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Discover Ripa’s 9 best spots for your trip in Rome

From the classic Giardino degli Aranci and Mouth of Truth, to lesser-known spots worth adding to your trip.

Prices & booking information
Opening hours & visit duration
Best time to visit
Location & practical information
Local tips for every spot

Giardino degli Aranci

★ 4.7 · 25,923 reviews

Discover the Giardino degli Aranci, Rome's quiet garden retreat atop Aventine Hill. Wander among the orange trees planted by Dominican monks and watch the sun set over St Peter's dome before peeking through the famous keyhole nearby.

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Reasons to go

The garden occupies the site of a medieval fortress on the Aventine Hill.
Its orange trees were planted centuries ago by Dominican monks from the adjoining basilica.
The famous keyhole view of St Peter's dome through the Knights of Malta gate is just around the corner.

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Typical visit

25 min

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Best time

early morning, morning, lunchtime, afternoon, early evening or evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Mouth of Truth

★ 4.3 · 25,497 reviews

Step up to the Mouth of Truth, the ancient marble face that made Roman Holiday famous. Slide your hand into its mouth for the classic photo, then explore the church behind it and the nearby ancient temples.

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Reasons to go

Likely began as an ancient Roman drain cover or fountain decoration carved as a river god's face
Medieval legend held it would snap shut on the hand of anyone who told a lie inside its mouth
Featured in the 1953 film Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, which sparked its fame as a photo stop

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Typical visit

15 min

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Best time

morning, lunchtime, afternoon or early evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🍽️Food$$$$ · Premium

Retrobottega

★ 4.4 · 1,253 reviews

Discover Retrobottega, a tasting-menu spot near the Roman Forum built for adventurous eaters. Dig into the experimental Sabotage menu and wine pairings, knowing you're in for bold, technique-driven cooking rather than classic Roman comfort.

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Reasons to go

Tasting menu named "Sabotage" reflects the kitchen's experimental, boundary-pushing approach to Italian cooking.
The restaurant relocated from its original location, with some reviewers recalling a different à la carte format beforehand.

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Typical visit

2h30

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Circus Maximus

★ 4.5 · 62,181 reviews

Walk the long grassy valley where Rome's chariots once thundered before 150,000 roaring fans. Trace the ancient track's outline between the Palatine and Aventine hills, and pop into the small onsite VR exhibit to picture the races in action.

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Reasons to go

It was ancient Rome's largest entertainment venue, used for chariot racing for centuries.
The site sits in a valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, whose shape still traces the original track outline.
An onsite VR experience and small exhibition help reconstruct the vanished structure.

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Typical visit

30 min

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Best time

morning, afternoon or early evening

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Walking intensity

Moderate walking

🏛️LandmarkFree

Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin

★ 4.5 · 8,929 reviews

Step past the crowds snapping photos at the Mouth of Truth and into the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin itself. Explore over a thousand years of history through intricate Cosmatesque marble floors, a Romanesque bell tower, and a calm, uncrowded medieval interior.

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Reasons to go

The portico holds the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), the ancient marble mask made famous by the 'Roman Holiday' legend that it bites liars' hands
The church preserves one of Rome's best-preserved Cosmatesque marble floors, a medieval inlaid stone technique
Its Romanesque bell tower and largely unadorned medieval interior contrast with the Baroque style common in central Rome's churches

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Typical visit

30 min

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Best time

morning, lunchtime, afternoon or early evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Knights of Malta Keyhole

★ 4.3 · 699 reviews

Discover Rome's quirkiest secret on a quiet Aventine street. Peer through a plain garden door's keyhole to spot St. Peter's dome perfectly framed by a tree-lined avenue, miles away.

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Reasons to go

Looking through the keyhole reveals a landscaped optical illusion where a tree-lined avenue frames St. Peter's dome in the distance.
The gate sits on the grounds of the Knights of Malta priory atop the Aventine Hill, one of Rome's least touristy hills.
The view spans three sovereign territories in a single sightline: the Priory grounds, Italy, and Vatican City.

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Typical visit

15 min

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Temple of Hercules Victor

★ 4.5 · 1,119 reviews

Discover the Temple of Hercules Victor, Rome's oldest surviving marble building. Stand before its Corinthian columns and circular Republican-era form, tucked in a quiet piazza beside the Temple of Portunus near the old Forum Boarium.

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Reasons to go

It is the oldest surviving marble building in Rome, dating to the late 2nd century BC.
The circular design follows a Greek tholos plan rather than typical Roman temple form.
Its conversion into a church during the Middle Ages saved it from being quarried for building stone.

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Typical visit

15 min

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🏛️LandmarkFree

Temple of Portunus

★ 4.5 · 478 reviews

Discover the Temple of Portunus, a rare survivor from Republican Rome. Walk around its Ionic columns and travertine-and-tufa walls beside the Tiber, admiring pre-Imperial design without the crowds of Rome's bigger monuments.

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Reasons to go

Built between 80 and 70 BC, it's one of Rome's oldest surviving temples from the Republican era.
Its survival is due to conversion into a Christian church during the Middle Ages, unlike most Republican-era temples.
Its Ionic columns and travertine-and-tufa build show Etruscan and Greek influence distinct from later Imperial-style temples.

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Typical visit

15 min

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Best time

early morning, early evening or evening

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Walking intensity

Easy pace

🍽️Food$$$ · Expensive

Trattoria Sora Lella

★ 4.1 · 4,176 reviews

Discover Trattoria Sora Lella, a storied trattoria on Isola Tiberina carrying the legacy of the actress-cook who founded it. Sit down to hearty Roman classics like supplì, carbonara, and oxtail, served in a dining room steeped in decades of history.

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Reasons to go

Named after actress and cook Sora Lella, whose reputation built the restaurant's legacy of traditional Roman home cooking.
Located on Tiber Island, serving Roman classics like coda alla vaccinara and tonnarelli alla carbonara.
Has an attached gelato takeaway window along Via di Ponte Quattro Capi offering around 20 flavors.

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Typical visit

1h30

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Best time

lunchtime, afternoon, evening or late night

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Walking intensity

Easy pace