Santa Sabina is one of Rome’s most beautiful early Christian basilicas and one of the best reasons to explore the Aventine Hill beyond the famous keyhole. The church is spacious, restrained and filled with soft light, offering a powerful contrast to the ornate Baroque interiors found elsewhere in the city. Its fifth-century origins, ancient columns,…
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is one of the richest churches in the neighborhood, combining medieval mosaics, a celebrated Baroque statue, rare frescoes by Pietro Cavallini and archaeological spaces beneath the basilica. It sits away from the busiest restaurant streets, so the atmosphere can feel unexpectedly calm even when Trastevere itself is crowded. The church is…
Rome’s churches are not simply religious buildings added around the famous archaeological sites; they are one of the main reasons the city feels so artistically dense. Masterpieces by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini and Raphael can be found in active places of worship, often with no museum-style entry ticket. Early Christian mosaics sit a few streets from…