Our microguides series is inspired by the slow travel movement, encouraging travellers to relax their pace and take a deep dive into one particular neighbourhood in a well-loved city. Rather than a whirlwind itinerary which aims to hit up every must-see attraction, these compact, close-up guides encourage you to zone in, take your time and truly explore like a local.
Rome is the eternal city, but visiting it can sometimes feel like an eternal schlep from ruin to museum to ruin, one that could exhaust even the fiercest amateur archeologist. To find the real, slower rhythms of Roman life, try basing yourself in Monti. The neighbourhood sits between the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and Rome’s massive Termini station, making it great for sightseeing sprees – but it feels hidden from the tourists who trot between those places.
You’ll see the Colosseum looming romantically at the end of Via degli Annibaldi while you amble from aperitivo spot to restaurant, but most of the people in this quarter are trendy-looking locals. It’s full of chic independent shops, narrow alleys, and delicious little trattorias. You’ll feel like you’re discovering it for the first time, but Monti’s coolness is nothing new – a Roman sitting next to me called it the city’s original “downtown.” If you lived in Rome, this is where you’d want to call home.
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Emperor Nero’s famous Golden Palace, destroyed and buried after his death, lies beneath the Parco del Colle Oppio and is still an active archaeological site. Tours are given to visitors in hard hats (great for pics) and feature a trippy but effective virtual reality experience, showing visitors what the palace looked like in Nero’s time, and during the Renaissance when painters like Raphael spelunked down into it from above. It’s only open on specific days, but this under-radar history fix is worth planning your visit around.
Basilica di San Clemente
Bordering on the neighbourhood of Celio, but still technically in Monti, you’ll learn a lot in this church. The basilica was built in the fourth century on top of a pagan temple and a Roman house, whose ruins are still visible in the crypt of the church. Seeing layers of history literally piled on top of each other like this helps put the mind-bogglingly long history of the city into perspective.
San Pietro in Vincoli
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