The 500 Hidden Secrets of Rome

The 500 Hidden Secrets of

ROME

LUISA GRIGOLETTO & C H R I S T O P H E R L I V E S AY

ROME overview centre

9

Centre North

Villa Borghese

2

Vatican

VATICAN CITY

4

r

Trident

Tibe

Roma Termini

6

Centre East

3

Centre West

5

Colosseum and San Giovanni

7

Trastevere and Gianicolo

Ti be r

Villa Doria Pamphili

Roma Ostiense

8

Testaccio and Aventino

Parco della Caffarella

ROME overview

Parco dell‘Inviolatella Borghese

Riserva Naturale dell‘Insugherata

10

North Rome

1

Villa Ada Savoia

Aurelio

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Villa Borghese VATICAN CITY

Tiburtino Roma Termini

Villa Doria Pamphili Roma Ostiense

12

13

Parco della Caffarella

West Rome

14

South Rome

East Rome

5 places for FRESH FISH

6

FISH MARKET Vicolo della Luce 2 Trastevere and Gianicolo ➆ +39 320 391 0934 www.fishmarketroma.com

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LIVELLO 1 Via Duccio di Buoninsegna 25 South Rome �� +39 (0)6 503 3999 www.ristorantelivello1.it

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CAMPISI Viale Somalia 116 Centre North ➈ +39 (0)6 860 6634 www.ristorante campisi.com

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Mismatched chairs and exposed brick make up the pared-down decor that vaguely recalls an actual fish market.

Waits are common, but made more bearable with a cocktail bar. Food options range from fried calamari and fish burgers to poppy-seed-encrusted tuna and curried rice and shrimp.

Restaurant with an annexed fish shop.

The menu changes daily, depending on the catch. At lunch, they offer faster and lighter options, while at dinner the dishes are creative, elegant, and all details are curated. At the bar, you can sip on a cocktail, paired with a plate of oysters.

Excellent Sicilian-style fish restaurant, where most of the ingredients are brought in directly from the family business in Marzamemi (Sicily). Here the flavours of the fresh tuna fish and red prawns are glorified by pistachios, almonds, and other homemade products like orange marmalade.

CRU.DOP

9

Via Tuscolana 898 East Rome �� +39 (0)6 7690 9916 www.crudop.it

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MOLO 10 Via dei Prati della Farnesina 10 Centre North ➈ +39 (0)6 333 6166 www.molo10.it

Essential and refined, their specialty is raw fish, paired with excellent wines.

Among the dishes are different types of carpaccio, diced tuna fish filet glazed with honey or served with crispy guanciale, and salmon tartare ‘cooked’ on a Himalayan salt brick. They also offer some meat options, like the beef tartare with pecorino cheese and raspberry vinegar.

The atmosphere is informal, with the dishes of the day written on a blackboard.

Most of the fish is caught in Lazio, and is very fresh. Their forte is the plentiful starters, especially raw fish. The dishes are meticulously arranged, yet simple, with influences from fusion cuisine.

6 FISH MARKET

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5 must-go places for PIZZA

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MOMA PIZZERIA ROMANA Via Calpurnio Fiamma 40–44 East Rome �� +39 (0)6 767 4717 www.momapizzeria romana.it

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SFORNO Via Statilio Ottato 110–116 East Rome �� +39 (0)6 7154 6118 www.sforno.it

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ANGELO E SIMONETTA Via Nomentana 581 North Rome �� +39 (0)6 8718 8853

Moma is a gallery of pizzeria masterpieces.

Classic antipasti dishes like the mozzarella in carrozza (a deep-fried cheese sandwich) are rendered elegant, in this case by using high-quality Lariano bread without the crust. The pizza is a perfect blend between the crispy Roman and doughy Neapolitan styles.

Italian food magazine Agrodolce has dubbed it the best pizza in Rome. Ironically, there’s little that’s Roman about it. The crust is on the thick side – crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside. But they make up for this regional deviation with distinctly Roman toppings, such as cacio e pepe (pecorino and black pepper).

Arguably, Rome’s best style of pizza isn’t the round kind, but the rectangular pizza in teglia, served by the slice from a long cutting board. Angelo e Simonetta is a pioneer in the field, among the first to let their dough rise for days before baking it, making it delectably flakey, and easier to digest.

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44

POMMIDORO – PIZZA E FRITTI Via delle Acacie 1-A East Rome �� +39 391 169 1322

45

SPIAZZO Via Antonio Pacinotti 83 Trastevere and Gianicolo ➆ +39 (0)6 556 2738

45 SPIAZZO

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Creative places like Pommidoro are what makes the Centocelle neighbourhood so exciting. Toppings range from the delicious to the unexpected: purple potatoes, beer gelatine and lemon zest are just a few. The fun spills over into other dishes, such as the gorgonzola and pear supplì. And Italians give English-speakers grief for putting pineapple on pizza?

