Rome beyond the Ruins

Founded by a wolf-suckled farmer-who-became-a-warrior, Rome grew to encapsulate all that the Roman civilisation had to offer; after a few nasty run-ins with barbarous hordes round about the fifth century AD, the impressive city of ancient Rome collapsed, turning its full trust to the Holy Roman powers that be (the Catholic Church).

By the seventeenth century the Catholic Church was in full swing- and loving it. Around this time Rome set about a citywide beautification project involving Michelangelo, Bernini, and Co. By the time the Italian unification came galloping along in 1870 Rome was indisputably in the right kind of squeaky-clean condition needed to become the Italian capitol.

But after the colossal sites of ancient Rome, and the city centre, how do you decide what to see next?

The top thing about the Eternal City is that you can make it your own. There are lots of unexpected surprises lying in wait around Rome- they may not be a secret, but you’ll be guaranteed a small respite from the hordes. Ask around and explore.

Frolicking, experiencing the traditional cafes, and the unique Roman atmosphere have rarely seemed so appealing.

Quick Tips:

There are a great number of restaurants around Rome, but not all are of an equal quality. The best people to ask for recommendations are usually the hotel staff or other guests, barring that try to steer clear of places smack bang next to tourist sites. The next best thing is to bring along a good solid list of recommended restaurants.

The sites, cafes, and restaurants are reason enough to spend time outdoors, but during the summer when temperatures sore outside isn’t always a great idea. If the heat’s getting nuclear try visiting one of Rome’s many fine museums, open during the afternoons, they allow you to slip away from the hottest part of the day unscathed.

If you’re an art or archaeology student the museums are free - good to know, and usually all you need is some proof of student id, a studious face, and maybe some wrinkled clothes for effect (everyone knows students can’t iron).

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone (a novel based on Michelangelo’s life) and any books from the Didius Falco ancient Roman detective series by Lindsey Davis are some hefty/entertaining books to read based in the eternal city.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking has to be the most convenient way of getting around. Arm yourself with the Tourist Information’s excellent map, available at Termini, or in green kiosks scattered around the city.

Buses in Rome rarely run to schedule and seldom take you where you need to go. The number 64 running from Termini to St. Peters is an exception, but it’s also a thieves den for pickpockets- so be extremely careful.

This is actually the first place I went to when I arrived in Rome two years ago and it still wins out as a solid favourite of mine. While the decor is more Heidi meets Heinikin than la bella vita, this beer hall is the oldest in Rome and has a quiet kind of dignity that belongs only to restaurants that have a faithful clientele and good solid food.

Bierreria makes a good change from all the typical chequered-tablecloth restaurants in the area. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting- especially on a cold autumn evening- with long wooden tables, warm egg-yolk yellow walls and art nouveau murals of cherubs drinking from barrels of beer. You’ll be sure of leaving with a full belly and a nice relaxing evening, without being in the slightest out of pocket

The simple food is surprisingly varied, and ranges from simple Roman classics like carbonara (eggs and bacon) and arabiatta (spicy tomato) to hard core northern Italian food that sticks to your ribs and looks more German than Italian. The sausages and sauerkraut make a refreshingly nice change from all that tomato and pasta. That said though the homemade gnocchi in tomato sauce– little potato dumplings- are positively the best I’ve ever tasted. They dissolve yummily in your mouth.

Another nice thing about Birreria is the staff are quite refreshing- quite cheeky if you give them the chance, the little rascals. And once they’ve gotten to recognise you they go out of their way to make you welcome.

Pints and pitchers of Peroni, a great domestic double malt, are on tap and are pretty cheap for Rome. There’s even a good house wine and some nice classics in the cellar.

As things go this isn’t the place I’d recommend for newlyweds in search of Romance. It can get rowdy and crowded, especially on weekends and national holidays. But if you’re a group of friends looking for a chilled out place to eat, with something decidedly different, it’s certainly the place for you. And the best thing is that this place is just a hop, skip, and stagger from Trevi Fountain.

