Cassia & Montemario Rome – All our local tips

The bar has been open for a year or two and already it has a large crowd that goes there. One cold Sunday afternoon I was here with a friend and we decided to go into the bar before continuing our walk, which I have been several times before. Since I was craving for hot chocolate we ordered two.

The snack bar is pretty spacious and has several tables on the patio in front as well, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a real dense hot chocolate served with some cookies.

My friend had his hot chocolate with whipped cream but I skipped the whipped cream. It was still one of the best hot chocolates I have ever tasted. It’s one of those you can actually eat with a spoon.

Since it is close to my area I go there often during the winter for a hot chocolate but they also have great cappuccinos. It is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon outside the house.

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Abate Bar | Bars, Snacks | Hot Chocolate € 1.50
Via di Grottarossa 20 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633261552
07:00 – 21:00 daily

Bar Ambassador when looked at from the outside is just another corner bar. But it is always packed because of the office building next to it. One of the baristas is very creative with what he whips up.

And since I work in the office building next to it, I also take advantage of the fact that they deliver. My favorite breakfast item is the decadent NutellCoffee, which is Nutella at the bottom, coffee, and whipped cream on top sprinkled with powdered cocoa, and even though I am not a fan of whipped cream, once all is stirred I can barely taste the whipped cream and I just enjoy the drink.

The NutellCoffee is a drink to start the work week or to end it in the sweetest way.

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Bar Ambassador | Bars, Snacks | NutellCoffee € 1.00
Via Fabbroni 1 | Cassia & Montemario | +39063295884
06:00 – 22:00 daily

This is just another coffee bar at the next corner, but the modern design makes the experience of tasting their coffee worth it.

This coffee spot continues to re-invent itself and in fact the last few evenings that I went there I swapped my coffee for a glass of red wine! Now they are also a wine bar.

People that that live or work in the area, go and have their breakfast here with a cup of coffee and maybe a freshly baked croissant before heading off to work.

I like to go there at mid-morning and chat around with a friend sipping a cappuccino and indulge in a chocolate or cream filled croissant. And now they expanded with a small patio outdoors with tables with umbrellas to protect you from the hot sun, but it is so refreshing to have a mid-afternoon cold iced tea!

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Caffe’ 901 | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Peach Iced Tea € 1.20
901 Via Cassia | Cassia & Montemario | +390633260000
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 20:00

Right next to my house there is a cute little restaurant where I go on my lazy days since it is so close! And it is definitely a fusion of Bavarian and Italian culture. If you happen to stroll by on a Monday you will see it’s a pizzeria/pub. On other days you can try authentic Bavarian foods such as the Knoedel or pork cooked in Bavarian beer but do not shy away from their pizzas such as the Diavola or Margherita.

I like the atmosphere inside the place and the decoration with its wooden chairs with a hole carved in it and the tablecloths that give you a sense of being at home. It is also a good cozy place to watch sporting events while drinking one of their many choices of beer…Bavarian of course.

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Hofbrau Munchen Bermand | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants | Diavola Pizza € 7.00
Via di Grottarossa 123 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633253802
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 23:00

The Cicalino, meaning “little grasshopper” is a well- known in North Rome, during the afternoons in fact it is often a place for high-school students to meet and chat while eating a pizza al taglio before deciding where to go.

In the evenings it can be a quiet place to sit out on their red tables and enjoy the pizza or arancini. If you are a sports fan, usually you can watch the games inside on their TV, with a beer to accompany your pizza.

These kind of pizza’s are not as thin as the ones that you will find in the restaurants. They serve square pizzas, with a variety of different toppings. One of my personal favorites is their potato topping pizza that I learned to love when I was one of those high-schoolers chatting away with friends.

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Il Cicalino | Bars, Restaurants (Pizza al taglio) | Piece of pizza € 2.50
Via Cassia 917/A | Cassia & Montemario | +390630362549
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 21:00

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

Lo Zodiaco is the highest spot of the city. I go up there to enjoy the largest and widest view Rome can offer. You get a 180 degrees view from this hill. It is breathtaking.

