Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications
Join the cityās high society for a refined Roman brunch at Ciampini
While breakfast in Rome can be a brief exercise in personal space, vying for a cappuccino and pastry at the local bar, the Roman brunch is an altogether more leisurely lesson in style. The chic, family-owned CaffĆØ Ciampini holds court in a quiet square where any day of the week politicians and patricians, artists, activists and office workers enjoy light fare.
Although it is just off the Via del Corso, Romeās busiest street, the manicured Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina is a calm backwater. Here nattily dressed parents chat while well-pressed children run unboisterously, the fur-clad toy-dog set sip Prosecco, and hand-tailored gentlemen exchange political gossip and advice on grooming. You are more likely to overhear multilingual discussions about politics, literature and education than directions to the nearest monument.
CaffĆØ Ciampini has a satisfying brunch/light lunch menu of salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes. Of particular excellence is the club sandwich, a refined double-layer white-bread tramezzino with eggs and cornichons. In summer, enjoy the home-made iced tea and gelati, including the superb chocolate variety. From November to February, the hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream is ideal to ward off the cold. If it is raining or too chilly, head upstairs to CaffĆØ Ciampiniās rustic tea salon.
The best time for people-watching? Try lunch (around 1pm) or aperitivo hours (from 6pm).
Ciampini; Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina 29; tel: 06-687 6606; www.ciampini.net; MonāSat 7.30amā7.30pm; [map] D3
Examine Caesar Augustusā 1st-century BC altar in its 21st-century AD home at the Ara Pacis
Ming Tang-Evans/Apa Publications
One of Romeās most important monuments is the Ara Pacis, a 1st-century-BC āAltar of Peaceā, housed in Richard Meierās purpose-built glass-and-travertine museum. The altar, which was used for sacrifices, commemorates Caesar Augustus, Romeās first and most powerful emperor, who ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD, extending Pax Romana to its furthest corners of Europe and the Mediterranean.
Surrounding the altar is a richly decorated white marble wall with friezes depicting 100 figures, including the imperial family in procession. Coloured lights are occasionally projected onto the altar to show how it would have appeared in antiquity.
Res Gestae Divi Augusti (The Deeds of the Divine Augustus) is inscribed on the outside of the museum. This first-person account of the life of the emperor, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, explains the origins of the dynasty; elsewhere, the family tree is laid out with imperial portrait casts.
Meierās minimal box was hugely controversial when it opened in 2006. By contrast, across the Via di Ripetta are the decaying ruins of the huge mausoleum that Augustus built for himself, but this is not open to the public.
For those craving a good Roman pizza, walk to the other side of the Mausoleum of Augustus to find āGusto (Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9; tel: 06-6322 6273; [map] C3) in the Fascist-era Piazza Augusto Imperatore. In the same building, but behind it on Via della Frezza, is Gustoās cheese bar, while at Piazza Augusto Imperatore 28 is Gustoās fish-inspired trattoria. All very good.
Ara Pacis, Lungotevere in Augusta at via Tomacelli; tel: 06-0608; www.arapacis.it; TueāSun 9amā7pm; charge; [map] C4
Watch the action in the magnificent Piazza del Popolo from the Pincio Terrace
Piazza del Popolo, the āPeopleās Squareā, is one of Romeās largest open areas and the traditional forecourt to the city, which means this is the best place to spy a slice of daily life. And there is no better viewing point than the panoramic Pincio Terrace, at the top of the steps that lead up from Santa Maria del Popolo. The finest artworks to behold in this treasure-filled church are two luminous paintings by Caravaggio ā The Conversion of St Paul and The Crucifixion of St Peter ā which attest to the painterās genius.
The church flanks Porta del Popolo (also known as Porta Flaminia), the entrance gate incorporated into the 3rd-century AD Aurelian walls.
The square marks the top of the Tridente (the Trident), an area formed by the three major roads into the city: Via di Ripetta, Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. These converge on the south side of the square, at the junction of the twin churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli, dating from the 1660s.
Piazza del Popolo was given its present grandeur by the architect Giuseppe Valadier in 1822, his sweeping double semicircles echoing Berniniās colonnades that embrace St Peterās Square.
The extensive piazza can contain thousands of people, making it a natural venue for concerts and exhibitions, performances and flash mobs, public New Yearās parties and concerts, market events, as well as international celebrations and ceremonies like World Cups and papal coronations when crowds gather in front of large screens.
āMeet me at the obeliskā means a rendezvous at the piazzaās central fountain, and this is where you will find Roman children, tired tourists and the odd busker. Four lions guard a 24 metre-high obelisk, brought to Rome by Augustus Caesar in 10 BC after his conquest of Egypt and originally placed in the Circus Maximus.
On either side of the southern curve are the piazzaās two famous feuding cafĆ©s ā left-wing Rosati (tel: 06-322 5859) and right-wing Canova (tel: 06-361 2231), whose regulars from the film world once included directors Federico Fellini (Rosati) and Pier Paolo Pasolini (Canova). Today, choice in where you enjoy your afternoon coffee or evening aperitivo is based less on ideology and more on how much sun youād like to soak in, and it celebrity sightings are still common, so keep your eyes open.
Locals lo...