Basilica di Santa Sabina

A genuinely spiritual spot, this solemn basilica was founded by Peter of Illyria in around AD 422. It was enlarged in the 9th century and again in 1216, just before it was given to the newly founded Dominican order – look out for the mosaic tombstone of Muñoz de Zamora, one of the order’s founding fathers, in the nave floor. A 20th-century restoration returned it to its original look. One of the few surviving 4th-century elements are the basilica’s cypress-wood doors. They feature 18 carved panels depicting biblical events, including one of the oldest Crucifixion scenes in existence. It’s quite hard to make out in the top left, but it depicts Jesus and the two thieves although, strangely, not their crosses. Inside, the three naves are separated by 24 Corinthian columns, which support an arcade decorated with a faded red-and-green frieze. The fluted columns, custom-made for the church rather than plundered from the city’s ruins, were the first ever made in Rome to support arches. Light streams in from high nave windows that were added in the 9th century, along with the carved choir, pulpit and bishop’s throne. Behind the church is a garden and a meditative 13th-century cloister.