One of Rome's old residential neighbourhoods, Monti retains a bohemian
edge and is a great spot for an alfresco coffee, to savour the local
street food, and shop for alternative fashion
Monti is central Rome's secret urban village. Tourists dutifully tick off the Colosseum, the Quirinal hill, the imposing Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, but tend to ignore what lies between them, assuming "there's nothing to see" – and so missing out on one of the city's most charming old residential neighbourhoods.
Once this was the Suburra – a crowded inner-city district nestled right up against the Empire's centre of power, and eventually divided from it by a long wall, designed to protect the Forum from the regular fires that would break out in a district colonised by craftsmen, chancers and sex workers. Today its ochre-washed houses on cobblestone lanes are prime real estate, inhabited by architects, trust-fund screenwriters and other well-heeled creative types. But despite the gentrification, Monti retains a bohemian edge, and has become one of Rome's most rewarding areas for alternative fashion, gourmet street food and alfresco cafe culture.
Begin the day with a cappuccino, either in one of several cafes (like The Full Monti at Via dei Serpenti 163 – a name that was just waiting to happen) that surround the area's central hub, Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, where dog walkers congregate and flirt with each other around the plain Renaissance-era fountain, or saunter over to La Casetta (62 Via della Madonna dei Monti, closed Tuesday). This ivy-covered charmer has to be one of the most photographed houses in Monti; it's also one of the oldest, dating back at least to the mid-15th century. On the ground floor, Monti veteran Domenico de Donno opened a light, bright, good-value cafe-bistro in September 2013: alongside Anglo-American favourites like scones and brownies you'll find local offerings such as latte di mandorla, a sweet Sicilian almond-based beverage.
Head on down Via della Madonna dei Monti, once the district's main drag, towards Dall'Antò at no 16, a radical bakery dedicated to the rediscovery of heirloom wheats and cucina povera (peasant cooking) flatbreads. Organic Italian flours go into the chickpea-flour farinata and chestnut-flour crepes that are wolfed down by Monti's snackers. You can also buy artisanal breads from Sardinia, Puglia and elsewhere to take away.
The steep lane that marks the western edge of Monti – it begins life as Via Tor de' Conti, then becomes Salita del Grillo – is one of Rome's most characteristic. As you climb, check out the views of the Forum to your left. In Piazza del Grillo, halfway up, pan around to take in Rome's glorious layer-caked history: in one sweep you get a baroque palazzo incorporating a medieval tower and a Renaissance house belonging to the Knights of Malta, plonked on top of a ninth-century abbey that itself was built into the ruins of the 1st-century BC Forum of Augustus.
Pretty Via del Boschetto is fast becoming the epicentre of the city's alternative fashion scene. One of the pioneers, who started way back in 1989, is Le Gallinelle at no 22, the unfussy but stylish line of Roman designer Wilma Silvestri, which recently moved from its original Via del Boschetto butchers' shop premises to a larger, stripped-back boutique just around the corner in Via Panisperna. Also on Via del Boschetto, check out cult-label fashion store Mikiway at no 40 and, at 1d, the loose-cut creations of Danish designer Tina Sondergaard, who also owns the Colpo di Tacco shoes and accessories store a few doors down at number 15a.
Lunch is never a problem in an area that is fast becoming a new foodie hub. Try Aromaticus (Via Urbana 134), a delightful cross between urban gardening shop (potted herbs, pricey zinc watering cans) and daytime cafe, which serves healthy single-dish meals such as chickpea soup with guanciale (a bit like bacon) and sun-dried tomatoes alongside a good range of organic wines and freshly pressed juices. Or head for L'Asino d'Oro (Via del Boschetto, 73), fiefdom of gruff, Umbrian chef Lucio Sforza, who offers what must be the best-value sit-down lunch in town: three gourmet tasters of rootsy Italian cuisine, plus a glass of wine, all for €13.
