Rome's zoo is being gradually improved and has been renamed the Bioparco. A greater emphasis is now being placed on its ecological and environmental credentials. I visited it on a Wednesday afternoon. Apart from three Russians who asked me for directions to the exit, I was the only visitor. I think the animals were glad to see me. If you like wolves there are lots here. Very wolfish and sleek. Apart from its intrinsic merits, it's one of the few places in Rome where you can get away from the crowds.

Viale del Giardino Zoologico. Trams 3 and 19, plus a short walk.

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Not to mention the amazing art galleries Villa Borghese is an oasis of quiet in the bustling city of Roma - a must see for all visitors. If you want to visit the galleries you need to pre-book online before your visit ... tickets sell out fast but they are reasonably priced.

It can be reached by climbing the Spanish Steps but for the less energetic a taxi is relatively inexpensive.
www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm

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This marvellous monastery is tucked away in the back streets and has the calmest and prettiest cloister in Rome, a fine church with good mosaics, and a massive fortress tower above the entrance. Definitely a place to relax if you've seen too many sights in a morning.

Oh yes, it also has the most superb little mosaic chapel - ask one of the friendly nuns.

Up Via dei Quercetti from the main drag of Via S Giovanni in Laterano

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Italians love crowds so this is not easy. But try the gardens around the lake at EUR, the area Mussolini tacked on to the south of Rome. You can taste some of the best ice cream in the city at the Casina dei Tre Laghi (aka “Giolitti”) and, for the sake of five-minute walk, get a look at the stunning “Colosseo Quadrato” or Square Colosseum, (real name: Palazzo della civilta italiana).

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Try the elegant grounds of the Villa Doria Pamphilj up at Monteverde. It glories in the splendid, and appropriate, nickname of Belrespiro, which is untranslatable but might be rendered as “lovely respite”.

Via di San Pancrazio, Monteverde

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