WHERE TO EAT OUT IN ROME

CAFES AND BAKERIES

AR DELLA PACE

The elegant, all mahogany-and mirrors Bar della Pace has remained one of the best crowd scenes for more than 10 years. Just off Piazza Navona, Roman cinema and TV personalities slump self-consciously by the outside tables, keeping one eye out for people they recognise and another for people recognising them. The best time for celebrity spotting is after dinner. In the morning, the bar has quite a different character as a breakfast club for local residents.
Via della Pace 3-7, Rome (00 39 06 686 1216; caffedellapace.it)

GELATO DI SAN CRISPINO

Giuseppe and Pasquale Alongi are the Luthers of gelato – they shun the established church of gelato artigianale, which tolerates ready-made ice-cream bases and industrial flavouring providing that it is mixed together on the premises. At Gelato di San Crispino, the Alongi brothers start with the basics: water and sugar for sorbets and milk, egg and bananas for ice-cream. They select the flavourings with obsessive care – only the freshest of the seasonal fruit is used, and the legendary zabaione bears the flavour of a 20-year-old barrel-aged Marsala. The lampone (raspberry) is particularly fine in high summer, but crunchy meringue flavours hazelnut, chocolate and pistachio – surprisingly not fluorescent green – are other stalwarts. Whatever you do, don’t ask for a cone – the first commandment of St Crispino is that thou shalt have no container but a tub. Open Wed-Mon.
Via della Panetteria 42, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 679 3924) and Via Acaia 56/56a, 00183 Rome (06 7045 0412; ilgelatodisancrispino.com)

GRAN CAFFE LA CAFFETTIERA

Close to the Pantheon and with a bustling feel, La Caffettiera is the Roman colony of a famous Neapolitan bar empire. The long marble bar at the entrance is always packed with politicians and their bagmen, in for a quick shot of caffeine between lower-house debates at nearby Palazzo di Montecitorio. Rub shoulders with them, or grab an Italian newspaper from the pack and peruse it ostentatiously at a table over a cappuccino or a frolla, a Neapolitan short crust pasty filled with sweet ricotta. The cakes and coffee are fully up to the standards of the mother ship. Open Tue-Sun.
Piazza di Pietra 65, 00186 Rome (00 39 060 679 8147; grancaffelacaffettiera.com)

SANT’EUSTACHIO

If you are fortunate enough to be given a quick, guided tour of centro storico by Roman friends, Sant’Eustachio will almost certainly feature on the itinerary. Coffee sacks, classification diagrams and bas-reliefs of plantation life has adorned the place for as long as anyone can remember. The Basilica Sant’Eustachio opposite has been on the square for more than 1,000 years. Be sure to order a gran caffè, the house speciality. It looks like a cappuccino without milk, but with the coffee itself frothed up. The etiquette is to eat the froth with a spoon before downing the rest. It comes sugared, so unless you like your coffee very sweet, ask for it con poco zucchero (with just a little sugar) or amaro (with none).
Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82, Rome (00 39 06 6880 2048; santeustachioilcaffe.it)

RESTAURANTS

AGUSTARELLO A TESTACCIO

Traditional Roman cuisine is not for the squeamish. Based on quinto quarto, the part of the animal given to slaughterhouse workers after all that was considered saleable was removed, true cucina romana is made of stomach, brain, tongue, tail and sexual organs. If you are still keen to give it a go, Testaccio is the best place to sample it. In this lively quarter just south of the centre where the municipal abattoir used to stand, Agustarello is one of the most authentic in a clutch of restaurants. The restaurant consists of two unadorned rooms and a small summer garden, and is located on a street so local it even has a fishing supply shop. Agustarello’s version of rigatoni alla pajata (pajata being veal’s intestines cooked with the mother’s milk still inside) is difficult to beat. Romans come from distant suburbs to eat here, so book ahead of your visit. Open Mon-Sat.
Via Giovanni Branca 98, 00153 Rome (00 39 06 574 6585)

