DAY ONE: STAY: DONNA CAMILLA SAVELLI We’re not sure it gets better than sleeping in a Borrominidesigned former convent in Trastevere. Minimalists might want to check in elsewhere, but if early Baroque splendor – heavy walnut furniture, dark coffered ceilings, polished terracotta floors – is your thing, book one of its 78 rooms, some with views up to the Villa Aurelia. In the morning, you can enjoy your coffee in the hushed courtyard, planted with herbs and rosebushes. EAT: GELATERIA DEL TEATRO Hidden among the antiques and furniture dealers on a tiny side street off the Via dei Coronari, Gelateria Del Teatro is of very modest dimensions for a place that packs such a delicious punch: the owner used to be a pastry chef, and favors pistachios and walnuts from Sicily, lemons from Amalfi, and creative deployment of unexpected ingredients (sage; thyme; wine grapes). PLAY: GALLERIA DORIA PAMPHILJ The Galleria Doria Pamphilj is a near-overdose art high: packed densely with 17th-century Flemish, Italian, English and Spanish masters (Velazquez’s famous portrait of Innocent X – yes, he was a Doria-Pamphilij – hangs here), it also gives you a window into how the palazzo’d half lives: the private apartments, in which the family still resides, are open to the public on certain days of the week. No other monument in Rome marries the ancient with the contemporary as aptly, and beautifully, as does the Ara Pacis. The altar to peace, built by Caesar Augustus in 13 BC, has since 2006 AD been encased – or showcased, really – in a masterpiece of steel, glass, and marble designed by Richard Meier. It hosts rotating photography and painting exhibitions as well. EAT: ARMANDO AL PANTHEON Armando al Pantheon, a stone’s throw from the monument of the same name, recently had a makeover, bringing its more than 50-year-old interiors up to speed with the 21st century. Their new sleekness might have rankled a few oldtimers, but the Roman standards the Gargioli family turns out (think artichokes, chicory, oxtail and suckling pig, in various delectable permutations) still impress with their consistent excellence. DRINK: NO.AU Even in Rome, sometimes a late-night beer – especially if it’s a craft brew from Baladin founder and Eataly superstar Teo Musso – can hit the spot. At No.Au, hidden away behind the Piazza Navona, they also specialize in potato chips: hand-cut and fried on site, salty and transportingly delicious. (There are great small-production wines by the glass, and a few other snacks on the menu, too. But those chips; we’re telling you. Heaven.) Amazing Destinations 113
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