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There’s sooooo much to see when in Rome, that you just don’t know where to start! Living in the city, we know that very well. That’s why we’ve selected some of the most beautiful hidden gems of Rome that you can set to explore on the day you decided to visit the Pantheon.
These are literally few steps away from each other and you can use the map at the bottom of this page to find them while you are there.
Happy hidden gem hunting! 😉
Hidden Gems nearby the Pantheon in Rome
How many of these have you ticked off your bucket list?
1) Michelangelo Risen Christ in Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Few steps away from the Pantheon, here you can admire this beautiful statue from Michelangelo, the superb ceilings of the only gothic church in Rome.. and much more!
Rome has more than 900 churches, and it’s incredible how each and every one of them has something special!
For example.. you enter randomly the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (right behind the Pantheon).. and you find yourself in front of a Michelangelo sculpture ❤️
At the time of writing this article, this church is only partially open due to renovation works. You can visit it at specific times: every day between 5pm and 6:45pm, and you enter from the back door.
📍 Piazza della Minerva, 42
2) Ruins of the ancient thermal baths of Agrippa
This is one of the most spectacular ruins from Ancient Rome, incredibly embedded into the modern building!
But what did these ruins used to be? These walls belong to a circular room, which was part of the first public thermal baths of Rome, the baths of Agrippa.
Agrippa was the right-hand man of the emperor Augustus and he inaugurated these baths in the year 19BC
But the real mind-blowing curiosity of these baths is another one..
Agrippa needed to provide water to these baths, so he built a new aqueduct for that
This aqueduct was inaugurated in the same year as the baths.. 19BC
It’s the Virgo Aqueduct, the same aqueduct which provides the water to the Trevi Fountain!! 😮
📍 Via dell’Arco della Ciambella
3) Caravaggio paintings in san Luigi dei Francesi
A priceless treasure that you don’t expect to find by simply entering into a church..
Three (not only one!!) paintings of Caravaggio standing there, for you to admire by simply walking in. No tickets, no queues. Caravaggio painted three phases of the life of the gospel writer Matthew: the call of God, the inspiration and the martyrdom.
Everything painted in an extraordinary realism, it almost feels like the characters could jump out of the paintings!
📍Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. Piazza di S. Luigi de’ Francesi
4) Prophet Isaiah by Raphael in Sant’Agostino
When entering the basilica of Sant’Agostino, not many visitors stop by the third pilaster to the left of the central nave (this is because of the next hidden gem, by Caravaggio). Here you’ll find a little treasure, a fresco of the Prophet Isaiah painted by none other than Raphael in the early 1500s!
📍Basilica of Sant’Agostino, piazza di S. Agostino
5) Caravaggio’s “Madonna of the Pilgrims”
We are in the church of Sant’Agostino in the center of Rome and this is definitely one of those churches where you must go in and have a look around! As you enter, look at your left. At the very end you will find the Madonna of the Pilgrims by Caravaggio!
📍Basilica of Sant’Agostino, piazza di S. Agostino
6) Perspective illusion of the ceiling of St Ignazio
You literally won’t believe your eyes!
This is the church of Sant’ Ignazio di Loyola, a Jesuit church inaugurated in 1626, only a few steps away from the Pantheon.
When you enter and look up to the ceiling, you feel disoriented.. is that ceiling open? Which cornice is real and which one is painted? Is the dome a real dome?
Andrea Pozzo, who painted the ceiling, would be so proud of your confusion. He put together very sophisticated mathematical calculations in order to fool the human eye. And he’s been fooling visitors’ eyes for 400 years..
📍Via del Caravita, 8a
Planning your trip to Rome? Save hours of research and discover our ready-to-walk itineraries of the best sights and hidden gems of Rome through our live-streamed virtual tours!
Map of the Rome Hidden Gems nearby the Pantheon
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