Anywhere you go in Rome, you're walking on a buried, ancient world. Beneath your feet lie the remnants of the city that ruled an empire: temples and streets, villas and churches, monuments and tombs. And while we've all heard of the catacombs, there are many, many other underground sights in the city that are every bit as fascinating. If not more so.
I wrote about seven of my favorite hidden, yet accessible places for an underground Rome fix for the Globe and Mail, online here.
(Update,December 2014: After I wrote that piece, one of the coolest, and longest-awaited, underground sites in Rome opened: the Domus Aurea, or Nero's Golden House. Find out more about the Domus Aurea, and how to get there, here!).
This month, New York Magazine is taking a little trip to Italy, with stories every day on the trials, tribulations, myths and magic of la bella vita. I’m excited to be contributing ten (count ’em… ten!) different pieces throughout the month. I’ll be updating this post with the links as they publish. Enjoy!
Naples: Less garbage, just as much to love. Not everyone falls in love with Naples, a city almost as maligned in Italy as it is abroad. I did. Here’s why (and why it might deserve a stop on your next Italy trip).
Why won’t Italians have cappuccino after dinner? Plus: can colpo d’aria (a hit of air) really give you a neck pain? And does a digestivo really help you digest? I talk to doctors to get to the truth behind eight rules that many Italians insist you follow — because otherwise, you might getsickandDIE.
Want real Italian food? Skip these seven dishes. From spaghetti and meatballs to fra diavolo, some of the plates most beloved by Little Italy neighborhoods across America are all but impossible to find in the motherland. Here’s why, and what to order instead.
I love sharing Rome’s hidden gems (and views) with others — so I was thrilled to do this slideshow for BBC Travel on Rome, behind the lens. Check it out to see some of Rome’s most stunning, least-known sights… and perhaps to get some ideas for your next trip to the Eternal City!
By the time June rolls around, I’m dreaming of escaping to an Italian island near Rome. Luckily, the capital’s proximity to the sea means you don’t need to set aside a whole week to enjoy some idyllic island time. Even a weekend will do.
When I’m craving beautiful scenery, super-fresh fish, laid-back hamlets and those sparkling Mediterranean shores, but only have 48 hours to spend (or less!), these are the islands I go to.
I’d wile away my whole day on this dock in Ponza, too, if I could…
It’s a big claim when it comes to the Mediterranean, which is (let’s be honest) embarrassingly #blessedwith stunning little spots, but I’m going to put it out there: these are some of the best islands not only near Rome, but some of the best Italian islands around, period.
The best island near Rome for… going where the locals go: Ponza
It’s hard to dream of a prettier place than the harbor of Ponza at twilight…
I can’t believe I’ve gotten into year five of this blog without having published a word about Ponza. For shame! When it comes to Mediterranean islands, and especially islands near Rome, it’s easily one of Italy’s best-kept secrets… from international tourists, that is.
Romans, on the other hand, know Ponza well. In fact, the well-heeled have been visiting the island for more than 2,000 years, drawn by its lush, volcanic greenery, striking cliffs and, of course, bright-blue sea. (Fun fact: Ponza gets its name from a local legend which holds that Pontius Pilate’s own family had a villa here).
Today, Ponza (also shown at top) is scattered with a handful of small, pastel villages. The main port town crowds with Italians fresh off the ferries in July and August. (It’s much quieter even in June, and when I went once in October, there was hardly anyone there at all — even though the temperature remained balmy enough for a swim).
Circe’s cave at the island of Ponza (Also: Look. At. That. Water)
Although its villages are lovely, Ponza’s main attraction is, of course, the natural scenery. Don’t miss the Chaia di Luna (above), a crescent of cliffs plunging into the sea where Circe, the sorceress, was said to have seduced Odysseus. In-the-know-Italians also flock to Spiaggia di Frontone, which you take a ferry to from Porto, and stay until the evening, hanging out at the laid-back bars and beach clubs.
