TotalGuide I

Marble art: Michaelangelo’s Moses, on Pope Julius II’s tomb in San Pietro in LOCAL’S TIP Vincoli church ‘DON’T buy water from illegal sellers outside the — they often refill dirty bottles. DO have a picnic at the , where Fellini filmed the opening shot of La Dolce Vita Many Roman families go there, . especially on Sundays.’ Alessandro Coticelli, archaeologist

humanity washes into it. I had been Holy Rome: left, reluctant to meet my Greek relatives St Peter’s Square and basilica in the in Rome one July, but ended up Vatican; easy riders having a lovely visit when they on a moped; kids can insisted on sticking to their southern play ‘count the nuns’ Take a pew: 5 heavenly churches in central Rome; Med schedule: doing our sightseeing inside the glittery in the cool of the early morning, interior of San The art-filled one chains, miraculously broken by when the rich light flatters Rome’s Clemente basilica an angel, but it’s ’s old stones (ie, getting to St Peter’s Often overlooked, even though extraordinary statue of Moses that before 7am when it opens and the it’s just a 10-minute stroll from the compels. Sigmund Freud spent long queues form), then washing , ’s three weeks trying to analyse its HOW TO DO HISTORIC ROME down lunch with enough bottles basilica brims with truly great art. emotional effect. Today it’s hard to of chilled Castelli Romani (or the Standouts are the geometric get past the fact Moses looks just delightfully named Est! Est!! Est!!!) perfection of Raphael and Bernini’s like Charlton Heston (with horns). to ensure long siestas. Then we’d Chigi Chapel and Caravaggio’s walk up to the orange garden on the Conversion on the Way to Damascus The teeny-weeny one Aventine for the views of the sunset and Crucifixion of St Peter — arguably Santa Barbara dei Librai Can you dig it? igniting St Peter’s dome, and stroll the most startling, powerful religious When you’re doing the market and in the warm summer night, when paintings outside the . bars in Campo de’ Fiori, pop over to Why does Dana Facaros call Rome the ‘Big Lasagne’? Rome’s monuments and fountains Largo dei Librari, for a photo op with Delve into its rich, storied layers to find out… are beautifully illuminated, the The utterly ancient one this teeny church squished between narrow medieval lanes mysterious Santa Costanza the surrounding buildings. It was built he silence was eerie Ancient Rome and its ghosts are Then, I was pickpocketed (the No. 64 with crafty Roman cats slinking past You’ll need take the metro out to in the 14th century over the ruins of as I stepped into the at their most tangible and strange Termini to Vatican ‘Hell to Heaven’ in search of crafty Roman rats. And Sant’Agnese-Annibaliano station, the , where Brutus bowels of the church. when you go underground. And in bus was always the worst), pooped on eventually we’d end up in , but it’s worth it to see this rare 4th- et al assassinated Julius Caesar. (In One of Rome’s minor the silence and dark corners, I heard by starlings and nearly flattened by Rome’s lively left bank, with its century charmer on Via Nomentana. the 17th it was given to the guild of basilicas, adorned with the faraway sound of running water. a Sacred Heart of Jesus ambulance. tables spilling into the lanes, and Next to the church and catacombs bookbinders — hence its name.) swirling,T glittering Byzantine mosaic An ancient sewer? A forgotten And I still didn’t see everything. characters out of Fellini’s Satyricon. of Sant’Agnese Fuori le Mura, Santa arabesques, San Clemente stands subterranean river? No-one knows, Eternal City is no exaggeration. But whenever you go, Rome Costanza is a time capsule from The sensuous one over an intact 4th-century chapel, but the story (there’s always ‘a story’) Since then all has been forgiven. requires careful planning, booking the earliest days of Christianity. Santa Maria della Vittoria famous for its rare early frescoes. goes that 150 years ago a child fell in I adore Rome now, especially visiting timed tickets online for the main Colourful mosaics show a wine The busy Via Venti Settembre keeps From here, steps descend 10m below the mysterious drink and was found and not writing a book about it. sights or facing soul-destroying harvest and early visions of Jesus: its greatest charm tucked away in street level into a 1st-century AD barely alive kilometres away. And it’s seriously comforting to queues. Just don’t do too much and blond and beardless in one apse, and this church: Bernini’s Ecstasy of Roman townhouse and temple of Local tour companies call San know that it’s impossible to do turn into a glaze-eyed, sore-footed dressed in imperial robes in another. St Teresa with its smirking angel Mithras, complete with a relief of the Clemente the ‘Lasagne’ church, but it all. There’s always more — tourist zombie. Instead, hire a Vespa parting the saint’s robes to pierce Persian god in a floppy Phrygian cap they could just as well call Rome another archaeological discovery for an afternoon buzz around Rome. The Freudian one her heart with an arrow, while she and Batman cape, slitting the throat the Lasagne city. Above and below or a frescoed church that someone My parents, who had always loved swoons in holy orgasm on the mini of a bull (for a couple of centuries his ground, layers after layers hold 2,500 finally remembered to unlock Roman Holiday, still talk about how This is a nice little number with pews stage of the Cornaro chapel. In cult challenged the new religion: years of triumph and glory, murder after three decades. much fun it was swishing around to rest in after you’ve trudged around the box seats on the sides, eight Christianity). And below me were and mayhem. I tried to get to the In terms of timing, Rome is at both the piazzas à la Hepburn and Peck. the Colosseum, a six-minute walk blokes watch and chat. The whole: the remains of buildings destroyed bottom of it all when writing its worst and best in the summer: On another memorable trip, we took away. It holds St Peter’s prison unforgettably bizarre. in 64AD by fiddling Nero’s fire. a guidebook some years ago. hot, muggy and crowded, as half of the kids and put them in charge, >

