Roman Holiday

Gelaterias

Restaurant | "Any Gelateria"

One thing you have to try in Rome is the gelato--Italian ice cream. It's nothing like what you find in the States. It's lighter, fluffier, comes in a million flavors, and is served with an optional dollop of whipped cream on the top! Any gelateria will do--identifiable by the enormous ice cream cone that inevitably adorns its entrance--but try to find the one with the most selections. You can usually get two flavors and whipped cream (a must-have) for 3.000 lire. The fig and the raspberry get my enthusiastic thumbs up!

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Gelaterias
Throughout Rome Rome, Italy

Cafe della Pace

Restaurant

While the cafes on the piazze are fine if your looking for heavy traffic and lots of sun exposure, if you're looking for a quiet place to take a break, head for Cafe della Pace, located on a smaller street near Piazza Navona. Frequented by both locals and tourists, and highly recommended by anyone I've ever spoken to who has been to Rome, it's just a very pleasant place to sit down and take in the scenery. My favorite thing about Rome is its color--the faded yellows and oranges of its older buildings. On via della Pace, you can really appreciate this side of Rome, and taste a thoroughly authentic cafe latte while you're at it.

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Cafe della Pace
4 Piazza della Pace Rome, Italy 00186
+39 6686 1216

Taverna Parione

Restaurant

I was in Rome for a wedding, so my experience at this restaurant was probably atypical. That is, I'm not sure that they get very many groups of 25 for dinner. As it was, we had a long table that just kept getting longer as more people showed up. I left the ordering to my friends, and was very very happy with their choices. Pitchers of wine all around, of course. A round of frito mixto (mixed deep fried vegetables and things), a round of fried olives stuffed with meat (mmmm!), TWO rounds of prosciutto with white pizza and buffalo mozzarella (sigh!). For the main course, I got to pick at both a yummy dish of thinly sliced beef sauteed with arugula, and at a delicious pizza with bresaola, arugula, and buffalo mozzarella. My one word of advice: if you eat anything in Rome, make it the buffalo mozzarella. You'll never go back to Polly-O again.

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Taverna Parione
Via di Parione (near Piazza Navona) Rome, Italy
(06) 686-9545

Church of San Ignazio di Loyola

Attraction | "Church of St. Ignazio"

I'm not much for monuments, but with an architect friend as my guide, I was blown away by this church. Its ceiling was painted at the height of Renaissance trompe-l'oeil, and you have to pay very close attention to get its full effect. The tourists around us seemed to get this information from their guidebooks, but I just followed my friend's lead. Looking up from the entrance, it seems as if the ceiling is vaulted upwards, but as you pass from perspective point to perspective point, you realize that it's all an illusion! Just follow the gold circles on the floor--placed there by the painter himself to guide his audience--and look up at each point. Notice also the extra pieces of fabric in the corners that make it look as if the painted bodies themselves inhabit the space.

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Church of San Ignazio di Loyola
Piazza San Ignazio Rome, Italy

Taverna del Campo

Attraction | "Taverna del Campo (Vineria)"

After dark the Campo dei Fiori transforms from a bustling flower market into an even livelier night scene. Tourists and locals gather at the fountains and crowd into the trattorias and cafes. Our group had set the vineria as our meeting place and, in true Italian style, all twenty of us straggled in within an hour or two of the arranged time. The vineria itself was rather small--just a bar inside with a wide choice of wines--but the terrace was ample, and then, of course, people spilled out onto the piazza itself. At the bar, they tell you that if you don't want to drink out of plastic, you have to stay inside, so we opted for taste and hung out for a while on a small bench by the bar. If you ask me, the best thing about traveling in Europe is the wine--it's always really good, and always really cheap!

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Taverna del Campo
Piazza Campo dei Fiori, 16 Rome, Italy 00186
+39 066874402

Trastevere

Attraction | "Bars in Trastevere"

Trastevere is the old Jewish quarter of Rome. It's just across the river from Campo dei Fiori, but most tourists never even go there. It's much more of a local hangout, filled with bars and clubs, all spilling out into the streets. When we went, we spent most of our time just hanging out at S. Maria di Trastevere, another beautiful piazza with accompanying fountain. We were certainly not alone. The streets were crowded and lined with street vendors (I almost bought some jewelry on the spot!), and with the bars closing at 1am, the population seemed to double in no time. Very cool place to go out if you're not too tired at the end of the day!

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Trastevere
Trastevere Rome, Italy 00153

Piazza di Spagna

Attraction | "Piazza di Spagna/Via Condotti"

Just outside the Villa Borghese, the Piazza di Spagna (with the 'Spanish Steps') is probably one of the most frequented tourist spots in Rome. It is also one of the most beautiful places I saw on my short trip. Walk to the Piazza di Spagna from the Piazza Navona by way of Via Fontanella Borghese and Via Condotti, and you'll be able to get some shopping in while you're at it. I, for one, ducked into a store to buy a tank top and it was so hot out that they let me change my clothes on the spot! On the Via Condotti, you'll find all the famous names--Prada, Gucci, Cartier--but on the streets around, there are bargains to be found (especially if the dollar stays strong!).

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by lt on June 21, 2000

Piazza di Spagna
Piazza di Spagna Rome, Italy 00187

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