Anastasia Rubtsova has been living and working in Rome for almost 7 years and in this article she talks about non-tourist places in the city, the best restaurants, unknown gardens and observation decks.
Rome is a huge open-air time machine – you never know what awaits you around the next turn on one of the many old streets. One of the oldest cities, Rome is constantly changing and these changes can be observed with each new visit: for example, this year the bus depot was updated, many monuments were restored, many nice summer verandas and art clusters appeared.
Where to stay
Rome has many historical monuments and they are scattered throughout the city. I would advise choosing accommodation based on where you most want to go. It is worth taking a closer look at the hotels in the area of via dei Coronari, the area near the Pantheon and piazza Navona, via Giulia, the Trastevere area, the Monti area and via Veneto (by the way, almost all the most expensive hotels in Rome are located there), also Via Cicerone and Piazza Farnese. As for hotels, everyone has their own preferences and tastes, so it’s very difficult to give advice here, but here are a few hotels with very convenient locations, from which you can walk to the main historical attractions in half an hour:
○ C. Luxury Palace & Apartments (Hostel. Cost of a night for 1 person from 1,630 rubles)
○ Hotel Cilicia (Hotel 3*. Cost of a night for 1 person from 4,140 rubles)
○ Liliumhotel (Hotel 3*. Cost of a night for 1 person from 7,460 rubles)
○ Twentyone Hotel (Hotel 4*. Cost of a night for 1 person from 13,750 rubles)
○ Hotel Indigo (5* Hotel. Cost per night for 1 person from 24,900 rubles)
Where to eat
● Must visit for those who want an unforgettable experience:
– Casa Coppelle on Piazza delle Coppelle, 49. It has a very pleasant interior, created by Jacques Garcia, one of the best French decorators, and amazingly delicious haute cuisine.
Average check: 40 euros
– Opened a year ago, the bar on the La Rinascente terrace on via del Tritone offers panoramic views of the city.
Average check: 30 euros
– The best place for an aperitif is the garden at the five-star Hotel de Russie. Drinks are served here in a large courtyard, the walls of which are covered with greenery.
Average check: 40 euros
● Breakfast in Rome involves pastries and coffee, so finding places that offer a hearty breakfast is not an easy task. But there is still Coromandel (Via di Monte Giordano, 60) – there are excellent pancakes and omelettes, as well as the French place Le Carrè français at Via Vittoria Colonna, 30) – they serve sandwiches and omelettes, croissants, baguettes and much more, as well they have a wonderful pastry shop and a small store with goods from France.
Average check for breakfast: 10-12 euros
● For lunch and dinner(which, by the way, are at 13:00 and at 20:30) I’ll recommend several places – excellent pasta is served at La Carbonara (Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, 23), pizza – in Montecarlo (Vicolo Savelli, 13), where office clerks go, so everything is simple, tasty and home-like. Pizza by the slice to take away – in Grano (Via degli Equi, 39) and Frutta e Farina (via della Croce, 49 A). Since Rome is not a port city and there are not many fish restaurants, I recommend trying fish and seafood in Assunta Madre (Via Giulia, 14) or in the Fish Market (Vicolo della Luce, 2). I advise sushi lovers to go to Temakhino (the Romans themselves go there). For burgers, you can go to T-bone Station (ask for the Black Angus burger – the highest quality meat).
Average bill for lunch and dinner: 20-40 euros
● For an aperitif(around 18:00-19:00) with cold cuts and a glass of wine, you can go to Meccanismo, Tagliere toscano, La Prosciutteria, or just sit with a glass of Aperol and chips in the courtyard of the Locarno hotel or in Bukowski’s bar, where the atmosphere of home comfort is recreated : there are books on the shelves that you can take and read while you wait for drinks, photographs are hung on the walls, and a carpet is laid out on the floor.
Average bill for an aperitif: 15-25 euro
● Barnum Cafe a great place to sit and work, cozy with a laptop and a cup of cappuccino (great option for remote workers, because there is Wi-Fi).
