I'm heading to Rome at the end of June 2022 (this month) and am looking for neighborhood restaurants in "real" (non-touristy) areas, and ideas of places to visit that are not art/churches/ruins/views of the city. I was considering a food tour and walking in Trastevere which I know is still somewhat of a touristy location but seems authentic too.
Any other ideas on restaurants in neighborhoods or places to see outside the usual tourist spots in Rome?
You want to eat in non-touristy Rome? Forget about Trastevere, Testaccio, Monti etc. etc. Eat here: https://www.facebook.com/Iquintili1/
Nobody will speak English and You'll be the first tourist in the "Tor Bella Monaca" neighbourhood since the Gauls conquered Rome in 390 BC. Great Pizza, anyway, but do not disturb the boars and the drug dealers roaming around the waste bins.
Two "less interesting" districts could be Garbatella and Centocelle. In the former I like a restaurant called Ristoro degli Angeli, it's in via Luigi Orlando 2. In Centocelle there is the Osteria Bonelli in Viale dell’Acquedotto Alessandrino, 172/174. Check if they all survived COVID.
The Protestant Cemetery (Non-Catholic Cemetery)
Quartiere Coppede
Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary
Hi and welcome to the forum -
Can't help you with restaurants but, very kindly, what ARE you interested in seeing in Rome if not art, churches, ruins, views of the city? Have you ever been there before? The historic center is plenty authentic: let's just say that most of the things visitors go to see weren't originally created for tourism, and it isn't devoid of "real" Romans/Italians,
Are you OK with museums as long as they're not art museums?
You might enjoy a walk on the Appia Antica but much of what makes it very interesting are the ruins of funeral monuments, a circus, a bath, catacombs, etc. along the way. There are aqueducts in another of its sections.
https://www.parcoappiaantica.it
Yep, you might enjoy Cimitero Acattolico (non Catholic cemetery, suggested by acraven). While not unknown to tourists, especially literary fans of Shelley and Keats, it shouldn't be overrun with them. At least that was the case when we were there.
I have been to Rome before and visited Vatican, Colosseum, Appian Way, fountains, Pantheon (Parthenon? Been to Athens too so get them confused-- apologies if that sounds snobby. I've been very lucky to have traveled across Europe and don't take it for granted. This is my first trip outside North America in nearly 20 years so it's been awhile.) I have gone to all the sites already so this part of the trip is more for other family members who haven't been before. I'm actually spending 2 days in Pompeii, Naples while they tour Rome as I've never been there. Have a day or so in Rome as well.
I'm interested in food markets, interesting neighborhoods and architecture, people watching etc..
You might want to pick up the book “Rome the Second Time” and also consult their website of the same name. We used their advice to branch out around Rome when we lived there.
Villa Doria Pamphilj is terrific and generally not touristed.
Ah, good to know that this isn't your first rodeo in Rome! :O)
No, you didn't sound snobby at all; just thought some more info would be helpful for steering you to the stuff you want to see/do. Thanks for adding that!
My cousin takes me always here, in her neighborhood. It’s called Hostaria da Settimio.
https://g.co/kgs/mjVtz3
It’s top rated by locals (you can check the Google reviews yourself, although they are probably in Italian only) authentic Roman cuisine. It gets really crowded but if you go before the locals go to dinner it will be easy to find a table. Romans eat late, after 9pm, so if you go at 7:45 the restaurant will be empty but if it’s a weekend call to book just in case. The lady used to organize dinners in two slots: 7:45 and after 9. Finding a seat at the later one is harder (not sure now, haven’t been since Covid).
The clientele is almost exclusively Roman. The dishes are Roman only. Speaking some Italian is helpful (actually essential) because there is no written menu, the lady will tell you what’s cooking that day (very long list) and, unless they hired some English speaking staff in the last couple of years, she speaks only Italian, actually not even Italian, it’s Romanesco dialect. So good luck. But if you want a local experience that is it. It’s a nice neighborhood, basically Monteverde, so no need to risk to be mugged in Tor Bella Monaca, the most dangerous district of Rome, as suggested by Dario.
You mention an interest in architecture…take a wander round the EUR area of Rome with its buildings begun in the Mussolini era faintly echoing Ancient Rome. It was originally intended as exhibition grounds extolling the wonders of Fascism. Most of the buildings are now Government offices. Definitely an area not on the average tour but nonetheless interesting.
You state you have not been in Europe for 20 years….Rome has changed a lot in that time so don’t short change it. Consider visiting Herculaneum rather than Pompeii, smaller site, fewer visitors, and I think, more interesting.
I haven’t been to Rome in 37 years. I was in Spain and Portugal 19 years ago which was last trip to Europe.
We were in Rome, the end of April and did the Eating Europe food tour of the Trastevere. The guide was born and raised in the neighborhood and the places we went to such as the neighborhood cookie shop and the charcuterie were local not touristy. On a sidebar, in April there were already crowds of people but they weren’t the typical foreign tourist. They were Italians enjoying Rome.
