Things to do in Rome
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Da Lucia
Eat beneath the fluttering knickers of the neighbourhood at this terrific trattoria, frequented by hungry locals and tourists, and packed with locals for Sunday lunch. On a cobbled backstreet that is classic Trastevere, it serves up a cavalcade of Roman specialities including trippa all romana (tripe with tomato sauce) and pollo con peperoni (chicken with peppers), as well as bountiful antipasti and possibly Rome's best tiramisu. Cash only.
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Antica Caciara Trasteverina
The fresh ricotta is a prized possession at this century-old deli, and usually snapped up by lunch. If you're too late, take solace in other creamy specialities such as burrata pugliese (a creamy cheese from the Puglia region), or simply drool over the fragrant hams, bread, baccalà (salted cod), cheeses, peppers, Sicilian anchovies and local wines.
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La Tazza d’Oro
- Rome, Italy
- Restaurants › Café
Head here for caffeine heaven. A busy, stand-up café with burnished 1940s fittings, this has some of the best coffee in the capital. In summer, a cooling must is the speciality, granita di caffè, a crushed-ice, sugared coffee served with a generous dollop of cream top and bottom. If you just want cream on either the top/bottom, ask for solo sopra/sotto.
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Les Affiches
Once the boho-favourite ‘Stardust’, but the name-and-management change doesn’t seem to have made much difference. The hep cats in cool hats are postcard-home handsome and hang out in the cobbled street as well as in the cramped red-and-black rooms inside, and there’s occasional live music at aperitivo o’clock (early evening).
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Etablì
Housed in an airy 17th-century palazzo, Etablì is a fab rustic-chic lounge bar-cum-restaurant where Roman lovelies float in to have a drink, read the paper, indulge in aperitivo and use the wifi. It’s laid-back and good-looking, with an eclectic soundtrack and original French country decor – think lavender tones, wrought-iron fittings, and comfy armchairs. Restaurant meals average about €35.
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Highlights Of Italy
8 days (Venice)
by Intrepid
Lose yourself in enchanting Venice city, Feast on scrumptious seafood on Italy's coast, Travel down the Cinque Terre's rugged coastal path, Witness a golden…Not LP reviewed
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Cacio e Pepe
No-nonsense home-style cooking is why Romans flock to this humble trattoria. If you can find a seat at one of the gingham-clad tables spread across the pavement, keep it simple with cacio e pepe – fresh bucatini slicked with buttery cheese and pepper – followed by pollo alla cacciatora (‘hunter’s chicken’).
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Cul de Sac
A popular little wine bar, just off Piazza Navona, with an always busy terrace and narrow, bottle-lined interior. Choose from the encyclopedic wine list and ample menu of Gallic-inspired cold cuts, pates, cheeses and main courses. Book ahead in the evening.
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Gelateria della Palma
A warning to parents: don't take kids in here unless you want to spend a lot. Like an ice-cream version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, this brightly-coloured gelateria believes in customer choice, offering up to 100 different flavours. The specialities are creamy mousse gelati and the meringata varieties with bits of meringue.
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Gianicolo
It was here in 1849 that Giuseppe Garibaldi and his makeshift army fought pope-backing French troops in one of the fiercest battles in the struggle for Italian unification. Although a cannon is still fired from it every day at noon, Rome's highest hill is now better known for great views, pony rides and Neapolitan puppet shows at weekends.
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Donati
Termini district is full of second-rate tourist traps, but this is a straightforward traditional restaurant serving up competent takes on dishes such as fried seafood or spaghetti with mussels and clams. You can eat inside, in the high-ceilinged hasn't-changed-for-years interior, or outside on the cobbled street.
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Bioparco
A tried and tested kid-pleaser, Rome’s zoo hosts a predictable collection of animals on a far-from-inspiring 18-hectare site. Quite frankly there are better ways to spend your money, but if your kids are driving you bonkers, it’s a thought.
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Bookàbar
In Firouz Galdo–designed, cool, gleaming white rooms, Bookàbar – the bookshop attached to Palazzo delle Esposizioni – is just made for browsing. There are books on art, architecture and photography, DVDs, CDs, vinyl, children’s books and gifts for the design-lover in your life.
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Gino
Hidden away down a narrow lane close to parliament, Gino’s is perennially packed with gossiping politicians. Join the right honourables for well-executed staples such as rigotoni alla gricia (pasta with cured pig’s cheek) and meatballs, served under hanging garlic and gaudily painted vines. No credit cards.
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Nanà Vini e Cucina
An appealing and simple trattoria, specialising in Neopolitan flavours. Eat in the high-ceilinged interior, under huge brass pipes, overlooking the open kitchen, or outside on the piazzetta. Try la carne tenenera scaloppina Nanà, cooked simply in white wine, and other southern dishes.
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Taverna dei Quaranta
Tasty traditional food, honest prices, near the Colosseum but off the beaten track – there’s a lot to like about this laid-back, airy trattoria. There are no great surprises on the menu but daily specials add variety and all the desserts are homemade – always a good sign.
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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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Casa di Goethe
A gathering place for German intellectuals, the Via del Corso apartment where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe enjoyed a happy Italian sojourn from 1786 to 1788, but complained of the noisy neighbours, is now a lovingly maintained museum. Exhibits include documents and some fascinating drawings and etchings. With advance permission, ardent fans can use the library full of first editions.
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Il Guru
Il Guru is lined with embroidered drapes and elaborate statuettes, and has a few outdoor tables on the cobbled street. The tandooris are prepared in a proper tandoori oven, the curries and vegetables are tasty and the setting is suggestive, albeit of Rome rather than Rajasthan.
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Africa
Spurn cutlery and dig in with your hands at this ethnic veteran, serving up authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean grub in technicolour mesobs (traditional Ethiopian woven baskets) – you can sample spicy stews and delicious sambusas (fried savoury pastries).
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Palazzo del Freddo di Giovanni Fassi
A great back-in-time barn of a place, sprinkled with marble tabletops and vintage gelato-making machinery, Fassi offers fantastic classic flavours, such as riso (rice), pistachio and nocciola (hazelnut). The granita, served with dollops of cream, deserves special mention. Curiously, there is only one outlet in Rome but a further 82 in Korea.
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Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo (MAXXI)
Rome’s flagship contemporary art gallery opened in May 2010 to grand fanfare and headlines across the world. The star of the show was, and still is, Zaha Hadid’s stunning €150 million, 27,000 sq m gallery, universally hailed as a triumph of modern architecture. Housed in a former barracks, the building is impressive inside and out. The multi-layered geometric facade gives on to a cavernous light-filled interior full of snaking walkways, suspended staircases, glass, cement and steel. There’s no set route between the exhibition spaces but it’s fascinating to follow the sweeping ramps as they curve around the walls. The gallery has a small permanent collection but more…
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Da Francesco
Gingham, paper tablecloths, frazzled waiters, groaning plateloads of pasta, tasty pizza: this quintessential Roman kitchen has character coming out of its ears, and tables and chairs spilling out onto the pretty piazza. Rock up early or queue. No credit cards.
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Al Forno della Soffitta
None of those namby-pamby thin crusts - this is pure Neapolitan pizza, keeping workers from nearby offices happy with its cheery décor, substantial dough and fine array of toppings. Try the amatriciana, topped with pancetta and tomato.
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Dolce Maniera
This 24-hour basement bakery supplies much of the neighbourhood with breakfast. Head here for cheap-as-chips cornetti, slabs of pizza, panini and an indulgent array of cakes.
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