AIBU ask for your non-touristy Rome tips?

[EllaElla]

Just that really. Off for a long weekend soon and can picture aimlessly wandering (having done the major sights previously)! Our 1st just us trip abroad since dc - so hoping for a magical break. I have no idea where to start as all the guides are so touristy! Please please tell me amazing spots you love in Rome!!

I would recommend a visit to the Capuchin Crypt, it's a bit morbid seeing how it's a Crypt decorated with bones but it was very quiet when we visited not many tourists and it's a truly awe inspiring visit.

Don't pay to go into the colosseum -nothing to see inside. The walk up to the outside is so beautiful

Villa Borghese is a nice park

San Lorenzo area and Formula 1 pizza restaurant - via degli Equi (not romantic but a cool area and no tourists in the restaurant)

Inside St. Peter's Basilica even if you are not religious go in and have a quick look. It's incredible

You must see the trevi fountain - but it's always rammed. Try going as late as possible at night or very first thing

I wouldn't do the Vatican museums if you are there for just a weekend....

Hope you have the best time

The Baths of Caracalla, a bit off the main tourist trail and situated in big grounds so they shouldn't be too crowded. They are AMAZING!

Thank you! Some nice suggestions.

You can book in advance to see the villa borghese, in fact you have to, so only a really limited number of people inside. I loved it, the artwork is beautiful.

Pop your head in churches as you go past. Some that aren't even in guide books are incredible.

Second time we did Baths of Caracalla and Ostia Antica - amazing and empty, even in July!

Yeah ostia antica is really worth a visit, short train ride from Rome absolutely beautiful and hardly anyone there when we visited.

The old fashioned glove shop near the Trevi fountain.

If you are able to book I recommend the Scavi tour. It is the necropolis underneath the Vatican itself and tours are limited, its fascinating.
www.scavi.va/content/scavi/en/ufficio-scavi.html

Fassi's icecream shop - it's the oldest ice cream shop in Rome and has more ice cream varieties than you can imagine, and you get three varieties + cream for not very many euros at all, and there are marble tables to sit at. We went there every day (!).

Also, on a Sunday, the Roman road of Via Appia Antica is closed to traffic so you can go for a walk along it, and patches even have the original Roman cobbles. It takes you into lovely countryside, loads of locals come out for a stroll as well as tourists, and there are some nice old-fashioned restaurants out there as well.

Ostia Antica is fabulous as well, but if you're only there for a weekend might be further than you want to go.

Another vote for Ostia Antica!

And actually wandering around is fun in itself - the place is full of beautiful architecture and little squares.

Antico Caffe Greco near the Spanish steps was lovely for tea and cake - established in 1760

www.anticocaffegreco.eu/2008/caffegreco_fullscreen_en.html

Capuchin crypt for sure - its amazing. The Bocca della Verità is a bit of fun. Trastevere at night for pizza/dinner and a quiet walk home. Definitely visit Fontana di Trevi at nighttime - totally different to day time.

Villa Borghese is a nice park

Second.

We went and did a twilight food tour in Trastevere - the place is beautiful.
There's also a little island in the middle of the Tiber (Isola Tiberina) with a church and a small village on it which is stunning.

I'm so jealous you're going back.

Walk up through the rose garden to the Piazza of the Knights of Malta, and look through the keyhole in the gate there for an amazing view - it made me gasp!

The EUR is a short metro ride, and is very different from the centre of Rome.

Or go to the Protestant cemetery where Keats and Shelley are buried, there is also an 'Egyptian' pyramid there.

Following, as DP and I are planning a trip somewhere and Rome is now on my list!

On the Palatine hill there is a great vantage point in the corner right opposite the Colosseum. There is also a small park with the ruins of Trajan's baths and Nero's Golden House, just above the Colosseum. Further along are excavations of the gladiator training area, amid high rise apartments and roads. There are house excavations near Trajan's column but only in specific time slots. Next time we go I'm planning to do the underground tour (including the restaurant with a theatre in its basement) , visit Ostia Antica and Portus sites (near the airport) and some of the lesser well trodden ruins and places accessible to tours only like the Golden House.

Go and have a glass of wine in a sweet little cafe called il covo, piazza madonna dei monti, just off Via Cavour. They bring out a few small sandwiches and pastries if you order a coffee or a glass of wine and are really friendly.

And if you haven't already, take the elevator right to the top of the Vittorio Emmanuelle II monument. The view is amazing.

Galleria Doria Pamphili - absolutely wonderful. Get the gloriously idiosyncratic audioguide done by its owner to get the full joy of it.

Villa Borghese - book in advance. Nice walk there too.

Campo de Fiori for wine outside in the evening.

Gelateria del Teatro on via dei Coronari for ice cream (obv.)

Valentina's ice cream shop near the Trevi fountain. Superb.

Another vote for the Antico Caffe Greco, everyone hung out there, not just Keats and Byron.

Keats' rooms at the Spanish steps, where he died.

If you like churches, San Saba on the Aventine: mixture of frescos, some Byzantine style, great annunciation Fra Angelico esque, nice sheep.

The Roma football shop for presents.

Personally, I loved the Colloseum (inside) and would recommend it. You can get a ticket for that and the surrounding gardens (surprisingly big) that lasts two days. Buy your ticket in advance and get there for opening (9am I think?). You'll be done by the time the real crowds arrive around 11am and you'll miss the midday heat. Perfect.

One of my favourite things to do in Rome is actually to get to one of the main squares for morning coffee as well. Again, get there early to get a table on the front row and just sit, enjoy your coffee and watch all the different come and go.

Avoid the Vatican.

Ristorante Al 34 is amazing.

www.dapancrazio.it/

Kind of agree that the colosseum isn't that great inside, but I think that was due to just how busy it was, and with the tour guide led groups everywhere you just can't get near anything. Has to be done though really doesn't it, and it is impressive. The ticket for this covers the Palatine Hill and Forum as well, which are definitely worth doing. I'd recommend getting your ticket at the palatine hill entrance and then the queue at the colosseum for those who've already got a ticket isn't long at all.

I definitely second the poster who said to go to the Baths of Caracalla. Absolutely amazing and much quieter than the more popular tourist spots. Not too far from the colosseum, so we did palatine hill, forum, colosseum and baths in a day.

Go into any open church you pass. Most of them don't look much from the outside, but inside they're incredible. To the point that by the time we went to the Sistine Chapel we were like 'meh, seen better'.

The Capuchin Crypt is definitely something a bit different. Still can't quite decide how I felt about that...

One thing i would have liked to have seen but didn't get round to is the so-called lasagne church. Various churches that have been built on top of each other over the centuries and you can go down to look at them all. Sounds interesting :)

One general bit of advice - there isn't a huge amount of information anywhere so some kind of tour is necessary for most things to get the most out of them. Pretty much everywhere has guided tours or audio tours you can purchase, or we just downloaded the Rick Steve's Audio Europe (or something like that) app which had loads of audio tours on it - a bit American, but tolerable.

Make sure you make time to just sit outside cafes soaking up the atmosphere as well :)