T+L uncovers four Roman inns that offer uniquely local takes on the Eternal City. Plus, our little black book of where to eat and shop in Rome.
Rome’s character can change in the crossing of a street. The languor of a passeggiata through the piazzas of the historic center becomes a 21st-century urban adventure—a foodie pilgrimage to Testaccio or the buzz of a night hopping the myriad bars of Trastevere. Romans themselves display staunch loyalty to their own rioni, or districts; it follows that the best way to co-opt their insider experience of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods is to check in to one of the small inns that manifest the energy and aesthetic of the streets and people around them. Here, four places that fulfill this brief with flying colors, while providing a warm welcome and a caliber of service that would earn our praise in any city.
The painted-parquet floors in the Napoleone Suite at the Residenza Napoleone III are visibly uneven; this is good. Good because their imperfect southerly slope is a testament to their unadulterated history—the calling card of this intimate B&B in the noble 16th-century Palazzo Ruspoli. The building is in fact still lived in by Princess Letizia Ruspoli, who is effectively your innkeeper, though her second-in-command, Beatrice Ziello, sees to most of the details of your stay.
Guests enter the palazzo through a set of oversize wooden doors, like the rest of its residents, a small cross-section of urban professionals and Roman elite. They emerge into Largo Carlo Goldoni, at the base of Via dei Condotti, to an aristocratic neighborhood that holds significant architectural and artistic treasures (Rainaldi’s chiese gemelle, or twin churches, of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Monte Santo, on the Piazza del Popolo; the Galleria Doria Pamphilj, with its renowned Velázquez portrait of Pope Innocent X). The area is also home to the alpha and omega of Italian luxury-goods houses—some of which, including Fendi, Bulgari, and Valentino, are as crucial a part of Rome’s historical fabric as the noble palazzi lining the Via del Corso.
But despite these patrician surroundings, the Residenza is not for those whose hospitality comfort zone is defined by iPad-controlled lighting, heated floors, and bathrooms the size of small aircraft hangars. It has none of these. What it has are two irreproducible suites (a third is set to open next year)—more apartments than conventional hotel accommodations—that offer a glimpse of how the nobility has adapted itself, and its often grand Renaissance and Baroque living quarters, to the exigencies of the 21st century. The pink marble bath in the three-room Napoleone Suite, for instance, is small—no getting around that—but it’s concealed behind an eight-foot-tall, 18th-century landscape painting, one of six hanging in the bedroom. Another canvas doubles as a headboard, while a third in the yellow reception area conceals an enormous flat-screen TV. The spiral staircase leading to the separate Roof Garden Suite is vaguely precarious, yes, but its reward is a breathtaking aerie decorated with heirloom art, furniture, and scores of books—tiny missals; giant artists’ monographs; novels of every era—and surrounded on three sides by more than 600 square feet of planted terrace. Very little about the Residenza Napoleone is symmetrical, contemporary, or perfect; almost everything about it is enchanting.
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Trastevere trades in Rome’s most reliable postcard perfection. There is medieval appeal in its diminutive streets, papal splendor in its Villa Farnesina, and proto-Christian mystery in the famous church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. And if it occasionally teeters a bit close to a cliché of the artistic, up-by-its-bootstraps quartiere it once was (it’s no longer particularly hardscrabble, nor is it especially affordable for artists—unless they’re extremely successful ones), the appeal is undiminished and multifarious. It can take the form of the clamor of a typical Friday night, when young crowds spill into the vicoli, or alleyways, from such places as Freni e Frizioni and Bir & Fud, as well as the neighborhood’s other excellent bars and unpretentious trattorias. Or one can savor an entirely different version of it on a weekday afternoon, when the chiusura (closing hour) drops a hush over the low rooftops, the birds on Gianicolo Hill can be heard along the Via della Lungara, and there are walk-in tables for the taking at the old standby, Trattoria da Lucia.
Luisa Longo, the owner of Buonanotte Garibaldi, is a genuine Trastevere-dwelling artist; her three-room B&B, hidden behind a green gate in a wall of ivy on the Via Garibaldi, was her parents’ home. Past the entrance is a fragrant courtyard shaded by palm and orange trees; Longo’s Airedale terrier, Tinto, bounds about in greeting before disappearing, but Longo or one of her multinational staff remains available—though remarkably privacy-respecting, considering you’re in her house (the handsome boy I asked to fix my remote control turned out to be her son). The rooms are a unique mix of 19th- and 20th-century antiques, along with textiles designed by Longo herself. The Blue Room has a 645-square-foot terrace; the Chocolate Room, with its elegant Indian dhurrie and hand-painted headboard, has its own entrance off the courtyard. Breakfast is house-made tarts and jams served in the airy white dining room; evenings are about drinks in the garden, with Bach or Handel faintly audible through the French doors leading to the sitting room. In few hotels does the fantasy of being in one’s own house—one’s very chic bohemian bolt-hole, more like—shimmer so close to reality.
