Located on the outskirts of Rome, Parco degli Acquedotti is one of Rome’s most interesting parks. One of Rome’s must underexplored outdoor spaces, Parco degli Acquedotti offers a taste of the grandeur of the ancient empire’s famous aqueducts. The structures were built to bring fresh water from the mountains and countrysides into the city. That they still stand today is a testament to this incredible feat of engineering. Virtually tourist free, locals know that this section of Parco dell’Appia Antica is perfect for enjoying Rome’s near-perfect weather. Just a few miles from the center of Rome, the park contains long stretches of the Aqua Felix, as well as portions of the aqueduct known as Aqua Claudia. The wide expanses of meadows, dotted with umbrella pines and crisscrossed with the massive ancient ruins feels other worldly. The large grassy areas under the aqueducts are filled with picnicking families on the weekends, but you can also rent a bike to explore the park. Most simple of all is to visit Parco degli Acquedotti with plenty of time to stroll. Exploring the park on foot is one of the best free things to do in Rome throughout the year.

Built between the years 212 and 216 under the direction of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, more commonly known as Emperor Caracalla, the Baths of Caracalla were one of the greatest and most spectacular thermal complexes in ancient times. In spite of the fact that today only the brick walls and large collapsed vaults remain, the remnant of the splendour of the Baths of Caracalla is still preserved.

The Tiber is one of longest rivers in ​Italy, the second longest river after the Po. The Tiber is about 250 miles long and varies between 7 and 20 feet deep. It flows from the Apennines at Mount Fumaiolo through Rome and into the Tyrrhenian Sea at Ostia. Most of the city of Rome is to the east of the Tiber River. The area to the west, including the island in the Tiber, Insula Tiberina or Insula Sacra, was included in Region XIV of Caesar Augustus's administrative areas of the city of Rome.

Trastevere, sitting just down the Tiber from the Vatican, is a city within a city; an enclave with its own identity where the locals have generally greeted creeping commercialisation and ongoing attempts at gentrification with a wonderfully Roman disdain, flatly refusing to let such shenanigans impede on the richness of their daily lives. A strong sense of civic pride resides among the Medieval maze of piazzas and cobbled vicoli (alleyways). An old friend of mine, native born to the area, has even turned his back on following the capital’s beloved AS Roma football club and instead spends his weekends rooting for the Trastevere Calcio team (you can find them, should you look hard enough, down in the murky depths of the Italian game’s fourth tier). Not that this is an unwelcoming place. Far from it. Joining in the fun, becoming a part of Trastevere’s great bustling backdrop is easy to do, whether you’re simply sitting on the steps of the Piazza Trilussa or ordering a coffee at the counter of one of the area’s many bars.

Trastevere, sitting just down the Tiber from the Vatican, is a city within a city; an enclave with its own identity where the locals have generally greeted creeping commercialisation and ongoing attempts at gentrification with a wonderfully Roman disdain, flatly refusing to let such shenanigans impede on the richness of their daily lives. A strong sense of civic pride resides among the Medieval maze of piazzas and cobbled vicoli (alleyways). An old friend of mine, native born to the area, has even turned his back on following the capital’s beloved AS Roma football club and instead spends his weekends rooting for the Trastevere Calcio team (you can find them, should you look hard enough, down in the murky depths of the Italian game’s fourth tier). Not that this is an unwelcoming place. Far from it. Joining in the fun, becoming a part of Trastevere’s great bustling backdrop is easy to do, whether you’re simply sitting on the steps of the Piazza Trilussa or ordering a coffee at the counter of one of the area’s many bars.

The recent restoration of one of Rome’s oldest churches has given new life to the 12th-century Pietro Cavallini mosaics (including his celebrated Vita della Vergine) and frescoes and marbles of more recent vintage. Domenichino’s gloriously Baroque 16th-century octagonal gold ceiling also houses one of his greatest paintings, L’Assunzione della Vergine (1616-1617). Dating back to the third century at least, the church has a decent claim to being the first official Christian place of worship in the city.

One of the most characteristic and beautiful squares of Rome