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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Rome

133 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Rome, Italy

Updated March 27, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Rome

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Northern Italy’s Culinary Treasures

Taste your way through Italy’s northwest region of Piedmont, sampling sweets, sipping local wine, and foraging for truffles.

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Explore Rome, Italy

Roman 34
Sacred Spaces 24
History & Culture 22
Ancient 21
Churches 20
Ruins 15
Statues 12
Relics And Reliquaries 11

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Stories About Rome

Jupiter riding an eagle in a detail of Caravaggio’s painting.

A Hidden Caravaggio Masterpiece, An Inheritance Feud, and a Roman Villa up for Sale

The future of a mysterious painting by the famed 17th-century "rebel artist" hangs in the balance.
by Monika Schmitter
One of the olive trees at Hadrian’s Villa dates back to the 13th century.

A Roman Emperor's Villa Is Now Producing Olive Oil

Hadrian's estate has trees found nowhere else on Earth.
by Vittoria Traverso
Pages with etchings from 16th-century cookery books.

The Roman Museum With a Taste for Historical Cookbooks

A former pâtissier's culinary collection is now available to the public.
by Eric Millman
Astronomer Gianluca Masi captured this image of the International Space Station passing directly over Rome's Colosseum.

A View of the Space Age From the Classical World

This mesmerizing image brings the International Space Station and Rome's ancient Colosseum together.
by Gemma Tarlach
An early inspiration for macabre banquets was a story about a hellish feast hosted by a Roman emperor.

Before Haunted Houses, There Were Hell Banquets

The macabre feasts have their roots in ancient Rome.
by Sam O'Brien

Podcast: The Capitoline Wolf

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
Children at the edge of Lago Ex SNIA, an accidental lake in eastern Rome that resulted from a construction error in the 1990s.

Rome’s Accidental Lake Is an Urban Refuge and Catalyst for Activism

The body of water, which shouldn’t even exist, has a long history as a source of both controversy and comfort.
by Lidija Pisker
A 17th-century Swiss etching of Emperor Tiberius on horseback, by Matthäus Merian the Elder.

Tiberius, Imperial Detective

In ancient Rome, murder was a private business, unless the emperor took an interest in the case.
by Emma Southon

Lists Featuring Rome

Crypt of the Three Skeletons.
Inside the Golden House.
Mithras slaying the bull - Context Travel
Vatican Necropolis.

10 Places to Explore the Dark Underbelly of Rome

St. Valentine's city isn't all roses and romance.

10

Including Santa Maria della Concezione Crypts, Domus Aurea, and The Mithraeum at Circus Maximus

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