In 2007 one of Rome's architectural ugly ducklings, the 19-century Palazzo delle Esposizioni, a huge cultural centre, emerged from five years of restoration work looking externally still its bombastic neo-classical self, but with luminous new spaces inside, a rooftop restaurant and, most importantly, the remit and resources to stage some worthwhile middlebrow exhibitions – such as the one on Pasolini's Rome that runs until 20 July. For blockbuster shows to match those staged by London's Royal Academy or the Guggenheim in New York, you'll need to head a couple of blocks west to the Palazzo's classy sister venue, Scuderie del Quirinale, which has recently tussled with such greats as Titian, Vermeer and the Emperor Augustus.
With aperitivo time approaching, you're spoiled for choice as Piazza della Madonna dei Monti is one big open-air bar these days. If it's authenticity you're after, head for Ai Tre Scalini at Via Panisperna 251, a bottiglieria that has changed little since it opened in 1895. Regulars spill out of the ivy-draped doorway and chat over glasses of Italian craft beer or new-style Frascati wine.
The Monti movida has taken off in the past few years, with a raft of gastronomic and nightlife openings. Among those most likely to stick is multi-tasking cafe, cocktail bar and restaurant Urbana 47 (Via Urbana 47), which marries commitment to Italy's new "fresh, organic, zero-kilometres" food mantra with very cool, vintage-chic interior design in a warren of rooms. One room is a small cinema –regular screenings are organised with film-matched food and wine pairings. They segue from breakfast through to nightcaps here with panache, but the place is buzziest around dinner time, when you can tuck into dishes such as ricotta-and-herb-stuffed ravioli on broad-bean purée with toasted hazelnuts. With a decent bottle of wine (and they have quite a few), expect to pay around €40 a head for two courses and a shared dessert.
In April 2014, dinky little Hotel Nerva (doubles from €90 B&B), just across the road from the Forum of Augustus, emerged from a rolling renovation that gave its 19 bedrooms the charm and style to match the friendly service and five-star location. Families will love the two communicating ground floor rooms, which open on to a little private courtyard. Another option is Upstairs from La Casetta ( from €120 a night) – our breakfast stop – a single apartment done out in stylishly minimal mode. Book it while you can, as the owner's long-term dream is to extend the cafe up here.
Monti is central Rome's secret urban village. Tourists dutifully tick off the Colosseum, the Quirinal hill, the imposing Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, but tend to ignore what lies between them, assuming "there's nothing to see" – and so missing out on one of the city's most charming old residential neighbourhoods.
Once this was the Suburra – a crowded inner-city district nestled right up against the Empire's centre of power, and eventually divided from it by a long wall, designed to protect the Forum from the regular fires that would break out in a district colonised by craftsmen, chancers and sex workers. Today its ochre-washed houses on cobblestone lanes are prime real estate, inhabited by architects, trust-fund screenwriters and other well-heeled creative types. But despite the gentrification, Monti retains a bohemian edge, and has become one of Rome's most rewarding areas for alternative fashion, gourmet street food and alfresco cafe culture.
Begin the day with a cappuccino, either in one of several cafes (like The Full Monti at Via dei Serpenti 163 – a name that was just waiting to happen) that surround the area's central hub, Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, where dog walkers congregate and flirt with each other around the plain Renaissance-era fountain, or saunter over to La Casetta (62 Via della Madonna dei Monti, closed Tuesday). This ivy-covered charmer has to be one of the most photographed houses in Monti; it's also one of the oldest, dating back at least to the mid-15th century. On the ground floor, Monti veteran Domenico de Donno opened a light, bright, good-value cafe-bistro in September 2013: alongside Anglo-American favourites like scones and brownies you'll find local offerings such as latte di mandorla, a sweet Sicilian almond-based beverage.
Head on down Via della Madonna dei Monti, once the district's main drag, towards Dall'Antò at no 16, a radical bakery dedicated to the rediscovery of heirloom wheats and cucina povera (peasant cooking) flatbreads. Organic Italian flours go into the chickpea-flour farinata and chestnut-flour crepes that are wolfed down by Monti's snackers. You can also buy artisanal breads from Sardinia, Puglia and elsewhere to take away.