66 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL MAY 2018 MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 67 TotalGuide Rome ROME I CITY Hidden STROLL Square deal: 5 perfect piazzas views & NO. 1 The glamorous one on the side, one of the wonders of the ancient world, the 2,000-year- Ready to swoon? The world’s most old Pantheon. Although bustling all fashion beautiful former stadium is pure, day, Piazza della Rotonda comes into ravishing theatre, its stands replaced its own at aperitivo time. Get there finds by restaurants, palazzi, bars and by 5pm to bag a front-row table in Start outside the the pale dome and towers of the one of its cafes, order a bottle of Colosseum for an baroque Sant’Agnese in Agnone. Prosecco and enjoy the passeggiata In the centre, two fountains play of locals strutting their stuff. historic walk (even the bridesmaid to Bernini’s sublime clothes are vintage) Fountain of Four Rivers. Go after The market one dark, when it’s all beautifully Campo de’ Fiori l At the east side of the Colosseum illuminated and the soft, old- One of the few large squares in ( 1 on map), pause a moment to take fashioned lights turn Piazza Navona central Rome to escape a papal in the spectacle, then turn down San into a vortex of Roman charm. remake, the ‘Meadow of Flowers’ Giovanni in Laterano. On your left, is, and always has been, the vibrant about five minutes later, San Clemente The civic-showcase one square of the people. Although rents basilica (basilicasanclemente.com; £9; Piazza del Campidoglio here have soared, the colourful 2 ) seems pretty average. But stairs When Michelangelo took charge of morning market has kept it a bastion descend to a medieval baptistery, then the , the epicentre of of down-to-earth, smart-alecky deeper again to a pagan chapel (see ancient Roman might, he created Roman reality. Go in the morning to main feature, page 66). Now cross Via a masterpiece. As you saunter up watch denizens banter and haggle Labicana and climb the stone steps his majestic Cordonata ramp, past over aubergines, then come back to Oppian Hill 3 , Nero’s old stomping the statues of Castor and Pollux, after dinner, when a dozen bars ground. At the top, Via della Domus you feel the master’s touch: the replace the market stalls and host Aurea hits Via Mecenate. Take the latter, Renaissance housing the Rome’s liveliest outdoor party. flanked by fruit trees, heading north like bookends, for five minutes, then turn left on the statue of Marcus Aurelius The secret one Via Merulana to Panificio Panella with a copy of Asterix Conquers On the home and the lovely inlaid pattern in the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta (panellaroma.com; 4 ), where trays straight: cycling pavement. Behind the Palazzo del When Rome seems overwhelming, of steaming custard-filled pastries Rome as their guide. We adults along the Appian quite enjoyed eating gelato six way; musicians Senato, gaze on the Forum, then retreat to the and this stack to the ceiling. Romane (palazzovalentini.it/domus- since the surrounding area was times a day, too. In St Peter’s performing in slip into the courtyard for a photo op piazza, where you can still hear romane/index-en.html; £10.50; 6 ), dug out it’s dangled over the Temple Square, we once played nun- the lively left-bank with Emperor Constantine’s huge birdsong. Designed by Piranesi, l If it’s a weekend, shoot along Via a block of houses discovered beneath of Antoninus and Faustina. Full-height district of Trastevere spotting — who knew there were marble head and pointing finger. it’s a quirky delight, lined with baby Giovanni Lanza for five minutes to . Inside, a glass floor windows deliver spectacular views so many different orders of nuns, obelisks and antique-style trophies, Via Cavour. At Salita dei Borgia, take the lets you peek into Hadrian-era flats. right over the heart of Ancient Rome. all with sparkling eyes, so jolly, so The cafe-society one sheltered in a wall of cypresses and steps down to Via Leonina and follow happy to be there? And how nice Piazza della Rotonda palms. The main attraction is a the shoppers into the Grand Hotel l You’re at the edge of the Forum 7 l Via di San Teodoro runs down the simply to sit in a cafe on Piazza This is the perfect Roman piazza for bronze-plated keyhole. Set in the Palatino for the weekly Mercato now. Dive in. Or, if it’s Thursday, prepare western flank of the Forum. Walk Navona and watch 100 nationalities watching the world go by: cobbled, gate of the Priory of the Knights fashion market, selling one-of-a- for a treat. Follow down it for five minutes to the farmers’ walk by in an hour. sun-soaked, awash in ochre, of Malta, it offers a perfect view of kind jewellery and leather handbags to the narrow lane after Via della Salara Mercato Campagna Amica (mercatocirc Do delve into the depths of salmon, pink and yellow, with that St Peter’s dome, framed in a neatly (mercatomonti.com; Sept-Jun; 5 ). Vecchia. A door at the back of the omassimo.it; 9 ), where, on weekends, the Big Lasagne, too, though, for de rigueur fountain and obelisk and, trimmed row of hedges. Then, amble through the Monti San Lorenzo in Miranda church 8 you can bag a snack. Outside, the that full sensory immersion into a district, shopping for vintage clothing. announces the College of Pharmacists; road crosses Via dei Cerchi to a busy long-ago distant world. Imperial Centre stage: Eventually, get to Via dei Serpenti and on Thursdays, visitors can go inside intersection, where you’ll break off villas wait under the Palazzo the dramatic turn left onto Via Panisperna. In the (10am-12pm; £10) . The church went up into Clivo dei Publicii for a climb toward Valentini next to Trajan’s Forum; Piazza Navona shadow of Trajan’s Column is Domus before the Forum was excavated, and Via di . Follow that another even St Peter’s Basilica sits over a five minutes to the end; on your right, lane of charming pagan tombs, join the queue at an imposing green unforgettably described by travel door (Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta 4; 10 ). writer HV Morton as ‘little sitting Look through the keyhole and savour rooms for the soul’. Or combine the the view to sun-kissed St Peter’s catacombs of San Sebastian with (see Secret Piazza, opposite). a stroll along the Via Appia Antica, the ‘Queen of Roads’, as it slices Through the l It’s 30 minutes back to Monti. The keyhole: lining up through the poetic, parasol-piney for a perfect view of walk will earn you an icy Aperol Spritz Roman campagna. St Peter’s basilica; at La Bottega del Caffè in the Piazza della What you miss, you can save for the San Lorenzo in Madonna dei Monti (mains about £9; 11 ). next time. Toss that coin in the Miranda church and Nosh on pizza or antipasti. Or have the

