Find out all about the not-to-miss restaurants, attractions and more in Rome. From our local expert to you.
San Giovanni and Parco Celimontana
After visiting the
Colosseum, most tourists head into the
Celio district to eat. Instead, go deeper — head south-east to the area between
San Giovanni and the environs of the
Ponte Lungo Metro stop. You'll discover a real Roman locality, away from the tourist traffic, with neighbourhood restaurants and busy food markets.
Bar Gelateria Pompi (just off Re di Roma) sells the city's best tiramisu (to find it, look for the queue).
From this area, you can also access the huge parklands of Caffarella, and feel like you're in the countryside — the park is dotted by Roman ruins and populated by flocks of sheep.
Closer to the Colosseum, you can people-watch at Villa Celimontana, a graceful, tree-shaded park that's undiscovered by tourists and is a favourite of local families. It hosts a summer jazz festival under a canopy of fairy-lit trees.
Monti
For beguiling shopping and wandering, forget the crowded thoroughfares and designer-dominated streets around the
Spanish Steps. Head to
Monti, the area north of the Colosseum. It's packed with interesting wine bars, such as
Ai Tre Scalini (+39 06 489 07 495), intimate restaurants like the colourful
La Carbonara (+39 06-482 5176), and some fabulous little one-off boutiques, such as
La Gallinelle (+39 06 488 1017).
Centri Sociali
Rome has a curious underbelly that few tourists ever imagine exists: its
centri sociali (social centres). These alternative arts venues began their lives as squats in disused public buildings. They've now been around long enough to be absorbed into the mainstream, but they're nevertheless an insight into Rome's underground, and make for a remarkable night out. Think dreadlocks, baggy trousers, reggae and ska. Gigs are a bargain; even for big names you won't pay much more than €5 — the centres believe arts should be accessible to all.
Most central is Rialtosantambrogio in the Ghetto, an in-the-know, art-school-style venue. Longest established is Villaggio Globale, in the city's former slaughterhouse, with concerts housed in a huge circus tent in the cattle yard in winter.
Trastevere
Trastevere is always packed in the evenings, sometimes overwhelmingly so, and some of the bars and restaurants tend towards the tacky. Discover another side to the district by seeking out
Bar San Calisto (+0 6 583 58 69), which remains determinedly unfancy, a basic neighbourhood bar that’s full of interesting local characters and local colour, or the enduringly cool
Freni e Frizioni, which retains a reliable buzz and whose clientele spill out to fill an entire piazza.
Pigneto
Pigneto is Rome's nuovo-hip district. Once a solidly working class area, stomping ground of controversial filmmaker Pasolini, who used it as a location as well as hanging out here, it’s recently become the place to be in Rome. It's full of small boho bars and restaurants, most upmarket of which is the wonderful
Primo (+39 06 701 3827).
Via del Pigneto is a great place to stroll on a warm evening, with lots of cafe-bars filling the pedestrianised street with life, and there's even a fantastically counter-culture club,
Fanfulle 101 featuring cool live music from blues to indie.
Orto Botanico and Giancolo
After the busy winding lanes of
Trastevere, it's a fantastic escape to disappear into Rome's
Botanical Gardens (+39 06 4991 7107). These are a forgotten-feeling, baroque expanse with more than 800 different types of plants. From here it's a steep haul to the top of
Giancolo Hill, where you'll be rewarded by views of Rome that are the closest you'll feel to soaring like a bird.
Got any more near the beaten track suggestions? Have your say using the comments form below.
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