ANTICO ARCO

On the Ginaicolo hill, next to the town gate that gives the ‘Old Arch’ its name, the restaurant has no view and no outside tables, but what’s inside more than makes up for that. Antico Arco is as warmly intimate and unshowily contemporary as Patrizia Mattei’s cuisine, which offers a slow-food tour of Italy based on obsessively sourced raw materials. Book at least three or four days ahead. Antico Arco featured in our story about 10 Great Restaurants in Rome.
Piazzale Aurelio 7, Rome (00 39 06 581 5274; anticoarco.it)

BABY

The only outpost of the Amalfi Coast restaurant Don Alfonso, and the link to its famous parent is umbilical. Chefs Alfonso Iaccarino and his son Ernesto keep a close eye on their Roman offspring, travelling up at least once a week. The menu is pure Don Alfonso, bringing ripe, savoury Neapolitan flavours to the Eternal City in dishes such as ravioli filled with sheep’s cheese and marjoram in a simple sauce of basil and cherry tomatoes. The large outdoor terrace overlooking the pool is a great place for an alfresco lunch or dinner.
Via Ulisse Aldrovandi 15, Rome (00 39 06 321 6126)

CHECCHINO DAL 1887

A really superior bistro with smart tablecloths, an incredible wine list and a very traditional menu. The restaurant has been stigmatised for only serving offal, but it also offers other delicious dishes, such as oxtail and all sorts of lamb. Try agnello alla cacciatore, little pieces of lamb sautéed with chilli, anchovies and red-wine vinegar. It’s delicious. Open Tue-Sat, closed in August.
Via di Monte Testaccio 30, 00153 Rome (00 39 06 574 3816; checchino-dal-1887.com)

DA FELICE

Da Felice has been serving down-home cucina romana for years. The menu is resolutely Roman, with classics including bucatini all’amatriciana (hollow spaghetti served in a sauce of tomatoes, onion, pancetta and pecorino cheese) and abbacchio al forno con patate (lamb baked with potatoes).
Via Mastro Giorgio, Rome (00 39 06 574 6800; feliceatestaccio.it)

DA GINO

For a truly Roman experience, join the queue at Da Gino. It might be difficult to believe that such an unreconstructed trattoria could survive being so close to Italy’s political and media power hub, but Italian politicos and journalists, for all their airs, are alarmed by cordon bleu refinements. They like nothing better than a steaming plate of spaghetti all’amatricana, with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, pork cheek and pecorino, and a carafe of honest (i.e. rough) house wine. Other house specialities include coniglio al vino bianco (rabbit in white wine) and an excellent tiramisu. Open Mon-Sat.
Vicolo Rossini 4, Rome (00 39 06 6873 434, ristoranteparlamento.roma.it)

DOOZO

This is a new Japan-themed restaurant, bookshop, and gallery and offers some of the best soba and sashimi in Rome.
Via Palermo 51 (00 39 06 481 5655; doozo.it)

IL PAGLIACCIO

Small, sober and informally smart, Anthony Genovese’s centro storico restaurant has become a fixture on the city’s foodie circuit – partly due to its prices, which despite a recent hike are still very competitive for this level of culinary refinement. You don’t come here for simple fare, but even in party pieces such as the main-course duck which is divided into two servings (first the breast in hazelnut milk, then the leg in tamarind sauce), Genovese is careful to keep experimentation within reason. The decor is unfussily contemporary, the service professional but relaxed.
Via dei Banchi Vecchi 129a, Rome (00 39 06 6880 9595; ristoranteilpagliaccio.it)

LA GATTA MANGIONA

Yes, it’s a pizzeria – but not any old pizzeria. In suburban Monteverde Nuovo (take the number 8 tram from Largo Argentina to the end of the line), the ‘Greedy Cat’ serves up gourmet versions of Italy’s famous pie. Extra-virgin olive oil, smoked mackerel and edible flowers are among the ingredients used by owner and self-defined ‘pizza engineer’ Giancarlo Casa. Romans have taken to it, so book before you schlep all the way out here.
Via Federico Ozanam 30, Rome (00 39 06 534 6702; lagattamangiona.com)

