Rome Testaccio And Ostiense

Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Piazzale San Paolo 1 (☎06 69 88 08 00; www.basilicasanpaolo.org), This is the light at the end of the tunnel, but unlike the kind you might see during a near-death experience, you should definitely make your way toward this light. After a 30min. walk down the empty-ish V. Ostiense, this magnificent basilica and its gold mosaics are the shining reward you've been waiting for. The second-largest church in Rome, the often overlooked Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura shares extraterritorial status with the Vatican, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Giovanni in Laterano. Though this sounds cool, it pretty much means that if you buy a stamp from the church's gift shop, you can only mail the letter in a post box on the premises. Historically, the basilica might be most famous for housing the body of St. Paul after his beheading, but for the aesthetically inclined, the gold mosaics both inside and out steal the show. Walking in from Portico Gregoriano on the side, the massive arch crowning the altar is like a gold crown consisting of mosaics that depict Christ giving the benediction to surrounding apostles. Around the perimeter, 200 portraits (and counting) of past popes will leave you wondering what is to be done when space runs out. The most stunning area of all, however, is the outside courtyard, where tall palm trees sway before the gold mosaic facade upon which an image of Christ, Peter, and Paul is depicted. Despite having been constructed after a 19th-century fire that damaged the building, this more contemporary work is just as compelling as the altarpiece inside.
The quiet cloister is worth seeing if the church's main mosaics aren't enough for you: its decorated columns are similar to those in San Giovanni. Before the trek back up V. Ostiense, head to the gift shop where you can buy holy sweets and papal alcohol to fortify yourself (€6.50-18). B: Basilica San Paolo, or bus #23 to Ostiense/LGT S. Paolo stop. Modest dress required. Basilica free. Cloister €4, reduced for students and groups. 1hr. guided visits available; reserve online. Basilica open daily 7am-6:30pm. Wheelchair access.
Centrale Montemartini, V. Ostiense 106 (☎06 42 88 88 88; www.centralmontemartini.org), You might have believed that central Rome is the place for seeing old ruins juxtaposed with modern constructions, but the Eternal City is nothing compared to this museum. A relatively new addition to the Musei Capitolini family, this building—the first public electricity plant in the city—now houses an impressive collection of Roman statues, busts, and mosaics excavated during the early 1800s. Classical marble figures stand before gigantic engines and a 15m boiler, creating a peculiar tableau that combines the ancient and the modern. After wandering through the Sala Macchina on the first floor, check out the foot from the statue of Fortuna Huiusce Diei, a devotional piece from 101 BCE that originally stood an impressive 8m high. The foot itself is really more like 3—in length, that is. The sea-green Sala Caldaie has less modern machinery, but its floor is inlaid with a reconstructed mosaic that depicts a vicious hunting scene from B: Ostiense. A 10min. walk down the V. Ostiense. €4.50, EU citizens age 18-25 €2.50, EU citizens under 18 and over 65 free. Combined ticket with Musei Capitolini €8.50/6.50. Open Tu-Su 9am-7pm. Last entry 30min. before close. Does not take credit cards. No wheelchair access.
Cimitero Acattolico per Gli Stranieri and War Cemetery, Cimitero Acattolico at V. Caio Cestio 6 (☎06 57 41 900; www.protestantcemetery.it), We don't recommend making the trek to Ostiense for the sole purpose of seeing a cemetery, but after walking along mostly building-lined streets, these tree-filled and quiet spots are a peaceful retreat. From the outside, tall tamarind trees peek over the light pink wall of the Cimitero Acattolico, making the stroll down V. Caio Cestio all the more scenic. Inside, stray cats, more trees, and clusters of gravestones marking the death of non-Catholic foreigners compete for your attention. Notable names to look out for include John Keats (though instead of his name, the words “all that was mortal of a Young English Poet” are what you'll need to spot), Julis (son of Goethe), and £ socialist Antonio Gramsci. Across the street, the smaller and more refined War Cemetery is dedicated to the soldiers who died in WWII. A stone from Hadrian's Wall, the northernmost boundary of the Ancient Roman Empire, is marked to honor the soldiers. A: Piramide. Walk through the Porta San Paolo and veer left. War cemetery free. Cimitero Acattolico €2 suggested donation. War Cemetery open M-F 8am-3pm. Cimitero Acattolico open M-Sa 9am-5pm, Su 9am-1pm. Last entry 30min. before close. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Piazzale Ostiense, Piazzale Ostiense and environs Piazzale Ostiense is the geographical epicenter of the neighborhood, most accessible by public transportation and busier than the residential streets that surround it. At the piazzale's center, a curious pyramid is surrounded by speedy Vespas and pedestrians who look up at its 27m peak. Built in the first century BCE after Gaius defeated Cleopatra and her army, the Piramide di Caio Cestio stands like the obelisks scattered throughout the city center—a gray duckling in a pool of white Roman classicism. Right beside it, the Porta San Paolo stands as a reminder of Rome's ancient days when the gateway linked the city to its most important port in Ostia. The hill of dirty green beyond it is Monte Testaccio, a landfill which has been accumulating old terra-cotta pots (known as testae: note the similarity to Testaccio in name) for centuries. Of the goods which were originally traded and deposited there, the only thing wh B: Piramide or bus #173 from Termini. Free. Wheelchair access.

Aventine

Enjoy awe-inspiring and sparsely traversed vistas from this exclusive area of town just a short walk south of the ancient Circus Maximus. With steep, narrow, winding streets framed by towering, shady ...more