Hello and welcome to Rome, my Rome! Here’s a sweet little guide to my neighborhood: Trieste Salario, the smallest neighborhood in Rome.
The Colosseum, Fori, Villa Borghese, Musei Vaticani, etc., are beautiful. Still, the real life, the authenticity of the people, the lifestyle, and customs are to be found here and in all the genuinely residential neighborhoods of Rome!
THE TRIESTE SALARIO NEIGHBOURHOOD: A REAL LIFE GUIDE
If you happen to be around Northern Rome, cut out a slice of your stay to wander around and enjoy life as a local!
Here, I’m listing my favorite places in the Salario Trieste neighborhood, the ones I’ve tried, over and over, and believe they’re worth a visit. I’ll keep updating it, so save it somewhere!
Every time you see an asterisk, it means it is a recognized historic shop!
Have a slice of “pizza al taglio” from the delicious Il Giardino Della Pizza. Viale Somalia, 94. Try the pizza with mozzarella and potatoes or Crostino (white pizza filled with mozzarella and Prosciutto Cotto).
Ask Roberto from “Il Territorio” wineshop (Via Felice Anerio, 11) to introduce you to the wine of the week: he’ll season his proposal with stories of vineyards, hard-working families, and one-of-a-kind soils.
Eli is our neighborhood bookshop (Viale Somalia, 50 A) with some of the greatest books the editorial world offers. But not just that: it’s a place where crafters are welcome to showcase their creations, where you can attend a creative writing course, one about the historic Roman families, or a flower composition one. Or you can simply sit for a while and breathe in culture!
Ask Fabio to compose a bouquet or choose from the few – but seasonal – flowers in his *Un Fiore Per Te shop (Via Luigi Mancinelli, corner of Viale Somalia). Flowers are therapeutic, and so is his smile!
Pay a visit to the *Paiano brothers’ “merceria”, haberdashery shop (Via Montebuono, 18/A). You might find the buttons that will revive that old jacket or shirt. Or a housedress. Or even the swimsuit of your dreams!
Replenish the kitchen of your b&b or the basket in your hotel room with healthy snacks: tangerines in the winter, plums in the summer, persimmons in the Fall, and strawberries in the Spring. In her greengrocer shop, Isabella (Viale Arrigo Boito, 43) and her always joyous helping boys (Mido speaks great English) will fill your basket and send you back with all the colors of Nature. She also offers fruit salads to go!
What if, one night, you want to stay home, rest, and eat something delicious? Or if, on a sunny day, you want to have a glorious picnic in the nearby Villa Ada? Take a little walk to La Contadina (Viale Somalia, 128): buy Mozzarella di Bufala, buffalo ricotta, and even buffalo butter. Ask the ladies behind the counter to add a big loaf of rustic Italian bread, stop at Isabella’s for a couple of tomatoes, and feast on your groceries!
You can also get your bread at the L’Antica Panetteria bakery
(Via di Villa Chigi, 56), and perhaps add a little Focaccia, pizzette, Rosette, or Ciriole (the two typical bread buns of Rome).
You could (should) also add dessert. If not gelato, when in Rome, what else? Lanzallotto (Viale Somalia, 96) will tempt you with the classics (Crema, Cioccolato, Banana, Fragola) and some seasonal extravaganzas.
If you are looking for something new and unique not only to the neighbor but to the whole peninsula, walk to La Casa del Cremolato (Via di Priscilla, 18) and try a Cremolato: a sort of icecream made of frozen and blended fruit made creamy by the venue’s secret formula. You’ll be spoiled by choice, and choosing a flavor will be tough!
If you are willing to walk a bit, an in another direction, head towards Viale Libia, pass it, and indulge in a tray of some of the best marron glace in town at *Artigiana Dolciumi CDS (Via di Santa Maria Goretti, 24).
For another itinerant menu, step into the pasta lab of L’Angolo Del Tortellino (Largo Somalia, 54) and order any of the showcased fresh pasta or their spectacular gnocchi.
Then, walk to *Petrucci’s deli (Via Luigi Mancinelli, 48) and ask for as many servings as you need – just tell them, and they’ll do the rest – of their pesto. And since you’re there, ask the always gentle and always well-dressed guys to slice you, at the moment, a bit of Prosciutto Crudo, Prosciutto Cotto, Gambuccio, or Mortadella. Or a mix for a mouthwatering aperitivo accompanied by a glass, or two, of wine. So yes, add a few olives, too!
If you are craving Sicilian food, take a walk to the Cannoleria Siciliana, in Corso Trieste, 100. It’s the closest to the real cannoli I’ve had in Rome.
Marinari (Corso Trieste, 95) is a historic pastry shop. They do anything seasonal, and they do it great. If you find it, don’t miss their Crostata with Nutella and white chocolate: it will be the most worthy sin of your life.
It has changed a bit, meaning it has become a franchising, but the quality still keeps up with our very high expectations. My husband’s favorite cake is the “millefoglie”, and Cavalletti (Via Nemorense, 179) is considered the authority on millefoglie.
Want, instead, to dress a bit up and dine out? Ask the guys at Mamma Angelina’s restaurant (Via Boito, 65) to feed you up. Don’t miss their Carbonara. It is in many, many gastronomic top fives!
The two villas that kind of frame the Salario Trieste neighborhood are Villa Ada, wild, vast, and beautiful (you’ll see me, almost every morning, walking, hugging trees, and having breakfast at the “Scoiattolo” bar inside the park), and Villa Torlonia, smaller, sophisticated, and full of things to see: the La Casina delle Civette, the Serra Moresca and the noble palaces.
Finally, for now, the Coppedè District is spectacular to walk around, especially at twilight: a triumph of spooky baroque and residential splendor.
That’s it, searchers of beauty and authenticity. Enjoy Rome in every possible way!
Claudia