Secret Rome

This new edition of the Secret Rome guidebook from Jonglez Publishing in France is in the excellent and long-running series of ‘Secret’ guides to cities around the world.

You can tell this is one of our favourite series of travel guidebooks here at The Travel Pages as we’ve already reviewed various titles such as Secret French Riviera, Secret Dublin, Secret Liverpool, Secret Edinburgh and others. As Rome was the last city we visited before the coronavirus arrived and changed everything, we read this guide with a mix of joy and sadness.

Secret Rome Authors

Ginevra Lovatelli wrote the very first edition of Secret Rome and leads private tours uncovering the city’s secrets. Adriano Morabito is a Rome native whose special interest is what goes on beneath the surface, in ‘Roma Sotteranea’ or ‘Rome Underground’. Marco Gradozzi is also a Rome native who is involved with Roma Sotteranea, while the fourth main author (there are several other contributors too) is Nicole Cabassu, a classics professor who lives in the ‘other Rome’, the French city of Avignon. Clearly this is an impressive team to help reveal the secrets of Rome.

Secrets of the Eternal City

And what secrets this team has uncovered, too. Naturally, given the nature of Rome and its vast history, most of the secrets are to do with historical sites, but there are some quirky modern gems too. I loved the stories of the State Police Car Museum, the Museum of Childhood Memories, a private collection of over 140,000 postcards, and the unlikely but fascinating story of Alfonso Tozzi, who has a collection of 27,000 razor blades that he’ll share with anyone who phones to make an appointment.

Ancient City Modern Buildings

Secret Rome is filled with impressive ancient buildings, but one of the most striking is a modern building, the Pallazzetto Bianco, a stunning white apartment building that was constructed in 2004-5. The slender and gently curving building owes its unique shape to the fact that it was designed to fit in a narrow strip of land of only 900 square metres. You’ll find it hidden in a side street, the otherwise unremarkable Via di San Fabiano.

Papal Secrets

Naturally the Vatican has its secrets, including the Pope’s Railway, which connects the Vatican to the main rail network, and the Pope’s Train, on display at the Centrale Montemartini Museum. You’ll also discover the Villa Madama, a former papal residence, and read about the legend of Pope Joan, allegedly the only female pope. And who wouldn’t want to visit the Crypt of the Papal Entrails?

Famous Names

There are some famous names scattered in the pages of Secret Rome. They include Mussolini’s secret bunkers, and the table in the Al Biondo Tevere Restaurant, where film director Pasolini had his last meal before his mysterious murder.

Other Secrets

In the pages of Secret Rome you’ll also discover where to see some X-rated frescoes, the marks of St Peter’s knees, the Devil’s Stone, a historic pharmacy, an anatomy theatre, the Museum of the Souls in Purgatory, and the 33rd tooth of Jesus.

Private Tours

The book also describes palaces and mansions that can be visited privately by arrangement, buildings that are only open to the public for tours on certain days of the year, and when some unusual ceremonies take place, like where and when you can go to have your throat blessed, when to hear a mass in Aramaic, or which church will bless your pets for you.

The Verdict

This is yet another remarkable book in a unique series of travel guidebooks, and we can guarantee that no matter how well you think you know Rome, Secret Rome will uncover many hidden treasures for you.