Rome. A very brief January escape...

Allow me say it out loud: I am NOT a winter person, I am all into warm climate and sunny days. With zero degrees in Venice and snow in many Veneto towns, Vittorio and I decided to treat ourselves to a very short break and head to Rome.

Of course, winter is winter and the capital city of Italy is no California, but despite the cloudy sky and the few drops of rain… there are 10 degrees more than in Venice and they feel good! We arrived just after the end of the Jubilee and, even though our sins will not be forgiven, we have been blessed with a super quiet and peaceful Rome, with very few tourists. We took things easy, 2025 was a very intense year for both of us and we need rest, sleep and good food to nourish our bodies and souls.

As you already know, there are so many monuments, museums and artworks to see… but as always, we preferred not to rush it and take our time. In fact, the first afternoon we simply walked in our neighborhood, ate dinner and relaxed on the couch!

But day two we headed towards the fabulous Palazzo Barberini to refresh our eyes and spirit. Right in the city centre, at the top of Via Quattro Fontane (where my mother once upon a time used to live), the former residence of the Barberini family is now a state museum and its collection is incredibly rich! If you decide to go, you may want to consider taking 2 to 3 hours or selecting the specific artworks to focus on.

The ground floor hosts ancient artworks, from the primitives to the 1400s. We walked around and loved The Annunciation by Filippo Lippi, a tempera on panel painting that caught our sight mostly for the soft and kind face of the Angel and his dark wings, which reminded us of a peacock.

Our attention, though, was drawn to the first floor, which hosts artworks from the 15 to the 1700s. We already knew what we wanted to see, like the portrait of Erasmus from Rotterdam by Massys, the stunning Fornarina by Raffaello, two portraits by Giorgione, Artemisia’s Allegory of Painting, Lorenzo Lotto and a Guido Reni.

But mostly… I was dying to see the Narciso by Caravaggio. Needless to say…magnificent.

I may seem banal, but Caravaggio is one of the artists I love the most, his works are able to make me emotional and I feel them. I embrace his realism and honesty to life as it is, his appreciation and celebration of real people, his deep passion. This painting in particular is important for me, for reasons I may discuss one day if I’ll ever feel ready to.

Anyways… once we left Palazzo Barberini, we went to Piazza Navona for lunch. We opted for Cul de Sac, a traditional and easy going restaurant that has been open since 1977, where Vito has been going for many many years and which was one of the first places we ate together when we first came to Rome back in 2008. Simple and honest Roman cuisine, a ver very interesting selection of wine and really nice staff. The food is good, we opted for coda alla vaccinara and their roast beef, preceded by a chicken liver pate and sautéed broccoli, but there are lots of options also for vegetarians.

As we were in Piazza Navona, we walked into the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone… with The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio and a Madonna with Child by Rubens, hosted until February 8th. An opportunity not to be missed!

We then went to the nearby bookshops Altroquando and Otherwise, where we both bought something to read! At Otherwise you will find mainly English (and some French) books and lots of cool illustrations and small artisan gadgets.

With our tummies feeling happy, we then just went for a walk to the touristy spots such as Piazza di Spagna and the Trevi fountain, window licked the fancy boutiques in Via Condotti and got some more food to cook at our apartment.

The following day, our last, we went south to visit Palazzo Corsini, which -just like Palazzo Pitti in Florence- left me disappointed due to the setup. It is very difficult to appreciate them properly and the lighting terrible. Anyway, I managed to see the allegories of the four elements by Rosalba Carriera (these ones), which made my day.

Our visit was short, so we just wandered in Trastevere. It rained a little bit, but all in all, we have been super lucky!

One of Vittorio’s Roman friends used to live in Trastevere in Vicolo della Renella and we would often stay at his place, but he moved to another area some years ago due to it having become too noisy and overly touristy. Coming from Venice, we understand what he means and it is undeniable that a lot of places feel (perhaps I should say, are) fake, but with this said… Trastevere remains beautiful and definitely worth going to! When there, take some time to visit the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, a little jewel where centuries of artistic techniques overlap!

Some old activities still remain and there are still lovely authentic bakeries (like Forno La Renella), cafeterias, bars (how can we not mention the bar San Calisto) and restaurants. For lunch we went to a cosy organic shop called Rumi Bottega Organica and we loved it. There is no table service, so it’s a great option if you love vegetables and want to enjoy some good food while remaining on a budget. The people are friendly, the produce from local farms and the dishes really flavorful. Honestly, I definitely recommend it!

Thank you for reading.
XXX

Nicoletta