Basilica di Santa Sabina

Lonely Planet review

One of Rome's most appealing churches, this atmospheric basilica is the jewel in the Aventino. Returned to its original look in an early-20th-century restoration, the basilica dates to 422, when it was founded by Peter of Illyria. It was subsequently added to in the 9th century and again in 1216, just before it was given to the newly founded Dominican order.

In the floor of the nave you'll see the mosaic tombstone of Muñoz de Zamora, one of the order's founding fathers.

The original cypress-wood doors remain intact; they're to the far left as you stand under the 15th-century portico. They feature 18 carved panels depicting biblical events, including one of the oldest Crucifixion scenes in existence. It depicts Jesus and the two thieves but, interestingly, not their crosses.

The three naves in the solemn interior are separated by 24 Corinthian columns, which support an arcade decorated with a red-and-green frieze in opus sectile (that is, made of marble cut to shape, as opposed to mosaic, which is composed of pieces of marble of the same size and shape). The columns themselves are also of interest. They were made specifically for the church, rather than plundered from the city's ruins as was the accepted custom in the 5th century, and are Rome's first example of columns designed to support arches.