Art & culture – All our local tips

I ran into this tiny little cafe and library because one of my co-workers had told me that she had her first painting exposition there so I thought it was neat. But the first time I expected an art gallery, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a cool little cafe with an intimate upstairs with couches and a separate small room where they hang the paintings. The paintings the first time I went were really neat but when they exchanged them after a while, they were still cool and they really went well with the decor of the place.

I decided to have a hot chocolate and my friend had coffee and it was cool to just sit and talk and if you love to read, you also have a good variety of books to choose from.

Then I went again and again and sometimes I bring my laptop so I can work in a relaxing environment while sipping a cappuccino or hot chocolate or some fruit juice.

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Agave Bistrot | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | Hot chocolate € 3.00
Via di San Martino ai Monti 7/A | City center | +39064882134
18:00 – 00:00 daily

Vintage bijoux and other 1960/70s objects such as hair grips and claws and accessories, armchairs, lamps, chandeliers and other pieces of furniture. I highly recommend you to visit this shop. You may want to take back home a piece of History.

Raffaella Poncini is a refined lady and a born antiquarian. She has lived among rare and precious objects since she was a child and she has created a successful career thanks to her family heirlooms and her innate knowledge and passion for ancient art and archeology. A life dedicated to deep and attentive study on fine art. “Things that are able to survive through centuries and different epoques can be easily adaptable to our everyday modern lifestyle and homes, hence they continue on living forever”, Raffaella told me when I first visited her art gallery shop. With a big smile on her elegant face she showed me around, explaining details and history of each piece: I was struck by a dainty 17th century night-table with a precious craquelure and the vintage bijoux by US designers such as Jomaz, Shreiner and Kenneth J. Lane who made jewelry for Jackie Kennedy and Hollywood stars. In the picture, a collection of vintage bijoux, including 1970s Chanel necklaces.

It is stirring to see an ancient piece survive and resuscitate after having gone through the sufferings of life.”Sometimes I find objects that have been mistreated and kept in dark dusty cellars, and by restoring them I bring them around”, Raffaella’s eyes brighten when she explains that each object in her shop is carefully chosen and delicately repaired. All is absolutely original and certified.

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Antiqueria | Art & culture, Shopping | Vintage earrings € 40.00
Via Flaminia vecchia 666 | Parioli & Flaminio | +393316362042
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:30

There was a time when bookstores and cafè had nothing to do with each other. In more recent times, though, they have come to gather into the same location, and to alter the meaning of “bookstore” and “cafè”. It’s the new generation of Book-a-Bar: more than just a cafè, something different from usual bookstores.

Usually, they enjoy great locations, self standing or within a museum compounds.

Here you find my favorite ones:

BOOKA’BAR – Via Milano, 15/17 (within the Palazzo delle Esposizioni building): design interiors, ultramodern feeling, open courtyard (well, wait for warmer days!) adn a free wifi connection. She annex shop has mostly art, architecture, design, photo books and objects.

LETTERE CAFFE‘ – Via S.Francesco a Ripa 100/101 (Trastevere): cozy and relaxed during the day, the place warm up in the evening, with poetry and comedy slam hold on mon and tue nights. The rest of the week is on music

FLEXI - Via Clementina 9 (Monti): started as a cultural association, offer more than just book and drinks, as the offer range from book presentations, language exchange and courses, theatre labs, and much more.

CAFFE’ BOHEMIEN – Via degli Zingari 36 (Monti): shabby-chic chandeliers, and other touches of early ‘900 g

ive it a very bohemian vibe you will love to immerse into. The location is great, in the lovely area of Monti.

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BookABar | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Drinks from € 3.50
Via Milano, 15/17 | City center
12:00 – 01:00 daily

Had Back to the Future been filmed in Italy, the scene where Marty McFly and crazy Dr. Emmett Brown are trying to channel electricity from lightening to their car would certainly have been filmed in Piazza Damiano Sauli, in Garbatella. As far as the clock tower goes, rather than using that from a city-hall building, the spaghetti version would use the one from Elementary School “Cesare Battisti”.

I don’t know why but it just feels that way. Maybe it’s those large, spread-winged eagles that give this school this aura of institutional sobriety. Maybe it’s the fact that the ironworks clock tower would make a great conductor for electricity. Maybe it’s the fact that this school simply looks familiar and embodies the archetype of “School” for many Italians. Infact, many Italians may have already seen this school as part of the set for popular TV sit-com I Cesaroni. Others may have studied it as an example of Fascist architecture in textbooks.

In any case, if you’re ever in Garbatella, you may want to take a look at it. You will find the school on one side of the square. On the other side, you will see a church; in the middle, a pedestrian area with a small sculpture (with kids and old people congregating respectively on each side); and, in the backdrop, some brick archways that lead into the heart of old-town Garbatella, with its small cottages and gardens.

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Cesare Battisti | Art & culture, Relaxing
Piazza Damiano Sauli | Testaccio & Ostiense
24 hours daily

Are you Protestant, Jewish, or Christian Orthodox? If so, and if you happened to die while visiting Rome in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, perhaps of ‘mal-aria’ in the summer months, chances are that you would be buried in the Cimitero Acattolico near Piramide, aka as the Protestant Cemetery.

