourists from all over the world thanks to the numerous structures intent on promoting art in all its forms. Some, however, tend not to appear in tourist itineraries, despite having nothing to envy to the most famous museums. The Hendrik Christian Andersen Museum is a perfect example of this. It is located near Piazza del Popolo, in the Flaminio district, and its rooms house more than 200 plaster and bronze sculptures, and an equally large number of paintings. Around 300 graphic works complete the offer. In the Norwegian-born artist’s production, heroes and heroines stand out as protagonists. The “Villa Hélene” house museum, dedicated by Andersen himself to his mother, was built in the neo-Renaissance style, and bequeathed to Italy.
The Tor Marancia condominium museum
Rome is a destination capable of attracting people of all ages in any season. To allow you to travel in maximum comfort is Omio. Arriving by train it will then be possible to move around on foot or by public transport. Young people will certainly appreciate Tor Marancia. Specifically, it was the cultural project called “Big City Life”, carried out by a non-profit cultural institution, that started the creation of the Tor Marancia Museum. The murals present are the fruit of the work of 22 artists who came from all over the world. The prefixed goal? Decorating the facades of a series of buildings, transforming the area into a “condominium” museum. The artists, in order to have sufficient time to complete the works, were hosted, indeed “adopted”, by the inhabitants of the area. The results achieved have allowed the Tor Marancia condominium museum to represent our country at the Venice Biennale.
Galleria Colonna and the Pyramid of Cestius
One of the oldest private buildings in the capital is located near Via del Corso and Piazza Venezia, in the center. And inside there is Galleria Colonna, a precious testimony of the Roman Baroque, dating back to the mid-seventeenth century. If the idea behind the construction is attributed to the architect Antonio del Grande, other artists have also intervened in the realization, such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Carlo Fontana. Crossing the threshold, welcomed by halls embellished with statues and fine furnishings, it is possible to admire several masterpieces signed, among others, by Tintoretto, Pinturicchio and Guercino. The Great Hall is characterized by a cannonball, placed on the flight of stairs, at the point where it arrived after being shot from the Janiculum in 1849. Another striking attraction of Rome is the Pyramid of Cestius, erected in just 330 days on request of Caio Cestio, looking for a place to be buried after his death. The construction of the pyramid had been placed as a necessary condition for the heirs to obtain the inheritance.
Those mentioned in the previous paragraphs are destinations capable of attracting the attention of both those who come to Rome to take part in specific events, such as the Film Festival, and of people looking for a vacation spot to admire in all its facets.