City Guide: Exploring Rome with Italian-Australian writer Laura Roscioli
WORDS BY FASHION JOURNAL
When in Rome.
Here at Fashion Journal, we want to unearth the hidden spots in Australian cities that only the locals know about. There’s no gatekeeping here – this is a breakdown of the best bits of our cities. We want the underrated date spots, favourite restaurants, treasure trove op shops and the bars people will always want to go back to. We also want to sniff out the best spots people find overseas. This week, we’re discovering the streets of Rome with writer Laura Roscioli.
Laura is Italian-Australian, so has quite a connection to the city. “Rome was the first city in Italy I visited, back when I was 18 in 2014. I’ve been many times since and it always feels like home – a meeting ground amongst other regions, with a history so rich; it’s impossible to conquer in a short visit,” she says. Laura’s knowledge of the city has her swerving around the bustling summer streets and crowds, working around famous landmarks and mingling with the locals.
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“Despite being one of the most remarkable cities in Europe, it can also be pretty overwhelming, especially during summer. Tourists are swarming the streets, mopeds are zipping around honking their horns, tiny cars are waiting for nobody and there are too many famous landmarks to know where to begin.
“For me, it’s all about getting under the fabric of a city and beyond its surface-level tourist offerings. You’ve got to get into the culture of it all, the markets, the locally-loved restaurants and the historic sites with less pop-culture attention,” she shares. Below, she’s compiled her must-see places in Rome.
Eat
SantoPalato
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A more recent restaurant in Rome, SantoPalato, opened by chef Sarah Cicolini in 2017, brings traditional Jewish-Roman dishes to life in a minimalist, modern way. Think fried artichokes, spinach with lemon, pasta with fagoli (beans) and sage, and Italian natty wines to go with. So yum, so simple, so moreish.
Roscioli Restaurant and Deli
I might be biased because this infamous Roman restaurant is run by the Roscioli family (which is also my last name), but it’s truly one of the most delicious spots in the whole of Rome. The deli Antico Forno Roscioli is known for its thin-crust Roman-style pizzas, sold by the slice, as well as pastries, cured meats, bottles of wine… you name it. Dine in with a bottle and some snacks, or take something for the road.
The restaurant and salumi bar next door, Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina, is a lunch or dinner menu, specialising in some of Rome’s finest cacio e pepe and other classic pasta dishes. They somehow manage to do rich dishes in a light and effortless way, so your tastebuds are taken on a wild journey without rendering you too full to walk. Plus, it’s got a beautiful casual vibe despite being one of the most renowned restaurants in all of Rome.
If there are only two of you and it’s not right in peak season, you might be able to snag a walk-in reservation – I’d recommend going around 9pm. Otherwise, if you have a bit of planning time up your sleeve, try and book ahead so as to not miss out. You really won’t regret it.
Drink
Freni e Frizioni
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Freni e Frizoni is one of the best cocktail bars in Rome (and the world, coming 33 in The World’s 50 Best Bars), but not in a touristy way. In fact, you’ll probably not hear a single word of English inside. It’s full of young trendy slightly punk-rock Romans, which is always a good sign. They serve classics, like a Penicillin, Japanese Slipper, a classic Daiquiri and many others, plus their very own curated cocktail list.
The inside of the bar is very punk-meets-speakeasy (think chandeliers and velvet curtains), but casual in operation. You order at the bar and find a seat, or take your cocktail outside in their chaotic alfresco area by the river. Who doesn’t like an award-winning cocktail by the Tiber? Open from 6.30pm to 2am, Monday to Saturday.
Shop
Campagna Amica Market
Another food market that can’t be missed is the Campagna Amica Market (open Saturday and Sundays, 10.30am to 7pm). This is an indoor producer’s market, where you’ll find the freshest fruit and vegetables in the city, locally sourced from Lazio farmers and other regions surrounding Rome.
There’s also cheese, wine, cured meats, antipasto treats and basically anything your heart desires. You might even get offered a bunch of flowers from a florist who tells you you’re the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen (it made my day).
Piazza San Cosimato Market
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There are endless markets in Rome, but head to the right one and it will truly make your day. There’s Piazza San Cosimato Market (in Trastevere and open Monday to Saturday, 6am to 1.30pm), which is an outdoor food market.
