11 Free Activities To Do In Rome That Will Fill Your Itinerary

With the tourist waves of 2023 and 2024, some of the largest ever, Rome has joined the ranks of the most overtouristed cities in Europe. In response, Roman authorities now charge entry fees for formerly free attractions such as the Pantheon and offer limited tickets for places like the Colosseum, which have timed entry to preserve the monument's integrity. But fear not! Whether you choose Rome to kick off your Italian vacation or not, your trip does not have to break the bank — the city has tons of free attractions that will fill several vacations.

These under-the-radar attractions include small museums, like the Napoleonic Museum, places targeted to people truly interested in the city's history and culture without the gimmicky frills catered to mass tourism. Rome's lesser-known churches have fascinating stories that include demons, ghosts, St. Peter, and an appearance by Jesus Christ himself. And that's not even touching on their artwork. After a walking tour, relax in one of Rome's public parks rather than going back to the hotel. 

Remember that these are just some free activities the Eternal City offers. If you are willing to walk off the beaten path onto lesser-known city streets and pay close attention, you will probably find a lot more that are not in guidebooks. If that isn't enough to get you motivated, go for the cute cats you'll find along the way.

Located in the northern part of the city's historic center, Milvian Bridge is one of Rome's oldest bridges, dating back to ancient times, and provides a gateway to the trendier areas of the city north of the Tiber. It's best known, however, as the location of the eponymous famous battle of A.D. 312 that effectively made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. That year, Constantine and Maxentius, who had up to that point been ruling the Roman Empire together, squared off to decide who would be the empire's sole ruler.

The night before the battle, Constantine reportedly either had a dream or saw a vision in the sky of Jesus Christ telling him to paint the Chi-Rho monogram on his soldiers' shields (looks like a "p" and an "x" overlapping) and march under that as his standard. By embracing the Chi-Rho, which are the first two letters of the Greek word for "Christ," Constantine had effectively embraced Christianity, which, up to that point, had been illegal in the Roman Empire. In the ensuing battle, Constantine crushed Maxentius' army. Maxentius was killed, and many of his soldiers drowned.

After crossing the Milvian Bridge, one can walk north to the Church of the Great Mother of God. It is not one of Rome's historic churches. It was built in 1931. But it's still a pretty parish church that is unlikely to have many crowds and commemorates the 1,500th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431.

Porta Pia was the work of Michelangelo Buonarotti. It was constructed in the 1560s to replace Porta Nomentana, a gate in the ancient Aurelian Walls, built by Emperor Aurelian in A.D. 273. The gate featured again in the Wars of Italian Unification in 1870 when General Raffaele Cadorna blasted a breach into the walls that allowed Italian troops to seize the city from the papacy. Visitors who want to admire the architecture should keep an eye out for the decoration at the top of the back entrance — it's a bowl with a cloth stole. Legend has it that Michelangelo used this design as a subtle jab at his patron, Pope Pius IV, who, despite his Medici name connecting him to the Florentine noble family, was said to be a descendant of humble barbers.

The gatehouse also hosts a museum called Il Museo dei Bersaglieri, dedicated to an elite Italian infantry unit. For those interested in 20th-century military history, guns, and cannons, this museum might be your place. It contains exhibits dedicated to the Bersaglieri Corps and its operations. These range from the 1848 Revolutions to the campaigns in Italian East Africa of the late 19th century to World War II.

Rome's best-known park is obviously Villa Borghese, located in the heart of the historic center and is free to enter. Those looking to escape the crowded historic district, however, should try Villa Ada Savoia. Villa Ada Savoia is a different experience from Villa Borghese. Whereas the latter has a museum and is filled with art and sculpture, the former is a rustic escape from the hustle and bustle of city life sans tourists. The park hosts running and walking paths, trails, acres of woodlands that are home to wildlife, and a pond. So if you're in Rome to see art, it may not be your place. But if you're exhausted from trekking through the Roman summer heat and fighting your way through legions of other tourists, the park is a perfect place to relax away from the crowds. Most tourists don't bother with it, given its out-of-the-way location.

World War II buffs, however, are in the right place because the park witnessed one of the war's most important events. A residence of the Italian royal family, on July 25, 1943, it was hosting another auspicious guest: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The day before, the Grand Fascist Council had voted to oust Mussolini in Palazzo Venezia (not free, but worth a visit). King Vittorio Emmanuele, seeing the opportunity to rid himself of Il Duce, arrested him at Villa Ada after dismissing him as prime minister, putting Italy on the road to an armistice with the Allies.

