Image by Sabrina Favoriti

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

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

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

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

This is a great place for bargain shopping.

You can stay here as long or little as you want, depending on how much you like shopping in markets.

Here you can find anything from children shoes to shirts, jeans and bags and to fruits!

A lot of the items are real name brands for really low prices, sometimes as low as € 1.00 per item.

I like starting the day here around 08:00, when it is still not packed with people and do some shopping and catching up with friends.

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Olimpico | Shopping | Shirt € 1.00
Piazza Gentile da Fabriano | Parioli & Flaminio
Fri 08:00 – 13:00

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Image by Sabrina Favoriti

This place is located in Ponte Milvio and it is a very popular gelateria, it has a vast outdoors for you to sit down and enjoy your gelato or pastries.

The place established itself in Rome since 1959, and to this day they still use fresh ingredients for both their gelatos and their pastries.

They have different flavors such as the “indispensable” which is a mixture of raspberry and nutella and other interesting flavors.

This is a excellent place to hang-out during an afternoon and eat ice-cream, it is very family oriented.

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Mondi | Snacks | Small cup € 1.80
Via Flaminia 468 | Parioli & Flaminio | +39063336466
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 21:30

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Image by Eleonora Baldwin

Nestled in a patch of leafy perennials and umbrella pines, the Tree Bar is my latest fixation. Not far from the Stadio Flaminio, in the gardens that flank Viale Tiziano and Via Flaminia, the eco-friendly structure of the Tree Bar includes a spacious indoor and a breezy dehors, where in the warmer months, patrons can lounge under the leafy canopy provided by the trees from breakfast, throughout the wee hours of the night.

I’ve stopped by here on occasion for classic Italian breakfast, knocking back large cappuccinos and fragrant, flaky croissants. I’ve brought friends here for informal lunches, business meetings over platefuls of local Mediterranean cuisine; and relaxed during the Tree Bar’s hip aperitivo happy hour, which is enriched by a fabulous finger food buffet, dj set and other jazz, funk, and rare-grooves live music events.

I’ve yet to hang out here for dinner, but I’ve perused the hand-written menu on the tall chalkboard: I’m ready to taste the Tree Bar’s regional specialties, vast assortment of salumi and rare cheeses and hand made desserts, plus the very handsome wine list.

Will you come with me?

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Tree Bar | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian)
Via Flaminia 226 | Parioli & Flaminio | +390632652754
Mon 18:30 – 01:00, Tue – Sun 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Eleonora Baldwin

Pumpkin, cavolo nero, beans, cicoria, apples, persimmons, bread, eggs… with shopping list safely tucked in my pocket, and wheely shopping cart in tow, I’m off to my mercato rionale, the neighborhood market.

Forays always begin with friendly smiles widening on my purveyors’ familiar faces, unhurried conversation, warm greetings and small talk. The transactions come later. Through this rapport based on everyday contact, locals are raised trusting their suppliers.

My first stop is always Giuliana, the signora that sells me the best mesculun salad ever, crisp fennel bulbs, zucchini topped with sunny blossoms and other seasonal produce grown in her country orto, a property located 30 km south of the city. She always throws in an onion, celery rib and carrot in my bag, for soffritto-it’s a given; and two generous bunches of basil and parsley. For free.

Next, I stop by Massimo, my poultry butcher. He sells me free range chickens, brown eggs, and other non red meats. He’s known me since I was 5, when I’d come here with my mother.

By now, my shopping carrellino is almost full, so I make my way to Anna, for fruit. Her kiosk is always decorated and stocked with exceptionally fresh seasonal goodies, the sweetest and juiciest fruits around. Here, I always end up buying more than I had planned.

Before I leave, I can either pick up fresh flowers at Franco’s stall, or, if I get the munchies, grab a slice of heaven sold by weight at the pizza al taglio booth.

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Mercato Rionale Parioli | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Viale Parioli at Viale della Moschea | Parioli & Flaminio | +39068088882
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 14:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Eleonora Baldwin

The clothes are sold on the street and the store has three wheels, elegantly decorated in the trademark cream & bold red stripes, built out of an Ape Piaggio, the classic Italian compact delivery vehicle brought by the same makers of the renown Vespa (which means ‘wasp,’ while ape means ‘bee’).