Catholic law in fact used to prohibit any non-Catholic from being buried in Catholic churches or cemeteries. Given that there were growing numbers Danes, Germans, English, Americans, Russians and Swedes who came to visit, study or live in Rome during in the 1800’s, the Cimitero Acattolico became the designated area to bury these ’stranieri’.

Now, it is the place where you can get away from it all while contemplating the graves of the Great. In what seems like a peaceful garden just meters away from the bustle of the Piramide area, you will find the tombs of Shelley, Keats, and Gramsci, to name the most famous of the many poets, historians, archaeologists, painters, sculptors, diplomats and intellectuals buried here. For a complete listing please visit the Cemetery’s website or the Cemetery’s Information Center.

In addition to Keats’ gravestone where you will be able to read the famous ‘here lies one whose name was writ in water’, a lovely gravestone is that of sculptor William Wetmore Story and his wife with the statue of the grieving angel.

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Cimitero Acattolico | Art & culture, Relaxing | Donation € 2.00
Via Caio Cestio 6 | Testaccio & Ostiense | +39065741900
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 17:00, Sun 09:00 – 13.00 (last entrance 16:30 & 12.30)

If you are a contemporary architecture buff, you may want to visit the Church of Dio Padre Misericordioso. This is the church that American architect Richard Meier designed for the Jubilee year 2000. It is in the Tor Tre Teste neighborhood or, for most of us, in the middle of nowhere (Tor Tre Teste inhabitants please forgive me). Yes, it may indeed be a tad difficult to get to this isolated neighborhood but the real architecture buff knows no obstacles!

Once there, you will be able to witness a true masterpiece of engineering and architecture. Meier, also creator of the controversial building enclosing the Ara Pacis, designed it as part of a 1995 international architecture competition. The first stone was laid in 1998 and the church was inaugurated in 2003. The structure is composed of three white sails, evocative of a boat and symbolizing the Church navigating into the third millennium.

There is lots more symbolism of course: three sails as in the Trinity, five bells as in the five continents… While the church has lots of glass, it is designed so as to never allow direct sunlight inside. Supposedly though, there is a period in the summertime when sun-rays can filter through to the altar through a small opening in the back.

A note of interest: the church is built with a special coating which is supposed to have self-cleaning and smog-eating properties. Perhaps most buildings in Rome’s historic center should be redone with this material!

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Dio Padre Misericordioso | Art & culture | Free
Via Francesco Tovaglieri | Outskirts | +39062315833
07:30 – 12:30 & 15:30 – 19:30 daily

Churches are a popular attraction for tourists and there are so many that it is almost impossible to see all of them in one visit. Of course there are the more popular ones and the Sistine Chapel, but there are also lesser known ones like this on in the piazzale of Ponte Milvio with great architecture from the early 1930’s. This chapel was requested by Pope Pius XI in 1931.

I like visiting Churches mainly for their art and architecture. Each church has a different story inside. Once you go inside this one, you will notice right in front of you a statue of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus and in front of the statue to your left Jesus on the Cross.

This Church is not a popular tourist attraction but it is worth it. Afterwards, you can go to one of the many bars that surround the area for either a cup of coffee or a glass of wine!

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Gran Madre di Dio | Art & culture | Free
Via Cassia 1 | Parioli & Flaminio
Open daily

To visit a mosque in the city of St. Peter’s? In the heart of Christianity? In the Mecca of Catholicism? Yes. A trip to Rome’s Great Mosque will give you a chance to admire a sublime piece of contemporary architecture and catch a glimpse of Rome’s growing Muslim community.

Rome’s Great Mosque is the largest in Europe, covering an area of over 30,000 squared meters, with the ability to hold thousands of worshipers. It is also the seat of the Islamic Cultural Center, one of the most important in Europe, housing a library and an Arabic language school.

Built with (mostly) Saudi money and inaugurated in 1995, it is a great example West meets East in terms of architecture. The materials used to construct it are local stones such as travertino, piperino and bricks, which give it those light orange tones reminiscent of many baroque Roman buildings you would find in the historic center. The sinuous-shaped pillars, typical of Islamic architecture, remind one of a gothic cathedral or perhaps of trees in a forest.

Now for the dilemma: if you wish to tour the interior and admire the great architectural prowess of Paolo Portoghesi & colleagues, you should go there on Wednesday or Saturday mornings, when the mosque opens to tourists. If, on the other hand, you wish to take a look at the goods on sale in the open-air market right before the entrance, the day to go is Fridays, when the mosque is bustling with activity.

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Grande Moschea di Roma | Art & culture |
Viale della Moschea 85 | Parioli & Flaminio | +39068082258
Wed – Sat 09:00 – 11:30 (except holidays & ramadan)

THE NEW SPRING/SUMMER COLLECTION IS COMING SOON! And the previous one is still there, equally nice!

This time my selection isn’t a location, not only, at least. It goes straight to a person. His name is Gilbert El Halaby, he is Lebanese and he’s damn good at designing bags, jewels, bijoux and any other accessory you may think of to lift up your look! Kind and charming, he made is dream come true by opening a shop of fashion accessories in the very heart of the Italian capital, just a few steps away from the Pantheon, in the narrow Via del Seminario.

