Roman Spring
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The Eternal City's contemporary building boom extends to every imaginable amenity—from accommodations and cuisine to shopping and cultural attractions. The country code for Italy is 39. Prices quoted are for the current month. The U.S. embassy is at 119 Via Vittorio Veneto (06-46-741; www.usembassy.it). Lodging The 96 cramped but seriously chic rooms at architect Adam Tihany's centrally located Aleph are distinguished by enormous black-and-white blowups of Rome and bathrooms with glittering mosaic tiles and Perspex sinks. Stop in the bar for an aperitif (06-422-901; www.boscolohotels.com; doubles, $285-$360; w). The 235-room Radisson SAS (né the Es) has custom-made furniture by Cappellini and Sawaya & Moroni. The neighborhood, while not quite gentrified, is convenient to the airport: The express train to the terminals operates out of the station across the street (06-444-841; www.radissonsas.com; doubles, $305-$340; w). Fortyseven, just below the Piazza Venezia, combines contemporary and Art Deco design. Its 61 rooms have natural woods, neutral fabrics, and parquet floors, as well as wireless Internet access and, in some instances, antiquities views (06-678- 7816; www.fortysevenhotel.com; doubles, $390-$525; w). Those who want to be within staggering distance of the trendy Testaccio and Ostiense districts, where nightlife reigns, should try the funky new Abitart. Its public spaces are done up like art galleries, and the 65 conventionally contemporary rooms include eight colorful junior suites dedicated to artists from Keith Haring to Picasso (06-454-3191; www.abitarthotel.com; doubles, $250- $380; junior suites, $430- $615; w). |
Dining
In the city center, Moma serves creative Mediterranean dishes such as a mille-feuille of foie gras and caramelized apples with port gelatin (42/43 Via San Basilio; 06-4201-1798; entrées, $23-$45). Billed as the world's first mozzarella bar, Obikà offers tastings of buffalo-milk mozzarella from southern Italy's finest producers, delivered fresh daily and paired with bottarga, salumi, or organic salads (26a Via dei Prefetti; 06-683-2630; entrées, $13-$22). Osteria della Frezza, part of the 'Gusto food complex, has a formaggeria with a window on the street where you can get individual portions of hundreds of cheeses and salads for a picnic. The selection of wines by the glass is extensive, and the tasting portions of the restaurant's predominantly Roman menu make eating an adventure (16 Via della Frezza; 06-322-6273; entrées, $7-$16). Around the corner, the sprawling Recafé offers excellent pizza and a full Neapolitan-accented menu, served in minimalist interiors or outdoors, facing the Via del Corso's shopping scene (06-6813-4730; entrées, $9-$25).
From master chef Massimo Riccioli comes Riccioli Café, an oyster, sushi, and wine bar with takeout and a kitchen that's open all day (10a Piazza delle Coppelle; 06-687-0313; entrées, $10-$22). With a modern take on the Roman banquet, Supperclub serves a set menu of contemporary Mediterranean dishes to guests who lounge on white couches while being entertained with live music and performances (14 Via de' Nari; 06-6880-7207; prix fixe, $72). At Trattoria (designed by the Giammetta twins, young Roman architects of the moment), all of the Sicilian classics—caponata, pasta alla Norma, an exquisite cassata for dessert—are interpreted with a creative edge by destined-for-fame chef Filippo La Mantia (25 Via del Pozzo delle Cornacchie; 06-6830-1427; entrées, $25-$34). Trattoria Moderna, in the historic center, serves superb Roman dishes in a sleek interior and on an outdoor terrace cordoned off from the street by greenery (16 Vicolo dei Chiodaroli; 06-6880-3423; entrées, $26-$36).
The elegant, modern Café Romano, connected to the Hotel d'Inghilterra, serves global food, from gravlax to Lebanese mezes, indoors and out (14 Via Bocca di Leone; 06-6998-1500; entrées, $65-$75). The relaxing lounge downstairs at Crudo, near the Campo dei Fiori, serves hors d'oeuvres on stainless steel spoons; minimalist dining rooms are the setting for eclectic cuisine (6 Via Degli Specchi; 06-683-8989; entrées, $20-$30).
Doppio Zero, in the hot Ostiense district, is a casual, upbeat option day or night, with breakfast, lunch, tea, a happy hour with hors d'oeuvres, as well as dinner and drinks until 2 a.m. (68 Via Ostiense; 06-5730-1961; entrées, $14-$22). Strategically located between Ostiense and Testaccio, The Kitchen lays out a casual family-style lunch buffet ($10) and, at dinner, a creative Mediterranean à la carte menu (3 M/N Via del Conciatori; 06-574-1505; entrées, $18-$24). Across the street from MACRO al Mattatoio, in Testaccio, Letico is a luminous oasis in beige and white. Its eclectic menu ranges from sea bass in a sesame crust to small peppers stuffed with mussels and mozzarella (64 Via Galvani; 06-5725-0539; entrées, $22-$38
The Trastevere neighborhood offers a high-design dining experience at Glass, which has refined Roman cuisine and an impressive Italian wine list in an innovative space on three floors (58 Vicolo del Cinque; 06-5833-5903; entrées, $16-$32).
Café Friends, near the Pantheon, is a popular meeting spot among those setting out for the night (60 Via della Scrofa; 06-686-1416). Fluid, a cocktail and wine bar near the Piazza Navona, has a virtual waterfall and stools that look like oversized ice cubes. The drinks are great, but pass on the tired hors d'oeuvres (46/47 Via del Governo Vecchio; 06-683-2361).
Shopping
Tad Concept Store brings together design from all over the world in an eclectic space that includes a café and a hair salon (155 Via del Babuino; 06-3269-5131). On the same street, Fabriano, which has been making paper since the 13th century, has some delightful gift ideas (173 Via del Babuino; 06-3260-0361). Exquisite taste is the common denominator at Materie, where the one-of-a-kind accessories, jewelry, and objects by skilled artisans are done using unusual materials (73 Via del Gesú; 06-679-3199). Thé Verde has clothing and accessories from Asia on one side, a hundred types of tea and delicacies on the other, and a courtyard tea room in the middle (46 Via Bocca di Leone; 06-6992-3705). Alternative offers just that, with its clothing collections from emerging young designers (5 Piazza Mattei; 06-6830-9505).
Reading
The classic guide to the treasures hidden in every corner of Rome is Georgina Masson's Companion Guide to Rome, recently revised by John Fort (Companion Guides, $20). But it does not include the contemporary side of the city. For that, head to a Roman bookshop to pick up a copy of Design Roma, in Italian and English, which lists the best contemporary shops, restaurants, and entertainment and exhibition spaces. Published at the end of 2004, the book is an outgrowth of research by industrial design graduate students at the University of Rome (Gangemi Editore, $20). One of the most up-to-date Web sites on the city to have an English-language version is www.romecity.it. For maps and routes, go to www.atac.roma.it and click on the English icon.