ELLEN HIMELFARB ELLEN the remains of the Fountain. You’ll be back, and Rome Temple of Antoninus risotto special across the way at Civico 4

will be waiting. WORDS: and Faustina (civico4.it; mains about £10; 12 ).

68 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL MAY 2018 MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 69 TotalGuide I Rome

To dine for: 5 restaurants we rate

The breakfast one How to do it: Share lots of appetisers Forno Campo de’ Fiori (fried mixed vegetables, burrata, Where? On the edge of the open-air deep-fried artichoke) and then Campo de’ Fiori market, just south get a plate of pasta all to yourself of Piazza Navona. (ristorantevelavevodetto.it; Why go? To live out your pizza-for- pastas about £9). breakfast dreams. How to do it: Pick and mix from the The authentically Roman one various bakery cabinets: a bianca Cesare al Casaletto topped with courgette; a rossa Where? Fifteen minutes’ drive (though purists wouldn’t) topped south of . with aubergine; and biscotti to stash Why go? For a masterclass in in your bag for tomorrow’s coffee cucina Romana. (14 Vicolo del Gallo; about £2 a slice). How to do it: Join the other in-the- know diners for Sunday dinner here The sights-central one at ‘pasta church’. The pasta alla gricia Armando al Pantheon is Roman-ingredient bingo: pasta, Where? Less than a minute’s pecorino, guanciale and black LOCAL’S walk from the Pantheon. pepper (trattoriadacesare.it; TIP Why go? It’s so close to a giant mains about £9). ‘DON’T buy food from city- tourist magnet, you’d assume it centre snack carts. It’s average quality, overpriced and hygiene was a no-no. But it’s spectacular. The cheap ’n’ cheerful locals’ one standards are How to do it: Book it for a leisurely Alle Carrette looow. DO order pasta carbonara, lunch. It does get busy, but the Where? In Monti, eight minutes’ amatriciana , gricia or cacio e pepe location means you can plan your walk from the Colosseum. in a restaurant — never Alfredo. It’s not a Roman recipe!’ sightseeing around it (armandoal Why go? For lively dinners with HOW TO DO FOODIE ROME Pietro Migliori, marketing pantheon.it; pastas about £10). local families, and flawless director wood-fired pizza. The neighbourhood one How to do it: Keep it low-key: a few Flavio al Velavevodetto fried courgette flowers for the table, Where? In Testaccio, five minutes’ a pizza capricciosa (ham, olives, Bite sighs walk from the market. mushrooms, artichoke, egg) and Why go? It’s had its ups and downs a half-litre of house red for just Eating in the Eternal City is a heady pleasure, over the last years, but is currently £3.50 (95 Via della Madonna enjoying a delicious high. dei Monti; pizzas about £7). but it helps to know the rules behind the rituals. Laura Goodman dishes up the details

