By Alix Barnard, Special Contributor
Photos by Melissa Randall
The first time you set foot into Rome, everything looks eerily familiar. The shadow of iconic characters and stories is everywhere, giving the visitor a feeling of deja-vu. Russell Crowe breathes his last breath on the sand of the Colosseum, Audrey Hepburn stands on the Spanish Steps, Daisy Miller wonders in the Palace of the Caesars, Floria Tosca falls to her death from the walls of Sant’Angelo Castel.
Yet Rome, eternal city that it is, never stops evolving, and if you leave the tourists behind on St. Peter’s square, you will find an abundance of quirky and fascinating places that will not appear on your grandma’s travel pictures (unless you have a very cool grandma).
Stay Somewhere Different
Forget the run of the mill chain hotels that all look the same. You can stay somewhere unique no matter your budget.
The Beehive Hostel belongs to that new generation of hostels that forgoes the unwashed backpackers getting rowdy in the corridors until the wee hours of the morning. Instead, you will find an affordable, yet classy retreat eco-oriented and valuing the notion of community. You will be served an organic vegetarian breakfast, have access to a peaceful garden. You are welcome to take part in the numerous events organized by the owners, from storytelling to yoga or pasta-making: there is something for everyone.
If Old-World glamour is more your thing, Villa Laetitia will transport you to a world where the dolce vita takes its full meaning. This boutique hotel offers some incredibly stylish rooms oozing romance and decadence. Borrow one of the hotel’s bikes and grab one of the picnic bags to go to explore Rome in style and comfort. In the evening, you can take cooking lessons before degusting the fruit of your labor.
Are you traveling to Rome for a special event, or are in the mood to splurge? 5-star hotel G-Rough offers “unconventional luxury suites” which bring shabby-chic decor to the next level. The hotel can provide you with some exclusive adventures (or un-conventional experiences), ranging from Vespa tours to private tours of the city including secret places not open to the general public. The G-Bar, showcasing the art of local contemporary artists, is well worth the visit.
Art Doesn’t Always Belong In A Museum
Rome is a city for art lovers. Museums, palaces, churches aplenty all present their treasures to the tourists' gawking eyes. But there is more to Rome than the classic masterpieces that illustrated your history manual in high school.
Rome is rather forward thinking when it comes to street art. Some of the former blue-collar neighborhoods have become open art galleries for those who enjoy contemporary art. San Lorenzo, Ostiense, and Quadraro with its M.U.Ro. Museum all offer some beautiful murals. Keep in mind that street art is by nature a constantly evolving art form, so keep your eyes open.
If you don’t feel like walking through the streets hunting for quirky art, Dorothy Circus Gallery is a local Surreal Pop Art must-see, with carefully curated art exhibits that are reminiscent of Tim Burton’s universe.
You want to see some classical art, but want to avoid that “same old” feeling? The Centrale Montemartini is an eclectic mix of classical statues exposed next to the machinery from the first public power point in a perfect steampunk alliance.
Not Your Tourist-Trap Bars
La Passegiata (this Italian custom that marks the beginning of the evening as young and old alike gather to walk around town with friends and family dressed to impress) is only the beginning, and Rome nightlife is legendary. The city is blessed with an abundance of bars and waterholes that are worth getting out after a long day of exploring the city.
If you want to get back in time to the Roaring Twenties, the Jerry Thomas Project will welcome you speakeasy style complete with a password (check their website as it changes regularly). Cash only!
You just want to relax amongst friends on comfortable couches, listening to handpicked vinyl: Yeah! Is the place for you.
Tired of Italian wines, you would sell your soul for a good craft beer? Open Baladin, champion of the craft beer movement in Italy, offers no less than 100 references of Italian craft beer to choose from.
When The Night Is Still Young
There is so much to do in Rome at night…
For a relaxing evening, catch a movie at the intimist Detour. This art-house cinema/art-gallery/café-bar screens films in their original version with English or Italian subtitles. Their movie selection is carefully curated and well worth the detour (pun intended).
You could also step on the other side of the mirror and join the Conventicola Degli Ultramoderni, an otherworldly review mixing dance, music, burlesque, and any kind of performance art you can imagine.
Dance clubs fill up late, so don't be surprised if things seem very quiet before 2 am.
Not Touristy Tours To Take
Move over, hordes of tourists sheepishly following a distracted-looking guide brandishing an umbrella like a sword! Tours nowadays have a completely different flavor and can be a great opportunity to discover a certain aspect of the city while encountering colorful characters passionate about what they do on the way.
Discover the secret stories of the powerful courtesans that made Rome what it is today with the Scarlet Ladies Tour. Unless you prefer to admire the baroque grandiosity of the Caravaggio paintings with an appropriate musical accompaniment during the Opera at Doria Pamphilj Gallery tour.
You don’t feel like walking? That’s fine, you can explore the streets of Rome by-night in a vintage tramway while enjoying some live music and a glass of wine in a retro ambiance with the TramTrack Band.
Outer Boroughs
Most visitors rarely leave the historical city center and its historical monuments. Yet when you leave that area to explore the less touristy parts, you will encounter all kinds of hangouts frequented by the Romans in the know. Most of those neighborhoods are or were until recently predominantly working-class districts and are not always as architecturally alluring, but they offer all kinds of boutiques and bars well worth looking into.
Monti, with its lovely cobblestone streets, its picturesque piazzas and its proximity to the historical center, is probably the hippest neighborhood in Rome. You will find an abundance of alternative eateries and boutiques.
San Lorenzo attracts a younger crowd thanks to its proximity to the university and has become a hub of the nightlife with some cool nightclubs and late-night entertainment.
Coppede seems straight out of a fairytale, with its colorful buildings in a mishmash of styles ranging from Art Nouveau to semi-gothic with a dash of medieval thrown in. Whimsical details include massive chandeliers and a mossy frog-decorated fountain around which the neighborhood is set up. It is a residential area without stores or restaurants, but it is well worth the visit.
Vintage, Thrift + More
No Rome getaway would be complete without some shopping. But leave the made in China knickknacks behind to bring back something truly meaningful about your trip.
What about a custom-made garment, sewn by the talented refugee tailors from the Sewing Cooperative?
Furniture might not fit in your carry-on, but Binario4 is well worth the visit if you like anything repurposed. This reclaimed vintage furniture workshop is a dream for anyone with an interest in upcycling and giving a second life to thrifted home items.
Vintage shopping lovers will be in heaven at the famed Mercato Monti which gathers indie designers and vintage retailers under a single roof every weekend except in July and August. Pifebo (and its little next-door neighbor Pifebo Kilo Shop) is the place to go to if you want to find a vintage outfit for a bargain.
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