Aielli & Benevento

Walking down via Margutta one stumbles upon that rare, unique little shop (boutique is too fancy a word to describe this ‘hole-in-the-wall’)

A holdover from an earlier era is La Bottega del Marmoraro (No. 53B; 39-06-320-7660), a tiny shop overflowing with small marble plaques, art fit for Barbie’s Ancient Roman Dream House. For 15 euros, Enrico Fiorentini, the boisterous owner, will chisel any words you want into a piece of marble. Once the work is done, Mr. Fiorentini has a charming habit of serving a bowl of warm pasta to his customers while regaling them with stories about the street’s glory days.

In case you missed this recent NYT piece on one of our favorite of Rome’s hidden streets…

“OVER the years, an impressive array of artists — Fellini, Picasso, Stravinsky, Puccini — have lived, found inspiration and created masterpieces on the Via Margutta, a tiny street in Rome barely the width of an SUV and tucked just away from the Spanish Steps. Then Joe Bradley moved in. Gregory Peck’s character in “Roman Holiday” had a flat there, and apparently nothing elevates an address in the public consciousness better than Audrey Hepburn lilting, “Via Margutta, 51.” Presto: a real estate star was born.

But as often happens with arty neighborhoods that grow too costly for actual artists, the Via Margutta soon became better known as a place to buy expensive art than as a center of creativity. Recently, however, the street has reinvented itself again — this time as a design destination.

“Years ago, there was nothing but galleries and studios,” said Alberto Moncado, owner of the new, exquisitely chic Hotel Margutta 54 (via Margutta, 54; 39-06-699-21907; romeluxurysuites.com). His newest project continues a family tradition. In the 1800s, the Moncados, patrons of artists like Caravaggio, turned what had been shacks and gardens into artists’ lofts, helping to create the present-day Via Margutta. “Now there are all kinds of shops, but you don’t find the big Louis Vuittons here,” Mr. Moncado said. “These are high quality, elegant brands, but they’re small with a local flavor. Everything is done the way it was years ago.”

Take Saddlers Union (No. 11; 39-06-321-20237; saddlersunion.com), a sleek storefront that whacks you over the head with the smell of leather when you walk in. Open since October, this is the place for handmade belts, wallets, bags and briefcases — cobbled in the studio in back. The prices are high (handbags start at around 600 euros, or $800 at $1.34 to the euro), but so is the quality.   A few doors down is Flair (No. 55B; 39-06-326-52067; flair.it), a vintage furniture shop only a few months old. Flair’s specialty is home design circa mid-to-late 20th century — a well-edited collection of home furnishings refurbished in supple shades and glossy finishes, like an early ’70s, funky brass and black plexiglass lamp for 950 euros.

At the end of the street is Enigma (No. 61A; 39-06-321-8358; enigma.it), a high-end jewelry store owned by Gianni Bulgari, son of Italian jewelry royalty of the same name. The store, designs and prices are all appropriately lavish. But unlike some Fifth Avenue boutiques, the pieces, like a silver lion pendant for 300 euros, feel special, not mass produced.

Not everything is high end and reinvented, though. A holdover from an earlier era is La Bottega del Marmoraro (No. 53B; 39-06-320-7660), a tiny shop overflowing with small marble plaques, art fit for Barbie’s Ancient Roman Dream House. For 15 euros, Enrico Fiorentini, the boisterous owner, will chisel any words you want into a piece of marble. Once the work is done, Mr. Fiorentini has a charming habit of serving a bowl of warm pasta to his customers while regaling them with stories about the street’s glory days.

Mr. Moncado, for one, thinks that the glory is still intact. “Via Margutta started as a place for artists,” he said. “Whatever happens over the years, I think it will always retain that piece of its character.”

[Source: From NYTimes Travel, 02/28/2010]

Here are a few choice venues most travelers don’t find time to find…

MASS IN THE PARK OF VILLA DORIA PAMPHILJ:

In 1806 Prince Filippo Andrea VI of the noble Doria Pamphilj family asked architect Edoardo Collantini to create a new chapel. Works were completed in 1914 on the neo-medieval design and the chapel was used by the family until 1970 when a new low forbade private masses. The building fell into disrepair, until the recent intervention of the Doria Pamphilj family, who restored the building and reinstated the Sunday masses at 1 pm, now open to the general public.PALATINE HILL’S GARDENS:Visit the Palatine hill, through the Orti Farnesiani is one of the Eternal City’s most evocative corners. The gardens overlook the enchanted ruins of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. They were designed by Vignola and commissioned by Cardinal Alexandre Farnese who later became Pope Paul III. The idea was to create a botanical gardens, one of the first botanical gardens ever seen, with new plants imported from every corner of the known world like sweet acacias, flowering aloes, exotic palms. Terraces and a nymphaeum were added at a later date.