His creations are still affordable, yet absolutely unique, with a top end flavour that can lift any girl’s mood instantly. The perfect gift from Rome for your dearest one!

The shop itself is a real gem: interior design and décor, again by Gilbert, attracts you in like a mermaid song (and let you wonder if the furniture and decorations are on sales, too – yes, some are!)

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Halaby | Art & culture, Shopping | From € 10.00
Via del Seminario | City center
10:00 – 19:30 daily

It’s amazing how this city can still surprise its guests! Just a few steps away from the buzz of the tourists crowd in Campo de’ Fiori, this spot is perfect to immerse you again into the “real Rome” feeling.

It’s nothing more than a courtyard, but so secluded, characteristic and charming that it has become, to me, a real must. If I’m stressed by the traffic, or the noise, I just take a walk and look under the little arch for this tiny, peaceful spot. And I fall in love with my hometown once again!

Old, faded paint, houses; shadowed terraces and (just) apparently unorganized plant branches and flowers. If you are lucky enough, the two house cats may search for your caresses and care. Occasionally, music from an open window may interrupt the magic, but just to take you into a different one, made of the relaxed attitude of the few lucky residents…

Besides, the Cortiletto enjoy a great location along Via del Pellegrino: ethnic spots – such as a Syrian bar and shop – wine bars, travel bookshop, young artists’ ateliers and curiosity shops will pay you back for your visit.

Keep in mind it is a private property: make sure your visit, even if short and respectful, won’t disturb the residents.

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Il cortiletto di Via del Pellegrino | Art & culture
Via del Pellegrino | City center
Accessible any time of the day, if residents allow you so

Il Papiro is a neat bookstore next to my house in the north area of Rome. I like to come here because they have a vast selection from the new bestsellers to any genre you can find. I am an avid and fast reader so I like to come and check out the books and I always find something such as thrillers, mystery and real life stories, plus I like the feel I get when I enter the store it has a nice feel to it and very relaxed with bar stools in front of the registrar and in the back a nice little corner for children.

I also was able to buy different books for my ninety four old grandma who loves to read mystery novels and was also satisfied with the readings! The owners, which are brothers, are very friendly and helpful too if you cannot find what you are looking for they will go out of their way to get it.

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Il Papiro | Art & culture, Shopping | Mystery Novel Book € 9.40
Via Cassia 901/G | Cassia & Montemario | +390630316424
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 20:00

Le Terre di AT is Angela Torcivia’s pottery boutique where I have bought charms and necklaces, vases and cups and I am sure you can find the object that you might be looking for. I like stopping here also just to have a chat with Angela, who is a very pleasant artist.

Her art is modern yet combining ancient shapes. Objects of different colors, for every kind of taste. Ceramic jewels, teapots, dishes, bowls and many different original items, including sculptures and pieces to hang on your wall or to beautifully decorate your home.

If you want something made specifically for an occasion or any particular article, such as tiles or pavements, or even a little bijoux, just ask. It will take a while, of course, because everything is handmade, with love and passion.

You can also find many creative artistic pieces made with the Raku technique, very Zen and Japanese, asymmetric and irregular, unpredictable and random, hence just like the neighborhood where her art studio-gallery is located. Now and then, she organizes courses:raku and do-in days.

Her mobile telephone number is +3906491748.

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Le Terre di AT | Art & culture, Shopping | teapot+cup € 30.00
via degli Ausoni 13 | S.Lorenzo & Pigneto | +393406916969
Mon – Sat 16:00 – 20:00

The Museo crocetti is the former house of the artist. Venanzo Crocetti is a 20th century artist born in 1913. He came to Rome in 1928, and lived their until his death. The mansion is divided in 3 stories.

Most of the spaces are dedicated to his works as painter and a sculptor. His work is very simple yet elegant, the same way the museum exposes the artwork. His sculptures are famous because they are done in bronze.

Inside the museum you will find about 90 sculptures in bronze and one in marble. They also exhibit other pieces, or paintings of other artists, changing them every month.

What I like about this museum is the crisp and minimalist feel to it. Also, the art is exhibited in a very simple way (you will for example notice the lack of creativity in the title of the pieces), yet the art is amazing and elegant.

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Museo Crocetti | Art & culture | Free
Via Cassia 492 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633711468
Jun – Sep 11:00 – 18:00 daily | Oct – May Thu – Mon 10:00 – 17:00

If you want to immerse yourself in lush vegetation and be intrigued by thousands of different types of flowers, plants, bushes, and trees, Rome’s botanical garden is the place to visit. It is an open-air museum in the heart of Trastevere run by the Department of Plant Biology of Rome’s University “Sapienza”.

There is a 20-step itinerary within the garden which you can follow to admire all the different ‘holdings’ of the museum, or you can simply take a stroll and see where you end up. The itinerary is described in a pamphlet available in different languages at the entrance. I found it pretty well done and so: thank you, Prof. Loretta Gratani, (author of the pamphlet and director of the garden) you made our visit much more enjoyable.

