Rome Beyond Colosseum

Rome was love at the first sight for us. Its overwhelming beauty, rich history, friendly locals and vivid life have never failed to woo us. There is so much to see and experience in Rome while always seems so little time. Truth to be told, we will never get tired of Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Pantheon…(how could you?)

But over the years, we have also discovered a Rome that is not so obvious and checklist-like. It is a city that is not only for tourists, but also a city with neighbourhoods where people live and work.

Monti is one of these neighbourhoods. It is just north of the Forum and Colosseum and is tiny. Monti is not a tourist hotspot (yet, fortunately) which makes it more Roman: a working-class neighborhood in the heart of the historic center, in the process of getting gentrified. The gentrification is visible in many artsy bookstores, design studios, vintage clothing shops and galleries in the area; most of them opened since our last visit in 2013.

Although we have always loved Rome, Monti was the place making us want to live in Rome. It is in the middle of all the famous monuments and sights, but has managed to also have parks, food markets, cafes, restaurants, wine bars, and small shops. Monti’s gently sloping cobblestone alleys lead to neighbourhood piazzas, where the everyday life takes place, children playing football, elderlies chatting with each other, and teenagers showing their young love.

The shops in Monti are not big name stores, such as Prada and Gucci, but rather independent boutiques and artisanal shops. Tina Sondergaard is a fashion boutique where the pieces are of original designs and are not sold anywhere else. LOL Moda Arte Design, my favorite, is a trendy concept store located just below the charming Piazza degli Zingari. The majority of the pieces come from Italian brands, though there are also some Belgian, Dutch and French names within the racks. Everything in the store is color-coordinated, chic and effortlessly cool. 

There are many wine bars in Monti that are crowded by the locals, and usually with people spilling out into the street.  Ai Tre Scalini has been a popular neighborhood bar since 1895, serving wine and local specialty dishes. The atmosphere inside is warm and inviting, the wine list is impressive and the food is simple with reasonable prices. The place is always pleasantly crowded, and difficult to find a seat at peak time.

But we found our favorite, Fafiuche, by chance through our random walks along the narrow streets in Monti.  It is a remarkably intimate space to have a drink, or a quick dinner. On the shelves decorating the walls, there are impressive collections of wines and olive oils from different regions in Italy. Small plates are served buffet-style on the counter in the evenings before 9 pm. You can assemble a full plate of very good food for a mere €3. Very good deal, indeed! But the star of Fafiuche is the incredible wine list.  Our evening ended with a glass of the incredible 2015 Braida Bricco dell' Uccellone, Barbera d'Asti. This is not your table wine Barbera, for sure. Full bodied with aroma of black berry, ground pepper and fragrant of flowers. Although the wine is still young, the complexity already predicts a guaranteed exciting future.

Testaccio may not be Rome’s prettiest neighborhood, but there has been increasing interests from tourists and the locals alike for an authentic Roman experience after rushing from famous site to famous site. The neighbourhood still feels like a tightly knit, gossipy village rather than the center of a capital city. It is also a place where the traditional Roman cuisine can still be found and enjoyed.

In recent years, Testaccio has seen the effort of urbanization and gentrification. Mattatoio, once the biggest slaughter house in Europe, now houses a museum with temporary exhibitions, a small café and a bookstore.  At the time of our visit, there were two exhibitions and both were excellent.  Emerging Talents showcased the works of the emerging and talented photographers from all around the globe.  Talent Prize celebrated the works of the winner and the finalists, and of the special awards of a contemporary art competition for artists under 40.  The exhibitions were well curated, showcasing the explosive creativity and a strong sense of social consciousness of the young photographers and artists.

Next to Mattatoio is the main neighbourhood market Mercato Testaccio, which is built on top of an archeological site. The market is full of stalls selling from shoes, clothing, household goods, to meats, fish, cheese, fruits and vegetables. In the back of the market, there are stalls for takeout food, desserts and bars. At Mordi e Vai, a sandwich stall, we had the best slow cooked meat sandwiches. The bestselling sandwich on the menu is the braised beef, allesso di bollito, messy to eat but seriously delicious.  

There are many bars and restaurants in Testaccio, and we are glad that we picked Masto (Via Galvani 39, Tel: +39 06 9521 5816). Masto is a wine bar offering simple lunches and dinners, and also sells high quality products from all over Italy.  The service is very friendly and welcoming. We struck a conversation with the owner Emiliano over the chocolates from Modica on the shelf (one of the best chocolates we ever tasted), sharing our love for Sicily. Emiliano is so genuine and friendly that he gives us his email, offering us further tips and guides for Sicily via emails. 

Most of the restaurants in Testaccio are family-run and we have a couple of favorites through the years. The first time we went to Osteria degli Amici was five years ago, when Testaccio was not as hip as it is now and still a bit rough on the edges. We read about the restaurant and booked it way ahead of our trip. Unfortunately, on the day of our reservation, I had a bad flu and was so sick that I couldn’t taste anything, not even salt. What made it worse to me was that the table next to us was occupied by the well-known Italian food writer and chef Diane Seed. She is a Brit living in Rome with more than 40 years of experience with the Roman food scene. She was telling her dinner companion how great the food was and how rare it was to find great food as such in Rome.  All I could do was sitting in misery wishing I were eating and tasting the delicious food. Without a doubt, my husband enjoyed his meal tremendously that evening (also on my behalf).