LA PERGOLA

The Michael Schumacher of Italy’s culinary scene, Heinz Beck has presided over the panoramic restaurant of the Rome Cavalieri Hilton since 1994. With its low ceiling and polished wood panelling, the elegant main dining room has a touch of the captain’s cabin about it. The taster menu is a good introduction; in autumn 2007 it included seasonal creations such as artichoke-stuffed ravioli in a sauce of red shrimps and grey-mullet roe. There are just 55 covers, so book ahead.
Via Cadlolo 101, Rome (00 39 06 3509 2152; romecavalieri.it)

L’OFFICINA DEI SAPORI

Slow Food goes gourmet here, a modern trattoria serving dishes such as roast organic chicken in a sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, potato and asparagus.
Via Flaminia 297 (00 39 069760 0350)

PIPERNO

This restaurant is in the Jewish quarter, up a little hill in the centre of Rome, and it hasn’t changed in 35 years. The interior is green, with a few simple paintings, and it’s full of elegant, older Romans. As you walk through the door you are dazzled by a display of plates of vegetables dressed with oil. The restaurant’s signature dish is whole fried artichoke; deep-fried anchovies and sardines are another speciality. Alpine strawberries served with lemon juice and sugar are the best choice for dessert.
Monte de’ Cenci 9, Rome (00 39 06 6880 6629; ristorantepiperno.com)

TRATTORIA MONTI

Everything about this family-run trattoria works: the affable service, the updated-osteria decor, the sense of being part of a privileged community of regulars. The has a marchigiano slant in dishes such as tagliatelle in duck sauce, or salt cod baked in mustard. Monti is very popular, so you should book at least three or four days in advance; but in a city where quality meals for less than €50 a head are becoming increasingly rare, it’s well worth doing.
Via San Vito 13a, Rome (00 39 06 446 6573)

TREE BAR

Situated in a small park by the tramlines, Tree Bar has been transformed from a down-at-the-heel kiosk to a birchwood hangout for creative types, who come for the light and healthy cuisine, complete with a DJ set on Mondays.
Via Flaminia 226 (00 39 06 3265 2754,treebar.it)

THE BEST NIGHTLIFE IN ROME

BARS

CAFE RICCIOLI

For something postmodern, head to stylish Riccioli Café in via delle Coppelle, just in-between Pantheon and Piazza Navona. During the daytime, this is a restaurant serving modern Italian and Japanese-inspired food. After dinner, the restaurant turns into a bar, with drink and wine lists well longer than the average.
Via delle Coppelle 13, Rome (00 39 06 6821 0313)

CLUB GOA

The Goa Club has a soft, ethnic chill-out decor and a tribal/undergound/hiphop soundtrack. The club often hosts private parties, so it is advisable to ring ahead during the week to make sure that it is open. Open Tue-Sat.
Via Libetta 13, Rome (00 39 06 574 8277; goaclub.com)

LE GRAND BAR AT ST REGIS GRAND HOTEL

Unlike Venice or Milan, Rome does not have a cocktail or aperitivo of choice, though it does have an army of under-challenged hotel barmen dying for an excuse to show off. The refurbished St Regis Grand has one of the most theatrically sumptuous bars in town, to be admired from an armchair through the bottom of a glass. Try a Negroni, made of Campari, vermouth and gin.
Via Vittorio Emmanuel Orlando 3, 00185 Rome (00 39 06 47091; starwoodhotels.com/stregis)

MICCA CLUB

This is a stylish new nightspot in a cavernous cellar near piazza Vittorio. DJs and live acts serve up a mix of jazz, funk and soul. Open Thursday to Sunday.
Via Pietro Micca 7a (00 39 06 8744 0079; miccaclub.com)

