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ARTICLES |
10
things to do in...Rome
Giovanna Dunmall
lists what you shouldn't miss when in Rome - and not necessarily
in this order!
You've visited the Spanish
steps, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona, the Roman Forum
and the Coliseum. What next? Rome's heady mix of architecture,
ranging from the ancient Roman to the present day, of
culture and brashness, of delicately coloured palazzi
and intoxicating traffic should provide entertainment
enough. This is a city where the most ordinary of pastimes,
or a spectactular view, can become unforgettable or charmed
events. Here are ten simple ways to get under contemporary
Rome's skin.
1. CHURCHES
With over four hundred Catholic churches in Rome, a beautiful
one is always close at hand. You don't have to be religious
to have a spiritual experience; visit them for their mesmerising
art, architecture and atmosphere. Three not to miss are:
Santa Maria della Vittoria (Via XX Settembre 17) for Bernini's
Coronaro Chapel featuring a Saint Teresa whose ecstasy
at her vision of divine love is hard to accept as piety
alone; Sant'Ignazio di Loyola (Piazza Sant'Ignazio) for
its trompe l'oeil cupola (or dome) whose two-dimensionality
will only become evident once you are underneath it; Sant'Andrea
della Valle for its authentic dome (the biggest in Rome
after St Peter's), and its claim to fame as the setting
for Act I of Puccini's Tosca (Palazzo Farnese and Castel
Sant'Angelo, above, are the locations for Acts II and
III).
2. HIGH-TECH CULTURAL
VENUE
Visit the long- awaited and finally inaugurated state-ofthe-art
Auditorium, or Parco della Musica (Via de Coubertin 15),
designed by Renzo Piano and located in the north of the
city. You can attend concerts or other events in one of
three halls with perfect acoustics. Its futuristic look
(the halls resemble flying saucers), and on-site Roman
ruins, will impress even the most world-weary traveller.
Take tram no. 2 from Piazzale Flaminio above Piazza del
Popolo.
3. COFFEE OBSESSION
Romans wouldn't dream of doing without their morning jolt
of espresso, or a creamy cappuccino. And with good reason.
Both the well-known coffee-houses (Tazza d'Oro, Via degli
Orfani 84, just off the Pantheon), and the most unlikely
hole-in-the-wall bars (Caffè Perù, Via Giulia
84), serve some of the frothiest, tastiest coffee you
are ever likely to drink. It's usually consumed al banco
(standing up at the bar), but don't let that put you off.
You can take all the time you want.
4. HISTORY, ART AND
RELIGION
The Mercati di Traiano (Trajan's markets) are a remarkably
well- preserved Roman equivalent of a shopping centre
boasting six storeys which at the time contained over
150 shops. At night they are beautifully lit. The Vatican
museums (left) are the largest museum complex (1,400 rooms)
in the world, and belong to the world's smallest country.
For a slightly more macabre dose of history, the crypt
attached to the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Via
Veneto 27) offers five subterranean chapels imaginatively
(and prettily!) decorated with the bones and skulls of
over 4,000 Capuchin monks. A notice reads: What we are
now you will be. Food for thought...
5. CAMPO DE' FIORI
Head for Campo de' Fiori at any time of day. One of the
only piazzas in Rome without a church, in the morning
it hosts the city's historic and most picturesque market,
in the evening it metamorphoses into a popular see-and-be-seen
nightspot. The best time to go is at aperitivo hour, around
7pm, before the bars fill up. In summer many people don't
bother with its expensive wineries and cafés and
just stand in the square and talk. If affordable alcohol
is what you are after, however, try the Antica Vinéria
(Via Monte della Farina 38), a no-frills stand-up wine
bar that's a five-minute walk away and serves good but
cheap wine. No mean feat in the city centre.
6. SHOPPING AND MARKETS
The Via Condotti area is famous for designer shopping
at its most stylish (Prada, Versace, Gucci...), but Via
del Governo Vecchio and Via dei Giubbonari are where to
head for innovative local designers and secondhand fashion.