I really enjoyed the Japanese garden, the sequoia (yes, we have one in Rome!!!) and ginko trees, the officinal herb garden, and the succulent plants greenhouse.

One of the challenges of visiting is actually trying to read out loud the names of the plants. Try pronouncing Brachychiton populneus or Chamaerops humilis or Nannirrhops ritchiana!

Note 1: If you happen to be in the garden at around mid-day, please brace yourself for the daily canon going off on the Gianicolo Hill. I was not prepared and almost had a heart-attack.

Note 2: Since this is not a proper park, please be sure to check the opening times. For instance, it is unfortunately NOT open on Sundays or on holidays. Also, the greenhouses close at 12:30.

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Orto Botanico | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance fee adults € 4.00
Largo Cristina di Svezia | Trastevere | +3949917107
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 17:30

I like old-fashioned life style and going back in time is like watching a black and white movie with all its charm and appeal. Just like Palazzo Altemps, one of Rome’s Renaissance buildings not as well-known as others, not even by the Romans themselves.

Palazzo Altemps is not far from my neighborhood post office and close to piazza Navona, one of the most visited places in the world. Hidden in a corner right off the Bernini’s masterpiece, Palazzo Altemps is one of the most beautiful Palazzos of the Renaissance architecture in Rome.

When I first went there I was stunned by the beauty of the rooms, but most of all I was impressed by the floor: I did not expect it to be heated. It was winter, of course, and the heating system was on. The pipes run beneath the ancient cotto pavement.

I asked the supervisors if I could sit on the floor, which isn’t quite polite to do so, but I was dying to feel the warmth under my bottom while admiring the national Roman Museum’s masterpieces kept permanently in this ancient building.I still remember that day. Plus, I was one of the few local visitors of the building among not too many tourists.

The entrance ticket is valid for three days and includes visits to Palazzo Massimo’s Museo Romano and Terme di Docleziano (opposite Termini train station) and Cripta Baldi (via Botteghe Oscure). When there is an art exhibit, the entry ticket to Palazzo Altemps is €10.

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Palazzo Altemps | Art & culture | Entrance € 7.00
Piazza Sant’Apollinare 46 | City center | +390639967700
Tue – Sun 09:00 – 19:45 (ticket office closes at 18:45)

My eyes crave for pleasure. When I need to see the beauty of art, architecture and design, I come to Palazzo delle Esposizioni, the biggest exhibition center in the city of Rome. Over ten thousand square meters on three floors. All throughout the year, you can see extraordinary art work from all over the world. It has been closed for five years and now it is finally open to the public again, restored and beautiful in its immensity, overlooking one of the widest and longest streets in the city center. In the building, there are also a movie theater, an auditorium, a bookstore, a restaurant and a café. The whole building is a piece of art itself and all the different sections inside are absolutely worth visiting.

The other day, I went to see a wonderful exhibit. For the first time in Rome, US artist Alexander Calder’s sculptures are gracefully displayed. I have always liked his masterpieces made of metal and other avant-garde material. You can see how his university degree in engineering comes in. What I admire about his art work, is that his sculptures are made of pieces that can move and float in the air, like the 1940s Art of Petals and the Cascading Flowers hanging from the ceiling as if they were cradle toys for babies. Lively and energetic. Colorful and dynamic. A game of irony.

The exhibit shows his works beginning from the 1920s, from his wire sculptures to his bronze sculptures. Abstract and surreal acrobatic figures that make you dream. They will be in Rome till St. Valentine’s day, February 14th 2010, a good occasion to celebrate your Love for Art.

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Palazzo delle Esposizioni | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Entry exhibit € 10.00
via Nazionale 194 | City center | +390639967500
Tue – Thu & Sun 10:00 – 20:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 22:30

The city of Rome isn’t bike-friendly yet but luckily some of its parks are. One of these parks is the Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica and, every once in a while, on Sundays, when it shuts down to traffic, I like to ride my bike there.

It has some excellent bike-routes which will allow you to get some good exercise while admiring beautiful sites of historical and artistic interest. You can choose to ride along the ‘queen of all roads’ the Appian Way, or along one of the different trails in the greener and wilder sections of the park, such as the Caffarella Valley or the Tormarancia estate.

On the Appia Antica, I think the most striking part is really the actual road –the cobblestones. They are simply amazing and beautiful. I also like the milestones. Here you really appreciate –physically understand- the true meaning of a milestone. If you choose one of the other trails, you will find yourself immersed in nature just at a stone’s throw from the city. In fact, you can watch the line where the buildings of the city stop and the green protected area begins.

Unlike Villa Borghese or Villa Pamphilj which are comely due to their aristocratic origin, the Caffarella and Tormarancia sections make this one of the more ‘natural’ parks of Rome. Here, you will find meadows, bushes, hills, ditches, hamlets, caves, a fully functional farmhouse, sheep, a river and springs –all interspersed with Roman ruins. Now, this is truly a bike ride!

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Parco Regionale | Art & culture, Relaxing | Bike for a day € 10.00
Via Appia Antica 42 | Appio Tuscolano | +39065135314
Park : sunrise – sunset daily | Bike rental: Sun & holidays 09:30 – 17:30

I stumbled across this piazza unexpectedly a few years ago. I was on my motorino, on the way to somewhere else and, all of sudden, among the tight-knit housing buildings, space opens up to a large square and an enormous church.