Since then, I have been thinking about my next visit to Osteria degli Amici and I’m glad that this time I was in the perfect condition to do it justice. The restaurant is owned by two longtime friends Alessandro and Claudio. Alessandro is the chef in the kitchen, while Claudio manages the floor, serving tables, and taking reservations. The restaurant is charming and informal, and the cuisine is Roman classics with a modern twist.

We had the octopus salad and the eggplant rolls, a fried stuffed eggplant dish to start. Both were great, especially the eggplant rolls.  The eggplant rolls were fried to perfection; the cheese stuffed inside was light and flavorful; the batter was thin and crispy.

The pasta course followed was excellent. We ordered two: fettuccine with cocoa and oxtail sauce and pici alla gricia. The fettuccine with cocoa and oxtail sauce was very rich. The bitterness of cocoa worked perfectly with the meaty flavor of oxtail. Although pasta alla gricia is a Roman classic, pici alla gricia was kind of unusual for Roman restaurants. Pici is a thick and long type of pasta famous in Tuscany and not commonly seen in other parts of Italy.  The pasta was cooked with guanciale, or cured pork jowl, and Pecorino Romano.  Pecorino Romano, a hard, tangy cheese made from sheep’s milk cut perfectly through the unique and intensely porky flavor of Guanciale.

We only ordered one main course and a side dish to share: Saltimbocca alla Romana, veal cutlet with sage and prosciutto, a Roman classic. The side puntarella cooked with anchovies and lemon juice was fantastic. The puntarella was crunchy and anchovies were barely noticeable. What a great meal we had!

Contrary to our experience at Osteria degli Amici, our dinner at the over-hyped Felice a Testaccio was very disappointing. We have been going to the restaurant for the last ten years and had always been enjoyed our dinners until now. The menu was still very simple and the clientele is mostly tourists. We ordered the Roman staples as usual. The meatballs came and they were hot outside and cold inside. We had to send it back. The Roman style beef tripe (trippa alla romana) was chewy and the only taste of the dish is the tomato sauce, which is a sign of being undercooked. The puntarella was soggy and fishy (too much anchovies, and had been sitting too long). It is such a shame to see a once great restaurant overrun by tourists and has become just another bad restaurant in Rome for the tourists.

The bad taste left from Felice a Testaccio was cleansed at Taverna Volpetti.  The restaurant is owned by the same owner of the gourmet food store Volpetti next door. Volpetti sells an extensive selection of high quality salami, cheeses, preserved fish and vegetables, oils, vinegars, and wines.

It was natural then that our first course was the salumi platter, followed by the pasta dish cacio e pepe (spaghetti with cheese and black pepper), Cornish hen and artichoke salad. Although the meal was not exceptional, it was well prepared.

After our lunch, we passed by Pasticceria Barberini and couldn’t resist. The bakery has been a Testaccio institution since it first opened in 1925 and is definitely thriving. Barberini is the Italian pastry at its best and can rival the French tradition, without the French price tag and the French attitude. There are rows of beautiful macarons and tartlets, as well as Sacher torte, biscuits and eclairs. What a treat!

Where to stay

We believe that AirBnB is a far better choice than hotels in terms of location, space and cost.  In addition, most AirBnB hosts also have great recommendations of local bars, restaurants, shops and off the beaten path attractions. Some of our best meals were at the host recommended restaurants.

AirBnB makes it possible for us to stay in less touristy and more residential neighborhoods to observe the day to day life of the place we are visiting, and to emerge, however temporary it may be, into the local experience.

Where to shop

Bags and Fruits, Via dei Giubbonari, 106, 00186 Roma RM, Italy. The shop showcases the Artisanal handmade handbags and shoes for men and women, sourced from all over Italy. If you don’t want to wear or carry the same style shoes or bags as everyone else (like me), this place is for you.

Tina Sondergaard, Via del Boschetto, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy.

LOL Moda Arte Design, Via Urbana, 92, 00184 Roma RM, Italy.

 Where to drink

Ai Tre Scalini, Via Panisperna, 251, 00184 Roma RM, Italy.

Fafiuche, Via della Madonna dei Monti, 28, 00184 Roma RM, Italy.

Masto, Via Galvani 39/41, 00153 Roma RM, Italy.

Where to eat

Mercato Testaccio, Via Beniamino Franklin, 00118 Roma RM, Italy.

Osteria degli Amici, Via Nicola Zabaglia, 25, 00153 Roma RM, Italy.

Taverna Volpetti, Via Alessandro Volta, 8, 00153 Roma RM, Italy.

Pasticceria Barberini, Via Marmorata, 41, 00153 Roma RM, Italy.

Pizzeria da Remo, Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice, 44, 00153 Roma RM, Italy.