Where To Go In Rome
I’m not surprised by how crowded Rome is these days even though we’re months away from the height of the high season. My friends who work in hospitality here tell me that hotels are booked solid until November (!) with August pretty available. More restaurants and cafes are staying open during August in the Historic Center now. However, I still don’t recommend Rome in August, especially if it’s your first trip. It’s too hot and the locals who don’t work in tourism/hospitality clear out. Did I mentioned how hot it is?
I’m receiving so many emails and DMs regarding where to go/what to do in Rome. I wrote a post where to eat HERE and where to drink HERE.
Below are my suggestions:
The Galleria Villa Borghese. This is the museum I suggest people go to if they don't have time to visit the Vatican Museum (or even if they do). It's small. There’s a two hour limit. You have to make reservations and can do so online. The permanent collection is fantastic. It’s in a beautiful villa in one of Rome’s prettiest parks. I recommend spending time in Villa Borghese Park too.
Museum Palazzo Altemps - near Piazza Navona, unless a student group is on a field trip, this museum is rarely crowded. Tiny but interesting. Wrote about it HERE.
Outside of the Centro Storico is Montemartini. Very unique space. Wrote about it HERE.
Another favourite (and often overlooked) museum is Galleria Doria Pamphilj - get the audio tour. It’s narrated by a member of the family.
Museo dell Ara Pacis - The exhibits change but the altar created for Augustus, 9 BC, is upstairs. The building, designed by architect Richard Meier, was quite controversial as it’s one of the few newish/modern buildings in that area and people said it looked like an air conditioning unit.
Capitolini Museum - One of the oldest museums in the world, you will find a lot of history and pieces from Ancient Rome. The views from Piazza del Campidoglio, and the cafe of the museums, are great. This is where City Hall is located.
There are over nine hundred churches in Rome, some favorites:
San Clemente - it's worth the fee to go down to the ground level to see relics from when it was a pagan temple
Santa Maria del Popolo - the Caravaggios
Santa Maria in Trastevere - the mosaics
San Luigi dei Francesi - this is the French Catholic church in Rome. More Caravaggios
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere - located on the quieter side of Trastevere
Sant’ Agnese - in Piazza Navona
Santa Maria in Maggiore Basilica - that ceiling
Saint Peter's Basilica - note, there can be long security lines
San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane - this small church is a Borromini masterpiece and many people walk right by it
Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza - another Borromini masterpiece. Sometimes there are free concerts in the courtyard
Basilica Santa Anna Maria in Ara Coeli - located next to Piazza del Campidoglio (there are a lot of steps) this church is the church of Rome, Senatus Populusque Romanus. I went to a midnight Christmas Mass here and it was very moving.
Not a church but a cemetery. Cimitero Acattolico, also known as the Protestant Cemetery, is where many famous poets, artists, writers, etc., who were not Catholic and/or Italian are buried. The grounds are beautiful. Shelley himself said so and he was buried here after he drowned in the Bay of Lerici.
Of course:
The Trevi Fountain - gets crowded... go very early or late
Piazza Navona - the Bernini fountain!
Piazza Farnese - it’s very close to Pz Navona. Palazzo Farnese is the French Embassy and there are two pretty fountains in this piazza.
Views from the Giancolo HIll - The fountain is breathtaking too
Doria Pamphilj Park - Along with Villa Borghese, this is one of the largest parks in Rome
The Pantheon - get there early or before the cruise ship lines.
The Colosseum/The Forum - It’s a good idea to get a guided tour, especially for the Forum
The Old Jewish Quarter - Second only to Venice, this is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. Of the 1023 citizens deported to Auschwitz, only 16 survived. Keep an eye out for the Sampietrini stones covered with a brass plates with their names in front of their homes. This is where the infamous Turtle Fountain is located.
The View from the top of the Spanish Steps - on a clear day it’s quite pretty and I love the Bernini fountain at the bottom of the steps in Piazza di Spagna
Interesting neighborhoods outside the Centro Storico:
EUR - for the history and fascinating architecture. Read more HERE.
Garbatella - read more HERE.
Walk along Via Appia Antica. Car traffic is limited on Sundays to the few people who live on the Appia. Read more HERE.