he first time I went to look for — pecorino (hard, salty deep down it likes things quite Cafe society: with a miserly fraction of the layers Rome, I didn’t love it. sheep’s cheese), say, or guanciale formal. Romans do things by the clockwise from top and butter). I can tell you what’s left, early-evening It was the first trip my (cured pig’s cheek) — but we probably book, and it isn’t a book you can dining in the street; better than both those options: a now-husband and I ever knew we should try a carbonara. buy, so let me summarise it for you. make mine a mid-morning slice of pizza bianca. took and he gets upset This was the extent of our First, get in the swing of daily cappuccino in the At the bakery (forno), pizza bianca when I recall it this way, but he research. We’d heard fried food was cappuccinos. Rome’s morning drink morning; keeping is a sauce-less sheet of pizza al taglio, T it simple at lunch; knows the truth — that we ate a big deal and we were intent on of choice should always be consumed busy restaurants topped with olive oil and sea salt, terrible, weekend-ruining food. I’ve eating gelato by the , before 11am. As the Romans see it, on Piazza Navona and then — if you’re lucky — with blocked most of it from my memory, but we knew nothing of cacio e pepe caffè lattes should not sit on full are a magnet for thinly sliced potato and rosemary or tourists; pizza but if I try hard I can muster a blurry (a classic spaghetti dish with obscene stomachs after dinner — that’s an greens. There’s tomato-based pizza, bianca with fresh montage of slimy pesto, oily arancini amounts of pecorino and black espresso’s job. And to get that coffee, mushrooms too (rossa), but that’s not considered and drab, soggy pizza. pepper). We categorically did not you won’t need to go to a cafe — you’ll a breakfast food. Fear not — each Several trips (and a marriage and know the difference between pizza go to a bar that serves spirits and bakery will have a changing roster a dog) later I’m convinced Romans al taglio (Roman-style, baked in wine by night. And coffee isn’t of flavours and they’ll charge you cook the best food in the world. So, sheets and sold in squares) and a sit-down event (Romans prefer so little money (often by weight), on that first visit, why couldn’t we pizza Napoletana (from Naples). to lean at the bar), so if you choose to you’ll be able to try them all. find it? With hindsight, I think our To eat well in Rome, an address sit, you’ll have to pay more (though, If you want a hot, whole pizza problem was that we were following book isn’t enough. You need a map to be fair, you are on holiday). straight from a wood-fired oven, Mellow yellow: guidebooks to the letter. We did all of the city’s idiosyncrasies. Rome can Breakfast at home in Rome tends wait until the evening — the true the pretty entrance the wrong reading. For instance, make a big, uninhibited show at to be biscuits dunked in coffee. Even neighbourhood pizzerias won’t to Velavevodetto, in Testaccio I doubt we knew any details about dinnertime (red wine and sauce at the bar you won’t get much more fire up for lunch, and if they do, specifically Roman ingredients to stains all over the tablecloth), but than a cornetto (like a croissant, but it’s for the tourists (not us!). >

