Gelato in Rome
Credit: maroznc/Getty
LUNCH – Nearby backstreet Via Marguta that runs towards
Piazza del Popolo was another Roman Holiday filming location
and a great spot to break for lunch. Check out the newly-opened
Assaggia Roma, an innovative Roman-style tapas joint that offers
lunchtime tasting menus, including a delicious raw menu option,
replete with carpaccio and tartare.
MUSEUM – It’s a short motor or tram ride from Piazza del Popolo
up Via Flaminia to MAXXI, Rome’s most engrossing contemporary
art museum. Designed by Zaha Hadid, MAXXI confirms Rome’s
modern structures can stand shoulder to shoulder with their
ancient counterparts; a showcase of Italian and international art
and architecture, it’s the space itself as much as the exhibitions
that lures visitors to the museum, with exhibitions by Italian
Magnum photographer Paolo Pellegrin, among others.
DINNER – Food is more than just serious business in Italy; it’s religion,
and every region claims its own momentous cuisine. Roman food
doesn’t get much better than at La Matricianella, a stalwart restaurant
on Via del Leone that has been feeding and delighting Romans since
1957. Book ahead and squeeze into this intimate space for old-school
waiter service, white tablecloths, and an encyclopedic wine list.
Menu highlights include the Roman-style gnocchi, deep-fried zucchini
flowers, and the lamb, any which way you like it.
GELATO – Gelato is a treat permissible any time of the day in Rome,
but it’s particularly well-suited for an after-dinner stroll. A new branch
of Gracchi, one of the city’s most lauded gelaterias, recently opened
just off Piazza Navona. Grab a gelato here (the sorbets are also
delectable) and head to the square for people-watching against a
background of classic Roman architecture and Bernini’s famous and
photogenic Fountain of the Four Rivers.
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