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Ninfeo's Mystery
the mystery is prob simpler than it feels. those hidden rooms were almost certainly cisterns or settling tanks for the water system. the ninfeo was fed by the aqua Severiana, and water needs to slow down and drop sediment before it hits the fancy fountain stuff, otherwise the pipes clog. you can actually see the plaster lining on the walls if u look close, that's the waterproof coating, not just decoration.
so less secret rituals, more roman engineering. but if u want the eerie vibe back, go at dusk when the light hits the brickwork weird, it feels like a different place entirely. also, the ticket staff are useless, but the little bookshop on via dei Fornaci has a decent pamphlet on the Severan aqueduct system, way better than anything official.
honestly those smaller rooms are probably the most interesting part of the whole site, even if the guidebooks ignore them. my guess is they were service corridors and maybe a small praefurnium, a furnace room for heating water, since the whole thing was tied to the aqueduct supply. but the real kicker is that the whole structure was built into an old private house, so some of those chambers might just be leftover rooms from that earlier building, repurposed and hidden by the later construction. if u want the actual story, skip the guidebook and talk to the staff at the ticket office, they usually know the archaeological reports. or check the work by Coarelli, he's the one who mapped out the whole Severan complex and explains the layout way better than any plaque.
I think those smaller chambers might have been storage or service rooms, not anything too glamorous. The ninfeo was basically a giant fountain complex for a bath or villa, so they probably held supplies or let workers move around without being seen.
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What are current tobacco prices for LM Blue or Chesterfield Blue?
tbh duty free at Riga is only worth it if you're buying cartons, single packs at the airport arent that much cheaper than teh tabaccai in Rome. also remember you can only bring a limited amount into the EU anyway so stockpiling has its limits
Chesterfield Blue usually runs around 5.50 to 6 euros a pack in Rome these days, though tabaccai prices are fixed by the state so it won't vary much shop to shop. Riga is generally cheaper for cigarettes but your layover time matters, if it's tight you might not have time to clear security and find a shop.
LM Blue in Rome is roughly the same ballpark, around 5.50 to 6 euros. One thing to keep in mind at Riga airport, the duty free selection isn't always great for specific brands like these, so if you're set on LM or Chesterfield you might strike out. I'd check what the actual duty free has before counting on it.