PALATIUM

A wine bar funded by the regional government does not sound like a recipe for excellence. But, under the tutelage of top restaurateur Antonello Colonna, with chef Severino Gaiezza in the kitchen, this new wine bar and restaurant has become one of the best bets in the centro storico for a light meal or an apertivo with friends. The only off note is the service, which can be slapdash.
Via Frattina 94, Rome (00 39 06 6920 2132)

RED

A cool lounge bar furnished with classic pieces by designers from Ron Arad to Patricia Urquiola. It has a (pricey) creative menu, but mostly this is an aperitivo and nightcap spot, popular with well-heeled twenty-somethings from nearby Parioli, the Hampstead of Rome.
Viale Pietro de Coubertin 12 (00 39 06 8069 1630)

ROSATI

If mahogany, mirrors and white-jacketed waiters are your thing, the pick of Roman bars is Rosati. Little has changed since Italo Calvino, Pier Paolo Pasolini and the other members of the 1960s cappuccino intelligensia hung out here. The outside tables are still among the most sought-after in Rome, the cakes and cornetti (croissants) are still delectable and fresh thanks to the in-house bakery, and the barmen still know how to make a great dry martini.
Piazza del Popolo 4/5, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 9774 9804, barrosati.com)

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STREETLIFE

CAMPO DEI FIORI

The triangle between the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo and via Ripetta, called the Tritone, buzzes with tourists, shoppers and café-loungers during the day. As night descends, the focus shifts to Campo deí Fiori. Once the prowling ground of artsy expats and locals, this most Roman of the centro storico squares is now one of the places where the young meet up. From 7pm, the wine bars fill up and spill out.

MONTE TESTACCIO

Around 11pm and especially on weekends, Monte Testaccio comes into its own. The hill was a rubbish dump during the Imperial era, so it is filled with broken Roman pots. Workshops, osterie and wine cellars were dug into the side of the hill over the centuries, and nowadays this south-of-the-centre working class area is the home to many locali, the Italian term for anything from a piano bar to a full-scale disco.

PIAZZA NAVONA

The eternal meeting point in the eternal city. Piazza Navona, right in the middle of all the tourist attractions, is home to many restaurants and bars. In the middle of the oval shaped square is the famous fountain symbolising the Ganges, the Nile, the Danube and Rio Plata, created by Bernini and some of his students. Piazza Navona never sleeps and, if you have time, you can spend 24 hours on the square, from breakfast through lunch and dinner, to drinks and disco and breakfast again.

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WHAT TO SEE IN ROME

It is impossible not to see any of the obvious sights in Rome, such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Spanish Steps. There are plenty of other fascinating attractions to look out for, many of them so incorporated inthe city’s every day life that you are likely to stumble across them while looking for something else.

CASINA DELLE CIVETTE

A real treat at a rarely visited end of the Roman Museum spectrum. This curious Swiss-style folly known as Casina delle Civette stands in Villa Torlonia. The latter is a former private estate to the northeast of the centre that has been transformed into a public park, the former serves as a museum of Italian Art Nouveau, stained glass and decoration. Built in 1840, this princely pleasure-house was done over in Art Noveau style in the 1910s and 1920s, so the interior fits its purpose. Open Tue-Sun.
Via Nomentana 70, Rome (00 39 06 4425 0072; museivillatorlonia.it).

GALLERIA BORGHESE

Rome doesn’t have the painterly riches of Florence and Venice, but it does have private collections that cast an interesting sidelight on the history of taste and patronage. The most famous collection can be found in Galleria Borghese in the northern part of Rome. The gallery reopened after a long restoration in 1998, and its centrepieces – Bernini’s near-miraculous Apollo and Daphne sculpture, Titan’s Sacred and Profane Love, Lucas Cranach’s Venus and Cupid and a whole roomful of Caravaggios – now look better than ever. The surrounding park is also a delight, and a good spot for a picnic. Open Tue-Sat.
Piazzale del Museo Borghese 5, 00197 Rome (00 39 06 32810; galleriaborghese.it).

