by Peggy Tee

Created on: July 05, 2009   Last Updated: December 14, 2009

The Eternal City of Rome was the pulsing, beating heart of the Roman Empire, a civilisation that spread its influence to most of the Western world. The Italian capital is filled with cobble-stoned streets and seductive lanes that snake around corners. These beckoning detours lead to sunlit piazzas and courtyards surrounded by warm terracotta walls, a dancing fountain sparkling in the sun. This was the centre of the Roman Empire and this legacy is ingrained in the very city streets, the underground aqueducts, and the crumbling, magnificent ruins.

The city of seven hills was founded by the twin boys Romulus and Remus who were, according to legend, reared by a she-wolf. Rome is dotted with ancient marvels like the Colosseum and the Forum. The splendour of St Peter's Piazza and the blue dome of the Cathedral still draw thousands of visitors a day, as travellers, touts, pilgrims and priests flock to witness the splendour of the Roman Catholic Church.

But what of the hidden side to Rome? What secrets do her cobblestone streets lead to? Where are the unseen spots known only to the initiated?

Dating from before the time of Christ, the most famous pagan temple in Rome is the 3rd century Mithraic temple buried in the bowels of the Basilica of St Clement. The basilica is located on Via San Giovanni, not far from the Colosseum. It has a beautiful interior with a golden, glistening apse mosaic featuring a large crucifix in the centre. This part of the basilica dates from the 12th century. For a small fee, you can descend into the excavations below the basilica, into the Temple of Mithras, a Persian sun god whose cult was strictly for men only and whose worship involved secret initiation rites in small, cave like rooms. Although this temple was deliberately destroyed when the 4th century church next to it was built, one room has survived. It invokes a small cave, with stars dotted on the ceiling, low side benches long its walls and a stone altar depicting Mithras slaying a bull. In these underground rooms the sound of water can be heard everywhere. It is believed to come from a lost spring or an aqueduct running towards the Tiber.

For a breath of fresh air after the darkness of the Mithraic temple, take a climb up the Aventine Hill. This is one of Rome's most exclusive neighbourhoods, filled with stately, ochre-coloured mansions and public gardens filled with orange groves. When you arrive at the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, or the Piazza of the Knights of Malta, peek

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