Harry Styles had a whirlwind few months. He recorded the latest Band Aid single alongside Seal and Robbie Williams, reportedly listed his Hampstead mansion for sale and inspired a hotly-contested lookalike competition. But before Harry returned to this slew of engagements, he spent the summer months living La Dolce Vita in Rome.
Grainy TikTok photos captured Harry running errands around the Italian capital, sparking rumours he might be putting down roots there — a notion that seems more likely if the whispers about his London home sale are true. With a fresh mullet and Tom Ford aviators, he’d embraced an Italian-inspired transformation in both style and spirit, delighting fans as he was seen perusing crockery in kitchenware stores, and savoured languid late-night dinners with friend and Roman native Alessandro Michele.
While Rome may be the world’s original tourist destination — drawing mediaeval kings, 18th-century gentry, and Romantic poets alike — Harry has skipped the classic Roman Holiday clichés. Instead, he frequented Sunday markets, biked through the hip Trastevere neighbourhood, and sipped macchiatos in tucked-away cafes, trading crowded landmarks for cobbled streets and natural wine.
Forget Emily in Paris, If Harry’s given his sign of approval, then who are we to stay away. Inspired by his off-the-beaten-path Roman escapades, we’ve crafted an alternative guide to Rome. Put down that sacrilegious post-11am cappuccino and explore what to see, eat, and experience in the Eternal City.
Where to stay
Rome is brimming with simple bed and breakfasts and elegant hotels, but there are very few that come close to the old-school glamour of the Hotel de Russie. This hotel, which sits regally on the corner of the Piazza del Popolo, and backs onto the Villa Borghese with its lush, statue-strewn gardens, is an institution in Rome.
Designed in the early 19th century by the architect Giuseppe Valadier, who also redeveloped the neighbouring Piazza, the hotel has hosted some of the leading lights of the 20th century, from Picasso to Stravinksy. The poet Jean Cocteau called it “paradise on earth”. Its white marble entrance hall and cavernous ceiling are a sanctuary from the bustling, humid street outside.
The hotel’s vast airy rooms, decorated tastefully with jewel bright furnishings and huge, crisply folded beds, leave you in no doubt why Picasso didn’t leave for two months when he visited in 1917, reportedly picking fresh oranges from his window every morning. The downstairs spa and mosaic-tiled salt water pool offer respite for weary feet.
The piste de resistance is undoubtedly Hotel de Russie’s secret garden. Also designed by Valadier; the garden is one of the only intact 19th century parks in the city, and a rare green sanctuary in the centre of the teeming metropolis.
This oasis of greenery, rose bushes and tinkling waterfall surround the hotel's elegant al fresco restaurant Le Jardin de Russie, run by celebrated chef and connoisseur of Roman cuisine Fulvio Pierangelini.
Guests, tourists and well-heeled locals flock to the Stravinsky bar, which nestles just below the restaurant in the hotel’s central courtyard, and is the perfect spot for a pre or post dinner cocktail.
Where to eat
Italian food doesn’t need any extra PR, but not all are equal — steer clear of any establishments within a few hundred metres of the main attractions, which are for tourists. Instead explore the backstreets and head out of the centre. The best bars and restaurants are in the trendy Trastevere neighbourhood just south of the centre across the River Tiber or in Prati, NorthEast of Vatican City.
Start your day like an Italian with a coffee and a pastry at Pasticceria Regoli, an iconic bakery a stone’s throw from the colosseum, serving the best eclairs you’ll ever eat. For a caffeine fix then Sant'eustachio, a cafe and coffee roastery a minute’s walk from the Pantheon, is the place to be. This charmingly retro espresso bar has been serving Italians coffee since 1800 and is still filled with chic Roman professionals standing at the bar.
For lunch there is an abundance of cafes serving sandwiches and lighter fare, but for a boujis salad or a healthy smoothie head to Ginger, a few minute’s walk from the Spanish Steps and the The Keats-Shelley House (incidentally well worth a visit). Otherwise for something more authentic head to Piatto Romano in Testaccio, locals come here for cheap but delicious plates of meaty pasta and deep fried artichokes.
Now, for the main event. For something fancy, follow in Harry’s footsteps and head to Il Pagliaccio.The hit-maker was seen at Rome’s only two-star Michelin restaurant chowing down on intricate delicacies with friends in May. Opened in 2003 by French chef Anthony Genovese, Il Pagliaccio, which translates as the clown, has become a go-to for well-heeled Romans. There is a ten-course tasting menu, offering multiple melt-in-your-mouth pasta dishes, tomato cooked three ways, polished off with a smoked mango dessert.
