Return to main article
December temperatures in Rome hover in the 40’s and 50’s, and it almost never snows. We brought down jackets and at times were glad to have them, but on some sunny after-noons all we needed were sweaters. While Romans don’t exactly clear out around the holidays, many do head to the countryside. (A burglar alarm went off for almost 24 hours across the street from our convent—clearly, no one was home.) Many of the people in town around the holidays are Italians from other parts of the country—like you, they’re here to absorb La Dolce Vita.
Junior suites get you a room with a queen- size bed and a second with two twins—ideal for a family of four.
2 Vicolo del Piede; 39-06/589-4626; hotelsantamaria.info; doubles from $225, junior suites from $355, including breakfast.
96 Piazza Farnese, (entrance at 54 Via Mon Serrato); 39-06/ 6889-2596; twin-bed doubles from $262, including breakfast.
A hip, refurbished old hotel—with an outdoor pool, and an indoor one in the works—just outside the Borghese gardens.
15 Via Ulisse Aldrovandi; 39-06/322-3993; aldrovandi.com; doubles from $668.
Located right on the Spanish Steps, with kitchenettes in most of the quarters.
20 Piazza di Spagna; 39-06/6938-0176; internazionaledomus.it; rooms with four beds from $368.
For other lodging options geared to families, see ciaobambino.com.
After filling up at our hotel’s breakfast buffet, we often didn’t need a sit-down lunch. Take-out pizza (here, sliced from long rectangular pies, folded over, wrapped in paper, and sold by the kilo), rice balls, clemen-tines, and gelato tided us over until dinnertime.
Fabulous bakery with a pizza counter.
22 Piazza Campo de’ Fiori; 39-06/6880-6662.
A wildly busy pizza place in the Ghetto Vecchio.
5 Via del Portico d’Ottavia; 39-06/687-9262.
A tiny, packed trattoria in the Ghetto Vecchio. 300 Piazza delle Cinque Scole; 39-06/687-4216;
Lunch for four $62.
Around the corner from the Trevi Fountain.
42 Via della Panetteria; 39-06/679-3924.
Famous gelato parlor near the Piazza Colonna.
40 Via Uffici del Vicaro; 39-06/699-1243.
Jewish sweets such as torta de ricotta.
1 Via del Portico d’Ottavia; 39-06/687-8637.
Bustling dinner-only pizza spot off the Campo de’ Fiori.
114 Via del Governo Vecchio; 39-06/686-1617; dinner for four $56.
A high-ceilinged restaurant in a Ghetto Vecchio apartment house. Order the artichokes alla giudea. After taking her first taste, Hannah declared: "I’d choose this over french fries any day."
38 Via S. Maria dei Calderari; 39-06/686-8377; dinner for four $82.
Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.
Visit our other American Express Publishing Web sites:
Food & Wine |
T+L GOLF |
T+L Family |
SkyGuide |
Executive Travel
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Manage Your Subscription | International | Billing | Change Your Address or E-mail
Advertise |
Contact Us |
Site Map |
RSS Feeds 
AddThis