You can never go wrong with renting a boat to see Ponza… or any of the other islands on this list
Renting a car or scooter is, as with all three of these islands, suggested — but for Ponza, especially, it’s also worth renting a small outboard boat, which you can do right at the harbor, to toodle around. It’s the best way to get to those out-of-the-way coves and beaches that make the island so special.
Getting there: Take the train from Rome to Formia-Gaeta (one hour, €16.50 or 1.5 hours, €8.20), or to Anzio (one hour and €3.60). From Formia, Laziomar runs ferries to Ponza (80 minutes, €25.50 or 2.5 hours, €16.70); from Anzio, Vetor offers ferries to Ponza (70 minutes, €25 to €48).
The best island near Rome for… sightseeing (including a castle): Ischia
The view of beautiful Ischia from its equally beautiful castle
Capri isn’t the only island off Naples and the Amalfi coast. Ischia, its neighbor, is actually the largest island in the bay — plus is cheaper, less touristic and every bit as beautiful.
I’ve written about Ischia at length before, both in this post and in this story last year for the Globe and Mail, so I won’t repeat it all here. But let’s put it this way: Ischia has a ridiculously picturesque castle (that just happens to date back to the time of the ancient Greeks), tons of little villages and coves to explore, and some of the best sfogliatelle around. And it makes not only a fantastic quick trip from Rome, but a great day trip from the Amalfi coast or Naples, too.
Yes, you could definitely come to Ischia and just flop down on the beach. But with so much to see, you’d kind of be missing the point.
A medieval castle gives an Italian island serious bonus points, amiright?
Getting there: Take the train from Rome to Naples (the fastest is 70 minutes, €43; cheapest is 2 hours, €19). From there, grab a bus or taxi to the port (10 minutes; a taxi costs €11) and one of a number of ferries, run by lines including Medmar, Caremar, Alilauro and Snav, on to Ischia. The fastest from the main port takes 45 minutes and costs about €28 each way.
The best island near Rome for… an idyllic day trip: Procida
How insane are these colors?
This picturesque little island is another of Capri’s lesser-known neighbors. It also measures just 1.5 square miles — leaving so little room for tourism buildup, both hotels and tourist crowds are pretty nonexistent.
That, of course, is part of Procida’s charm. Old men gather in the piazzas to gossip and smoke, fishermen repair their nets on the docks and centuries-old traditions endure — like the Good Friday procession of the Misteri, which parades life-sized, handmade floats through the town.
The perfect place to just relax
Aside from the seaside life and spectacular scenery (this is where Il Postino was filmed), the island has a sense of magic to it I haven’t experienced anywhere else, a kind of Neapolitan mysteriousness that’s been transferred (and preserved) offshore. One local legend has it that, when Procida was besieged (hardly for the first time) by pirates on 8 May 1535, locals called on St Michael the archangel for help. He showed up, sword in hand, and the pirates fled, another anniversary that’s celebrated with a procession each year.
For more about Procida, and more shots of this stunning off-the-beaten-path island, check out my slideshow for the BBC.
Procida’s size makes it more walkable than the other islands, so you don’t have to rent a scooter or car. But getting to some of the farther-flung beaches on the island can still be a bit of a hike (it’s a 2-mile walk from the town to the lovely, if crowded on summer weekends, Lido di Procida beach, for example); we found ourselves occasionally taking cabs, which were relatively cheap (but you will have to have some way to call them).
As an aside, the island’s manageable size and proximity to Naples makes it not only a great weekend escape, but a doable day or half-day trip from Naples or the Amalfi coast.
One of the parts of Procida where Il Postino was filmed
Getting there: For the most part, the ferries that run to Ischia stop, first, at Procida. So it’s the same procedure as above: Take the train from Rome to Naples (the fastest is 70 minutes, €43; cheapest is 2 hours, €19). From there, grab a bus or taxi to the port (10 minutes; a taxi costs €11) and one of a number of ferries, run by lines including Medmar, Caremar, Alilauro and Snav, on to Procida. The hydrofoil takes just 40 minutes and costs about €15 each way.
