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Accademia di Santa Cecilia
Rome's major classical-music organisation dates to the 16th century when it was founded by, among others, the composer Palestrina. The academy's programme includes a world-class symphonic season - featuring superstar guest conductors - and short festivals dedicated to single composers. The in-house orchestra is directed by Italian Antonio Pappano.
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Accademia Filarmonica Romana
The academy was founded in 1821 and its members have included Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi. Its programme concentrates on classical and chamber music, but also includes opera, ballet and multimedia events. Concerts are held at the Teatro Olimpico.
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Akab
This eclectic former workshop has an underground cellar, an upper floor, a garden and a classically whimsical door policy. On Saturday the two levels pulsate to R & B and the latest house music, whilst Friday nights Akab zips up its boots and goes back to its roots with live music.
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Al Vino Al Vino
A studiously rustic vine-decorated place, with ceramic table tops and terracotta and ceramic floors set against large contemporary paintings, this is an attractive spot to linger over a fine collection of wines, particularly passiti (sweet wines). You can accompany them with snacks, including some Sicilian dishes.
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Alcazar
An old-style cinema with plush-red seats. Rare in Rome, this cinema does not let people in once the show has started and shows films without and interval. On Monday you can see films in their original language with Italian subtitles.
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Alexanderplatz
The big daddy of jazz clubs in a city that loves jazz, Alexanderplatz attracts a passionate crowd and some huge names; George Coleman and Lionel Hampton are two regular performers. You'll need to book a table if you want dinner, and the music starts around . From July to September, the club moves outside to the grounds of Villa Celimontana for an enchanting outdoor festival.
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Alien
Pure disco, Alien constantly changes its look to keep up with the newest fads. In its latest apparition it's lounge minimalist - flat maxi-screens on the walls, black leather sofas and satinised steel - and the music is house. Theme nights range from fetish to revival and there are also gay nights.
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Alpheus
A celebrated Roman disco, Alpheus defies most labels. Its three halls (Mississippi, Momotombo and Red River) host everything from Argentinian tango to house, hip-hop, rock and soul. Saturday nights are particularly animated, with a choice of hip-hop in the Momotombo hall or the weekly Kinder Gaarden gay night everywhere else.
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Anima
The interior is overdone Gothic-Hawaiian, the music hi-energy house and hip-hop. It gets busy at this fashionable, fussily dressed-up bar, and there are burly bouncers on the door but no admission charge. The cocktails are great (around €10 ) and the drinkers are young, good-looking and loving it. Come early for drinks or drop by late for a dance.
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Antica Enoteca
Local shoppers and shopkeepers pack this much-loved wine bar, full of frescos and 19th-century fittings. Plonk yourself at the long wood-and-brass counter and take your pick from the wine list and snacks, or plunge into the back room for decent pasta or pizza.
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Antico Caffé Santamaria
Despite the name, this is notably new: a smart chrome-and-glass café, with a fantastic position opposite Santa Maria Maggiore. You can sit face to face with the magnificent church façade at sun-shaded outside tables, which is pleasant despite the busy junction.
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Arco Degli Aurunci
A charming café-bar on one of San Lorenzo's rare idyllic corners, here the outside tables overlook a small piazza and a modern church. The interior is airy, with warm orange walls, brick arches and blown-up photos. It's a fabulous place for a drink (cocktails around €5 ), aperitivo ( to ; around €7 to around €9 ), or even a light meal (Euro5), with occasional live music.
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Art Studio Cafe
An unusual modern café that's spacious and airy, with white seating and lots of objets d'art for decoration and for sale. It also houses an interesting, accessible mosaic school, where you can take classes in the ancient art.
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Artù
Housed in an old parsonage, this diminutive, dark-panelled birreria (brewery) with stained-glass windows and an open fireplace is a favourite of thirsty expats. A good spot for a lingering beer and a long natter over a candlelit table, it also serves pretty good food, including pastas and sandwiches.
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Auditorium Conciliazione
Formerly Rome's premier classical music venue, this was renovated after the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and hosts concerts (both contemporary and classical, from David Sylvian to Uto Ughi), dance performances and film screenings. There's also a specialist music bookshop on site.
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Auditorium Parco Della Musica
Combining architectural innovation with perfect acoustics, Rome's around €140 million auditorium has proved a popular and critical success since it opened in 2002. Comprising three concert halls set around a 3000-capacity open-air arena it hosts huge international names in classical, pop, rock and world music, and puts on themed festivals celebrating anything from flamenco to circuses.
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B>Gallery
Contemporary art buffs and the design-inclined know where to head for a cultured sip. Join them in the minimalist bookshop/bar for fashionable tomes and cool Camparis, or head into the basement gallery for anything from multimedia and fashion installations to Mexican photography.
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Bar del Fico
At the time of writing Bar del Fico was undergoing some works to shore up its façade. By the time you read this, fingers crossed, this long-standing favourite of the capital's bohemians will have reopened and you can return to while away days and nights at its fig-tree-shaded tables. The elderly chess players never left: they carried on their games in the cobbled street beside the building site.
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Bar della Pace
People looking for images of la dolce vita would be hard pushed to find a better picture than the Bar della Pace. Sharp-dressed urbanites sip on their drinks, while behind them ivy cascades down the facade of the Art Nouveau cafe. It's not cheap, but as a place for an early-evening aperitivo in summer or a leisurely nightcap in winter, it takes some beating.
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Bar Le Cinque
There's no sign outside, and it looks like a run-down ordinary bar, but this is a Trastevere favourite, and always has a small crowd clustered around outside, here for the nice location, easy-going vibe and cheap drinks.
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Bar San Calisto
Those in the know head to this down-at-heel bar for its basic, stuck-in-time atmosphere and cheap prices (a large beer costs around €3 .50). It's the most bohemian bar in the area and attracts everyone from dodgy drug dealers and long-term soaks to elderly matrons and American students. It's famous for its chocolate - drunk hot with cream in winter, eaten as soft, creamy ice cream in summer.
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Bar Zest At Radisson Sas Es. Hotel
Atop the Radisson SAS es. Hotel and opposite Stazione Termini, Bar Zest swaps Esquiline grit for cool, clean chic: we're talking Jasper Morrison chairs, eye-candy waiters, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a sexy rooftop pool (sometimes open to the public - call ahead). Sip a Mai Tai, nibble on bold Med-twist nosh and forget the mayhem below.
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Baràbook
Yes, it's a bar… with books, which line the walls alongside oddball retro finds and art. In the middle, at a long communal table lit by low-strung lamps, locals read, chat and sip the house speciality spritzer. Aperitiv o(happy hour) comes with DJ tunes on Fridays and Saturdays from , and the Sunday brunch ( ) is tasty fuel for cultured brains.
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Baronato Quattro Bellezze
Tucked away between Via dei Coronari and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Baronato is a quirky little find. Late on Thursday nights, drag-queen owner Dominot likes to treat patrons to a few dazzling Piaf renditions to piano accompaniment. A mainly Tunisian menu will sustain you through your cocktail tipples. Reserve a table for the Piaf show.
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Bartaruga
VIPs, theatre darlings and the charming come to sip cocktails amid this exuberant and eccentric baroque ensemble of oriental furniture, velvet fabrics and Venetian chandeliers; the soundtrack is loungey and jazzy and the mood relaxing and chatty.
