Vicus Caprarius
"Zoom out. What’s this place all about? This little-known museum runs out of an office beneath Harry’s Bar, on Vicolo del Puttarello, a 2-minute walk from the Trevi fountain. The entrance is unassuming, and if you hadn’t been told it was there it would be easy to walk right past. There’s a fairly comprehensive website but all bookings are made (and confirmed) via a Whatsapp chat (+39 339 778 6192). You need to arrive 10 minutes before the tour begins and pay at the desk. It’s €8 for a guided tour or €4 to go through self-guided. There were 8 of us in the guided tour group, but we shared the same (small) space with the self-guided individuals, many of whom had just showed up and booked on the day. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one? This museum takes you beneath the Trevi district, through an intricate maze of ancient vestiges to the archaeological ruins of Vicus Caprarius (which roughly translates to “City of Water”), an old Roman apartment complex dating back to the first-century A.D..You get to see first-hand how the rich Romans lived, using their very own aqueduct–the same one that feeds the Trevi fountain–for their running water. The on-site exhibition of artifacts discovered during the restoration in the 1990s is worth a look, too. Exhibits keep us coming back. What can we expect? Skip the guided tour and chose self-guided–there are enough signs and videos explaining the Vicus Caprarius story that you won’t be missing out on anything. The space isn’t big; it’ll take you around 30 minutes to see everything. What did you make of the crowd? Our little group included people from the U.S., Scotland, India, and Argentina. One girl had an allergic reaction to the damp underground air and couldn’t stop sneezing; it also wasn’t suitable for those with mobility issues. On the practical tip, how were the facilities? There's very little walking involved, but it's still an archeological site and not well-set up for those in wheelchairs. Any guided tours worth trying? Our guide was friendly and went through the motions of explaining the story of Vicus Caprarius, but it was standard tour guide patter in broken English, rather than engaging stories. At one point, we drifted off and watched a short animation explaining the Vicus Caprarius story, which told us more in 3 minutes than our guide had managed to tell us in 45 minutes. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it? There's no gift shop on site. Is the café worth a stop? If you're keen on a post-museum cocktail, head upstairs to Harry's Bar. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged? You could do it in 15 minutes and you'll still come away with some cool new knowledge." - Maresa Manara