Follow the ramp below street level to this hidden gem of a pizzeria, perhaps Rome’s best to use an electric oven as opposed to a wood-fired one. That will lose it some points among purists, but it should earn some from those who are tired of pizza with burnt spots on the crust. Great craft beer on tap.

5 restaurants with a CONTEMPORARY TWIST

81

RETROBOTTEGA Via della Stelletta 4 Centre West ➂ +39 (0)6 6813 6310 www.retro-bottega.com

82

MAZZO Via delle Rose 54 East Rome �� +39 (0)6 6496 2847 www.thefooders.it/ mazzo

Simple, quick and refined – three things that rarely go together in the historic centre of Rome. The open kitchen is staffed by young cooks trained in Michelin-starred restaurants. Service is minimal, with a ‘grab your own drink from the fridge’ policy. Menu favourites include sausage and eggs, Piedmontstyle steak tartare, and a zucchini flower cheeseburger.

The simple yet very tasty food at this hole in the wall is worth the trip all the way to Centocelle. There’s only one single community table, which accommodates 10 people. The cuisine is a balanced mix of Roman classics and contemporary creative takes, in a young and fresh setting. Reservation mandatory.

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81 RETROBOTTEGA

84 PER ME – GIULIO TERRINONI

60

5 charming places to buy MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

166 ROMA LIUTERIA DI

MATHIAS MENANTEAU Via di S. Maria Maggiore 150 Colosseum and San Giovanni ➄ +39 339 351 7677 www.romaliuteria.it

167 BANDIERA FRANCO Via Cavour 145 Colosseum and San Giovanni ➄ +39 (0)6 481 8435 www.bandierafranco.it

168 LA STANZA

DELLA MUSICA Via dei Greci 36 Trident ➃ +39 (0)6 321 8874 www.lastanzadella musica.com

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French Luthier Mathias Menanteau is a one-man-band, dividing his time between restoration, sound adjustment, and construction. Barely in his 40s, his deep resume includes working in Cremona, where he restored violins by Stradivarius and Guarnerius del Gesù. This workshop, with its Medieval arches and a curious cat, is too charming to believe.

This warm and friendly environment offers top-notch customer service, with educated salespeople. Its inventory is all-encompassing, offering Mesa Boogie amps, Taylor guitars, Rode microphones, Zoom recorders, and a variety of eclectic instruments.

La Stanza della Musica stands out for its rich calendar of free concerts and open seminars. Come for the vast selection of instruments, stay for the lecture on lute making, or a solo show by a flamenco guitarist, with wine and finger food.

169 LA CHIAVE

DEL VIOLINO Piazza Lazzaro Papi 1-B South Rome �� +39 (0)6 787 244 www.lachiavedel violino.it

Opened in 2003, La Chiave del Violino is Rome’s top stringed-instrument store, specialising in classical guitars, cellos, violas, basses, and accessories. More than 250 instruments are on display, and some 400 bows, many of which come from local artisans. It also offers a wide selection of music books.

170 LIUTERIA

This vintage guitar shop recalls a clown car – on the outside, it looks tiny; on the Via Luciano Manara 5 inside, it’s exploding with rare, mustTrastevere and have instruments and accessories. The Gianicolo ➆ inventory includes Fenders, Gibsons, +39 (0)6 581 0797 Martins and many other historic brands, www.romevintage dating as far back as the 40s and 50s, guitars.com depending on availability.

AMERICANA

170 LIUTERIA AMERICANA

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5 amazing PARKS

266 PARCO

A beautiful park that used to be an ancient burial ground. The most noteworthy tombs Via di Porta Latina 10 are those of Pomponius Hylas, from the Colosseum and Flavian period, and of the famous Scipio San Giovanni ➄ family. The latter dates to the 3rd century +39 (0)6 0608 BC. It was lost and forgotten until the 18th www.sovraintendenza century, hence its good state of preservaroma.it tion. Call ahead to access the tombs.

DEGLI SCIPIONI

267 VILLA SCIARRA Viale delle Mura Gianicolensi 11 Trastevere and Gianicolo ➆ +39 (0)6 0608

268 VILLA CELIMONTANA Via della Navicella, Piazza SS. Giovanni e Paolo Colosseum and San Giovanni ➄

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A little-known park in the shadow of Villa Pamphili. What it lacks in size it makes up for in shady trees, ubiquitous benches, and unobstructed views. Its lavish fountains also make it a popular spot for dog walkers and flies in the summer months.

The leafy gardens cover most of the dip between the Caelian and Aventine hills.