GALLERIA DORIA PAMPHILJ

This museum is also well worth a visit. It holds a princely collection of 17th-century works by Caravaggio, Velázquez (including his Bacon-inspiring portrait of Pope Innocent X) and Jan Bruegel, plus important Renaissance pieces by, among others, Titan. Open Fri-Wed.
Piazza del Collegio Romano 2, Rome (00 39 06 679 7323; doriapamphilj.it).

GALLERIA SPADA

The Galleria Spada is remarkable not so much for its collection, which is patchy, as for its pretty façade and the trompe l’oeil colonnade by Borromini in the courtyard. Open Tue-Sun.
Piazza Campo di Ferro 13, 00186 Rome (00 39 06 687 4893; galleriaborghese.it/spada/it).

MUSEO NAZIONALE ROMANO SITES

The consensus claims that the Romans were too busy building their empire to give much thought to art and beauty. Until recently, there was little evidence to disprove it, apart from in the Vatican Museum. But in June 2000, the Museo Nazionale Romano fired on all cylinders, and spread itself over three newly-restored sites:
(soprintendenzaspecialeroma.it)

PALAZZO ALTEMPS

This part of the Museo Nazionale Romano houses statues from collections assembled by four of Rome’s leading aristocratic families. Many of the works were ‘restored’ (i.e. reworked) by leading artists such as Bernini and Algardi.
Via di Sant’Apollinare, Rome (00 39 06 683 3566; coopculture.it/heritage.cfm?id=7)

PALAZZO MASSIMO

The Museo Nazionale Romano houses a varied collection of busts, statues and coins in this huge 19th-century pile near the station. Its real treat is a lively series of domestic wall paintings.
Piazza dei Cinquecento 68, Rome (00 39 06 481 5576).

TERME DI DIOCLEZIANO

When the large collection moved to Palazzo Massimo, restoration works began at these baths of the Diocletian. The rooms are only open on an irregular basis for the time being, so it is advisable to phone before you visit.
Via Enrico de Nicola 79, Rome (00 39 06 488 0530, coopculture.it).

PANTHEON

Built by Hadrian around AD 118-128, this bet-hedging temple to no less than 12 gods was saved from destruction by its early conversion into a Christian church. The bronze cladding and the marble facing have all been stripped away over the years and the tombs and canvases that adorn the interior are mostly unworthy of their setting, but the sheer majesty of the dome is unshakeable. It was the largest dome in the world until the beginning of the 20th-century.
Piazza della Rotonda, Rome (00 39 06 6830 0230, polomusealelazio.beniculturali.it).

SANTI QUATTRO CORONATI

Via dei Santi Quattro Coronati, one of the streets connecting Colosseum and San Giovanni, takes on a rural character as it heads uphill to the church. Rebuilt as a fortified abbey after the Normans sacked it in 1084, the church incorporates what was left of the 4th-century original. The result is a curious hybrid full of Medieval atmosphere. At the centre of the cloister is a virtually untouched example of a 13th-century monastic garden, complete with a rustic fountain. A door off the entrance courtyard leads into the tiny Chapel of San Silvestro. The chapel is covered in naïve Medieval frescoes celebrating the Donation of Constantine, the document in which the first Chrisitian emperor granted the bishops of Rome spiritual and territorial authority over his lands. The document was later revealed to be a fake, but the frescoes are genuine enough. So is the closed order of nuns that passes visitors the key to the chapel in a revolving drum, once used as a safe-deposit box for unwanted babies.
Via dei Santi Quattro Coronati 20, Rome (00 39 06 7047 5426; santiquattrocoronati.org/NN/comi.htm).