Please, please, please go here. If I had one day to live I would come here for my last taste of pasta perfection. L'Archetto (The Little Arch) is a great Roman restaurant down a quite little road 5 minutes from the Trevi fountain. The waiters are friendly and helpful (alas, often so rare in Rome), and quick to recommend the best on their menu. You can sit outside on the little street, but if you want the full experience try to get a table downstairs where you get a bit more privacy under the whitewashed arches surrounded by eclectic memorabilia. There's a mixed fried starter (fritto misto) that you must try- with lightly battered zucchini, rice, mozerella, and cod. Just fantastic! And if you need an excuse for the calorie indulgence than you can blame it on the Romans- this is very traditional Roman food. But I'm getting distracted. The main reason to come here (and the main reason for living) is the spaghetti. Over 40 varieties ranging from simple Bolognase (classic meat and tomato sauce from Bologna), to Channel (lobster, cream, garlic, and bradny) and Tropicana (exotic fruits) these are just what you need after a day out sightseeing. They get their fish delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays so go then for truy the widest selection of dishes. The portions are huge, but if you still need more these guys do excellent meat and fish and desserts just as hip-fattening well. Honestly I've never failed to please when I bring people here on visits. It's one fo those places that caters equally well for a couple, a family, or a large party. So blissful. Buon Appetito!

A very kitsch bar. Decorated within an inch of its life with fairy lights, random tack, and paintings of the biker-dude owner in various guises. This isn’t the place for a snuggle and smooch, but it’s a great place to try someplace that is quite simply in a world of its own.

The drinks are standard- spirits and mixers, wine, and cocktails that come with pretty umbrellas, and fruit. The Jonathan – a cocktail made with five different white spirits- is great for obliterating any worries, such as that Gucci handbag you bought. If only you should be so lucky.

It does get a bit cramped inside, especially at weekends, so come before 10 if you want a space. In the summer extra tables are pushed into the small alley outside to make a bit of extra space for the punters. If Jonathan’s Angels is full, or it’s just not your cuppa, the bar next door is owned by the same biker-dude and is a more relaxed and un-kitsch version of what’s on tap next door.

I have to mention the loo (as does anyone else writing about Jonathan’s) is nothing but an experience. Whoever thought that a running fountain, plastic fauna, and cuddly statuary would enhanced the washroom experience is either a genius or mad. A mad genius, maybe? If you’re not really bothered with all that ‘finery’ (and who can blame you when nature calls?) then there’s a loo in the bar annex one door down.

Cin Cin (CHEERS)!

Probably the best little known secret in Rome. Why don't more people go here? San Clemente is an incredibly beautiful church run by Irish monks from NY. Not only are there some fantastic mosaics and murals from the 17th century but pay E5 and you can descend a staircase to a burried 4th century church. Even if the floor plan is a bit chewed up by the protruding foundations from the above church it is amazingly beautiful and eerily silent. A narrow corridor packed full of early Christian plaques and emblems leads to the first written example of modernised Italian (ie not Latin). And what is this first breakthrough in one of the world’s most studied and beautiful languages? It says something rude about a man’s mother. Oh dear. Then descend even further to discover a Roman apartment building and temple dating back to the Great Fire (A.D. 64). Well worth overcoming claustrophobia for.