The steep lane that marks the western edge of Monti – it begins life as Via Tor de' Conti, then becomes Salita del Grillo – is one of Rome's most characteristic. As you climb, check out the views of the Forum to your left. In Piazza del Grillo, halfway up, pan around to take in Rome's glorious layer-caked history: in one sweep you get a baroque palazzo incorporating a medieval tower and a Renaissance house belonging to the Knights of Malta, plonked on top of a ninth-century abbey that itself was built into the ruins of the 1st-century BC Forum of Augustus.
Pretty Via del Boschetto is fast becoming the epicentre of the city's alternative fashion scene. One of the pioneers, who started way back in 1989, is Le Gallinelle at no 22, the unfussy but stylish line of Roman designer Wilma Silvestri, which recently moved from its original Via del Boschetto butchers' shop premises to a larger, stripped-back boutique just around the corner in Via Panisperna. Also on Via del Boschetto, check out cult-label fashion store Mikiway at no 40 and, at 1d, the loose-cut creations of Danish designer Tina Sondergaard, who also owns the Colpo di Tacco shoes and accessories store a few doors down at number 15a.
Lunch is never a problem in an area that is fast becoming a new foodie hub. Try Aromaticus (Via Urbana 134), a delightful cross between urban gardening shop (potted herbs, pricey zinc watering cans) and daytime cafe, which serves healthy single-dish meals such as chickpea soup with guanciale (a bit like bacon) and sun-dried tomatoes alongside a good range of organic wines and freshly pressed juices. Or head for L'Asino d'Oro (Via del Boschetto, 73), fiefdom of gruff, Umbrian chef Lucio Sforza, who offers what must be the best-value sit-down lunch in town: three gourmet tasters of rootsy Italian cuisine, plus a glass of wine, all for €13.
In 2007 one of Rome's architectural ugly ducklings, the 19-century Palazzo delle Esposizioni, a huge cultural centre, emerged from five years of restoration work looking externally still its bombastic neo-classical self, but with luminous new spaces inside, a rooftop restaurant and, most importantly, the remit and resources to stage some worthwhile middlebrow exhibitions – such as the one on Pasolini's Rome that runs until 20 July. For blockbuster shows to match those staged by London's Royal Academy or the Guggenheim in New York, you'll need to head a couple of blocks west to the Palazzo's classy sister venue, Scuderie del Quirinale, which has recently tussled with such greats as Titian, Vermeer and the Emperor Augustus.
With aperitivo time approaching, you're spoiled for choice as Piazza della Madonna dei Monti is one big open-air bar these days. If it's authenticity you're after, head for Ai Tre Scalini at Via Panisperna 251, a bottiglieria that has changed little since it opened in 1895. Regulars spill out of the ivy-draped doorway and chat over glasses of Italian craft beer or new-style Frascati wine.
The Monti movida has taken off in the past few years, with a raft of gastronomic and nightlife openings. Among those most likely to stick is multi-tasking cafe, cocktail bar and restaurant Urbana 47 (Via Urbana 47), which marries commitment to Italy's new "fresh, organic, zero-kilometres" food mantra with very cool, vintage-chic interior design in a warren of rooms. One room is a small cinema –regular screenings are organised with film-matched food and wine pairings. They segue from breakfast through to nightcaps here with panache, but the place is buzziest around dinner time, when you can tuck into dishes such as ricotta-and-herb-stuffed ravioli on broad-bean purée with toasted hazelnuts. With a decent bottle of wine (and they have quite a few), expect to pay around €40 a head for two courses and a shared dessert.
In April 2014, dinky little Hotel Nerva (doubles from €90 B&B), just across the road from the Forum of Augustus, emerged from a rolling renovation that gave its 19 bedrooms the charm and style to match the friendly service and five-star location. Families will love the two communicating ground floor rooms, which open on to a little private courtyard. Another option is Upstairs from La Casetta ( from €120 a night) – our breakfast stop – a single apartment done out in stylishly minimal mode. Book it while you can, as the owner's long-term dream is to extend the cafe up here.
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