The Orti Farnesiani represent the ideal destination for explorers in search of archaeological thrills and a return to nature. For those who are in search of the beauty arising from the perfect combination of art and natureA DAY AT THE ZOOThe Rome city zoo, newly-named, Bioparco, has undergone some fabulous changes over the past few years. What was a dilapidated ant antiquated collection of exotic beasts has transformed in to a humane environment providing animals with natural habitats and stimulating activities. The new zoo, dedicated to protecting the environment and conserving endangered species, is a wonderful place to spend a sunny spring afternoon.SANTA SUSANNA CHURCHThe Santa Susanna Church is considered the first example of Baroque architecture in Rome. The combination of columns and pilasters, and the exquisite decoration, are the marks of Baroque architecture preceding the golden age of Bernini and Borromini.

The Santa Susanna church has been the official American Catholic Church in Rome since 1922. The Church is close to the American Embassy, and is a natural haven for visiting American Catholics. For anyone interested in participating in the vibrant social life of the American Catholic community in Rome, Santa Susanna offers a welcome embrace.ART NOUVEAU IN VILLA TORLONIAVilla Torlonia in one of the capital’s lesser known parks, but now you have a good reason to visit it: restoration of “casine” has just been completed.

The art nouveau fittings of the beautifully eccentric “Casina delle Civette” are fresh from restoration. Best known for the stained glass windows which give it the air of fairytale cottage, the Casina also boats numerous nature-inspired designs for stained glass, which line the walls and trace the evolution of the craft in the early 20 th century.

The “Casino Nobile” is also worth a visit. It was bought by Giovanni Torlonia at the end of 18 th Century. In 20 th Century it was used as Mussolini’s private residence during the World War II.

After the war the Casino fell into a state of disrepair until the restoration returned it to its former glory.THE ROSETO COMUNALEThe garden, next to Circo Massimo, boasts 1.200 species of roses, coming from any corner of the world as China, Mongolia including some curious specimens: the Chinensis virdiflora has green petals, another Chinensis variety changes colors with time. Many roses are dedicated to movie stars like the “Lollo”, roses dedicated to the actress Gina Lollobrigida, or Sophia dedicated to Sophia Loren. The beginning of May to end of June is flowering season. Be sure you don’t miss the breathtaking sight of acres of roses in full bloom.SANTA SABINA ALL’AVENTINOThe basilica of Santa Sabina is the first Dominican church and was originally built in the 5 th century. The original cypress-wood doors are carved with ancient biblical scenes and inside you will be able to admire Corinthian columns and 16 th century frescos. Don’t miss a walk in the “Giardino degli aranci ” (orange garden) with its dozen of orange trees, planted in memory of Saint Dominic, the first to bring Spanish oranges to Rome in 1220.

(part of a new A&B series called “Vie Belle” (Beautiful Streets)

Rome is one of the greatest cities for any one who enjoy walking.  One can travel down the same strada each day for week and see something new each day.  Here is one such Rome venue: Via di Santa Sabina.

Via di Santa Sabina runs for only a few hundred yards across the Eternal City’s Aventine Hill, but it is one of those magic places where this city reminds visitors that there are more than 2,000 years of history here -all intertwined. It is a green, normally quiet spot where that thought can be allowed to spur fantasy.

The street begins just a block from the Via del Circo Massimo, the broad avenue that runs above the big Roman race track. Turn up the Via di Valle Murcia and pause for a moment at the city rose garden that has a view of the Circus and beyond, to the ruins of the imperial villas on the Palatine Hill. A few steps further up is the inconspicuous beginning of the Via di Santa Sabina.

At the top of the rise is the Parco Savello, a small park planted with orange trees and surrounded by walls belonging to an old fortress. At the end of the garden there is a fine vista. The dome of St. Peter’s stands out starkly but, if you look toward central Rome, the church towers and palaces are a delightful jumble. One side of the park is dominated by the fine, simple front of Santa Sabina, arguably the most beautiful church in Rome from the early Christian period.

By going through a small door in the park wall, and into a tiny tree-shaded piazza, you can reach the austere basilica. Continuing up the street, you pass through one of Rome’s best residential districts. There are old palaces and modern apartment buildings on the Aventine Hill, which is prized for its beauty and convenience and for the fresh air that sweeps over it.

A bit further on is the Church of Sant’ Alessio. Its 18th-century interior makes it a favored spot for weddings, which can provide an amusing distraction on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Via di Santa Sabina ends in the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta which was designed by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, that unusual 18th-century talent best known for his etchings of imaginary prisons. Decorated with small obelisks and heraldic devices, the Piazza is surrounded by tall pines and cypresses. A monumental gate leads into the Villa del Priorato di Malta, the residence of the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. Admission to the villa is rarely granted, but if you look through a peephole in the gate, you will see a remarkable view: between two tall hedges that line a long garden walk, stands St. Peter’s, perfectly framed.  (Source: NY Times, 3/13/88,”A Walk in the City; ETERNAL ROME: A VIEW FROM ON HIGH”).