Private list of best places in Rome, Italy
- Caffe CapitolinoForo Romano ColosseoThis charming restaurant in the Capitoline Museum, Conservatori wing, has good food, reasonable prices, and a knock-out view of Rome from the terrace, but it is not easy to find,...
- Chiostro del BramanteParioneOne could walk by the building itself without seeing it, let alone guessing that inside are large art exhibitions, a bookstore, and a very good, chic, and remarkably inexpensive...
- Concerts in the Borromini SacrisityPantheonSant'Agnes in Agone church on Piazza Navona sponsors an excellent series of chamber concerts in the intimate, beautifully restored sacrisity designed by the 17th Century...
- Gabriella GuardabassiThe Spanish StepsGabriella Guardabassi's lingerie shop, near the parliament building, is out of another time, specializing in lingerie to measure. Friendly and professional multilingual...
- Galleria Doria PamphiljPantheonThe galleria Doria Pamphilj (pronounced, and sometimes spelled, pamphili) is in a family mansion with a lovely inner courtyard, a marvelous collection, and one of the best...
- Il Brillo ParlanteThe Spanish StepsA friendly place with a wine bar on the ground floor and table seating in the pleasant basement. There is a large menu, with specialties including innovative thin-crust pizzas,...
- La MaddalenaPantheonThe exterior has been described as cake frosting, and La Maddalena is nothing if not decorated, but it is Rococco at its best. The balance of the interior, with an unusual oval...
- Mosaic of athletes and judges from the baths of CaracallaPratiIf planning to visit the baths of Caracalla, and going to the Vatican Museums first, be sure not to miss the floor from the exhedra leading into the baths' frigidarium, which, in...
- Musei CapitoliniForo Romano ColosseoWith the Roman Forum calling out for exploration, there might be a temptation to walk past the Capitoline Museums, but this would be a big mistake. They house a huge collection of...
- Osteria Il BocconcinoForo Romano ColosseoAfter a few hours at the Roman Forum and the Palantine, it can be dispiriting to try to find a good meal in the tourist-trap streets on the north side of the ruins. However, a...
- Palantine gardensForo Romano ColosseoOne of the quietest, most pleasant places in Rome is the Palantine gardens. With panoramic views in all directions, lovely gardens, numerous ruined buildings to go through, and a...
- PantheonPantheonThe Pantheon is in every guidebook, but to make a list of the best of Rome without it would be a travesty; it may be the best building in the world.
In use over 2,000 years, a...
- Piazza Verdi Antiques MarketVilla BorgheseOn the fourth Sunday of the month, Piazza Verdi, near the Borghese Gallery, hosts a good-sized antiques market, extended additionally to some modern clothing and jewelry and a few...
- Quartiere CoppedèTriesteThe Quartiere Coppedè (Co-ped-eh neighborhood) is a stunning housing development of seventeen villas and twenty-seven palazzos, built and largely designed by Gino...
- Ristorante Pizzeria Napul'èPratiIn what may be Rome's best lunch deal, Ristorante Napul-è, a basement restaurant in a somewhat out-of-the-way part of the Prati shopping district, offers a huge and excellent...
- San Carlo alle Quattro FontaneTrevi-QuirinaleUnarguably one the most interesting buildings in Rome, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane was the first work known to be built on the design of Francesco Borromini, a 17th-Century...
- Santa Maria del PolpoloFlaminoBeautiful on the outside, with its spires and bronze ornaments; beautiful and balanced on the inside, with masterpieces worthy of the greatest museums, Santa Maria del Polpolo...
- Studio Antiquario LampeParioneStudio Antiquario Lampe is a beautiful shop in the elegant Parione district, which also offers decorating services. This area of the historic center of Rome is relatively less...
- Trattoria la Buca di RepettaThe Spanish StepsA charming and reasonably priced restaurant in an expensive part of town, with excellent cooking that combines unusual ingredients, such as roasted meat and fruit, presented...
- Vatican Museums, Etruscan MuseumPratiDon't be fooled by the Michelin Guide's giving the Etruscan Museum at the Vatican only one star, they've missed the mark this time: it is one of the most interesting in the...
- Via della Maschera d'Oro 9, exterior decorPantheonThis palazzo and the one next to it are virtually the only remaining buildings with a lovely decorative technique from the 16th Century, in which a wall was first given a rough...