I stop and decide to take a look at this entirely new environment no one had ever told me about, after over three decades of being a Roman. The piazza has something of a déjà-vu feel. Its whole ‘feng shui’ is influenced by the colossal presence of the church with its dome. Then there are the Fascist-era looking buildings all around, cold and a bit gloomy.

All this, however, contrasts with the vitality I see in the gardens at the center: there are elderly people chatting on lawn chairs, mothers pushing strollers and kids playing football completely oblivious to their surroundings. I like this piazza and I recommend it.

Obviously, there are tons of churches and piazzas in Rome and most are of greater historical and artistic significance than Piazza Don Bosco and its church.

However, this is a good place to visit if you’d like a taste of life in the peripheries of Rome. Take a stroll here and sit on the park benches. A note on the area: this neighborhood sprung up with the creation of the Cinecittà Film Studios and the Don Bosco Church right after WWII.

The church was inaugurated in 1957. Fellini used this piazza as the setting for some scenes of La Dolce Vita since it was close to the studios and resembled the Rome’s EUR neighborhood.

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Piazza Don Bosco | Art & culture, Relaxing |
Piazza Don Bosco | Appio Tuscolano
Optimal time to visit: afternoon

Piazza Navona is definitely my favorite piazza or square, during any time during the year. I love the people, the architecture and the art of the square making it the most beautiful place in Rome.

I love it during the winter and especially Christmas time since they have stands all over and carnival like games. But it does not lose its fascination during the rest of the year with one of the barman always trying to persuade you for an iced tea or hot chocolate and the people that just stroll in the piazza admiring it.

I just had a friend visit me from the States and even though she is familiar with Piazza Navona, she is always in awe with the beauty, the architecture and the street art that you find. I find it interesting to see the city from a tourist point of view because when you live in a place you take a lot for granted.

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Piazza Navona | Art & culture, Relaxing
Piazza Navona | City center
24 hours daily

You’ve all probably noticed that there is a pyramid in Rome. Its interior can now be visited every other Saturday morning of the month with a guided tour.

You are probably wondering, why the hell is there a pyramid in Rome? Well, it was the tomb that Caio Cestio, a magistrate and member of one of the religious corporations, built for himself along the ancient Via Ostiense.

Why in that shape? Because at the time there was an Egyptian craze and it was hip, cool and trendy to do it Egyptian style, from home furnishings to hair-dos to tombs.

Why has this tomb remained intact while other pagan Roman monuments have been pillaged or destroyed and their marble re-used for other buildings? The pyramid is one of the better preserved ancient Roman monuments because it was ‘encased’ in the Aurelian walls and used for defense purposes.

Why should you visit it? It is makes for a really interesting trip through time. The guides really go out of their way to explain the ‘flavor’ of those times. Inside you will be able to see some remains of frescoes -albeit almost completely destroyed in Medieval times. You will also be able to see small frescoes of Nike (the goddess, not the shoes) and outside you’ll be able to play with lots of cats, since there is a cat sanctuary right in the area.

Note: The guided tour is in Italian.

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Piramide di Caio Cestio | Art & culture | Entrance with guided tour € 4.50
Via del Campo Boario | Testaccio & Ostiense | +390639967700
Open the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 11:00 (only with guided tour)

Ponte Milvio is one the most ancient bridges of Rome. It was built on a point where the ancient roads Via Cassia and Via Flaminia joined to allow to cross the river Tiber.

The bridge is famous for 3 reasons: the first is that every Sunday in the area under the bridge and along the Tiber there’s a big market of antique stuff; the second is that, on the tower of the bridge there’s a door which you can use to go upstairs and visit the inside exposition, which changes very often and is not advertised anywhere.

The third and most known reason of the importance of Ponte Milvio is that’s the place of roman lovers! After the roman author Federico Moccia wrote his book “Tre metri sopra il cielo” in 1992 and published only in 2004, where the protagonists promise themselves eternal love locking a padlock on the central lamp of the bridge and throwing the key in the Tiber.

Many young Romans and people from other parts of Italy have come here to lock their padlocks to the central lamp of the bridge and to promise eternal love.

This loving ritual was so successful that in 2007 the lamp broke in the middle and fell down for the excessive weight of the padlocks!!! Nowadays the broken lamp was replaced with new lamp and now is forbidden to lock padlocks to the lamp, but just in front of it there is a long chain where you can lock your padlock and promise eternal love to your sweetheart….

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Ponte Milvio | Art & culture, Shopping
Ponte Milvio | Parioli & Flaminio
24 hours daily

The Tiber is not an impressive river by all means. Any other river in other European capital is much more striking in terms of sheer size or width. Yet, the Tiber is an interesting river. It is not a boring  river that simply flows slowly through its city without doing anything! No, the Tiber is an eclectic little river which surprises you with rapids, low points, a small waterfall, vegetation on its sides, an island and lots of different bridges, including a broken one.

