As you know, we only write about highly curated travel and fashion. So it was inevitable that we looked to professional wanderer, Lauren M. Shook to help us find the best spots. Here, she gives us a view of her kaleidoscopic lens of Rome.
This part-Italian expert has a keen eye for luxury travel with a fashion angle, of course! Her first time in Rome was when she was just 9. Even then she researched and curated a list of everything she wanted to do there. Since she visited Ancient Rome and the Trevi fountain, it was like love at first sight and it has been constantly calling her back.
So when in Rome, the best question to ask would be – “WWLD?” i.e. What would Lauren do? And so we did! We interviewed the expert to find her favourite places. Read on to see everything she had to say!
2 Days In Rome - WWLD?
She recommends landing at Rome FCO airport and staying in one of her favourite properties – Hotel Eden, Hotel Vilon, and JK Place Roma. My favourite is the Hotel Vilon, the building is a vision in it itself.
Day 1
Day 2
For your first day in Rome, here’s what Lauren recommends:
- Visit and explore ‘Ancient Rome’ and take a guided tour of the ‘Colosseum’ with Lauren’s friend Fulvio from Imago Artis who has keys to unlock secret access here.
- Lunch at Roscioli, a popular Roman deli restaurant.
- Conclude visit with The Pantheon and Roman Forum.
- Pre-dinner cocktails and aperetives at Hotel Eden’s Il Giardino Bar, which enjoys a wonderful location on the Pincian Hill.
- Head to Pierluigi for an Italian seafood dinner with a pre-requested outdoor table.
Lesser known fact about Italian culture is that dinner is always in 2 parts: one restaurant for aperitives and another one for dinner.
- Start the day with Italy’s famous Espresso !
- Walk to Via dei Coronari, a beautiful street with antique stores. Lauren is an avid collector of maps and she loves this street where she can find some amazing vintage prints of stamps.
- Then move on to shop her favourite local stores: Chez Dédé in the Campo Dei Fiori neighborhood. This is a store owned by a cute couple with an impeccable taste in multiple brands with new and vintage fashion pieces. Another store she loves nearby L’Archivo, best known for custom-designed dresses and textiles by Argentine designer and stylist Soledad Twombly.
- Enjoy a cooking class to learn sauces from scratches in thr colourful negihbourhood – Trastevere.
- End the day at Taverna Trilussa for a special and traditional classic Italian dinner.
Favourite Italian Restaurant In Rome & Favourite Italian Dish?
“Taverna Trilussa – home-cooking at its finest with the best Roman dishes; pasta is served right in the pan!
For high-end Emilian cuisine, visit Dal Bolognese.
For the city’s freshest seafood, try Pierluigi.
For traditional Roman cuisine, make a stop at Felice a Testaccio
For truffle lovers, Osteria Barbarini is a must!
My favorite Italian vegetable dish is fiori di zucca, which are battered zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella, arancini (rice balls), and Roman artichokes – Artichokes cooked alla romana style are braised, stuffed with herbs and sprinkled with lemon until they acquire a buttery texture and melt in your mouth. They’re a seasonal appetizer, so you’ll only find artichokes on the menu in the spring and fall. Favourite non-vegetarian Italian dish is anything with pesto, cacio e pepe and and of course, pizza!”
Hottest Nightclub
In Rome To Let Off Steam
Favourite Street For Exclusive Brands
Not very well known by mnay people, but Circolo degli Illuminati is a great nightclub. They have many different club rooms with a wide variety of musical genres.
Via di Monserrato for artisanal brands
Favourite Clothing And Footwear Brand?
Lauren’s favourite Italian Footwear brand is Santoni. And for clothing she recommends Giuliva Heritage. “They have amazing blazers! For bespoke tailoring, an appointment at Sartoria Giuliva is necessary. It founded by the exceptionally talented Gerardo Cavaliere. The suits here are entirely handmade by skilled tailors in keeping with the famed Neapolitan tradition of its founder.” says Lauren.
Sites To Visit In Rome
Touristic Yet A Must
“My favorite touristic site in Rome is the Trevi Fountain. When I first visited Rome, I had created a hand-written guide for Italy for my family’s trip. My mother and late grandmother would always tell the story of when I saw the Trevi Fountain for the first time. As I approached the Trevi Fountain, I turned back to my mother and grandmother and, as my eyes widened, I said, “I waited my whole life to see this!”. Even at that age, I was captivated with the wondrous world.”
Non Touristic
“My favorite non-touristic site is Postmasters Roma, an experimental extension of Postmasters Gallery in New York since 1984. After working with the founders of Postmasters Gallery for 12 years, Paulina Bebecka moved to Rome and started Postmasters ROMA in 2017 as a ‘nomadic gallery’ and in June 2019 opened the permanent space near the Colosseum.”
Vibe Of Rome
We asked what Rome was like, for the people who have never visited. What are the people and general style like? Lauren says, “Rome is a dynamic city that is historical yet contemporary in many ways. No outfit is complete without a leather handbag and fabulous shoes. Simplistic elegance would describe Roman street style. Wardrobes here can be bold but not over the top; woolen coats, simple knits, and well-fitted clothing.”
The Place Without Which Your Trip To Rome Is Incomplete?
A visit to the Sistine Chapel is one can’t-miss for me in Rome. The ceiling, painted by Michelangelo, stuns me every time.
What’s The Boutique You Always Visit?
Chez dede is a store that Lauren loves to spend time in. It has super cool artwork, limited editions products and more!
“Rome is a place where ancient history and contemporary life breezily coexist, where you can sip cocktails at a trendy bar while gazing upon a temple colonnade from the year 145 (that would be at Salotto 42, on Piazza della Pietra). Italy’s bustling, chaotic Rome continues to inspire today’s visitors precisely because of its many faces: historic, cultural, religious, culinary, contemporary.”
Written by Parishi Shah Jogani
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