THE VATICAN CITY

Also known as the smallest country in Europe, the Holy See has its own country in the middle of central Rome, and its collection of artefacts from the history of Christianity makes it well worth a visit. Visit in the morning if you want to avoid the queues, and be prepared to do a lot of walking. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants in the area where you can rest.
(vaticanstate.va)

ALAMY

ST PETER’S BASILICA

Built in the 16th-century, St Peter’s basilica is the most important church for Catholics around the world. This is where the Pope holds mass every Sunday, and where millions of pilgrimages end every year. Adorned with gold, marble and statues, St Peter’s is a great experience for non-Catholics too. The Dome, beautiful from the outside, is breathtakingly enormous from the inside. The dress code is strictly enforced by guards on the doorstep and in the basilica itself – men and women alike have to cover up bare arms and legs.
Piazza San Pietro, 00193 Rome (00 39 06 6988 3462; vatican.va).

VATICAN MUSEUM

In time for the Jubilee in 2000, the Vatican Museum opened up its new and very modern entrance, enabling more visitors to enter at the same time. The museum itself is increadibly extraordinary, showing the wealth accumulated by the Catholic Church throughout its history. The walls are adorned with paintings from floor to ceiling and the corridors with tiny portraits of saints in gold and bright colours. Don’t miss Michelangelo’s masterwork in the Sistine Chapel – one of the most famous and recognised paintings in the history of man.
Viale Vaticano, Rome (vatican.va).

VITTORIANO

The huge monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II, which dominates Piazza Venezia, has been an object of irony and derision since it was unveiled in 1911. ‘The Wedding Cake’ and ‘The Typewriter’ are two of the polite names given to this glaring white marble pile. But the Vittoriano, as it is officially known, has revealed how useful it is as a viewpoint. From the colonnade at the summit, the view stretches down the central axis of via del Corso to the obelisk in Piazza del Popolo, and a side balcony frames the Colosseum against the backdrop of the Castelli Romani hills. But the best thing about the view is that it is one of the few in Rome that excludes the Vittoriano. Open Tue-Sun.
Piazza Venezia, Rome.

FRANCESCO LAGNESE

THINGS TO DO IN ROME

AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA

Three concert halls with beetle-like roofs surround an open-air amphitheatre in the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Renzo Piano’s performing arts venue. On any given evening you might hear Verdi, Anthony and the Johnsons or a reading of Dante.
Viale Pietro de Coubertin 30 (00 39 06 8024; auditorium.com).

BANDITACCIA NECROPOLIS

Located in Cerveteri, 40km northwest of Rome, the tombs date from between the 7th and 4th-centuries BC, and though most are simple rock-hewn chambers with stone couches, some have bas-relief decorations. The main ones are lit, but a torch is useful for the outlying tombs. The best way to get there is by train from San Pietro station, then by bus. Open Tue-Sun.
Via della Necropoli, 0052 Rome (00 39 06 994 0001, comune.cerveteri.rm.it).

BORGHESE GARDENS

In these verdant gardens, which border the district to the east, you can surf the web for free courtesy of Rome town council.
Via Tiepolo 6

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CITY TOURS

One of the best ways to spend a spring, summer, or autumn’s evening in Rome is to do some after-hours sightseeing. Enjoy Rome (see Tourist Info) organises three-hour walking tours of Ancient & Old Rome and the Jewish Ghetto & Travestere. The tours start late afternoon/early evening. There is also a ‘Hollywood on the Tiber’ coach tour, when clips from some of the more memorable films made in the Eternal City are shown on a video-screen as the relevant location is reached.

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PARKS

VILLA BORGHESE

The most central and famous of Rome’s green lungs, this is where Romans go rollerblading, cycling and scooting. All the three tools of transportation can be hired in park. There is also a zoo, renamed Bioparco in an attempt to revive its reputation, and the delightful Cinema dei Piccoli, showing children’s films. All films are dubbed, unfortunately, in true Italian style.