70 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL MAY 2018 MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 71 TotalGuide I Rome Gonfalone to the Oratorio at No. 32a. Hot hits: 3 top Prebook (oratoriogonfalone.com; £8.90; 9 ) to see the sumptuously espresso joints frescoed ‘Sistine Chapel of Mannerism’, a 16th-century fusion of Michelangelo, For classicists Leonardo and Raphael. Sant‘Eustachio il Caffè This landmark of a cafe is almost l Ready for a contemporary reprieve? as much of a sight to behold as Zigzag through to Via Sforza the Pantheon next door. It’s Cesarini and pop into the colourful, a little 80-year-old bar packed conceptual Monitor gallery (monitor to the rafters with tempting online.org; 10 ). Follow Cesarini further bean-based souvenirs in up, through Vittorio Emanuele II and bright-yellow packaging. Lean back into the tight streets behind Piazza at the bar and your espresso Navona 3 . Once on Via di , it’s will be cheaper, but that defeats a five-minute stroll to Bramante’s the point: sitting to drink in the Cloister (chiostrodelbramante.it; 11 ), extraordinarily illustrious whose gallery features avant-gardists location (santeustachioilcaffe. such as Basquiat (entry fee varies). com; espresso £3.30). Visiting rights: l Still have energy? Take a two-minute above, tourists lunching in Piazza For gourmets detour along Via della Pace past Hotel Navona; left, Roscioli Caffè Raphaël. At Via di Tor Sanguigna 1, you a vendor selling The Rosciolis do a fine line in can peek over a railing at vestiges of artichokes pizza al taglio, suppli (fried rice the Stadio de Domiziano (stadiodomi in Testaccio balls) and ricotta tarts at their ziano.com; 12 ), built two millennia ago to nearby forno, and textbook host Rome’s first Greek-style Olympiad. carbonara at their nearby restaurant. At the cafe, stand in l Back to Bramante’s Cloister for an the front section for well priced aperitif overlooking a Raphael fresco. coffee alongside mini club Then wander down Via della Pace for sandwiches and pretty cannoli; cannoli with aubergine, or beef filet in at the back you’ll find more ROME chestnut pastry at Bar del Fico (bardel elaborate antipasti (roscioli CITY fico.com; mains about £20; 13 ). By 9pm, caffe.com; espresso 90p). STROLL road curves right as boutiques Market mix: stop locals will have gathered outside under NO. 2 multiply — blink and you’ll miss for a fruit juice at a tree to play chess late into the night. Art, old Campo de’ Fiori; For coffee nerds the glam atelier of Delfina Delettrez below, the fountain When Romans head out for Testaccio market is a brilliant place Pergamino Caffè and new, (delfinadelettrez.com; 4 ), a Fendi scion in dinner, they generally like to keep to shop with locals for aubergines In an unlikely (but nevertheless who designs chic Gothic jewellery. it casual. Before dining, they might and porchetta sandwiches, and the handy) location, close to the & a pasta have a drink at home or go for an restaurants surrounding the market Vatican wall, this modern cafe l Now turn down Vicolo Savelli and aperitivo in their local area. There are known for their cucina Romana. prides itself on using better cross through Vittorio Emanuele II to are lots of good aperitivo spots in Finally, you might be on holiday, beans than anywhere else masterpiece Via del Pellegrino, home to similarly atmospheric locations, though, close but do pay attention to what day it in the city. As well as espresso- Start outside the whimsical boutiques such as Retropose to the sights. So you can bask in the is. Restaurants serving classically based drinks, you can get siphon, Pantheon and discover (retropose.com; 5 ), with its pleated glory of the Spanish Steps with an Roman food tend to observe the nitro, Chemex and AeroPress leather bags. Head east along the Aperol spritz before going on to dine. historic food calendar, which brews, all lovingly prepared by indie boutiques, chess northern flank of Campo de’ Fiori 6 For simple, casual Roman food dictates that specific dishes be eaten dedicated baristas. And you and a hidden Raphael and buy a juice to whet your appetite that requires a bib, it’s not always on specific days of the week. For us, can pick up beautiful bags of — you’ll find classic Roman fare just up as simple as moving away from the that means Tuesdays and Fridays are beans from Italian roasters to l Passing behind the Pantheon Via del Biscione, in the 2,000-year-old landmarks. However, heading deep good days for pasta e ceci (pasta with take home (7 Piazza del ( 1 on map), turn west into Via della cellar of Hostaria Costanza (hostaria into a cosy, lived-in neighbourhood chickpeas) and Thursday is best for Risorgimento; espresso £2). Palombella for a coffee (or silky hot costanza.it; mains about £16; 7 ), near is always a good idea. Monti, a few fresh-as-you-like bouncy little chocolate) from Sant’Eustachio cafe where Caesar was killed. Soon you’ll be minutes north of the Colosseum, is gnocchi. Sunday is the day to go 2 (see panel opposite), infused with slurping pork-jowl spaghetti, fighting so perfect you’ll want to move there all-out with fettucine alla Romana water from an ancient aqueduct. Seats over the last artichoke. (see How to do Local Rome, page 76), (meat and tomato sauce), prior to in the quiet piazza cost extra, so pay with pasta, pizza, cappuccino, roast lamb. Which is handy because at the counter, then grab your ticket l Retracing your steps, hang left into aperitivo and gelato you can count Sunday is also the day people are and self-serve from the bar. Piazza Farnese. The French embassy on. Testaccio requires a bit more more likely to wade through the now occupies the High Renaissance of a schlep. It’s 20 minutes south of full Italian menu, in which pasta l Admire the cross-shaped fresco on palazzo here 8 , designed by one of pretty much everything you’re likely is just a warm-up. That’s antipasti, the building opposite, before turning into the architects of St Peter’s, with input to visit (by taxi or metro), but it’s primi, secondi, dolce. Absolutely Via dei Sediari. In a minute, you’ll come from Michelangelo. Turn right for a ELLEN HIMELFARB ELLEN known for its fantastic produce. no cappuccino, though — not after across Piazza Navona 3 — uncluttered five-minute stroll along the elegantly

If you want a taste of local life, all that food. Are you kidding? WORDS: by tourists if you’re early enough. The cobbled Via Giulia, then into Via del