The Napoleonic Museum of Rome is the former house of Count Giuseppe Primoli, the great-grandson of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother. The museum was Primoli's work of love for his family, a donation to the city of Rome meant to preserve his family's legacy. The presence of the museum is both a bit ironic and unsurprising, given Napoleon's relationship with Rome. Napoleon invaded Rome in 1809 and locked up Pope Pius VII, the city's ruler of the time. Yet, when Napoleon III, the grandson of the original Napoleon, lost his throne in 1871, many members of the family, like Primoli, sought shelter in Rome.

This is not your usual history museum, which tends to focus on the big picture — think wars, conquests, and monuments. Instead, the Napoleonic Museum attempts to bring visitors back to the 19th century, showing the daily life of Napoleon and his descendants. Thus, the museum includes rooms laid out as they were by Primoli; you'll find a handful of paintings and everyday items like jewelry and clothes. It's a neat museum that takes only about one hour at most, and since it's not a tourist trap, a visitor can really experience an authentic slice of Roman aristocratic life that has not been dressed up for the dollars.

The magnificent Trevi Fountain is one you do not want to miss. At 86 feet high and 161 feet wide, the fountain is a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture and sculpture. It depicts the Greco-Roman deity Oceanus — a personification of the waters of the world — riding his seahorse chariot accompanied by mermen called tritons. Skeptics will say the fountain is a tourist trap, which might be true, but unlike the rest, it needs no hype. Tourists can admire the unique sculpture and architecture of the fountain while taking in the sounds of cool, running water sourced from one of Rome's ancient aqueducts free of charge. This status might change should the Italian government impose an entry fee, though.

It's often said you get what you pay for and that maxim applies to the Trevi Fountain. Since it's free, you will have to share the area with lots of other tourists, including obnoxious selfie-taking types who will fight you for a selfie spot. If that is too much, you can take refuge in the Church of St. Vincent and Anastasius, a medieval church that has been added to over the course of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Since the church is completely ignored in favor of the fountain, you can get some peace and quiet contemplation or look at the beautiful art unhindered before continuing your trek through the Eternal City. Alternatively, skip Trevi altogether and head to Piazza Navona for some other artistic masterwork fountains instead. It's all free.

The Imperial Forums require ticketed entrance, but Trajan's Column, the centerpiece of the eponymous forum in front of the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary, can be seen for free. The proximity of the two sites offers a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Trajan's Column, at nearly 100 feet high, can be easily seen from the piazza and is a great place for history buffs. The column depicts Trajan's signature achievement — the Roman conquest of Dacia. This seminal event in European history brought the Latin language to what is today the region of Transylvania and sowed the seeds that would grow into the modern country of Romania.

After the column, a tourist can pop in to admire the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary. The church is not as historically significant as, say, St. Peter's, but it's still a beautiful example of 18th-century architecture. The church gets its name from the decisive Christian victory over the Muslim Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. To thank Mary for her help in the battle, Pope Innocent declared the Feast of the Most Holy Name, which was given to the church when it was built a few decades later. The church also hosts an old Byzantine icon, reportedly painted by St. Luke the Evangelist, that was shipped to Rome to protect it from iconoclasts in Constantinople. As it is a parish church, the usual rules for visitors apply.

Want to go to the Sistine Chapel but can't find tickets? Want to go to St. Peter's Basilica but don't want to or can't stand in line? Here's an easy Italian travel hack: go to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore instead. Located in Rome's center, it has something for everyone: art lovers, Catholic pilgrims, theology fanatics, and those who are simply curious.

Here's what a visit to the basilica might look like. Arrive early; it opens at 7 a.m. and is virtually empty at that hour. Those interested can attend mass in one of the side chapels or the main sanctuary on Sundays. Non-Catholics are welcome but should wait until mass finishes to look around. Then, go down the stairs to see a piece of Jesus Christ's original manger from Bethlehem or the tomb of St. Matthew the Evangelist under the high altar.

Among the side chapels, the Pauline (aka Borghese) Chapel is the most important. It hosts an icon of St. Mary, Health of the Roman People, which miraculously saved Rome from a 6th-century plague. There's also a second Sistine Chapel designed according to the Jewish Temple of Solomon. The baptistry hosts a magnificent baptismal font commemorating Pope Adrian II's approval of Catholic liturgy in the Slavonic language in 867, which led to the evangelization of Slavic-speaking Eastern Europe. There's a lot more and practically no lines if you show up early — just a quick metal detector.

For this gem, you don't need to wait in line, get tickets, or pay money to a special cat sanctuary because you can enjoy them by simply walking the streets. Around the major Roman monuments, one might notice a lot of cats. Roman poets have written about them and praised them for centuries. These animals are the result of Rome's proud tradition of caring for stray and feral cats, which dates back nearly two millennia.