VILLA DORIA PAMPHILJ

This park, also well worth exploring, is a firm favourite with Roman families. It can easily be reached from Trastevere on the number 44 bus. Go for a jog, bring a picnic, fly a kite or join an impromptu football match. There are 184 hectares to get lost in, landscaped in the English style by Prince Andrea V Doria Pamhilii in the 19th-century.

TRAM RIDES

Rome’s tram system helped Frederico Fellini create. He rode the trams for hours on end, watching people and jotting down notes and sketches. Sleek supertrams have replaced the old orange bone-rattlers, but you can still ride the classic number three line from Trastevere. It crosses the Tiber and takes a wide loop to the east via Colosseum and Porta Maggiore before it reaches the leafy northern suburbs of the city. Rome’s flat-rate public transport tickets allow you to hop on and off the tram at will.

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WALKS

A passageway within the Aurelian Wall is the perfect choice if you want a walk that is short but different. Running for about half a kilometre from Porta San Sebastiano, the town gate overlooking the first stretch of the Appian Way, the walk offers views through regular recesses. You can also admire the gardens of the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See from the inside of the wall. Access to the walkway is via the small Museo delle Mura (via di Porta di San Sebastiano 18, 00 39 06 7047 5284; open Tue-Sun), housed inside Porta San Sebastiano. The Museum also has a display illustrating the history of the Roman walls and road building.

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WHERE TO SHOP IN ROME

FASHION

Most of Rome’s designer boutiques offer only a small selection of what’s on offer in Milan, but they are just fine for impulse shopping. The big names cluster on and around two parallel streets at the base of the Spanish Steps: via Condotti and via Borgognona.

DOLCE & GABBANA

Via Condotti 52, Rome (00 39 06 6992 4999; dolcegabbana.it)

GIORGIO ARMANI

Via Condotti 77, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 699 1460; giorgioarmani.com)

GUCCI

Via Condotti 8, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 678 9340; gucci.com)

LAURA BIAGIOTTI

Via Borgognona 43/44, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 6791 205; laurabiagiotti.it)

MAXMARA

Via Frattina 28, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 6793 638; maxmara.com)

PRADA

Via Condotti 92, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 6786 778; prada.com)

VALENTINO

Via Condotti 12 (00 39 06 673 9420; valentino.com)

VERSACE

Via Bocca Di Leone 26/27, Rome (00 39 06 6780 521; versace.com)

FENDI

Sprawling over two floors of an elegant 19th-century palazzo, this is the world’s largest Fendi store. Snap up the latest Baguette bag, or copy Sophia Coppola and personalise a signature piece from the company’s range of colour-block coats.
Palazzo Fendi, Largo Goldoni 419-421, 00187 Rome (00 39 0633 4501; fendi.com)

BULGARI

At the foot of the Spanish Steps on the swanky via dei Condotti lies Bulgari’s magnificent flagship boutique, open since 1905. Famous fans have included Liz Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.
Via dei Condotti 10, 00187 Rome (00 39 0669 6261; bulgari.com)

SPAZIO IF

Half-shop, half-showroom, Spazio IF is to be found among the art galleries of via dei Coronari. Designer Irene Ferrara’s cult handmade leather OVO bags and hand-embellished bikinis are seen on the hot bodies that flock to the Amalfi coast in summer. Works by local artists include recycled sculptures by Sebastiano Renda, and Marcella Lucci’s painted-silk clothes.
Via dei Coronari 44a, 00186 Rome (00 39 06 6479 0639; spazioif.it)

FOOD

VOLPETTI

Volpetti is deli-heaven, and not even Harrods can match its slicing, weighing and package tying. The best buys are Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh parmesan to be eaten in chunks with a good red wine; mozzarella di bufala, fresh in from Naples, to be consumed immediately; formaggio di fossa, a cheese from the Marches that has been aged in large holes in the ground; and, lastly, one or two packs of Latini pasta from Osimo, generally recognised as the best in Italy.
Via Marmorata 47, 00153 Rome (00 39 06 574 2352; volpetti.com)