72 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL MAY 2018 MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 73 ROME TotalGuide Rome CITY I STROLL Secret NO. 3 passages, the Pope & sorbets Start outside St Peter’s to find family shops, ace views and the papal escape route

l Heading to Sunday’s Papal Audience in St Peter’s Square? Beware: in winter, it moves inside the groovy, modern Paul VI Audience Hall. Get there before 8am, and once inside, don’t miss the tentacled bronze altarpiece (papalaudience.org/ information; free; ( 1 on map). After, exit St Peter’s Square onto bullet- straight to Castel Sant’Angelo 2 , 10 minutes away on the . Get a panoramic view and a hit of brilliant sunshine from the rooftop terrace, then spiral down to the mausoleum on the second floor. But save time, too, to walk along the 13th- century Passetto di , an 800m secret passageway built as the Pope’s escape route from St Peter’s during attacks. You can book access most mornings with your ticket to the castle l A few minutes back down Via Silla, Fine art: the opulent from the Supreme Court (Piazza dei , (www.tosc.it/tickets.html; £9.50). you’ll hit the pleasantly shaded Tribunali; 8 ) At Giuseppe Mazzini bridge with Raphael Boulevard Via Cola di Rienzo, part frescos; the Pope’s 9 , take the staircase descending to l Out front, turn up Via di Porta Castello shopping mecca, part time warp. The secret passageway Via della Lungara, hang a left and you’ll and zigzag for 10 minutes or so to Via historic grocer Castroni, at No. 196 5 , between St Peter’s come to Villa Farnesina (villafarnesina. and Castel 10 Silla. It’s time for lunch at L’Osteria stocks cheese, condiments and coffee Sant’Angelo it; £5.50; ), a Renaissance manor di Birra del Borgo (osteria.birradel from small family producers. But you’ve richly frescoed by Raphael.. Your borgo.it; mains about £12.50; 3 ). It’s come for the gelato, so wend your way Vatican ticket offers discounted entry, slicker than your average taverna, east to Piazza Cavour 6 . Neve di Latte but it closes at 2pm, so if you’re too late, but brilliant for a plate of cacio e pepe (on Via Federico Cesi 1, off the piazza; 7 ), carry on along Via della Lungara, up Via (Rome’s trademark pasta/cheese/ a pretty, pink gelateria behind Art Deco Garibaldi and around the university pepper dish) and a beer. Afterwards, windows, gives heaped scoops of garden on Via di Porta . timeworn boutiques await on charming classic flavours and fresh-fruit sorbets. Where the road ends, steps climb to the Via degli Scipioni. Look out for Antica exuberant Fontana dell’Acqua Paola 11 Manifattura Cappelli (Via degli Scipioni l You’ll need sustenance for the next (unlike most fountains in Rome, you can 46; 4 ), a classic milliner. leg, a 25-minute sweep along the river dip a toe in this one!). Drift along wooded Passeggiata del Gianicolo to the lookout at Janiculum terrace 12 for your million- dollar view over Rome’s amber-tinged domes, with the figure of Garibaldi, the hero of modern , looming behind.

l It’s five minutes’ walk back down Passeggiata del Gianicolo to Antico Arco

(anticoarco.it; mains about £25; 13 ), an appropriately swish restaurant for this genteel corner of Trastevere. If you’re not up for the seven-course tasting ELLEN HIMELFARB ELLEN menu (£70), try the homemade

WORDS: WORDS: maltagliati pasta with sea urchin.

MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 75 TotalGuide I Rome

Glass act: 3 cool aperitivo bars

The great late one delectable views over the imperial Litro Forum. At sunset, watch the sky turn This spot in Trastevere (across the the same colour as your Campari river from Testaccio) is well worth (ristoranteroofgardenforum.it; the trip for its natural wines and cocktails about £13). shelves loaded with Italian liqueurs you’ve never heard of. Come for The lovely local one aperitivo, stay for prosecco cocktails Enoteca il Goccetto (and bruschette), never leave (Via Fifteen minutes’ walk from the Fratelli Bonnet 5; cocktails about £7). Pantheon, this wine bar is so Roman, the sign at the front just says vino The spectacular-view one and olio (wine and oil). It’s a cosy, American Bar spectacularly Roman drinking den, Not all hotel bars with touristy so make it your go-to place and work sounding names are created equal. your way through the chalkboard HOW TO DO LOCAL ROME This one, on the roof of the Hotel (14 Via dei Banchi Vecchi; wine Forum in Monti, has the most by the glass about £5).

