Heading to Rome 🇮🇹? We invite you to visit one of the Italian capital’s trendiest — and oldest — neighborhoods, Monti. Journalist & resident Erica Firpo (@ericafirpo) shares the below destination guide.
TO STAY:
Palazzo Manfredi
A bit of Gatsby in Rome in a 17th-century villa, the gorgeous boutique Palazzo Manfredi wakes you up to an unobstructed front-row view on the Colosseum.
TO EAT/DRINK:
Trattoria da Danilo
Craving Carbonara? Da Danila is a bit of a time warp, a yesteryear rustic trattoria that serves up the pantheon of Roman favorites cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and carbonara, among other dishes.
Drink Kong Bar
Drink Kong is legendary bartender Patrick Pistolesi’s baby, and he’s raised it well. Kong ranks 19th by 50 Best for Pistolesi’s incredible cocktails. Its design: a neo-noir labyrinth lounge that pays homage to Blade Runner and Philip K Dick’s future, with its hidden wood-paneled Japanese-inspired room and a brunch + aperitivi menu that includes baos, dumplings, yakitori skewers plus lobster rolls.
TO VISIT:
Contemporary Cluster
Located in the gorgeous Palazzo Brancaccio, Contemporary Cluster is a living space, art gallery, and design center where you can crash out on art mags in the library, catch an exhibition, or plan out your next apartment. The top floor serves as a unique gallery-design boutique, where you can find vintage Italian pieces. The ground floor features video installations and temporary exhibits.
Parco Colosseo
Get outside. There is nothing more epic than watching the sunset at the Collio Oppio Skate Park, Rome’s newest skate park, where rad moves are set to the backdrop of the even more epic Colosseum, the world’s greatest arena.
Domus Aurea
For history lovers, a walk under the Colle Oppio is just as amazing as enjoying today’s ground level. Under the park are the remains of the 1st century AD Domus Aurea, the lavish golden palace of Nero, Ancient Rome’s most infamous emperor. By reservation only, the visit is an underground archaeological adventure that winds you through Roman imperial history and architecture and immerses you in the 1st century with LED projections.