Yes, Ponte Rotto, literally Broken Bridge, is one of the small peculiarities which make the Tiber such an interesting little river. What other city river has a fragment of a bridge standing in its course? I  am told that the river in Genova does but that’s besides the point. Ponte Rotto is a small gem, often disregarded in Rome’s treasure trunk with more important jewels. Romans go by their busy day and rarely look at it,  tourists have more important sites to visit in their two-day tour of the city.

Yet, Ponte Rotto is well worth a small pause. It is there, useless, yet beautiful in its decadence. Stones at its feet, weeds springing from its cracks, it sits proud and glorious, even if younger, stronger, more efficient bridges have taken over the job. It is powerless, injured, yet alive and willing to speak to anyone bothering to take a moment to admire it.

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Ponte Rotto | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Best admired from Isola Tiberina | City center
Best time to admire: sunset

I had been told about the Magic Door when I was a child and its mysterious inscriptions and its odd placement in Piazza Vittorio had always intrigued me while growing up. I had almost forgotten about its existence until recently when I went to watch a movie in the open-air cinema which each summer occupies the piazza.

There it was, with its two guardians, pasted to a wall among some ancient ruins and closed off by a gate. Somehow, it looked less grand and mysterious than when my mother would take me to see it. Nonetheless, it is quite a curious thing and people who are intrigued by mysteries and esotericism might like take a look at it while strolling in the piazza.

Who knows, perhaps you can decipher its formulas and become rich, immortal or omniscient! The formulas on the door, in fact, are said to contain the secret to the philosopher’s stone. Yes, the Stone!

If you have seen the first Harry Potter movie, the philosopher’s stone is that which is guarded by that charming, loving three-headed dog. If you haven’t watched the movie, it is a substance that is allegedly capable of turning cheap metals into gold as well being an elixir of life to beat disease and achieve immortality and omniscience. It might well be worth trying. Why not give it a shot?

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Porta Magica | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Piazza Vittorio | City center
Sunrise – sunset

Ilaria Venturini Fendi, from the Fendi family, and her creativity are behind this project. Run by Carmina Campus, it is aimed to make bags, accessories, furniture and design objects by using rejected materials or re-use existing ones.

They are not reconverted through industrial processes, which would imply the use of chemical agents. Every type  of material is considered (…) and worked by expert italian hands. Its original use is forgotten and brand new, beautiful objects come to life.

Carmina Campus and RE(f)USE are an excellente example of sustainable, yet incredibly chic shopping. Every object is designed and realized by italian artisans, and is an absolute jewel. May you be thinking of taking some design pieces back home, do not miss a stop at the shop!

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RE(f)USE | Art & culture, Shopping
Via Fontanella Borghese, 40 | City center | +390668136975
11.00-19.00

BRAND NEW MEETING POINT!

All tours will now depart from the McDonald’s Restaurant (right hand side from Spanish Steps). Search for the RomeFreeTour footsteps signs there!

Share the most intriguing secrets of Rome, join one of the walking tour of Rome historical center in English. There is no fee, guides (all of them licenced) work on tips. So, feel free to express your appreciation for the tour by tipping them according to your own budget and satisfaction. Meeting point has now move (thanks to a collaboration with McDonald’s restaurants) right in front of the Spanish Steps one (M station: Piazza di Spagna. Looking at the steps, proceed on the right hand side).

Tour depart every day, at different time: check out the website for additional info. On average, they last 2-3 hrs. No reservation needed, all you have to do is just …show up!

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Rome FREE Tour | Art & culture | Free
Piazza di Spagna | City center | +393926252095
17:30 daily

Almost every Italian will admit that going to the post office in Italy is a veritable PITA. Anyone who does not have masochistic tendencies will try to avoid this ordeal if possible. After all, bills can now be paid online and stamps can be purchased at tobacco stores. Plus, who still writes letters and postcards anyway?!

Having said all this, I must admit that the post office in Piazza San Silvestro is one hell of a post office. Entering it is like stepping back in history. Located on the ground floor of a 14th century building, it features sublime Renaissance frescoes and pieces of frieze on its walls. What other post office in the world would be decorated with such ancient works of art? Of course, there are also ATMs and other technological machinery, but all this is very well integrated in the setting.

Indeed, I think that Poste Italiane (Italian Postal Services) -as much as it has an awful reputation- has done an excellent job at renovating and utilizing this historical setting for its purposes. The layout of the post office is quite user-friendly and all booths and stands are clearly labeled, using the yellow color code that now characterizes the Poste Italiane brand.

So, while I would normally tell you to avoid any post office “come la peste” (like the plague), this will be the exception that proves the rule. Go in, have a look, buy some stamps or withdraw some money. All this while being immersed in Renaissance splendor.

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S. Silvestro Post Office | Art & culture, Shopping
Piazza San Silvestro 19 | City center | +390669737213
Mon – Sat 08:00 -19:00

The complex of S.Spirito in Sassia is composed by two parts: the Hospital and the Historical National Museum of Health Art. The complex was created in 727 a.c, when the king Ina, king of Saxons, founded the so called “Schola Saxonum” (from which the word Sassia derives) as guest house for people who wanted to visit the tomb of the apostle Peter.