The happy hour: dusk falls over the Forum (as Streets viewed from the ahead American Bar) Quickest shortcut to coolest Rome? Rent a holiday apartment in a hip ’hood and you’ll feel right at home. Lucy Thackray moves into Monti

he morning sun streams time she was here, she lived in On the road: from busk outside the iconic temple. It’s through the door, as Siân the gritty Esquilino district, near top left, the cobbled nice, this pace: no fretting about LOCAL’S TIP bohemian alleys ‘DON’T go to on powers through stomach Termini station. This time, it’s of Trastevere; the when to visit what, or how long to a Saturday afternoon — it’s far crunches on the tiles Polaroid-faded, treacle-and- hilly Monti district; queue. We simply soak in the piazza too crowded and the shops are Esquilino, where On the last day, we mosey through outside. I’m fiddling with mustard-toned Monti, east of the the Piazza della light and sound, airily remote from all chains, anyway. we scoop up sleepy Testaccio, nightlife central Madonna dei Monti; DO get a great and hidden view of the coffee percolator, trying to bring Forum and walkable to everything. the sightseeing whirl. huge tomatoes after dark, but industrially cool T the Pyramid of the Colosseum on the corner of Via it to the boil. It could be a regular Passing Vespas and Fiats that have Cestius, in Testaccio Hungry, but reluctant to end up Nicola Salvi and Via del Fagutale. and crumbling with the odd off-the-beaten-track Tuesday morning, but instead of grey seen better days, we descend our in the tourist-traps around Piazza It’s best at sunset.’ cheeses to take sight along the way. Detouring Annalisa Usai, London, my friend’s workout view film-set road. We find our local Navona, back we go to our Monti back to the to see the , we is a sliver of blue sky amid crooked supermarket (health-food-vibe bubble. Lunch is at MT EnoGallery voice artist apartment. Through stumble on the city’s Protestant terracotta rooftops, and the hobs Supermercato Metà), metro station (131 Via Urbana; mains about £8), sleepy district, Cemetery. It’s so peaceful we feel outwitting me are set in a smart (Cavour), and a strip of bars and which appeals for three reasons: where we find our new as if we’re trespassing, but subtle Italian kitchen. We’ve rented an restaurants (Via Urbana), noting there are only five dishes; it produces favourite wine bar (Divin Ostilia, Via signs point us to its ‘famous’ graves: apartment for a short break in Rome: names for later. High-fiving over our its own wines; and said wines cost Ostilia 4; mains about £10) and get Keats’ cryptically worded headstone, a two-bed, two-bath slice of heaven local skills, we pause for an espresso just £4 a glass. Siân tells me it’s chatting to two Roman girls having and Shelley’s marble tablet. We on a hushed crescent, complete with (‘Not an Americano!’ scolds Siân) customary to have pasta for lunch after-work drinks. And through google the stories of the celebrated a terrace bigger than a Kensington in Piazza della Madonna, nodding (to leave time for digestion), so we Brooklyn-esque Pigneto, which foreigners buried here, each garden. It’s like a hotel penthouse ‘Buongiorno’ to the retired patrons tuck into cannelloni as she asks the felt a little too edgy for me. All more romantic and improbable — but at a fraction of the price. around us. It seems right to linger, owner about her Chianti. I join in, of which just makes us love our than the last. (Shelley said of the ‘What shall we do today?’ I call and 15 minutes is soon an hour. stumbling over my Italian, but with own dreamy district even more. graveyard that it ‘might make one out. Siân’s my expert, having lived With no pushy itinerary, we have a lot of gesturing we all get through Having an apartment is a in love with death, to be buried in here before. I’ve been to Rome once, time to see a couple of sights along it. As we leave, she presents us both revelation. We nip back whenever so sweet a place’ — then promptly delighting in the sights, outgoing our way. We cross a bridge, stopping with an orange, which we pocket we please, no fear of hotel cleaners drowned on a sailing trip.) It’s locals and cocktail bars, and left for a look at the for ‘home’. It’s all so much quainter mid-vacuum, or failing key cards. a poetically overgrown garden with a desire to move here for a year, complex (Nero’s ), then head to than the Rome I’ve seen before. We have more than one break of pines and incongruous cherry or six months. Three days is a start. the sightseeing loop we know well. Over the next two days, we walk between walks — our TV’s pre- blossoms, their scent and hue ‘We should check out our own We sit by the fountain in Piazza della and walk. Past bellowing vendors loaded with Netflix, so we select boosted by the gentle mist of neighbourhood,’ she yells back. Last Rotonda for a bit, as opera singers at the nonna-packed Mercato some easy viewing to nap in front of. the February drizzle. >

76 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL MAY 2018 MAY 2018 SUNDAY TIMES TRAVEL 77 TotalGuide I Rome modern gelateria with flavours such as baklava and, er, Sardinian fritters. Two scoops wouldn’t go amiss for your return onto Via del Corso toward the vastness of Piazza del Popolo 11 .

l If you didn’t make it to Terrazza del Pincio 12 this morning, go now, taking the stairs for a shorter (if steeper) five-minute climb — the money shot from the peak takes in St Peter’s amid waves of terracotta rooftops. Otherwise, cut across Piazza del Popolo to the 15th-century Santa Maria del Popolo basilica (Piazza del Popolo 12; 13 ), abutting the Leonardo museum. Built atop Nero’s grave, its two chapels were decorated by Raphael and hung with flamboyant Caravaggios.

