Rome/Nomentano

The San Lorenzo neighborhood is a student area south-east of Rome's main train station (Termini). It has a small street market (food, clothing), unpretentious cafés and is a major centre of Rome's night life.

Santa Costanza

Nomentano is a district of Rome.

Get in

The Nomentano area is easily reachable by bus from Termini Station (90) from Piazza Venezia or via Nazionale (60) or by Metro Line  B  (stops: Castro Pretorio, Policlinico, Piazza Bologna, Tiburtina).

See

Mosaic in Santa Costanza

• 🌍 Santa Costanza, Via Nomentana 349 (S.Sgnese/Annibaliano station on Metro Line B. Bus 60 from Piazza Venezia or 36 from the Termini station). Mon-Sat 09:00-12:00, Tue-Sat 16:00-18:00. This church was built by the Emperor Constantine (272-337) as a mausoleum for his daughters Constantina and Helena. It was part of a much larger cemetery complex, parts of which can still be seen. The mausoleum was consecrated as a church and dedicated to Constantina when she became a saint in 1254. The building is circular with an inner arcade resting on pairs of granite columns. It retains some marvellous mosaics from the 4th Century.  

• 🌍 Sant' Agnese fuori le Mura (Saint Agnes outside the walls, not to be confused with Sant' Agnese in Agone, to be found in Piazza Navona), Via Nomentana 349. 09:00-13:00 and 16:00-18:00. This church was built next to the mausoleum of Santa Costanza in the 7th Century and is on top of catacombs. It is very unusual in that the floor level is at the level of the catacomb floor, and the street entrance is at the level of the second floor gallery. The body of St. Agnes lies in a silver sarcophagus. There are several stories about her death at the age of 13 in 304 AD. One is that the prefect Sempronius wanted her to marry his son, and condemned her to death when she refused. Roman law did not permit the execution of virgins, so he ordered her to be raped but her virginity was miraculously preserved. She was then condemned to be burnt at the stake but the wood would not burn. Another is that she was stripped naked by the Emperor Diocletian because of her refusal to marry but that her hair then grew rapidly to preserve her modesty.  

• 🌍 Catacombs of St Agnese (Sant'Agnese fuori le mura). 09.00-13.00 and 16.00-18.00 Closed 24 October to 21 November. Small catacombs that contained the remains of Saint Agnes €8, reductions €5.  

• 🌍 Villa Torlonia. A magnificent patrician house with beautiful gardens. Construction of this villa began in 1806. Mussolini rented it from the Torlonia family for one lira a year to use as his state residence from 1925 onwards. It was abandoned after 1945 and allowed to decay but has recently been restored and is open as a museum, the Casino Nobile. The landscaped gardens also contain the Casina delle Civette, 3rd and 4th century Jewish catacombs and thirteen garden pavilions representing exotic parts of the world, as well as an air-raid shelter built into the catacombs for Mussolini. 

Casina delle Civette in Villa Torlonia

• Casino Nobile Museum, Via Nomentana 70 (in grounds of Villa Torlonia. Bus 36 from Termini station), e-mail: [e-mail]. 09.00-16.00 in winter and to 19.00 in summer. In the first half of the 18th Century the Torlonia family were leading collectors of works of art. This museum brings together some of their collection. You can also see the furniture used by Mussolini when he was in residence, as well as photos and films of him in the grounds of the Villa. €6.50 for the two museums in Villa Torlonia. 

• 🌍 Casina delle Civette, Via Nomentana 70 (in grounds of Villa Torlonia. Bus 36 from Termini station), e-mail: [e-mail]. 09.00-16.00 in winter and to 19.00 in summer. This strange-looking, but delightful, building has undergone several transformations since its original construction as a rustic hideaway from the main villa in the park. It underwent a significant redesign in the early 1900s and again in 1917. The emphasis of the museum is on stained glass. The twenty rooms include 54 pieces of stained glass replaced, after restoration, in their original positions, 18 pieces of stained glass acquired and displayed on separate frames, and 105 sketches and preparatory cartoons for stained glass in churches in Rome. €6.50 together with Casino Nobile.  