SHOPPING:
Check out the stores on Via Babuino (high end) and in Monti (mid-to high). Both streets have clothing and design stores.
For design, Via Margutta has some great shops, like the store BLEND (which changed its name from Flair).
Chez Dede on Via Monserrato is wonderful and one of my favourite stores in Rome. The whole street is great for shopping.
Many of the international luxury brands, Prada. Gucci, etc. are on Via Condotti and its side streets.
Ten Years Ago I Moved to Rome, Italy
The two things people ask me all the time when they've learn how long I've lived here are, if I have any regrets or when am I moving back to America.If this were a sabbatical, I would've moved back by now and more importantly, I wouldn't have gone through the hell that is getting a driver's license in Europe (I hear Germany's is beyond difficult).Regarding regrets, I have none. Even during my worst days in Italy, I never got homesick. Of course I miss my family and friends. I do miss the efficiency of America and I know it would be easier to be a business owner and writer there. Rome's going through a horrible downturn but that makes me want to move out of Rome, not the country.As of today I have lived in Rome longer than any other city (after college). I lived in Los Angeles for ten years and moved there from New York City. If I had moved directly to Rome from NYC maybe things would've felt differently. When I arrived in Rome, I was a very bitter and broken person. Hollywood had worn me down. I was numb, which is not a good trait for anyone who works in a creative field.My first trip to Italy was in 2005. I wasn't an Italophile. I just wanted to travel to a new place, see some art, eat some good food. In junior high school and high school I knew I would live overseas one day. Italy was not on my list. That first trip to Rome surprised me and changed my life in so many ways. It felt like home but I wasn't planning on moving anywhere until retirement. My Hollywood friends were skeptical. They said had I traveled to Iowa, I would've had the same reaction. So I returned the following year after getting a new job. Nope, that first visit wasn't a fluke.
During the fall of 2007 I was working on a movie in Toronto. I was one of the executive producers and was on location for almost three months. I was so happy despite the six day shoot, very long hours, and night shoots (killer). As the wrap date approached, I was speaking with my dad. My parents had moved back to St. Martin, after retirement, a few years earlier. He could hear the anxiety in my voice. My dad asked me why I was going back to Los Angeles. I told him I had wonderful bosses. He thought that was great but why wasn't I moving to Italy now? What was I waiting for? I wasn't living in Los Angeles, just existing. New days are not guaranteed to us.I was shook. My fellow first generation Americans will feel me when I say my parents were NOT go follow your bliss kind of folks. They were grounded, intense Caribbean people. I'm pretty sure my mom blames the fact that I'm not married on my lack of an advanced degree (ha). My parents were very hard on us growing up and had high expectations. So for my dad to say go to Italy, that was earth shattering to me. I mean, what would I do in Italy? It's not as if I had an engineering degree and could go work for a Fortune 500 company.Three years to the month of my first visit, I said good-bye to everything I knew and moved to a foreign country. Looking back, it was a completely bonkers move.
It's been tough at times living here and last year, in particular, was difficult on a micro and macro level. I'm not the only person who was glad to say hello to 2018. 2017 was probably one of the most stressful years of my adult life. I got through it (with help from my family and friends) and this year is shaping up to be much better.It may sound melodramatic to say moving to Italy saved me. Moving here pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me wake up. I'm no longer a spectator in my life. I'm aware of time passing and how little of it we have. When you walk past buildings that are over a thousand years old, it put things in perspective. Moving to Italy forced me to stop running, look at the bigger picture, and figure out exactly why I was working in Hollywood. My post-Jumping the Broom disappointments (not with the movie) turned out to be the best thing that every happened to me. I didn't see it at the time. I wouldn't have interned for an interior designer, started my own company, and worked/be working on incredible design/decorating projects had things gone differently. It's through my work in design that I was able to reconnect with my love of storytelling, my creativity, and my passions.I never stopped screenwriting but kept my scripts to myself. One of my mentors/friends, a senior Hollywood film agent, was in town with his wife over the Christmas holidays. He asked me what I was working on. He has always encouraged me to do both, to write and to decorate. I felt strongly I had to pick a lane. He disagreed. Many creative people are multi-faciated. During a yoga retreat