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Piazza Navona:

this vast, oval, piazza provides a beautiful Baroque backdrop for the everyday goings-on of modern Roman life, and is filled from dawn until well after dusk with excited kids, grumpy old men, critical caricaturists, multilingual fortune-tellers, pesky pickpockets and gelati-licking tourists. The square has the exact shape of the original built by emperor Domitian in a.d. 86. It started as a stadium and hosted many of Rome’s more savoury sports like jousting, javelin and racing up until the 15^th century when it was paved over. It then became the city’s main market for almost three centuries. Navona’s centrepiece is Bernini’s magnificent Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, completed in 1651 and depicting the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio Plata rivers, which represented the then-known four continents of the world. Facing the fountain is the Chiesa Sant’Agnese in Agone, designed by Bernini’s bitter rival, Borromini. Any of the sidewalk cafés that surround the square provide a perfect front-row seat for unsurpassed people-watching any hour of the day or night. Be prepared to be quick or to fight for a table on Piazza Navona. The neighbourhood around the square is also known as one of the most expensive patches of real estate in Rome. The square plays host to a characteristic Epiphany toy-fair.

 

For exibitions in a wonderful setting don’t miss:

Chiostro del Bramante: Via della Pace tel. +39 06 68809035. Stunning cafeteria too tel. +39 06 68809035

Bar della Pace: Via della Pace, 5 tel. +39-06-6861216. Gorgeous corner bar good for an early-evening aperitif outside in summer and great for a nightcap inside in winter.

 

Jonathan’s Angel: Via della Fossa, 18 tel. +39-06-6893426. 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.

 

Cul de Sac: Piazza Pasquino, 73 tel. +39-06-68801094. 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. +39-06-687 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.

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