Rome - cool places to go

Glorified (or derided) for its night life in Federico Fellini’s masterpiece "La Dolce Vita", it has been for some decades now one of the most popular hang-out for "beautiful people" and would-be stars, actors, directors and the like.

Now it lives a bit off its myth, but it’s still full of paparazzi and would-be VIP people. If you want to catch that kind of atmosphere, it’s probably the best place to go in Rome.

This market originated during the Second World War as a black market, and has been the most popular flea market in Rome since then. It takes place every Sunday morning until 1:30 PM, near the eponymous door of the city.

It is very big and full of interesting things, and as with all flea markets, the best advice is to go very early to find the most interesting stuff, and to go towards closing time to get the best discounts. There’s a great antiques section in the part near Piazza Ippolito Nievo.

Trastevere is, as the name suggests (trans-Tiber is the translation), a small area of Rome on one side of the river Tiber, the same as the Vatican, which is not the one where most of the city lies, hence the "trans".

It is a small area full of restaurants, clubs, and one of the centres of Rome’s night life. Even though the inhabitants describe it as "the heart of Rome", it is small and somewhat secluded, just like a small island in the city’s frantic way of life. It’s a very nice place for a stroll during the day, as well.

The Santa Maria in Trastevere church and square are both extremely beautiful. It must be remembered that the area is very trendy, so even if the blankets hanging out to dry give it a somewhat "popular" look, it is one of the favourite hang-outs for foreign artists and tourists, so things can get to be quite expensive.