Average check: 11-20 euros
● For lovers of delicious ice creamI recommend the classic Giolitti (you need to be patient, because there is always a long queue), You can also go to Gelateria del Teatro on Coronari Street for unusual tastes – be sure to try the taste of salvia e lamponi (sage and raspberry), it’s refreshing and interesting.
Average cost in tourist areas: from 2 euros per scoop of ice cream
Interesting excursions from local residents in Rome
What to see (non-tourist routes, unusual places)
● Ara Pacis or Altar of Peace – a glass fence protecting the snow-white arch from destruction and dust in honor of the triumphant return of Emperor Augustus from a military campaign, erected in the 13th century BC Exhibitions are also often held here (for example, there was recently a photo exhibition from the Magnum Photos agency and others).
● Chiostro Bramante and Complesso Vittoriano – artist exhibitions are also often held here, check the schedule on the official websites (also in Chiostro Bramante inside, in the courtyard -well, there is a wonderful cafe where you can go for free without buying a ticket).
● Fontana dell’Acqua Paola— while everyone is taking pictures at the jam-packed Trevi Fountain, you can cheat a little, take a taxi (it takes a long time to get there on foot) and go to an equally beautiful fountain not far from Trastevere. A bonus will be a picturesque panorama of the city.
● Fontana delle Tartarughe (piazza Mattei) – this small square is located in the center of the Jewish quarter, where tourists usually, out of ignorance, simply do not go, but in vain – it’s incredibly beautiful there. Of particular note is the Turtle Fountain, built in 1588 to provide local residents with drinking water.
● Orto Botanico – a stunning botanical garden, a real oasis in the center of Rome with succulents, palm trees, a bamboo garden and a Japanese corner.
● Of the churches (and there are more than 900 of them in Rome), I would recommend three unusual ones: Chiesa St Luigi in Francesi, then the only Gothic church Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio and one of the best creations of Francesco Borromini – the church Chiesa di St’Ivo alla Sapienza,open only early on Sundays.
● In Rome, near the Piramide metro station, there is an “analog” of the famous French cemetery Père Lachaise: Roman non-Catholic cemetery, where the grave of the famous English poet is located John Keats (by the way, his museum-apartment is located on piazza di Spagna).
● Quarter EUR: here you can admire modern Rome – the “Square Colosseum” – Palazzo della Civilta italina, where you can visit the Fendi exhibition (by the way, their main office is also located there). It’s better to get there by taxi, but you definitely won’t meet tourists here.
Things to do
● In good weather I, of course, will advise you to walk a lot – don’t be afraid to turn off the tourist trails and look into the courtyards (sometimes there are open) or take an excursionon nice scooters Vespa or vintage Fiat 500 (write to Instagram, for example, Dearomatours or Scooteromatours) .
● When it rains, you can visit my top 5 favorite museums in Rome: Museo Macro, Museo MAXXI – National Museum of Art XXI century, the project of which was developed by the brilliant Ziha Hadid, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna – a national gallery of modern art with an impressive collection of Italian painting of the 19th-20th centuries and a cultural heritage museum in Rome – Museo del Quirinale.
● With children check out the museum created especially for children (Explora Il Museo dei Bambini on via Flaminia 80/86). Developmental courses, lectures, games are held here, and as a bonus for parents, the first real Neapolitan pizzeria in Rome opened there a year ago. And also a huge oceanarium will open very soon in the city, where you can see about 5 thousand inhabitants of the seas and oceans.
● For the most sophisticated travelers who are tired of Rome, I can advise you to go explore the neighborhoods around the city – for example, in Tivoli there is a wonderful park similar to Peterhof. You can also go by car to the sea to swim and sunbathe to your heart’s content; the beaches in the towns of Santa Marinella, San Felice Circeo and Sabaudia are perfect, or you can go for a walk along the embankment of the volcanic lake Bracciano, or go to lago Castel Gandolfo – the city where the summer residence of the Pope is located.
Text author: Anastasia Rubtsova
