So your going to Rome,you’ve got your plane ticket booked and you’ve found a great place to stay using an awesome budget booking hotel/hostel website like HostelBookers,now your planning on what to see,everyone goes to see all the big attractions like the Colosseum,The Vatican,The Pantheon,Trevi Fountain,but if you want to see something a little different and unique that none of your friends have done and is a bit off the beaten tourist track this post is for you.
Capuchin Crypts
If skeletons are your thing then The Capuchin Crypts is where you wanna be, located in the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini. Home to the skeletal remains of over 3,700 bodies of Capuchin Friars. Although seemingly very macabre in appearance with skeletons nailed to walls and lamp shades made out of human bones, this is not it’s intention instead it’s made to be an honor and show the passage of life.
Catacombs
Catacombs of Calisto (Image Credit Jim Forest)
Sticking to the theme of the dead, underneath Rome there are over 40 underground burial sites, stretching across hundreds of kilometres known as The Rome Catacombs,these catacombs are divided up into various sites, the biggest and most preserved are The Domitilla Catacombs,full of beautiful frescos and the only catacomb to contain bones. There is also the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla, which while not containing bones has the earliest known depiction of the Virgin Mary,now thats pretty cool right?
Train To be a Gladiator
Learn to be a gladiator (Image from Gladiator the movie)
Have you ever wanted to be a gladiator and take part in Imperial Rome’s gladiator games? to battle men and beasts alike in a gruesome hand to hand battle for your life and the favor of the audience,well unfortunately unless you have a time machine you cant do that, but you can do the next best thing which is to enroll in one of Rome’s gladiator schools where you will be taught the basic’s of hand to hand combat, some of them even provide you with the full gladiator attire, how cool is that?
The Pyramid of Cestius
Pyramid of Cestius (Image Credit Alaskan Dude)
Ok, so this one is a bit of a weird one, who knew there was a pyramid in Rome, granted it’s not as large as those in Egypt, but still definitely worth a visit,The Pyramid of Cestius,located near the Protestant Cemetery and Porta San Paolo.
Museum of Purgatory
Finger burn marks on a bible in the Museum of Purgatory (Image creditAndr3)
looking for something a bit otherworldly then check out The Museum of Purgatory which also goes by the name Souls of Purgatory Museum. It’s a small room in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome.what makes this museum so interesting is that it is the home to many objects such as fingerprints and hand prints that have appeared burned onto the pages of various books and clothing with claims they are signs of contact made by the souls trapped in Purgatory.
Do you know of any other quirky,unique or off the beaten places in Rome, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
ya, the catacombs would give me nightmares
Hogga recently posted..Why Everyone Should Go Eat a Pecker
It’s great to hear unique things to do especially in super touristy cities like Rome. I loved the Capuchin Crypts when I went too, very creepy and cool. Great blog 🙂
Ele recently posted..Sunsets, Stars and Sweat; A trip to the Colombian Desert
You’re theme of death is hilarious! Gladiator training looks interesting.
Mig recently posted..Bike Tour To Panama City: Crossing The Finish Line… The Bridge of the Americas
Very cool, the gladiator school looks fun! I just got back from checking out the crypts and catacombs, eeek!!!
Tiana Kai recently posted..The scariest tour in Rome!
I never got to see the Capuchin Crypts but it looks great! On Largo de Torre Argentina, near to Campo de Fiori is the Roman Cat Sanctuary! I came across it while walking through the area. Lots of ancient ruins where the stray cats of Rome have been housed and are cared for! Very random!
I didn’t see the cat sanctuary, will have to go back and check it out.
Even if I lived 6 months in Rome and went crazy on visiting I didn’t sumble upon any of those… Nice job ! I can still suggest my favorite spot : Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo ! It’s right by the colosseo and unknown of the tourists. A very nice church with a quiet parc, perfect for aperitivi ! See you at the next TBEx if not before 🙂
Great story! So stunning pics you shared. Thanks for sharing it.
Are you all still traveling? Been a while since this was updated.
http://www.nynomads.com
Traveling and living rent free in NYC
I needed a travel/blog break. I’ve been chilling out in Melbourne Australia for the last year, Got some new adventures coming soon 🙂
Rome is a good place to visit and live. The city has done a great job of having lots of things. Great job! Keep posting. Wonderful pictures you shared with us. Thank you so much for sharing it.