A journey through a lesser-known Rome, far from the usual famous landmarks yet rich with wonders waiting to be discovered. Hidden basilicas, mysterious mithraea, imposing mausoleums and Renaissance villas - the Eternal City never ceases to amaze.
Located within the Baths of Diocletian, this basilica is a masterpiece of architectural transformation. It was Michelangelo who, in the 16th century, was commissioned by Pope Pius IV to convert part of the vast 4th-century Roman bathing complex into a Christian church.
Michelangelo preserved the large central hall - the "aula" that originally housed the gymnasium of the baths - creating a Latin-cross plan with a majestic central nave and side chapels. The interior is crowned by a great dome rising above the high altar, with frescoes and decorations by notable artists including Domenico Passignano, Baciccio and Giuseppe Cesari.
Designed by Francesco Bianchini in the 18th century, it marks hours and seasons using sunlight filtering through a hole in the vault - a visual demonstration of the sun's movement across the church floor.
The unique combination of ancient Roman and Renaissance architecture makes this basilica truly one of a kind. The original thermal spaces are still perfectly legible within the church's structure.
The Basilica of San Clemente is a genuine journey through time across multiple layers: the current 12th-century basilica, the 4th-century early Christian basilica, and an underground archaeological complex including a 1st-century pagan temple, a 2nd-century Roman house and a 3rd-century mithraeum.
Accidentally discovered in 1867 during renovation works, the mithraeum stands as an extraordinary witness to the cult of Mithras - one of the most widespread mystery religions in the Roman Empire between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, practised by soldiers, officials and merchants.
The entrance antrum, the central hall (triclinium) with its altar, niches that once held statues of deities, lateral side rooms (speculae) and a pit representing the Mithraic river.
The walls are decorated with mythological scenes: the birth of Mithras from the rock (tauroctony), the slaying of the sacred bull and the banquet of the gods.
The Pantheon has revealed its most secret side with the inauguration in November 2025 of a permanent museum route that leads deep into the heart of this masterpiece, far from the crowds of Piazza della Rotonda. The Basilica of Neptune, built by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 25 BC, represents the architectural core of the monument. Agrippa, Augustus's celebrated general, dedicated the building to the god of the seas in honour of his naval victories.
A fire devastated the area in 80 AD, but the basilica was restored between 118 and 128 AD under Hadrian. The rectangular nave with cross-vaulted ceilings on eight columns housed a semicircular exedra with apse at its centre, and a twelve-metre-tall statue of Neptune. A magnificent decorative frieze celebrated the sea with dolphins, shells, tridents and plant motifs, still visible on the surviving rear walls.
Access through a bronze door leads to the "devil's moat" - seven metres underground - where the remains of the Basilica re-emerge from the earth.
A colossal gallery featuring marine friezes, Hadrianic brickwork, restored medieval frescoes and Renaissance busts.
Projections and multimedia stations show Rome before and after the Pantheon, and the effects of light through the oculus across the centuries.
One of Rome's most art-rich churches, and a place steeped in legend and mystery. Within a few square metres, an extraordinary density of artistic masterpieces is concentrated.
"The Conversion of Saint Paul" and "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter": two Baroque masterpieces and among the church's main attractions.
Frescoes by Raphael and his pupils, including "The Prophecy of Isaiah" and "The Delphic Sibyl" - extraordinary examples of Italian Renaissance painting.
A sculpture of Saint Catherine of Alexandria that captures the saint's expressiveness and Bernini's unrivalled mastery of Baroque form.
The tomb of Rome's first emperor, built between 28 and 23 BC, is often overlooked by tourists despite its imposing scale. Inspired by Hellenistic mausoleums, the circular monument once rose to over 40 metres, built in travertine and clad in marble, with a monumental entrance flanked by Corinthian columns.
Inside lay several funerary chambers holding the cinerary urns of Augustus, Livia and other members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Over the centuries the mausoleum was transformed into a medieval fortress, a Renaissance theatre and eventually a garden.
Built in the 9th century over a 4th-century structure, this church conceals one of Rome's most important cycles of Byzantine mosaics behind a simple, elegant façade.
9th-century mosaics depicting scenes from the life of Christ, saints and apostles. A jewel of Byzantine art in Rome, known as the "Garden of Paradise".
According to tradition, brought to Rome by Saint Helena, mother of Constantine. Displayed to the faithful during Lent, it is an object of profound devotion.
Built between 1506 and 1510 by architect Baldassarre Peruzzi for the Florentine banker Agostino Chigi, the villa is a jewel of Renaissance architecture with a square plan, inner courtyard and Italian garden. Its walls are adorned with extraordinary frescoes by Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo and Peruzzi himself.
"The Triumph of Galatea", one of the most celebrated works of the Italian Renaissance. The entire hall is painted by the master himself.
Frescoes by Raphael and his pupils narrating the myth from Apuleius's Metamorphoses - a narrative cycle of rare beauty.
Trompe-l'œil frescoes creating the illusion of open spaces and architectural vistas, giving the room a spectacular sense of depth and scale.
Argiletum Tour organises tailored private tours that include these hidden treasures and much more. Our local guides know the stories, the reserved access points and the routes you won't find in any guidebook.
