If you’re fascinated by tales from history, you probably don’t need to be sold on the idea of visiting Rome. After all, the Eternal City has been at the center of European and world history for the last 2000 years, ever since the days of the Roman Empire. And that long history has left the city with an incredible legacy of beautiful ruins where you can encounter various periods of the past for yourself.
Before we dive into history, here’s a pro-tip: drop off your bags at Rome luggage storage facility and check out some of these incredible locations for yourself. Beneath the vibrant streets of Rome, the ancient past is just waiting to be discovered.
Even if you’re not the biggest history buff, Rome may make you into one. There’s not a single stone of the city that doesn’t have fascinating stories attached to it, and there are few other places in the world where the ancient and the modern blend so seamlessly to create such a beautiful place to visit.
The past is everywhere in Rome. From the famous arches of the Colosseum to the architectural beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica, you can see some of the world’s most famous buildings just by taking a walk through the city. But if you really want to take a deep dive into the past, you need to go underground.
Because Rome has been a major city for so long, new buildings are often piled on top of the old ones. Therefore, some of the most fascinating and atmospheric places in the city are buried underground. Plus, in this always crowded city, visiting these subterranean wonders can help you get away from the crowds and have a more personal experience of the many stories of the city.
Vicus Caprarius
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The Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous landmarks in a city that’s absolutely stuffed with them. And if this is your first time in Rome, or even if it’s not, you should definitely brave the crowds to see this Baroque masterpiece and toss a coin into the water to ensure your return to the city someday.
But what many of the millions of people who visit the fountain every year don’t know is that there is an underground world waiting to be discovered just beneath their feet. The Vicus Caprarius, also called the City of Water, is an ancient Roman archaeological site that dates back to the first century but remained hidden until the 1990s.
Now, you can visit these atmospheric ruins for yourself. You’ll see a Roman apartment complex that will give you a glimpse into how regular citizens lived their lives in the early days of the Empire. You’ll also see the remains of the aqueduct that brings the water that still fills the Trevi Fountain to this day, giving you a much better understanding of how this area looked back in the Roman era. You’ll need to book a guided tour in advance, but it’s worth the effort to see a part of the city most visitors never do.
Domus Aurea
Depending on how you count it, Rome had around 70 emperors from the founding of the Empire to the collapse of the Western Empire in 476 AD. These emperors ran the gamut from wise philosopher kings to demented sadists. And Nero, one of the more infamous emperors Rome ever had, is definitely closer to the last description.
The Domus Aurea, or Golden House, was built by the Emperor after a devastating fire wiped out a densely populated neighborhood of Rome, clearing the land for his pleasure palace. After Nero’s death, the palace was buried and lost for centuries until the Renaissance. Famous artist Michelangelo had himself lowered into the building to admire the frescoes on the wall. And now, by booking ahead, you can explore this massive archaeological site and learn more about the tumultuous reign of one of history’s great villains.
San Clemente al Laterano
Just a short walk from the Colosseum, this incredible church reveals different layers of Roman history, acting like a microcosm of the city in a single location.
The current church dates back to the 12th century and is free to visit and admire the Renaissance artwork. Below the church, however, you can pay a small fee to visit a fourth-century church, established in the home of a Roman noble right around the time Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire.
Below that, you’ll find a temple to Mithras, the bull-killing Persian god who was widely worshiped by Roman soldiers. This intriguing archaeological site is a great place to see for yourself the way the present-day city is built upon layers of the past.
Vatican Necropolis
The Vatican was built on the site where St. Peter, founder of the Catholic Church, was believed to have been executed. Back then, this part of Rome was on the outskirts of the city and contained a racetrack and a cemetery. When this massive church was built, the sloping land was bulldozed to create a flat surface, burying the ancient Roman cemetery under several meters of rubble and soil.
In the 1940s, the area was excavated to reveal the remarkably preserved Roman cemetery underneath. Now, it’s possible to book in advance and journey underneath the magnificent church to see this haunting cemetery for yourself. An important site of pilgrimage for Catholics, it’s a fascinating historical place to visit no matter what your personal beliefs are.
Exploring Rome’s underground
With such a rich history, Rome is blessed like few other cities in the world with fascinating archaeological ruins. Many of these sites have sunk underground over time, while others, like the famous catacombs just outside the city, were intentionally buried. Seeing these remarkable sites is a great way to get a better understanding of what life was like in ancient Rome and experience different eras of history that have shaped the city into what it is today.
Leave your bags behind at a convenient Rome luggage storage and head underground to see some of Rome’s most incredible historical treasures.
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