History runs deep on the grounds. In the 1st century it was a base for Roman firefighters. In the 16th it was obtained by the powerful Mattei family, who built the villa, which now houses the Italian Geographic Society.

269 PARCO DELLA

CAFFARELLA

Via della Caffarella South Rome �� www.parco appiaantica.it

270 PARCO TORRE

DEL FISCALE

Via dell’Acquedotto Felice 120 East Rome �� www.torredelfiscale.it

An idyllic blend of archeology and nature.

The Caffarella Park is off the Appian Way, which accounts for the concentration of ancient Roman tombs. They were commonly used to store hay and grains in the Middle Ages. The 10th-century church of Sant’Urbano was built on top of a temple thought to honour Bacchus.

The park gets its name from its medieval tower. Other landmarks include six Roman aqueducts, plus one from the Renaissance, a series of tombs, and architectural ruins from Imperial Rome.

The Casale Museum on the grounds is worth a visit, as is its restaurant, which uses ingredients grown in the park.

267 VILLA SCIARRA

269 PARCO DELLA CAFFARELLA

147

5 places from WWII HISTORY

311 HISTORICAL MUSEUM A moving museum built inside the

OF THE LIBERATION Via Tasso 145 Centre East ➅ +39 (0)6 700 3866 www.museo liberazione.it

312 MAUSOLEUM OF

THE ARDEATINE QUARRIES

Via Ardeatina 174 South Rome �� +39 (0)6 513 6742 www.difesa.it

former headquarters of the German SS. Little has changed inside the nondescript apartment building, including the cell walls where resistance prisoners scrawled their names or notes to their mothers, when they weren’t being interrogated, tortured, or killed. Free admission, closed on Monday.

On March 24, 1944, German soldiers executed 335 prisoners at this quarry in retaliation for an Italian resistance bomb attack that killed 33 German soldiers.

‘Ten Italians for every German’, was the order given. A tunnel at the monument leads to the massacre site, which holds a State commemoration each anniversary.

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314 MUSEUM ON TOP OF ‘MUSSOLINI’S BUNKER’

RIES

312 MAUSOLEUM OF THE ARDEATINE QUAR

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5 cool STREET ART pieces

361 I VOLTI DI BLU AT: EX CASERMA DELL’AERONAUTICA Via del Porto Fluviale 2 Testaccio and Aventino ➇ www.blublu.org

362 SANBA Via Argentina Altobelli 32 Tiburtino �� www.onthewalls.it

The windows of this rainbow-coloured building have become the eyes of psychedelic lifeforms. They’re the creation of Italian street artist Blu, who spent two years living with the 450 squatters who occupy this former air force barracks while he painted it, calling it ‘one of the best experiences’ of his life.

Put a bird on it. Lots of them. That’s what artists Agostino Iacurci, Liqen and Hitnes did to Sanba, short for this area of the San Basilio neighbourhood. Surrounding a playground, the murals also include giant cats, frogs, and flowers from what looks like Lewis Carroll’s idea of a rainforest.

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361 I VOLTI DI BLU

5 ROMANTIC PLACES to charm

481 SKULL OF SAINT

VALENTINE

AT: BASILICA OF SANTA MARIA IN COSMEDIN Piazza della Bocca della Verità 18 Testaccio and Aventino ➇ +39 (0)6 678 7759

482 ENOTECA LA TORRE Lungotevere delle Armi 22–23 Vatican ➁ +39 (0)6 4566 8304 www.enoteca latorreroma.com

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There is no eros without thanatos.

Tucked away in a class reliquary in the tiny basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin lies the skull of San Valentino, the patron saint of lovers. At least that’s how the story goes. There are at least ten known churches in the world claiming to have his remains. At least this 8th-century church is worth the visit.

This opulent enoteca is located inside Villa Laetitia, which was decorated by the Fendi family, who has owned it for centuries. The walls of the interior are adorned with bas reliefs of chubby putti, with columns made of pink Verona marble. Dinners on Victorian tables with orchid floral arrangements always include candlelight.

482 ENOTECA LA TORRE

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COLOPHON E D I T I N G and COM P OS ING — Luisa Grigoletto & Christopher Livesay GRA PH I C D ES I G N — Joke Gossé and Sarah Schrauwen PH OTO G R A P HY — Roel Hendrickx – www.roelh.zenfolio.com COVE R I M AG E — Complesso del Foro Italico The addresses in this book have been selected after thorough independent research by the authors, in collaboration with Luster Publishers. The selection is solely based on personal evaluation of the business by the authors. Nothing in this book was published in exchange for payment or benefits of any kind.

D/2017/12.005/3 I S B N 978 94 6058 2059 N U R 506

© 2017, Luster, Antwerp www.lusterweb.com — www.the500hiddensecrets.com info@lusterweb.com Printed in Italy by Printer Trento.

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