We landed in Rome during a heat wave last month. Three days of shopping and culture were on the agenda before heading south to the beach. Rome was also hot with tourists, crawling with them, in fact. And many of the families had brought their children, many very young. But though some neighborhoods were totally overcrowded, other lesser-known areas were relatively tourist-free.
It might have been hot, but the skies were crisp and blue. I was heading to some of my favorite shops in the Pantheon neighborhood, a shopping area for Romans as many tourists stick to the via del Corso and via Condotti area. You need to cross a few large squares to get to via di Campo Marzio.
Peserico is an Italian brand that makes very elevated basic, or classics with a twist. The clothing is simple, and never dull. This summer brought a lot of white and peach tones.
Peserico, via de Campo Marzo, 68
Spada sells tailored men’s clothing at very reasonable prices. Jackets, shirts, tees, sweaters and much more. The cuts are very slim as that is what this customer wants. I have bought a few pieces for myself as well. They have several locations in Rome and stores all over Italy.
Spada, via uffici del vicario, 53
Empresa sells more casual clothing, mainly for men, with some pieces for women merchandised into the store. This is more of a leather jacket, tee, and cool hat kind of a store. The clothing has attitude. Perfumes are also a specialty, as are walking sticks, like the one topped with a silver Cobra head resting on the table to the left. A collection of interesting books is also available.
Empresa, Piazza del Parlamento, 32-33
Vintage55 started out as a men’s boutique with clothing for casual hipsters. Items for women are now also available. The owners has collected a cool selection of photos, which are on display along with lots of quirky items. The clothing is inspired by vintage. Customization is available, too.
Vintage55, via di Campo Marzo, 53
La Casa del Caffè is right near the Pantheon. It has a wood-panelled seating area and serves a variety of coffee and loads of pastries. Bags of beans and ground coffee abounds. It is an artisanally roasted coffee and so bringing a few bags home is always a good idea.
La Casa del Caffè Tazza d’Oro Al Pantheon, Via degli Orfani, 84
We headed to the Piazza Navona to get some lunch. Apparently the Vatican is having a Jubilee in 2025, and they would like Rome cleaned up. The fountains in the Piazza Navona are all under wraps. incidentally, according to Roman friends, the Vatican owns a great many buildings and monuments in the city, apartment buildings and other genres — not just churches.
At the far end of the Piazza, this small “golf-cart” train rolled around the corner. These carts were seen around the city. The driver is also a guide of sorts pointing out all the landmarks. Personally, I still prefer to wander about and poke my head into churches and palazzos and other buildings on my own.
I had not been to the Capitoline Museums in ages. There is currently an exhibit of the paintings of Filippo and Filippino Lippi on display until the end of August. Located in a group of buildings designed by Michelangelo, the rear of the museum abuts the Roman Forum. The museum is large, with a great variety of things to see. There is construction here, too as a new subway line is being excavated. Given that it runs through the heart of ancient Rome, it will surely take ages to complete. Especially since the digging turns up more and more ancient buildings and artifacts.
This was my first time seeing the impressive renovations at the Capitoline Museum, which had been totally refurbished some years ago. Some of the statues that had been outside were relocated to new atriums, keeping them safe from the elements. Among the many world famous pieces from antiquity are the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Next to it lies a Hellenistic statue from the 4th century BC of a lion attacking a horse. According to the Romans, it has been a powerful allegory of good civic government since the Middle Ages.
The head, hand and globe date from the 4th century AD, and were a gift to the city from Pope Sixtus IV. In earlier times the statue wore a gold crown studded with gems. It is rare for bronze statues to survive as many of them were melted down for the valuable metal. Some of this colossus did survive, but the gold vanished.
There is also a collection of paintings. The large altarpiece, The Burial of Petronilla, was painted by Guercino in the 17th century depicting the burial and the welcoming to heaven of the martyred Saint Petronilla. Works by Caravaggio, Domenico, and others also grace the walls. And the Capitoline is rarely crowded, which was a welcome change of pace.
While wandering through the many galleries, we came across this woman who was gently bathing a puti. It is her job to make sure that all these ancient pieces are kept clean and dust-free. We did make it to the Filippo Lippi exhibit, which is beautiful, if not tiny.
The next morning, it was time to look for some new shops around the Piazza di Spagna. I couldn’t help but notice the many tour groups like this parading around Rome. This one was made up of primarily students.
There were many French brands that had opened new stores. American Vintage carries very casual clothing for men and women. They are contemporary basics with a twist, with good tees and knits.
American Vintage, Via Frattina, 30
Martino Midali offers well made clothing for elegant women. Roman women. There are also nice bags and small leather goods.
Martino Midali, via Frattina, 22
I was sort of surprised to see a branch of Moscot in Rome, but why not? The brand’s glasses are well made and not like European designer brands. There were lots of people in and out of the store.
Moscot, via Frattina, 60
The Comptoir des Cotonniers is full of all things cotton. The clothing is practical and lightweight for summer use.
Comptoir des Cotonniers, via Frattina 76
Hermès had opened a second store across the street from its via Condotti space. There was a line to get in, just as there was at Vuitton. This location offered men’s and women’s clothing.