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Testaccio’s designation as a district is new by Roman standards (it dates from 1921), but the area’s roots stretch back two thousand years, when millions of discarded clay amphorae used to transport foodstuffs from outlying regions of the empire formed the enormous mountain of waste known as Monte Testaccio. In the late 19th century, the surrounding pasturelands were built up in a grid of new streets, and modern-day Testaccio was born. Its working-class roots abide, though today the ranks of butchers, laborers, and tradesmen are joined by artists, students, and young families priced out of irretrievably gentrified Trastevere across the river.
Testaccio is not terrifically picturesque; its oblong Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice lacks the rose-saffron palette and crooked harmony of, say, the Piazza della Rotonda, near the Pantheon. But the Aventine, by contrast, is a verdant and eye-pleasing pocket of turn-of-the-last-century villas, located just across the Via Marmorata—a world apart from Testaccio’s coarse bustle. Here, on the tiny square of Sant’Anselmo, is the Hotel San Anselmo. It is a hotel of significant charms, though (or perhaps because?) it is neither new nor aggressively chic. The garden is lush with orange trees and dotted with green iron tables; also delightful is the lounge, with its low-sloping ceiling and long glass wall facing the garden. Room 829 has limed parquet floors and a romantically curtained bed; both it and No. 830 open onto private terraces. The rest skew flamboyant, not always with complete success. (Sigh-inducing or cringe-inducing? A few of the whimsies on display—amateur frescoes; the baldachin-style bed in No. 832—might force the polemic.) But the charms win the day, and are greatly enhanced by the competence of the staff. Guests benefit from the access the hotel affords to Testaccio’s authentic pleasures: a perfect ristretto at Pasticceria Linari, drunk squeezed between students from the nearby music school and a tiny old gentleman in threadbare jacket and impeccably clipped whiskers; or a turn through Volpetti, where jams made by Trappist nuns are arranged like jewels above a selection of artichokes prepared in half a dozen local styles. And at day’s end, visitors can ascend the leafy Via di Porta Lavernale to the tranquil square and appreciate the genteel foil the San Anselmo provides to Testaccio’s edge.
Restaurants
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Most airlines fly direct to Leonardo da Vinci Airport. From there, take a taxi ($52) or 30-minute train into the city ($15).
The best way to navigate Rome is on foot or by subway.
Fiaschetteria Beltramme For tonnarelli and escarole fixes, this homey Roman restaurant is a local favorite. 39 Via della Croce; no phone. $$
Fleur The luxury-living concept store serves excellent tartares and carpaccios at its bar-restaurant. 46 Via Bocca di Leone; fleurluxuryliving.it. $$$
La Buvette A charming café with sidewalk seating on one of the area’s quieter side streets. 44 Via Vittoria; 39-06/679-0383.
Museo-Atelier Canova Tadolini Enjoy generous cappuccinos and cornetti con marmellata among 19th-century sculptures. 150A-B Via del Babuino; canovatadolini.com.
Ristorante Nino This spot specializes in hearty Tuscan dishes such as hand-pressed pastas and crostini with liver pâté. 11 Via Borgognona; ristorantenino.it. $$$
Gente An artfully designed emporium of contemporary Italian fashion and accessories. 81 Via del Babuino; genteroma.it.
Laura Tonatto Profumi Italiani This recently opened atelier and gallery stocks the Turin-based master perfumer’s scents. 41 Piazza di Pietra; lauratonatto.com.
My Cup of Tea Pop in to this loftlike gallery for rotating trunk-show exhibits and contemporary art installations. 65 Via del Babuino; mycupoftea.it.
Saddlers Union Head here for custom-made leather totes and luggage. 11 Via Margutta; saddlersunion.com.
Sole A 12-year-old boutique where Soledad Twombly designs clothes from textiles sourced in the Far East. 34 Via Gregoriana; soledadtwombly.com.