The Hospital, which still works, is one of the eldest in Europe. It was built by Pope Innocenzo the 3rd as a recovery point for old people, sick people and for abandoned children.

Children were entered as “filius m. ignotae”, where “m.” indicated “matris” (mother) but, because the dot wasn’t pronounced, it was read as “filius mignotae”, from which derives the bad world in Roman slang “mignotta”.

On the other side, the Museum was inaugurated in 1933 and inside there’s the eldest chariot of the Red Cross, very old surgical and obstetric instruments and a fetter from the 16th century used to tie down insane people. There is also a huge library with more than ten thousand books, which is very precious for the history of healthcare.

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S.Spirito in Sassia | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Lungotevere in Sassia 3 | Vatican & Prati
09:00 – 19:00 daily

A brand new interior awaits you!

“Salotto” means lounge in Italian, and this handsome ‘book bar’ on Piazza di Pietra, opposite the stunning Temple of Hadrian, has become the living room for Rome’s beautiful people.

This is the kind of designer hotspot you expect to find profiled in Wallpaper, Dazed & Confused or Traveler magazines – which it has been, of course! Chairs are all ’50s; music – lounge, trip-hop, nu-jazz – is always ok and the night-time crowd – as well as the patrons (co-proprietor is a reputed Scandinavian model but her husband is worth the visit, too ;’) are astonishingly beautiful.

The owners “envisioned re-creating the spirit of a drawing room in a Manhattan penthouse”, and the result feels like a groovy living space when you feel so comfy you’ll just spend the whole evening in, forgetting about the club you had thought about heading to before…

Art, fashion and design books, a selection of graphic novels and cartoons from all over the globe are at guests’ (that’s what you are there, not clients) disposal, arranged along the walls, and matched by cow skin rugs and luxe Murano chandelier. There is also an iPod loaded with Damiano’s (co-owner) favorite music (Roni Size and lots of house) attached to wall-mounted headphones for your listening pleasure.

Try the house cocktail Salotto 42: a blend of grapes, lime and sake over ice!

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Salotto42 | Art & culture, Bars | Drinks from € 8.00
Piazza di Pietra 42 | City center | +39066785804
Tue – Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 00:00

Sciuscià is the Italian dialectal word for “shoeshiner”. Once a depreciated role in much of Western countries, as it recalls of bad times when children tried to earn an (important) wage for their family in many countries throughout the world (it used to be very common right after war times and during economical downturns), it was celebrated in a famous neo-realistic movie by Vittorio De Sica, a masterpiece of its times. Nowadays, it has become a much more interesting job, whose clients are often selected among the wealthier and most demanding.

And the job itself has become much more interesting…Have a look at Sciuscià Chic, in central Rome, and you’ll find it out! Rosalinda Dallago, ex model and incredibly charming, has taken this job to a completely new level. Politicians from the next door Parliament buildings, important arabic business men, world famous actors and VIPs from all over the world, when in Rome, hand their shoes to Rosalinda, who takes very good care of them and make them look as they were brand new.

If you want to experience something really unusual, do not miss a visit to her tiny, old fashion shop next to Montecitorio (Parliament building): Rosalinda will take care of your shoes, too! Whether they are old Birkenstocks or sneakers, or your lovely designer purchase, she will take the best out of any pair, and will entertain you with her incredible stories.

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Sciuscià Chic | Art & culture, Shopping | From € 15.00
Via in Lucina, 16 | City center | +390668892302
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 19:00 (Closed some Sat. Check with the shop for holidays)

If you happen to hit the area between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain (maybe for an aperitivo at Salotto 42? (check the Salotto 42 article) this location is a real must! Walk from Trevi to the Pantheon and you’ll be taken into a fascinating trip to Ancient Rome.

Not only is it set (the right word: innumerable movies have been shot here!) on the amazing scenario of Piazza di Pietra, one of the loveliest in town, the Temple of Hadrian is a real jewel in itself.

The magnificent, great temple is dedicated to Hadrian, the emperor who took the Roman Empire to its maximum extension. Built in 145 AD, the temple was in the center of a colonnaded piazza.

Once home of the Land Custom, in 1879 the ruins were incorporated into the building that houses the Stock Exchange first and, the Chamber of Commerce, a brilliant example of historical revitalization.

For additional info and event list, please visit www.rm.camcom.it

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Tempio di Adriano | Art & culture | Free
Piazza di Pietra | City center | +39066789345
Only for events, etc. Please check the website.

I had never been to this park until lately. I had seen some of the aqueducts from the train when going south, but I never knew it was a park. Technically, the Parco degli Acquedotti is part of the Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica but it isn’t all that immediate to think of it in that way since it is a bit removed and sandwiched in between Via Appia Nuova and Via Tuscolana. Anyway, its peculiarity -as its name suggests- are the numerous ruins of the various Roman aqueducts and these are simply breathtaking.

A stroll in this park, in addition to being extremely pleasant, can be the best way to rapidly review the last 2000 years of this city, almost a trip through time which will take you from the glory of the first years of the Roman Empire to the recent years of a neighborhood in the peripheries.

