The Capuchin “Bone” Church 

Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini sits atop Rome’s impressive Piazza Barbarini, an odd-shaped square crowned by Bernini’s unforgettable fountain of Triton; the Palazzo Barberini, with its world-class art collection, overlooks the piazza. With so much to see here, it is easy to lose sight of the church, which would be a shame since it makes for a truly unforgettable visit. This is the church of the Capuchin monks – the guys who broke away from the Franciscans in 1525 because they wanted to be even more austere. With their brown, hooded robes (‘cappuccio’ means ‘hood’ in Italian), the Capuchins’ look inspired the ever-popular coffee drink – cappuccino.

In this square once dominated by the Barberini family, it’s not surprising that a church was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII Barberini in 1626 and that his brother Cardinal Antonio Barberini, was a Capuchin. Sitting high atop Via Veneto, the church frames the dramatic altarpiece of St. Michael the Archangel by Guido Reni and other impressive works by some of the 17th Century’s top guys. If it’s quiet inside, you can throw the caretaker a few euros and get a unique glimpse into the Barberinis’ private rooms behind the main altar. 

But it’s the crypt underneath that makes this church one of Rome’s ‘Must Sees’. This eerie space not only hosts the bones of more than 4,000 deceased Capuchin friars (who died between 1528 and 1870), but through the years, some decidedly bored monks fashioned the bones into decorative Baroque displays – you will never look at a tailbone the same again. The rooms have names like Crypt of the Skulls, Crypt of the Pelvises, Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, and Crypt of the Three Skeletons – and creepy music is even piped in for ambiance. With its bone-art nailed to the walls and ceiling in patterns of intricate but ghastly beauty, the crypt must be seen to be believed. When the Marquis de Sade visited in 1775, he described it as "An example of funerary art worthy of an English mind". See for yourselves – if you’ve got a stomach for the macabre side of religion. 

Open 9-12 noon; 3-6 p.m. (closed Thursday). 

Entry fee: donation of at least 1 euro. No photographs permitted but postcards on sale.