If you want to feel like Anthony Bourdain getting inspiration for dinner by what’s in season and playing bargaining with the Italian growers, this spot’s for you. Maybe you just want to try some local ingredients, or you’re feeling like having a little cook-up in your Airbnb. Plus, it’s just necessary, like in every film set in Rome, to have a scene where you wander through an outdoor food market.
Fontanella Borghese Market
What’s a trip to a major European city, without a trip to a secondhand market? Rome has a few of these, but I have two favourites in particular. The Fontanella Borghese Market (Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 7pm) is brimming with bargain books (some in English, most in Italian), ancient drawings and prints. Think antique maps, vintage Campari-style posters, old magazines and even used cameras that still have the film inside. It’s a feast for the secondhand senses.
La Soffitta Sotto Portici Market
For all things clothes, jewellery, silk scarves, iconic brooches, antique lace, little espresso cups and other bric-a-brac things you didn’t know you needed, there’s La Soffitta Sotto Portici Market, located between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo. This market is busy but for good reason. It’s in one of the most historic parts of Rome and is truly a sight to behold.
Date
Trevi Fountain
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I’m not much of a major landmark kind of traveller, but when you’re in a major European city – especially one with as much history as Rome – it’s near impossible to avoid them. And to be honest, some of them are pretty spectacular, like Fontana di Trevi. Not only is this fountain aesthetically beautiful, but it was one of the original pure water sources of the city.
The structure was built in the 1700s and is supposed to make your dreams come true or present you with a dream Italian lover when you close your eyes and throw a coin into the water behind you. I mean, if you’re not curious to see if you’ll open your eyes to your very own Paolo, then I’m not sure what to say. It’s The Italian Dream, you’ve got to shoot your shot and take a pic while you’re at it.
Via Appia Antica
If you’re the kind of traveller, like me, who likes to go on a less-guided adventure, a walk down the Via Appia Antica is pretty breathtaking. It’s one of the world’s oldest roads, sitting just outside of Rome, running from Rome to Campania and Southern Italy.
Created in 312 BCE by the Censor Appius Claudius Caecus, it’s a beautiful cobblestone road that goes for hundreds of miles and is surrounded by typically picturesque European countryside. The crumbling ruins, statues, hotels and brothels are all laced with centuries of history.
The walk has a super romantic feel to it like you’ve stepped back into another era, scattered with green cypresses, citrus trees and pastures. Take a couple bottles of water, some aperitivo-style snacks and some wine, and have yourself a walk and a romantic picnic with friends or your lover, Italian or otherwise.
The perfect day
Hotel Locarno
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I’ve always had an obsession with fancy hotels – ever since I was a child reading Eloise at the Plaza – that has morphed itself into a tradition of taking myself to a fancy hotel bar in every city I visit. In Rome, my favourite is the bar at Hotel Locarno. Think courtyard bar from an Italian mob film.
Cast iron tables with cushioned chairs scattered around the centre of a courtyard, with parasols at each table, beautifully manicured wait staff with bow ties and vests tending to your every need, live piano music, fairy lights and cocktail drinkers in different shades of tailored linen.
Looking up into a tiered garden that is part of the hotel’s estate, you can wander with your drinks in the garden or simply sit and fan yourself among the historic site-turned-grand hotel. It’s a feeling of serenity, that nothing bad could happen to you inside its walls, that you’re finally here; you’re on holiday.
Positioned right near the Spanish Steps, on Via della Penna – the most bougie street in all of Rome, with every designer shop you could ever dream of – it’s the perfect pit-stop for an expensive drink and a break from the heat.
Mouth of Truth
The Mouth of Truth, or Bocca della Verità, is my other favourite landmark moment in Rome. It’s a bit of a historical landmark in my family, with my nonna and nonno doing it when they were kids, then taking my dad and his sisters, who later took us.
Medieval legend says that it will bite off the hand of anyone who is a liar, or who tells a lie while their hand is in its mouth. Even though it simply cannot be true, trust and believe your heart will be beating fast as you lower your hand into the marble mask. There’s just something about old-school legends that feel hard to argue with. Take your best friend or your boyfriend, for a bit of extra fun.
For more Rome recommendations, head here.
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