last fall, I realized that I was still trying to follow a linear career path and not being open to all possibilities. I was still holding on to some bitterness regarding my Hollywood career that I truly needed to let go. How could I work smarter, not just harder? Who gets to decide what success looks like? I must continue to focus on the craft of screenwriting (and improving) not the things I have no control over.The first project I sold as a screenwriter was a teen movie to an Italian film company within a few months of moving here. However, the majority of my time was spent in my apartment alone writing/working in English with people back in Los Angeles. I was in a giant expat bubble. Four years ago when I opened my company, I started working in Italy and in Italian. I jumped into the deep end of the pool. I couldn't have a situation where expensive custom furniture and/or draperies were made incorrectly because my upholsterer misunderstood my janky Italian. I had to step it up. My get by Italian was fine for a casual conversation not business.The last time I was in Los Angeles I was there for Hollywood meetings and for a interior design project. I was having dinner with a friend before my flight back to Rome. I said that Los Angeles wasn't so bad and that I was looking forward to my next trip. She wondered if I had fallen and hit my head on the pavement. I was serious. I saw another side to the city running around Los Angeles with my client to different showrooms. L.A. traffic is still atrocious though.I have acquired some patience since moving to Rome, a big improvement. I cook more, eat well (said goodbye to no-carb/all diets), and my cost of living is much lower. I'm healthier, more physically active, and learning new things all the time. I'm fortunate to have incredible friends here who are like family.During my first month in Italy made a comment that I get chills when I see the Pantheon. Someone replied it was only because everything was new to me. I know that's not true. Ten years on I still get chills when I walk past the Pantheon. I don't take that for granted.
Life in Rome - Chez Dédé Opening Party
A few years ago I wrote about how much I adore the boutique accessories label founded by Andrea Ferolla and Daria Rein, Chez Dédé.There has been a lot of retail space turnover in our neighborhood. Antique stores, artisans, etc., are shutting down and Subway fast food restaurants, and other weird sandwich shops are taking over. There have been some great additions, like the Suppli spot but for every one of those there are four or five places that leave locals scratching their heads.Via Monserrato is one of the prettiest streets in Rome. When I saw the large for rent sign where Ilaria MIani's showroom used to be, I became very nervous. What kind of janky business would set up shop on this street?Then I saw this:
YAS!The store had its opening last week. Erica and I walked over and bumped into a bunch of our neighbors. One of our favorite bartenders, Fabrizio from Pierluigi, made the Kir Royales.Unfortunately, for me, the store is stunning. I should just leave my wallet there and let them take my money. All of it.Erica completely fan-girled LInda Rodin. I don't blame her. Ms. Rodin is a style icon for a reason. She was so gracious and didn't give us the side-eye for geeking out.I think I need to treat myself to a nice Grand Sac bag for my birthday. It's a big one (no, I'm not going to say which birthday it is as I still work in Hollywood). I haven't decided which bag yet. The island of Salina is one of my favorite places in the world but I also love the colors/style of the Portofino, Kenya, and Dubai bags. I haven't been to any of those places, so I think I should go with the Salina bag.Below are photos from the opening. Grazie mille, Daria for the invite!EDIT:Okay, I wrote this yesterday with the plan to publish today. I like to proof read before publishing yet, some typos still make it through. Grrrr.On Saturday my friend Courtney called me and said she had to speak with me urgently on Sunday. I asked what was wrong. Why couldn't she tell me over the phone? I was working all day on Sunday but said I would meet her in the afternoon. Erica wanted me to stop by her daughter's lemonade stand. I said I was on my way to meet Courtney but would stop by. I was worried about Courtney. Erica said she was too and hoped that everything was okay.I show up at Etablli. Courtney sends a SMS saying she's on her way and she asks me to order her a glass of wine. What the heck was going on? Was her news so heavy she needed to have a drink in hand?She walks in and Erica (!) is right behind her. They say, "Happy Birthday" and then this happened:
I had no idea they were planning this! Erica thought I was going to buy the bag before my birthday so she and Courtney went into action over the weekend. My birthday isn't until August 26th.I was/am floored. I am not an easy person to surprise and they totally got me. Well played ladies, well played. I love my bag.
Andrea is a very talented illustrator.
Linda Rodin. Fabulous.
Erica and Linda.
So true.
Photos: Me and my iPhone