MAS (Via dello Statuto 11), just off Piazza Vittorio Emanuele
II, was the first department store to open in Rome back
in 1882. Definitely a case of faded glory, it nevertheless
offers 8,000 square metres mind- bogglingly crammed with
bargain-hunter bounty: marked-down brand clothing and
shoes for men, women and children. Despite the advent
of supermarkets, Rome's over 250 daily (except Sunday)
mercati rionali (neighbourhood markets) are still going
strong. The most traditional and colourful are the open-
air ones, such as those held in Campo de' Fiori, Piazza
Testaccio in Testaccio, and Piazza San Cosimato in Trastevere.
The most interesting is the huge but covered Nuovo Mercato
Esquilino (main entrance on Via Filippo Turati between
Via Mamiani and Via G. Pepe), where the produce on sale
is strongly influenced by the various ethnic groups (principally
Bangladeshis, Chinese and North Africans) that have settled
in the Esquiline area.
7. CLUBBING BELOW
THE MOUNT OF SHARDS
The most lively area for nightclubs is the city's working-
class Testaccio district, around the Monte dei Cocci (mount
of shards), an artificial hill made from discarded bits
of amphorae used to store oil and wine in the 2nd and
3rd centuries AD. The winding Via di Monte Testaccio,
an uninhabited and almost rural lane by day, plays host
to an endless array of clubs, bars, restaurants and live
music venues by night, and caters to gays, salsa-lovers
and ravers alike.
8 VIEWS (ROMANTIC
AND OTHERWISE)
Walk (or take bus no. 870) up to the Gianicolo hill before
sunset for some of the most romantic views over Rome,
a welcome relief from the chaos below. Since the year
2000 the dazzlingly bombastic white-marble monolith in
Piazza Venezia, known as the Vittoriano (built to honour
the first king of united Italy, Vittorio Emanuele), is
open to visitors. It's the only place in town from which
the spectacular view is free of the overwhelming monument
itself! Or else for a breathtaking view, accompanied by
sumptuous food, head for La Pergola restaurant atop Rome's
Cavalieri Hilton Hotel (Via Cadlolo 101, Tel: 06 35091).
Despite steep prices and an out-of-the-way location, head
chef Heinz Beck has transformed the venue into gourmet
heaven with an incredible view.
9. GELATO
Savour the most mouthwatering gelato (ice cream) in the
world at Il Gelato di San Crispino (Via della Panetteria
42, close to the Trevi fountain). Additive- and colouring-free,
it is made using seasonal ingredients only and served
in paper cups (cones would contaminate its purity). The
pistachio is not fluorescent but pastel green, the zabaione
is made with 20- year-old oak barrel- matured marsala,
the cinnamon and ginger is out of this world.
10. AND WHEN IN ROME...
Hire a scooter (Roma Scooter Rent, Via in Lucina 13-14,
just off Via del Corso near the Parliament) and thread
skilfully (read recklessly) in and out of congested traffic,
especially late at night. You will soon understand why
Romans are addicted to their two- wheelers. Cool down
at one of the city's classic and much-photographed fontanelle
(water-fountains), which you will find on many of the
historic centre's streets. Attend a football match. Home
matches of the two local top-division teams (A.S. Roma
and S.S. Lazio) are played on Sundays at the 85,000-seat
Stadio Olimpico, host to the 1990 World Cup Final, and
arouse fiercely passionate behaviour amongst most Romans.
(Buy your tickets from Pride Italian Football, Vicolo
del Gallinaccio 7, near the Trevi Fountain.) Cross Piazza
Venezia on foot (but at your own peril, above). One of
the city's busiest and most confusing crossroads, it has
no pedestrian traffic lights, only zebra crossings! Don't
mind the tourists balefully standing at the piazza's ends
for minutes on end. Keeping an eye on oncoming cars and
scooters, cross the street with determination and a firm
expression on your face. That's what the locals do. RH
Appeared in Red Hot in March 2003
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