l Now follow the piazza’s curve east to Via del and, three doors along, walk into Hotel de Russie and through to Stravinskij Bar (roccofortehotels.com; 14 ). Bag a table in the courtyard (best to It’s our favourite spot, one we’d In the shade: above, book ahead), where you can order a £20 never have happened upon without eating out in Monti; gin cocktail. Access to the lush, tiered top right, the Domus the time to nose. The only thing Aurea complex, built garden makes it worth every penny. more local still, says Siân, is Rome’s by Emperor Nero biggest gastronomic hurdle: tripe. l As the sunshine wanes, head down She drags me to hip Trapizzino (Via Via del Babuino, then circle back to Via Giovanni Branca 88; mains about £4) ROME Veneto — all of 20 minutes. La Terrazza for tomato-saucy tripa stuffed into a CITY (dorchestercollection.com/it/rome/ thick cone of bread. It’s not bad. Can STROLL hotel-eden/ristoranti-bar/la-terrazza; I collect my Italian passport now? NO. 4 bask in the spray of two Bernini mains about £43; 15 ) delivers views Evenings are spent sharing carafes Art attack: Bones, fountains: the seashell-shaped over the Renaissance skyline. and nibbles in Monti’s wine bars, or sculpture on display and Triton, the in the Centrale exploring the bohemian cobbles of Montemartini, in Bernini muscular masterpiece at the centre. Trastevere, across the river. Here, edgy Testaccio twentysomethings pick at aperitivo & weird l Via Sistina leads out to the Spanish buffets and shoot pool in cavernous Steps, past Via Francesco Crispi and the bars and I feel as though I have a VIP Access all areas: 3 buzzy districts ice creams traditional cobbler’s Marini Calzature pass to the city. We befriend the guys (marinicalzature.it; 5 ), decorated with who run wine-bar-cum-deli Cantina The social-hub one There’s nothing more high-octane Start at the Villa wooden lasts. Join the hordes on the dei Papi (Via della Scala 71; plate of Trastevere than a pharmacy or a flower stall Borghese gardens steps to 6 . Spare a charcuterie £8) and they slip us an This pretty warren of cobbled alleys here, but you’re close to Monti and moment for John Keats, who died of TB extra platter of truffled salami and and cocktail bars — once the city’s Trastevere for restaurants. Top of to explore the holy at No. 26 7 (see Spanish Steps, page 64). sun-dried tomatoes with a wink. slums — comes alive in the evening. your list is identifying your table at and the decadent The last night we stick to the flat, There’s a ramshackle village feel to it, a pavement cafe, and stretching l Directly ahead is Via dei Condotti, cooking up our market treasures and with a smattering of elegance (eg, out that aperitivo hour. l Leave the park by ( 1 home to fashion flagships. A two- drinking £7 mini-mart wine. We sit Piazza dei Mercanti, glowing by on map). You’re heading for an amble minute detour takes you to the historic out on the terrace, its potted lemon torchlight after dark), and you’re just The edgy one under a canopy of ancient trees down Castelli perfumery (profumeriecastelli. trees swishing in the breeze, and 30 minutes’ walk to the Vatican, and Testaccio , the backdrop of the movie com; 8 ), where you can rub on obscure, dream of buying out the owner. But 10 to Campo de’ Fiori. Avoid staying Industrial-looking and rich in La Dolce Vita. Luxury hotels and fancy Italian creams. Then turn onto we settle on re-booking for autumn, too near Via del Politeama, where nightlife, this meatpacking district government buildings put on an elite cool, cobbled Via Mario de’ Fiori to seek for another round of all-too-brief noisy drinkers spill onto the street. is now the place to hang out with show, but stop first at the fabled Harry’s out offbeat brands, before heading off Roman living. When it comes to creatives and enjoy some culture Bar (harrysbar.it; 2 ), which opens for lunch at nearby Dillà (ristorantedilla. Dome truths: the local scene, we haven’t even The quiet one in peace — Centrale Montemartini, at 10am with a warm welcome. The it; mains about £15; 9 ). Its peppery the interior of the scratched the surface. Celio a museum in a disused power plant, boulevard winds seven minutes further Roman pasta is slurpy heaven. 15th-century Santa Just south of the Colosseum, this for starters. Earn your local stripes to the Crypt of the Capuchin Friars Maria del Popolo ● Onefinestay.com has 50 stylish grid of streets is pleasantly subdued, by checking out one of the area’s (cappucciniviaveneto.it; £5.30; 3 ), a l Turn left on Via Vittoria, right on basilica,decorated by Raphael; right, try apartments in the city. The Via in Selci yet you’ll likely have a Colosseum subtly signed bars or clubs, such suite of dusky chapels decorated with Via del Corso, then into Via Laurina.

ELLEN HIMELFARB ELLEN the Stravinskij Bar apartment sleeps four, from £248 view from the end of your road. as On the Rox. the skulls and bones of early monks. You’ll find a crowd at Fatamorgana for an (expensive) a night, self-catering. WORDS: Head south to Piazza Barberini 4 and (gelateriafatamorgana.com; 10 ), a cocktail or two

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