“Rome: a lifetime is not enough”, as the saying goes. For this very reason the Eternal City continues to provide its guests with the thrill of discovering unknown treasures. Virtually no one knows about Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s last, splendid fountain, despite its fascinating history. On the Aventine Hill, you can lower yourself through a manhole in the middle of a square and end up in Emperor Trajan’s private residence, still totally frescoed. A church’s paintings feature a variety of tortures. An unfinished church, by Francesco Borromini, houses a copy of the Shroud and is now a luxury hotel at the foot of the Janiculum Hill. These are just some of the lesser-known sites that Rome offers its visitors. This book’s author invites readers to abandon the usual itineraries, experience the taste of discovery, enjoy the pleasure of the unusual and the unknown, and follow new paths: seven small yet memorable masterpieces, seven remarkable venues, seven forgotten characters, seven dates to remember, seven painful losses that mutilated Italy’s capital.

Fabio Isman is a journalist and writer, who used to report for Rome’s “Il Messaggero” daily newspaper.