Once a playground for the rich and powerful Borghese family, now an excuse to get away from the rush of the plebs. If you’re tuckered out from seeing the more monumental sites, or if you’re just looking for something offering a break from the mobs, come up to Villa Borghese, and relax. Essentially, Villa Borghese is Rome's version of Central Park, but (dare I say it?) with more class due to the zillions of statues, random arches and 'ruins', and immaculate maintenance. There’s so much crammed into this park that it would take quite a while to exhaust the possibilities, but one good way to survey your options is to peddle around the park. Rent out a bike from one of the bike rental places. Be warned the choices are staggering- mountain bikes, small bikes, tandem bikes, double bikes, and buggy bikes for four to five people. I didn’t even realised they made bikes like that. The nice bike men will most likely want to keep a document for security- so don’t be too alarmed when they ask you for your driver’s license or passport. Alternatively, if cycling isn’t your thing then check out the lake (or large pond depending on your optimism) complete with it’s own mock-Greek temple and row boat hire. OH and if you have kiddies with a penchant for ducks or turtles look no further. Also contained within the maze-like layout of Villa Borghese are some fab little museums and galleries. There’s the famous and recently renovated Galleria Borghese – actually a great big depository for beautiful and life-like Bernini statues- where you actually have to schedule a visiting time due. There’s the great Museum of Modern Art- an absolutely massive gallery with lots of Duchamp, a Klimt, and piles upon piles of Fascist era propaganda art. Very fascinating. Finally, there’s the sweet little Etruscan Museum. Not too big, but perfect for a morning wander, amongst the pre-Roman urns, furniture, and temples (one’s even complete). I know I’ve been a bit scant with the locations, etc., but you can pick up additional information from any green tourist information hut around town. It’s also worth noting that students of art, archaeology, or anthropology can get in free if they can show mildly convincing proof (I showed my NUS card- get the idea?) But really the absolutely best thing to do in Villa Borghese is something that you can never get tired of, never do too often, and spend almost 0 money on. And that’s just coming up here with maybe a few picnic things, stretching out in the sun, and reading or making shapes in your imagination with the clouds. Ahhh romanza!

The eclectic, buzzing atmosphere of Piazza Navona, manages to blend history, art, and the Italian love for life perfectly. You could almost say the atmosphere best captures Rome’s character, here where it is at it’s most entertaining and lively. Sometimes it seems that this beautifully unique square in the hub of Rome is in danger of being swamped by cheesy portrait artists and giant, shadowy watercolours of barely picturesque landscapes. It is still one of the best places in Rome to rest and recuperate surrounded by (blissfully admission free) gob smacking history and architecture. Once the site of the emperor Domitian’s stadium in 86 AD and the one-time paddling pool of rich noble’s carriages in the early Baroque period piazza Navona is now a great depositary of Rome’s most stunning Baroque architecture. The famous Fountain of the Four Rivers, topped by an impressive obelisk, belongs to Rome’s darling Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini and his rival Borromini had a bit of a stand off at Piazza Navona (try and spot Bernini’s repulsed figure on the fountain turning away in revulsion from Borromini’s Church of San Angese in Agone). Bless the little hot-tempered artisties You can sit and ponder art and it’s internal strife at one of the cafès- but be warned this isn’t really where you want to go for budget bargains. Instead try wandering down the road next to the church to Da Guinto for some great gelato (if you want more convincing see the separate dining entry for this lovely Roman institution). Piazza Navona is also a great place to come to at night when scores of street performers descend upon the otherwise calm square. Keep an eye out for ‘puppet man’ - he does a great little show with music and hand puppets. How much more can entertainment provide you with?

Is it the oldest market place in Rome? Yes. Is the food really that fresh? Yes. Who cares - look at all those colors, food, and bars! Actually a great place to pick up fresh picnic food, a cheeky glass of vino (Vineria), and great panini at Aristocampo towards the fountain.

Or you can sod all that and come here to play at night because this place gets much more crazy at night, especially on weekends. If you miss your fellow countrymen don’t worry, they’ll all be here. Just come and get’em.

If you need some liquid help to pass those hours away, Vineria is the bohemian place to been seen smooching and networking. A bit of Trastevere on the wrong side of the river, with some great wine (try the brachetto) and a hip atmosphere. One of those places on earth that has a not too great staff, gets very crowded, and has more than its fair share of Italian prima donnas, but you still have a great time when you go. Secret of success I suppose.

Oh, and watch the pigeons.