The chic Malandra moving shop often conveniently buzzes to a stop in my neighborhood, right in the piazza where my son plays soccer with his buddies, and where I like to lounge at the cafe for an aperitivo after work. Mobile Malandra styles feature beautiful ensembles, blouses, skirts, dresses and cashmere sweaters for women, and are all designed by ex-model turned entrepreneur Valeria Ferlini, the mastermind behind the Malandra modish pop-up retailer. I’ve bought several outfits from the Malandra three-wheeler, and although prices are a bit beyond my means, I appreciate that a portion of sales is donated to charity. So when the Ape Malandra comes a-knocking, I shrug and throw thrift to the wind.

There are always throngs of ladies milling around the Malandra roving shop, in whatever northern-Rome neighborhood I happen to see it. The impromptu changing room is two curtains sewn onto a hula-hoop, and the mirror dangles from a hook, but the best part of this operation is that most of the clothes for sale on the Ape Malandra are skillfully crafted by the inmates of the female ward in San Vittore prison, in Milan.

You can find the Malandra at the Auditorium’s Christmas Market til Dec 24

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Ape Malandra | Shopping
Piazza Santiago del Cile | Parioli & Flaminio | +393464994400
09:00 – 17:00 daily – no regular schedule

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Eleonora Baldwin

C.U.C.I.N.A. spells ‘kitchen’ in Italian, but in this case it’s the clever acronym for “Come Una Cucina Ispira Nuove Aperture,” Italian for ‘how a kitchen can inspire new opportunities.’ Now, if you’re a cooking fanatic like me, the merchandise sold in this nifty kitchen boutique will definitely inspire you to run back to your own cucina to whip up something delizioso.

I never leave the C.U.C.I.N.A. store empty-handed, be it even a teaspoon. Once I cross that threshold, and enter the magical realm of designer cookware, I have a very difficult time not ravaging the entire store.

There are four citywide locations, and one is conveniently located three blocks from my house. The floor-to-ceiling stainless steel shelves are loaded with all manner of copper pots, old style collanders, appliances and stand mixers, woven kitchen towels, white porcelain tableware, olivewood chopping blocks, authentic stove-top moka coffeemakers, silicone cake molds, vintage-style chrome scales, and all gauges of pasta cutters, to mention a few.

But where C.U.C.I.N.A. really shines is in the utensils and nifty gadget department. Inventive and elegant, every little kitchen tool becomes a key essential. And I can only begin to describe the variety of items available: wine bottle drop-stoppers, parmigiano graters in various shapes and sizes, adorable timers, retro refrigerator magnets, professional Asian blades… you name it. All the useful or just plain fun “toys” that fill my kitchen drawers and cabinets once came from this culinary wonderland.

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C.U.C.I.N.A. | Shopping
Piazza Euclide 40 | Parioli & Flaminio | +39068078906
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 16:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Sabrina Favoriti

In the heart of Ponte Milvio there’s a brand new mall. The “originality” of this shopping mall are the fruit, vegetables and meat markets. These markets used to be on the streets and have been there for decades but with the opening of the mall they have been transferred inside. So come rain or shine, people can still go grocery shopping and do some personal shopping as well.

During the summer it is nice because the mall is air conditioned, and during the winter months it will be a nice distraction from the rain. The first time I ran into the mall was during the atrocious heat in the month of August. A friend and I had a drink and did some nice shopping in the mall nearby.

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Ponte Milvio Mall | Shopping | Cute top for women € 15.00
Via Riano 15 | Parioli & Flaminio
10:00 – 20:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome

Image by Sabrina Favoriti

Inside this winebar it’s quite dark and you may think “this is it?” because of the tiny dimensions of the wine bar.

But there is a vast list of wines, both Italian and International and beers (try the “birra piemontese” for a refreshing taste). It is a great place to go have “happy hour”.

If you feel claustrophobic inside, there are always plenty of tables outside to sit and chat with friends and enjoy the soft House music. I like sitting outside especially during the spring and summer months to have a drink and watch people.

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Jarro | Bars | Glass of wine € 5.00
Ponte Milvio 32 | Parioli & Flaminio | +393387079573
Tue – Sun 18:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Rome