To see the cats, just go to the major sites. The biggest colony and refuge is Torre Argentina, which is located near a handful of temples and also holds the notorious distinction of being the site of Julius Caesar's assassination. They can also be found in Trajan's forum, where archaeologists uncovered evidence of a cat colony in the 5th century A.D., around the Pantheon if crowds aren't too bad, and basically anywhere else in the city center. With around 5,000 registered sanctuaries to choose from, these cats can afford to be choosy and seem to pick Rome's prettiest and most culturally significant areas to live in.

For health reasons, it is probably best not to pet just any random cat on the street, but those who want a quick cuddle can go to the Torre Argentina Sanctuary, which is open to the public and will allow you to pet them. Adoptions are also permitted, so if you're an American who can't resist, avoid this stop lest you find yourself taking an unexpected feline companion home.

While the Vatican Museums' limited tickets sell out quickly in large part due to the Sistine Chapel, the St. Peter's Basilica is free for pilgrims and admirers alike. Before entering the basilica, a visitor should be prepared. This means dressing appropriately — no shorts or skirts above the knee, tank tops or other sleeveless shirts. Women must cover their shoulders. Police will provide coverings at the metal detectors to those who are not appropriately dressed.

After the metal detector, the huge basilica is your oyster. For art lovers, apart from obvious sights like Michelangelo's Pieta, the entire place is covered in masterpieces from the marble stonework to the frescoes of Michelangelo's dome to the Pieta of Mary holding Jesus after his crucifixion. For history buffs, especially those interested in Britain, Charles Edward Stuart (aka Bonnie Prince Charlie), the last Catholic king of Scotland who led the Jacobite rebellion against King George II's Protestant rule, is buried in the basilica.

Catholics will enjoy the basilica's high altar, the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The piece itself is magnificent, but what lies underneath is of even greater significance. Under the altar is said to be the tomb of St. Peter himself. Although ordinary people cannot enter, Catholics may find visiting the grave of the first pope an immense spiritual significance — even if only from above. Combine that with mass or Eucharistic adoration in one of the side chapels, and you have an unforgettable spiritual experience.

Does there exist a place that would be of interest to Catholics, art lovers, and aficionados of the paranormal? It's not the haunted island of Poveglia — it's Rome's church of Santa Maria del Popolo, a large basilica that sits on Piazza del Popolo. If the frescoes by Italian masters Rafael and Caravaggio are not enough to pique your interest, its origin story is.

The story behind Santa Maria del Popolo begins in the time of the Roman Emperor Nero, best known for his vicious persecution of Christians after the Great Fire of Rome in A.D. 64. Local tradition tells that Piazza del Popolo was Nero's final resting place. Given the emperor's evil reputation, his tomb became the haunt of demons and evil spirits, who tormented the local populace for the next 1,000 years until Pope Pasquale II intervened in 1099. On the Virgin Mary's orders, the pope exhumed Nero's remains and built a chapel on the old burial site, which eventually grew into the present structure. Though the tale is legendary, it's possible the chapel was constructed to commemorate the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem in 1099, but that version is less interesting than the one with paranormal characters. 

Outside in the piazza is a late-14th-century B.C. Egyptian obelisk dating to the reign of Pharaoh Seti I. The Flaminian Obelisk, as it is called, was moved to Rome during the imperial period, lost, and then re-erected under Pope Sixtus V. The pontiff "baptized" the monument by topping it with a Christian cross to showcase Catholicism's triumph over paganism.

The Church of Santa Maria in Palmis is a small, unassuming parish church just outside of Rome's historical center, and you've probably never heard of it. But if you want to see where Jesus walked without going to Israel, this hidden gem is the place for you. It is said that Jesus appeared there and left a small souvenir of his presence to none other than St. Peter.

St. Peter is famous for rejecting Christ before the crucifixion and running away, despite boasting just a few hours of his willingness to die with Jesus rather than run. But after being hounded out of Rome for preaching Christianity, St. Peter did it again, fleeing the city to escape his pursuers. Near the modern church, Christ appeared to him. Peter asked him where he was going, to which he answered, "I am coming to Rome to be crucified again." Peter, reading between the lines, realized that his time had come to stand true to his willingness to die for Jesus and turned back to face his fate: upside-down crucifixion.

Christ, meanwhile, disappeared but left his footprints in the place where he had stood. But to see the prints, you have to drive about 2 miles south to the Basilica of St. Sebastian outside the Walls. It is where the original prints are kept, alongside many other attractions for the Christian pilgrim.