Hermès, Bocca di Leone, 23-27
A store filled with fashion forward looks was just a few blocks away at MdE. MdE carries Comme des Garcons, Yojhi, Sacai, Rick Owens, R13 and other brands. The store was chock-full of black.
MdE, via della Carrozza, 28
Eleventy carries more classic clothing for men and women. This Milanese brand offers luxury basics. Italian fashion at its most discrete.
Eleventy, via Borgognona, 22
Twins is tiny, but it is full of good menswear. They carry some of the better Italian labels and everything is triple hung to fit more styles in the shop.
Twins, via della Croce, 62
The via del Babuino is a wide street that leads from the Piazza di Spagna to the Piazza del Popolo. It is lined with stores from Chanel and Tiffany to Miu Miu, Marni, Etro, Margiela and more.
Pollini is one of the new stores. This Florentine brand offers locally made bags and shoes for men and women, including chic footwear designed to be comfortable on cobblestone streets.
Pollini, via del Babuino, 67
The Largo di Torre Argentina is a large excavation filled with Roman Republic temples and the remains of the Theater of Pompey. In the 1920s the city wanted to develop the area, knocked down some contemporary buildings and started to dig. Turns out they found the head and arm of a large statue of a goddess now in the Capitoline. When the rest of the site had been cleared, it seemed that the city had discovered the remains of some important temples in what was the Campus Martius. Very recently, walkways were installed down near the ruins so visitors could get a closer look at what only the cats of Rome could visit previously. When the walkways went in, the weeds and grass that had covered the space were removed.
These are the remains of the Curia of Pompey. It was recently ascertained that this is the building in which Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March. Augustus had walled it off, as a bad luck space, and it remained closed off for a very long time.
This is another building that has been discovered further underground. The walkways really provide new insights into this site. While the feral cats of Rome had the run of the Largo Argentina in the past, they do not now. A proper cat shelter was built on the site and the remaining cats are available for adoption.
There are four main temples in the square. This is Temple A, and it was built to celebrate a large victory over the Carthaginians. Over the centuries these buildings were restored and renovated, until they finally disappeared from view. Now they are clearly visible; and being studied.
The next day we were on our way to the South of Sicily. Vineyards and olive groves stretched for miles. This was to be a much needed time to far niente. The skies were blue and the temperatures were elevated. The food was excellent, and good Sicilian wines — most of which do not make it to the U.S. — are not expensive.
There are many beach clubs with restaurants and loungers along the beaches. Insula is new this year, and is part of the Foresteria Hotel. It’s a relaxed restaurant with the Planeta family’s wines and a healthy menu.
Insula, Lido di Fiori, Menfi
The beaches are wide and long and the water is clean and blue. It didn’t seem so hot when you could jump into the sea.
We had the good fortune of meeting an archaeologist who has been operating a dig in Selinunte for some time. Clemente Marconi is a professor at NYU, director of the Selinunte dig, and a professor at the University of Milan. Selinunte, a very large site, happened to be near our house. It was a substantial Greek city, with much of it dating back to the 4th century BC. At some point it was sacked by the Carthaginians and shriveled and died. Mr. Marconi felt the site had many possibilities and, with the support of NYU, has been able to discover a lot.
Currently, a small temple is being fully excavated. The team consists of graduate students in archaeology, who spend several months every summer working in the field here.
One of the things they found was a well. And many objects that had fallen or been thrown into the well. The site is mapped out, and the soil is dug in small areas. The buckets are filled and then the soil is sifted and small objects are recovered. Mostly covered in a lot of dirt. In some areas of the site, they have dug down through several centuries and know that there was pre-historic life here.
There is much to be discovered as the site stretches for acres. Much of it is a shambles as repeated earthquakes destroyed what the Carthaginians had left. When I asked one of the project leaders how many years one could dig here, he replied, more than many lifetimes.
There is a small museum at Selinunte. It is filling up with items recovered from the ground. The two spearheads (in both bronze and iron) to the right were discovered in the temple currently being excavated. Pottery, figurines, jewelry, and other items fill this case. Above is a drawing of the temples with notes as to where the objects were found.
We also got a tour of the archeology lab. This gentleman has an interesting, if eye-straining, job. Most of the pottery is found in tiny pieces or shards. It is extremely rare for an earthenware piece to be found whole, so he uses magnifying tools and a computer to see if he can reassemble the centuries’ old pieces. Some of his work is in the museum as in the above photo. The boxes behind him are all dated and contain many items that have been freed from the ground.
Another spearhead, remains of buildings, jewelry, coins and charms are all recent finds.
The day before we visited, a small figurine of a woman wearing a cloak was unearthed. Amazingly, some of the original paint, or polychrome, applied to the figurine remained. The face and clothing are quite detailed. This is extremely rare. The lab was buzzing with excitement.
In the container to the left, a painted piece of a pediment of a building still has its original polychrome pattern. Again this is quite rare. It was interesting to see what was being used to clean off the finds. Fairly normal household cleansers cleaned them off, and pieces were reassembled with Super Glue. Not what I would have imagined. This facinating look behind the scenes was the highlight of the trip.