Porta Maggiore with Baker's tomb in foreground

• 🌍 Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, Piazzale di San Lorenzo. Houses the tomb of St Lawrence. This basilica dates back to the 3rd Century, when the area was already well populated. Surrounding it is Rome's cemetery, the Cimitero del Verano. San Lorenzo was damaged by Allied bombs in 1943 and the facade has been rebuilt.  
• 🌍 Porta Maggiore. Impressive gate built by Claudius in AD 52 and formed by the arches of two aqueducts. It was subsequently incorporated into the Aurelian walls. Nearby is the "Baker's tomb", erected for himself and his wife by a freed slave who became a rich baker. Note the friezes round the top representing the stages of breadmaking.  

Do

• Drinking in the open. Do what Romans (students in particular) do: buy a cheap beer in one of the countless bar around and just hang out or stroll, observing people and enjoying the mildness of a Roman evening.

Buy

Eat

• Arancia Blu, Via Dei Latini (Via Tiburtina). Posh, overpriced and not that good, but the wine list looks impressive. 
• SAID, antica fabbrica della cioccolata, via Tiburtina 135. This restaurant used to be an old chocolate factory and preserves the original decorations. Very nice ambiance and a delicious buffet for lunch that varies every day and costs €10. A lot of veggie options, some fish and meat; only a few dishes a la carte. There is also a dessert buffet with lots of types of chocolates and chocolate cakes. 
• Da Armando, piazzale Tiburtino 1-3-5. Wed closed. A traditional Roman osteria with traditional Roman dishes as well as pizza. Lots of choice for both food and wine. Delicious homemade pasta. Prices are very reasonable and only few tourists. 
• Bar delle Scienze, via dei Liburni 28. A bar next to the university. Lots of students and faculty have lunch here. They have sandwiches and a small selection of dishes. Ideal for a quick lunch. 

Drink

• Pourquoi!, via dei Sardi & via dei Volsci. Impressive selection of (mostly Belgian) beers. A bit on the pricy side (a beer is 5E), but they have a nice buffet for appetizers which comes with your drink for only 2-3E more. 

Sleep

Budget

• Residence Vacanze Romane Rome, Via Dei Reti 27, ☎ [phone]. Guest house in the characteristic neighbourhood of San Lorenzo. Single, double and triple rooms with private bathroom and kitchen. Single: €45. Double: €60. Rates vary according the availability and season. 
• Rome City Hostel, Viale Ippocrate 91, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Metro station 5 minutes on foot/ 10 min walk from Termini, include free breakfast, free linens, no curfew, free internet, free WIFI in all rooms, complete kitchen facilities and utilities, tours and pub crawls. From €15 for dorms. 
• The Beehive, Via Marghera 8, ☎ [phone]. Two minute walk from the Termini. Entrance is buzzer-controlled around-the-clock. The decor is clean and fresh, with rooms spacious and outfitted with comfortably firm beds and large pillows. In-room wifi is included in the price, though some basic TCP/IP configuration knowledge is required to manually set IP and DNS addresses. Ingmar, the somewhat overweight hostel cat, freely roams the public area of the hostel, so visitors with cat allergies should be aware. Dorms €20-25, Rooms €70-80. 

Mid-range

• 🌍 Ateneo Garden Palace, Via dei Salentini 3 - 00185 (Roma Termini san Lorenzo), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 14.00, check-out: ore 11.00. from 130 euro/day. 
• Astoria Palace Rome, Via Giovanni Maria Lancisi, 31, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Seven double and triple rooms for this cosy guest house. Equipped with private bath, shower, internet connection, included breakfast, terrace and private parking. Double €145, triple €150. 
• Hotel Gabriella, Via Palestro 88, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Three star hotel close to the Termini Station, A/C, English-speaking staff, and clean public areas and bedrooms. Singles from €110. 
• Hotel Villa delle Rose, Via Vicenza, 5, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Hotel in a villa with a nice garden, 24 hour reception, and multilingual staff. From 104€. 

Splurge

• Hotel Turner Rome, Via Nomentana 29, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Four star hotel with 47 bedrooms. Also available private bath, breakfast and modern services and facilities. The guest rooms are divided in single, twin, double, triple and suite. Single is €150. Double €200. Suite €300. 

Connect

Go next

Routes through Nomentano

South Rome ← Modern Center ←	SW  NE	→ North Rome → END
Merges into Line B ←	SW  NE	→ North Center → North Rome
Fiumicino Airport ← Aventino-Testaccio ←	SW  NE	→ North Center → Orte
END ←	W  E	→ North Rome → Tivoli