When I go there I make sure I don’t forget some coins for the monoculars (€0,50), because I never get tired of watching a close-up of the Tiber, the stadium, the zillion roof tops on the opposite end towards the heart of Rome, the obelisks, the churches, St.Peter’s and the Altare della Patria. I like swinging the monocular to the left and to the right and play child for a moment as if I were observing from a vedette.

The imaginary lasts a few minutes when it’s time for a snack, either in the small economic bar right in front of the marble meridian circle or the bigger one, also a restaurant, with tables and a view front. It’s always been a place for lovers and romancing, but it’s ideal even if you are a lone wolf or a group of friends.

Everytime I go up there I am glad to refresh my mind and ‘take shots’ with my eyes, clicking on one of the greatest live masterpieces in the world.

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Lo Zodiaco | Bars, Relaxing, Restaurants (International) | Sandwiches € 3.00
Via del Parco Mellini 88/92 | Cassia & Montemario
12:00 – 15:30 & 19:00 – 01:00 daily

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

Parco Pappacci is a park near my house and it is a nice park to go relax, bring your dog (there is a separate area just for your pets), run or bring your children.

I go mainly to relax and walk around and maybe sit down on a bench and catch up on some reading, I usually do this during the spring time where you can catch some rays of sunshine as well, while I read or do some people watching and take a break from work and home.

In March when spring time is close you can admire the trees blossoming and the daisies which make the park so much prettier. I keep on going during the summer as well because the shades of the trees makes the heat so much more bearable, even though there is less people watching to do.

There are always a lot of people in the park – from young children playing on the merry go rounds, to teenagers playing basketball and older adults walking and chatting (or maybe gossiping) or old couples holding hands…such a sweet sight!

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Parco Pappacci | Relaxing | Free
Via di Grottarossa 124 | Cassia & Montemario
05:00 – 22:00 daily

Peccati di Gola is a cute little store tucked away in the middle of the must have aperitivo in Ponte Milvio in a street in between a jewelry store and a bread store. The first time I came about this place, I was just strolling down the street after having a hot chocolate at Mondi’s (check the Mondi article)

The place immediately caught my eye because I found it very interesting that they served different cuts of meats and any type of cheese, and at the same time you can have an aperitivo with a glass of wine. The place itself is small with three small tables inside and two outside if you want to do some people watching.

I like to hang out here with a friend of two and catch up while eating some of the great tasting cheeses and sipping wine, and when I brought one of my friends for the first time, she did not even know it existed even though she lives in the Ponte Milvio area! The good news is that she loved it so every so often we meet there to catch up.

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Peccati di Gola | Bars | 1 kilo of truffle salami € 29.00
Via Flaminia 454 | Cassia & Montemario | +390633225331
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 23:00

This is a pizzeria/restaurant located in North Rome, and it is a popular place for the younger crowd but you will also see families. I like to come here because it is close to my house and because the environment is really laid-back and fun, and if I decide to have dinner their Roman style pizzas are pretty good.

This is a modernly big restaurant an in fact it was established in only 2004, where you can either eat inside or outside in their enormous patio. You can start out with some appetizers such as “bruschette” or “crostini”, and then go with a pizza and beer.

On Sundays they have a special event (”Sunset time”) at 18;00 where you pay € 5.00 for the buffet and a drink.

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Sport Café | Restaurants (Pizza) | Spritz Drink € 7.00
Via Cassia 999 | Cassia & Montemario | +390630315041
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 01:00, Sun 18:00 – 00:00

Talco is one of my favorite stores in my neighborhood, I like it because I can walk there from my house but also because it is a small boutique and you tend to get more of a unique and good service which is different from the big and crowded stores of the downtown area of the city, as you can talk to the retail associate and make small talk as you decide what to buy or just to window shop.

The stores prices have a wide range but sometimes they do have nice discounts, last year I bought one of my favorite items in my wardrobe and it is a black vinyl raincoat with a hood and big pockets and I used a lot and still do during those rainy days and it still looks new. For summer I usually buy some of their tops which are classic and trendy at the same time and look great when going out.

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Talco | Shopping | Vinyl Raincoat € 99.00
Via di Grottarossa 181 B | Cassia & Montemario | +390633264662
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 20:00