So, as one admires the ruins of the Aqueduct Claudio (52 AD), restored by Pope Hadrian I (776 AD), pillaged to obtain building material in the 15th century, one may happen to run into a pile of rocks with some flowers which may have been placed there by some dog-owner to commemorate some dog his pet (2006), or a flock of small parrots which have claimed this unusual habitat for them (2008).

Amongst old hamlets, ruins, meadows, flowers, common and less common people, relax and meditate on the interpretation of time, history and human nature that this park can inspire.

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The Acqueducts | Art & culture, Relaxing
Via Lemonia | Appio Tuscolano | +39065135314
Sunrise – sunset daily

This is one of Rome’s unknown gems because not many people know that the tower that is on the bridge is actually a small museum/art gallery.

You are able to see different types of arts and sometimes there are special events or a different variety of artists, but in the cases of events you may even find that every Sunday during a specific month you can enjoy wine tasting, not to mention the fantastic view from up there!

When I have visitors from out of the country or even the city I make sure to bring them here because it is such a surprise for people to know that the tower is also a museum. As a matter of fact, I actually recently went to a wine tasting event with a friend that has been living in Rome all her life and she did not know about it.

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Torretta Valadier | Art & culture | Free
Piazzale di Ponte Milvio | Parioli & Flaminio
11:30 – 20:00 daily

Upter is the “People’s University of Rome”: Rome’s center for adult education. It is a great place for anyone who wants to learn something new and make new beginnings. Have you always wanted to learn still-life drawing? Use water colors like Roesler-Franz? Learn a new language? Get back in shape with Pilates or belly-dancing? Write your first novel? Upter is the place for you!

This organization offers thousands of classes -from the most obvious to the most exotic or incomprehensible (such as napkin folding)- at inexpensive prices, to anybody (no diplomas asked). Indeed, your Italian for foreigners course will cost you only € 8.40 per lesson and your Roman archaeology course only € 6.00 per lesson. Classes are small and teachers are very competent.

Upter offers classes that go for the entire academic year, semester-long classes, summer courses lasting only about a month and even one-shot deals like their cooking classes. The main center is Palazzo Englefield in downtown but there branches in the different neighborhoods.

The guide to the summer courses 2009 has just been published.

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Upter | Art & culture, Relaxing
Via Quattro Novembre 157 | City center | +39066920431
Registration office: Mon – Fri 09:00 – 19:30, Sat 09:00 – 13:00

The Amazon forest has been deemed the “green lung” of the world. Similarly, Villa Pamphilj is the “green lung” of Rome. It is Rome’s largest park and a shot of oxygen when life in Rome gets too stressful and smoggy. Indeed, Villa Pamphilj is an all-time favorite for Romans to go running, go for a bike ride, take a stroll, walk their dog, or have a picnic.

Like many other city parks, Villa Pamphilj was originally the countryside estate of a noble Roman family, which in more recent times became property of the Rome Council. It is an interesting, diversified park, with beauties of historical and artistic interest, as well as areas of naturalistic interest. An intriguing, curved bridge over the busy traffic of the Via Olimpica connects the two spirits of this park.

On the eastern side, you will find the civilized, historical part with the villa, its statues, fountains and landscaped gardens. On the western side, you will find the wilder and more natural section with its striking vegetation and unexpected fauna.
Additionally, Villa Pamphilj has one of the most active runners’ communities in Rome.

Every time I go, I tell myself that it would be nice to join the groups of joggers of every age who run here on a daily basis. There is even a gathering point and center with showers and dressing rooms. Needless to say, this thought remains one of my New Year’s resolutions and, for the time being, I join the myriads of other Romans who simply lie in the sun or watch the fish swim in the small lake.

You can enter the park via: Via Aurelia Antica, Via Leone XIII (Olimpica), Via della Nocetta, Via Vitellia & Via di Porta S. Pancrazio

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Villa Doria Pamphilj | Art & culture, Relaxing
Via Leone XIII (Olimpica) | Vatican & Prati
Sunrise – sunset

It has been strongly criticized and called different names: “Wedding cake” rather than “typewriter”, but it is the Italian national monument in Rome. Dominating piazza Venezia, the gigantic structure, also called Vittoriano, stands in honor of the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emmanuele II.

Located in the heart of the city center, steps from the Colosseum, it is my favorite modern monument, built in the early 20th century to give a sense of cultural identity to the newly unified Italian nation.

And, it is also my favorite venue that hosts the most important cultural events in the Capital. There are several going on during the year. From medieval to modern contemporary exhibits, artworks coming from all over the world: museums, churches and private collections, or photo shows and other artistic expressions on display in the building’s art gallery.

On Sundays, access to the main street next to the building is only pedestrian, from 08:00 – 19:00, all year round. It could turn out in a romantic walk along the Trajan markets and the Roman Forum.

The view from the Vittoriano is breathtaking, as you can see from my picture. You can walk up the white marble steps and then take the elevator to the very top. Cost of the lift: €7.00.

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Vittoriano | Art & culture | Entrance adults € 10.00
via Fori Imperiali | City center | +39066780664
Mon – Thu 09:30 – 19:30, Fri & Sat 09:30 – 23:30, Sun 09:30 – 20:30