For something more casual, head to Giulio Passami L’Olio in the hip neighbourhood near the Piazza dell’Orologio. The interior is an eclectic mix of vintage pin-up posters, gold trumpets hanging off the ceiling and racks of dusty wine bottles, occasionally retrieved by someone standing on a table. Food and drinks are simple and delicious: cacio pepe, stuffed zucchini flowers, beef steak and garlicky roast potatoes. The wine list is extensive and features delicious natural options.
Where to drink
As with most Mediterranean cities, the wine bar is a hallowed place in Rome. Late afternoons that bleed into long nights chatting and sipping wine, nibbling on aperitivo, are a sacred ritual enshrined in every Italian’s day. And as such, require an appropriate setting.
There are myriad bars to choose from, Trastevere is awash with trendy natural wine bars filled with attractive locals, including Harry, who was pictured emerging from a Trastevere watering hole clutching a round of drinks over the summer.
Caffè Perù is a particular favourite among in-the-know locals, unassuming from the outside, this retro-looking bar is chic precisely for its unpretentious simplicity. Artists and creatives come here for a pre or post dinner glass of chilled Trebbiano wine.
Another central but authentic spot is Enoteca il Piccolo, a few minutes’ walk from the Centro Historico and bustling Piazza Navona, this tiny bar is stuffed full of young locals sipping quaffable orange wine.
Where to Shop
Avoid the area within a one kilometre radius of the Piazza Navona — which is full of unimaginative designer stores — and focus on second-hand shops and markets. You can find rare Missoni pieces or 1990s Fendi bags for a fraction of the original price.
Head to the Via del Governo Vecchio, and you’ll find myriad vintage shops interspersed with cute restaurants and bars, but the jewel in their crown is Cecilia e Omero. This tiny little shop takes a little sniffing out as its signage is obscured, giving it a very if you know, you know energy.It is a veritable smorgasbord of vintage treasures, with racks on racks of dresses, costume jewellery, designer bags, tops and skirts lining the walls with everything from 1920s flapper dresses to 1990s Balenciaga. Costume designers and stylists come here from far and wide.
Another prime thrifting opportunity is at the Porta Portese, the largest flea market in the city that occurs every Sunday morning in Trastevere. Style-icon Harry Styles himself was spotted here buying a pair of shoes from one of the stalls in June. Persevere and you could be in for a treat.
What to do
Everyone knows about the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain: all amazing and definitely need to be seen once, but if you’re looking for something a little more idiosyncratic then Rome has plenty more incredible cultural institutions up its sleeve. For art lovers, eschew the extortionately priced and overcrowded Vatican galleries and go to the Centrale Montemartini. The museum, which is housed in Rome's first electrical power station, was opened in 1997 when the Capitoline Museums needed somewhere to store their overspill of sculptures and artefacts. The juxtaposition between original turbines and long-defunct metal engines with classical sculptures from the time of the Emperor Nero is breathtaking.
Similarly, don't bother queueing all afternoon to see the Raphael frescoes in the Vatican, go instead to the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere. The villa was built for Agostino Chigi, a rich Sienese banker and the treasurer of Pope Julius II, who later commissioned Raphael to create a series of frescoes. The renaissance artist’s epic depictions of the myths of Cupid and Psyche and the Triumph of Galatea, which dominate the ceilings of the various loggias in the palace, are thought to be some of Raphael's greatest works and the colours are almost shockingly vibrant considering their 600 year history.
For more awe-inspiring frescos head to the Palazzo Altemps, located in Campo Marzio, a few steps from Piazza Navona, the original palazzo was built in the 15th century by Girolamo Riario but later fell into the hands of Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps. The Cardinal set about decorating every inch of the palazzo and stuffing it full of priceless and often looted treasures from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, all of which you can see today in relative peace.
A trip to Rome wouldn’t be complete without poking your head into a couple of churches. Make a pit stop at the Chiesa Santa Maria della Vittoria, in Trastevere to see Bernini’s Baroque masterpiece, L'Estasi di Santa Teresa. The overt sexuality of Bernini’s swooning nun has attracted controversy and visitors in equally ample measure for over 500 years.