If you liked this post, you’ll love The Revealed Rome Handbook: Tips and Tricks for Exploring the Eternal City, available for purchase on Amazon or through my site here! I’m also free for one-on-one consulting sessions to help plan your Italy trip.
It’s spring, and you know what that means: gelato! Scoop up April’s issue of National Geographic Traveler for my piece on where to find Rome’s best. (Pun intended). I’ll also post a link here when the story goes live online. In the meantime, here’s a hint.
Yes, you can have pancakes like this in Rome… without making them yourself.
Sometimes, you don’t just want brunch in Rome. You want American brunch in Rome. You know. Pancakes. Eggs. Bagels. Filter coffee.
That can be pretty tough.
Finding brunch in Rome isn’t the part that’s hard. Like cupcakes and cocktails, brunch is what all the cool kids in Rome are doing (or consuming) these days.
And, like cupcakes and cocktails, even though some of the cool factor of brunch stems from it being a US import, it’s often not quuuuite done American-style. In fact, most Italian brunches offer up a spread that just like a noon-time aperitivo, with pastas, salads, meats, and cheeses. (And maybe some couscous or farro, if we’re getting really fancy).
But when you’re homesick hungry for American brunch, that just won’t do. Here are three places to head to instead: my three favorite spots for American brunch in Rome.
What’s living in Italy really like? Here are some of the ways you’ll know when you’ve lived here for a while—and that Rome has changed you (…for better or for worse!).
1. You walk into oncoming traffic without blinking. And you’re impatient with others who don’t do the same.
2. You know that living in the “Ghetto” isn’t dangerous or cheap. It’s luxurious. And expensive.
The “Ghetto.”
3. You set aside whole afternoons for tasks you used to think of as simple, like mailing a package or getting passport photos taken. (Every once in a while, these tasks take 15 minutes or less. When that happens, you’re so astonished, you waste the next two hours by calling your friends to tell them about it, anyway).
4. Foods you used to find normal, like chicken with pasta or carbonara with peas and cream, now turn your stomach.
This, my friends, is what a carbonara should look like.
5. You don’t go outside with a wet head—not because you really think you’ll get the colpo d’aria (and die!),but because you can’t stand the looks from everyone around you who does think you will.
The Matterhorn, partly in Switzerland… and partly in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta
After living for two months in the Valle d’Aosta, I fell completely in love with Italy’s smallest, snowy, Alps-ridden region. Find out why in my story for Canada’s Globe and Mail.
Just one example of the innovative cuisine you can find in Rome these days, if you know where to go: A tarragon and hazelnut risotto, covered in edible mushroom paper, at Metamorfosi (photo courtesy of the restaurant)
These days, Rome’s food scene goes beyond the traditional mom-and-pop trattorias. (That hasn’t always been the case). In a new piece on Rome for foodies for New York Magazine, I track down the best activities, restaurants, and accommodation for foodies, from hotels that house Michelin-starred restaurants to Rome’s best spots for artisanal beers. Buon appetito!
I’ve written about the best gelato in Rome before. Last summer, I did a roundup of six of my favorite gelato shops in Rome. And three years ago, I “outed” my very favorite gelateria, I Caruso.
But you know what? Things change. (Even in Rome!). And for 2014, it’s time for an update.
For one thing, I Caruso is no longer a hidden gem. (I’ll take some of the blame for that). And on a recent visit, I found its gelato, while still good—and way better than the fake junk you’d get at most of Rome’s other gelaterias—not quite as flavorful as I remembered.
Meanwhile? Just up the street and around the corner, another gelateria, opened two years ago by a former I Caruso employee, blows I Caruso out of the water. At least if you prefer your gelato rich and decadent. Like I do. (Hey, go big or go home, right?).
Too many flavors to choose from. Just means a few more visits will be necessary.
I had high expectations for Come il Latte, since none other than gelato god renowned gelato master Claudio Torcé recommended it to me.
With one bite, I knew: Expectations exceeded.
As you might guess from the gelateria’s name (“Like Milk”), their gelato comes creamy. Really creamy. That’s because fresh cream makes up 40 to 70 percent of each gelato.