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HOME

C.U.C.I.N.A

C.U.C.I.N.A. is the place to pick up high-quality kitchen supplies. Perhaps an Alessi espresson maker, or one of those little parmesan-splitting knives.
Via Mario de’ Fiori 65, Rome (00 39 06 6791 275; cucinastore.com)

ORNAMENTUM

Rome is a good place to find quirky, one-off furniture and textile shops. Ornamentum has enough silk and brocade to please even the most demanding drapery fiend, and is perfect if you want your house to look like a Baroque palace.
Via dei Coronari 227, 00186 Rome (00 39 06 6873 838)

FLEUR LUXURY LIVING

Interior designer Umberto Cinelli’s shopis the latest in Rome to make in-store comfort a priority, and its likeness to 10 Corso Como in Milan is no mistake. The open-plan space is lit by blazing fires; there are sofas and coffee tables crowded with sculptures, framed photos and books. Less well-known are its art gallery, the tea room where you can relax with a gunpowder-green tea, and the restaurant serving seafood dishes such as oyster and grilled octopus.
Via Bocca di Leone 46, 00187 Rome (00 39 06 6992 3705; fleurluxuryliving.it)

BOOKS

FELTRINELLI

Feltrinelli has two of the best-stocked bookshops in Rome. The Via V.E. Orlando branch, near Stazione Termini, has a reasonable selection of English books.
Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando 78/81, 00185 Rome (00 39 06 487 0171; lafeltrinelli.it)

MARKETS

CAMPO DEI FIORI MARKET

This is the most popular food market in Rome, housed on a small square in Trastevere. Locals and tourist mingle by the fruit, vegetable and flower stalls, set up in the early morning beneath canvas ombrelloni around the brooding statue of philosopher-heretic Giordano Bruno. There are also several butchers, olive oil and cheese specialists around the square.
Piazza Campo deí Fiori, Rome

MERCATO DI TESTACCIO

Serious dinner-party shopping should be done at the Mercato di Testaccio, a partially covered market with good quality and prices. Testaccio is a salt-of-the-earth area south of the centre, and the market is near the Protestant Cemetery. Marcello Mastoianni’s cousins still run a fish stall here. Open every morning, and all day on Tuesday and Thursday.
Piazza Testaccio, Rome

RETAIL GHETTOS

Many Roman lanes bear the names of the trades that used to be carried out there – via dei Cappellari was the milliners’ street, via dei Giubbonary the jacket makers’, via dei Chiavari the key cutters’, and so on. A few trade ghettos have survived, and are worth a visit.

ANTIQUE SHOPS

Via dei Coronari, Via dell’Orso, and via dei Soldati, Rome.

SUPER

This stocks left-field fashion brands such as February and Poetic Licence, retro second-hand lighting and tableware, and tempting beauty products.
Via Leonina 42 (00 39 06 4544 8500)

ART GALLERIES

Via Margutta, Rome.

FRANCESCO LAGNESE

JEWELLERS

Via dell’Orso and via dei Pianellari, Rome.

SECOND-HAND CLOTHES

Via del Governo Vecchio, Rome.

WICKERWORK

Via del Teatro Valle, Rome.

SPECIALIST SHOPS

CERERIA DI GIORGIO

If it’s made of wax and it’s got a wick in it, you will be able to find it at the Cereria Di Giorgio – a huge candle warehouse at the Vatican end of Trastevere. Votive candles in red plastic containers for cemetery devotions, huge twisting paschal columns for serious High Church celebrations and bagfuls of pie-shaped fiaccole (torches) in aluminium trays, perfect for Tuscan villa parties, are all present. The shop is a Mecca for candle-lovers, and though the Holy See is a major customer, the owners are not fussy who buys their candles.
Via San Francesco di Sales 85a, 00165 Rome (00 39 06 06880 6060; cereriadigiorgio.it)

FRANCESCO LAGNESE

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