Navona Square apartment, Rome: Paola - Tips and Area

Jonathan’s Angel: Via della Fossa, 18 tel. 0039-06-6893426. Run by a flamboyant artist and ex acrobat, the whole bar is plastered with colorful decoration and paintings, and has the most spectacular loo in the city. It’s fun and relaxed place with a cabaret feel even when there’s no show.

Giulio Passami l’Olio - Enoteca: Via di Monte Giordano, 28 tel 0039-06-68803288. Great little tucked away place for a good glass of wine and cheese board as an "aperitivo". Cosy inside and very pleasant outside as it opens in a small square nice for people watching.

Trattoria Lilli: Via Tor di Nona, 23 tel. 0039-06-6861916. A good address for typical roman cuisine.

Le Streghe: Vicolo del Curato, 13 tel. 0039-06-6878182. Again a good address for typical roman cuisine.

Cul de Sac: Piazza Pasquino, 73 tel. 0039-06-68801094. Popular wine bar - near Piazza Navona - is among the city’s oldest enoteche and a book-length selection of wines. Food is eclectic, ranging from a huge assortment of Italian meats and cheeses (try the delicious lonza, cured pork loin, or speck, a northern Italian smoked prosciutto) to various Mediterranean dishes, including delicious baba ghanoush, a tasty Greek salad, and a spectacular wild boar pâté. Outside tables get crowded fast, so arrive early, or come late, as they serve until about 1 AM.

Al Bric: Via del Pellegrino, 51 tel. 0039-06-687 9533. Just off Campo de’ Fiori, this wine bar/trattioria reeks with old world character, from the vaulted ceiling to the walls, decorated with wine labels. Bi-frontal windows, open to passing foot-traffic, display an incomparable selection of French and Italian cheeses, home-made grissini (bread sticks), foie gras, patè and a list of French and Italian wines selected by owner Roberto Marchetti. The menu features unusual flavor combinations, such as Roman pecorino cheese paired with chestnuts in a maccheroni sauce, or sword fish Strogonoff seasoned with thyme. Among the divine desserts, our favorite is a confection of chestnuts with cinnamon cream.

For ice-cream:

Gelateria del Teatro - Ai Coronari: Via di S. Simone, 70 tel. 0039-06-45474880. Just off the Via dei Coronari on the other side of the Piazza Navona, this gelateria is tucked away on a tiny dead-end off the piazza San Salvatore in Lauro. Only natural products: pistachios from Sicily and the almonds from Bari. Not to be missed the "puro" chocolate (80% cacao), the "pera e caramello" (pear and caramel) and sesame flavors.

For Shopping:

For clothes stores: go to Via del Governo Vecchio a narrow bustling street that is right accross Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Where all the new trendiest designers want to open a shop.

Full of inviting storefronts stand shoulder to shoulder, but unlike much of the city, there’s an absence of big labels of the Via Condotti. Small fancy boutiques and highest density of one-off fashion emporiums that tempt a specific kind of shopper — the young, trendy, affluent kind.

You will find stores like S.B.U, Luna & L’Altra (Piazza Pasquino, 76; tel. 0039-06-6880-4995), Josephine de Huertas & Company (Via del Governo Vecchio, 68; tel. 0039-06-687-6586), which sells bright, irreverent shirt dresses and candy-hued blouse. They are also the exclusive seller of Paul Smith Women in Italy. Check also out Arsenale (Via del Governo Vecchio, 64; tel. 0039-06-686-1380) for something elegant. Structured gowns and floor-length skirts made by its owner, Patrizia Pieroni, (recently on sale for 310 euros) look more like sculpture than something you’d wear. Visit then Paola Frani (Via del Governo Vecchio, 33; tel. 0039-06-68301537), a designer who made a name for herself with girlie tops and floral dresses.

For classic secondhand garments go at Vestiti Usati Cinzia (Via del Governo Vecchio, no. 45; tel. 0039-06-6861791. Beautiful sweaters and coat can also be found at Maga Morgana (Via de Governo Vecchio, no. 27; tel. 0039-06-6879995).

For notable nonclothing stores check: Alchemilla (Via del Governo Vecchio, 11; tel. 0039-06-6871163), which feels like Takashimaya in miniature with its small, chic silk flowers, and Utilefutile (Via del Governo Vecchio, 20/a; tel. 0039-06-68809488) a place for huge, funky stone rings (from 35 euros) and useless but clever novelty handbags (from 40 euros).

For a very special travel bookstore - full of atmosphere - don’t miss La Libreria del Viaggiatore (Via del Pellegrino, 78).

For one of the world’s oldest pharmacies dating back 1612: Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (Corso Rinascimento, 47; tel. 0039-06-6872446). Wide range of products from skin products to potpourri, from perfumed powders to scents and frangrances. A very magic place...

For Art Deco necklaces and bakelite brooches have a look at Tempi Moderni (Via del Governo Vecchio, 108) or if you want to save going directly at source of jewels and bijoux go to "San Giacomo", Via dei Reti, 23 (San Lorenzo district), telephone 0039-06-44360554. Craftman jewellery at wholesaler prices. In this laboratory you can see hand-made production of the finest jewels, high-end bijoux and fashion accessories. Web-site: www.disangiacomo.com.