Bir & Fud A beer bar with a social, pubby atmosphere, friendly staff, and a strong selection of Italian microbrews. 23 Via Benedetta; birandfud.com. $$
Glass Hostaria This super-sleek restaurant serves experimental fare such as risotto with saffron, wild fennel, anise, and goat cheese and cubed tiramisu with chocolate crumble. 58 Vicolo del Cinque; glass-restaurant.it. $$$$
Le Mani in Pasta This small trattoria is favored for its gnochetti sardi with fava beans and truffles. 37 Via dei Genovesi; lemaniinpasta.com. $$$
Osteria La Gensola Don’t miss the spaghetti with sea urchin at this family-run restaurant. 15 Piazza della Gensola; osterialagensola.it. $$$
Trattoria da Lucia An old standby that draws eclectic crowds with its simple fare. 2B Vicolo del Mattonato; trattoriadalucia.com. $$
Nicotra di San Giacomo Like his flagship on the Via del Governo Vecchio, Alessandro Nicotra di San Giacomo’s second location sells gold-and-silk woven jewelry. 16A Via della Scala; nicotradisangiacomo.com.
Antica Farmacia di Santa Maria della Scala Now a museum, the 340-year-old pharmacy is worth a visit for its intricate frescoes, brass light fittings, and cabinetry. 23 Piazza della Scala; 39-06/580-6233.
Freni e Frizioni In the heart of Trastevere, this garage turned bar doubles as a gallery for contemporary art. 4 Via del Politeama; freniefrizioni.com.
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill Roma Rome’s premier private gallery, run by a London art dealer, attracts the city’s jet set with works by well-known artists such as Richard Long and Francesco Clemente. 1E Via Orti d’Alibert; lorcanoneill.com.
Angelina Feast on grilled meats and Roman dishes on the terrace at this buzzy restaurant in Monte Testaccio. 24A Via Galvani; ristoranteangelina.com. $$$
Enoteca Palombi Sip chilled Frascati or Shiraz from Lazio at this been-there-forever wine bar facing the market. 38-41 Piazza Testaccio; 39-06/574-6122.
Felice Its glory has faded, but regulars, including actor Roberto Benigni, still come for the down-home Roman classics. 29 Via Mastro Giorgio; feliceatestaccio.it. $$$
Flavio al Velavevodetto A former Felice cook opened this osteria in an ancient warehouse built into Monte Testaccio; order the tonnarelli with artichoke and guanciale. 97 Via di Monte Testaccio; flavioalvelavevodetto.it. $$$
Il Seme e La Foglia Join local students at this laid-back café for creative salads and tramezzini. 18 Via Galvani; 39-06/574-3008. $
Pasticceria Linari Expect an assortment of cakes, artisanal gelato, and coffee at the diner-like pastry shop. 9 Via Nicola Zabaglia; pasticcerialinari.com.
Pizzeria Remo With no-frills décor and all-business service, this classic pizzeria tops many a Best in Rome list. 44 Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice; 39-06/574-6270. $
20mq Shop for quirky house accessories at this lilliputian design boutique in Testaccio’s main market. Via Aldo Manunzio at Via Lorenzo Ghiberti; 20mq.com.
Volpetti A specialty-food store stocking a variety of cheeses, olive oils, meats, and various other Italian delicacies. 47 Via Marmorata; 39-06/574-2352.
Caffè della Pace Set on a quiet, cobblestoned street, this ivy-covered two-room café is a perennial favorite. 3-7 Via della Pace; 39-06/686-1216.
Ditirambo Just north of the Campo de’ Fiori, the wood-beamed restaurant serves straightforward but delicious fare and has a great selection of vegetarian dishes. 55 Piazza della Cancelleria; 39-06/687-1626. $$$
Il Goccetto Rusticated tavern serving dozens of regional wines, and salumi and cheeses to complement them. 14 Via de’ Banchi Vecchi; 39-06/686-4268. $
La Focaccia Indulge in top-notch pizza in the shadow of Bramante’s Santa Maria della Pace church. 11 Via della Pace; 39-06/6880-3312. $
Roscioli A wine bar with sleek interiors, a traditional menu, and the most amiable maître d’, Alessandro Roscioli. 21 Via dei Giubbonari; 39-06/687-5287. $$$
Delfina Delettrez This native jewelry designer’s outpost is just steps from the Piazza Navona. 67 Via del Governo Vecchio; delfinadelettrez.com.
Patrizia Pieroni Fashion designer Pieroni’s shop sells her ready-to-wear pieces and has an art gallery showcasing local artists on the second floor. 172 Via del Pellegrino; patriziapieroni.it.
Wools A just-launched men’s-wear store stocking beautifully slim-fitting shirts and unconstructed suits. 59 Via del Governo Vecchio; wools.it.
Reported by Nikki Goldstein and Lindsey Olander
