Peeking in Places and Finding Hidden Details

 Travel tip. Peek into places while you are visiting tourist sites. I want to be clear. Do not trespass, disturb anything, or go anywhere you are no supposed to go. What I am talking about is, if you see a gated doorway, or a storage room with a window looking in, or something like that, go peek in and see what's inside. I sometimes take pictures like this, always being careful not to drop my phone. Sometimes you see something cool. Like these.

This is the 'basement' of the main Temple of the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva) at Ostia Antica. Again, this picture was taken through the gap in the door by holding my phone up close. I never even touched the door. Those pipe looking things? Those are pipes, ancient Roman lead water pipes. I guess they store extras here. Pretty awesome. 

Also, that's the basement of an ancient temple! That's cool. I bet it wasn't lead pipes stored here originally.

This is also Ostia Antica. A display of epigraphs (i.e. inscriptions) that wasn't open at the time. Again, picture taken through gap in the top of the door.

Likewise, this picture of the archaeological/restoration excavations going on in the Roman Forum was taken through the gap in the chain link fence.

This isn't really hidden, but is another example of looking up to see cool things. Lighting/ventilation shaft in the main burial chamber in Castel St Angelo.

Here's a picture of some artifacts stored in trays taken from a viewpoint on the Palatine Hill

So yeah, never go anywhere you shouldn't, but if you see a gated area, go see what can be seen through the gate. If there's a little window peeking into a room, go see what it's showing. As I said in another post, go see what that new modern roof is protecting at the archaeological site. Is the cool giant door on the side street in Rome open? Surreptitiously steal a glance as you walk by, and see the amazing hidden courtyard or whatever. Explore and find the hidden things that only the curious and slow travelers find. Rome in particular rewards this type of exploration. If you don't spend at least some of your time in Rome just aimlessly wandering down side streets, trying to get lost and seeing what you find, you are in my opinion missing out on one of the great joys of Rome.