ROME ENOTECHE WINE BARS

ROME ENOTECHE (WINE BARS)

Roman wine bars range from laid-back and local to chic and international. They often serve excellent food to accompany your bottle.

Ei Bar Da Benito, V.d. Falegnami 14 ( 06 686 15 08), off P. Cairoli in the Jewish Ghetto. A tavola calda lined with bottles and hungry patrons. Wine from ‚1; bottles from ‚5.50. One hot pasta prepared daily (‚4.50), along with fresh secondi like prosciutto with vegetables (‚5). Open M-Sa 6:30am-7pm; lunch noon-3:30pm. Closed Aug.

@ Cul de Sac, P. Pasquino 73 (06 68 80 10 94), off P. Navona. Specialty pates (such as pheasant and mushroom; ‚5.40) are exquisite, as are the scrumptious escargot alia bourguigonne (‚5.10). Open M 7pm-12:30am, Tu-Sa noon-4pm and 6pm-12:30am.

Enoteca Cavour 313, V. Cavour 313 ( 06 678 54 96). A short walk from M: B-Cavour. Wonderful meats and cheeses (‚8-9 for a mixed plate) listed by region or type, many fresh salads (‚5-7), and rich desserts (‚3-5). Massive wine list (‚11-260). Open M-Sa 12:30-2:30pm and 7:30pm-lam; kitchen closes 12:30am. Closed Aug.

Trimani Wine Bar, V. Cernaia 37b ( 06 446 96 30), near Termini, perpendicular to V. Volturno. Their shop is around the corner at V. Goito 20. Probably the city’s most influ-ential wine bar, at least to those in the know; it is indisputably Rome’s oldest. Excellent food includes salads (avocado and feta; ‚6.90) and filling quiches (try the spiny lobster and leek quiche; ‚5.50). Wines from just ‚2.30 a glass. Happy Hour 11:30am- 12:30pm and 4-7pm. Open M-Sa ll:30am-12:30pm. AmExMCV.

PIAZZA NAVONA. The site of Domitian’s stadium, the pazza was a special pet project of a number of 17th-century popes. The result was a Baroque masterpiece that today houses Bernini’s Fontana dei Quatto Fiumi (647) and pushy vendors alike. The Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone (647) is also worth a look, if for nothing else than the saint’s head, which is on prominent display.

PANTHEON. A 2000 year old temple currently masquerading under the name Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. When the ancient Romans dedicated it to all of the pagan gods, they topped the round temple with the largest masonry dome ever constructed. Enter and marvel at the magnificent structure (647).

CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA SOPRA MINERVA. The current structure was built upon (sopra) the old Roman temple to Minerva, and is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. Linder the main altar is the tomb of Catherine de Siena, who convinced the Pope to remove the papacy from wicked, wild France and back to sober, discreet Italy. Other highlights include the final resting place of the artist Fra Angelico, and Michelangelo’s Risen Christ (648).

GALLERIA DORIA PAMPHILJ. Taking V.d. Seminario to the east and a right onto V. Sant’lgnazio will lead you directly to the place where the term nepotism was first coined. History in the making. The Doria Pamphilj’s family’s relations with Innocent X are largely responsible for the contents of their palace, which can only be described as opulent. Velasquez’s painting of Innocent X is one of the finest papal portraits in Rome (654).

TREVI FOUNTAIN. All roads lead to this tourist monstrosity. Just face the facts: you’ll end up here at some point, bathed in the flashbulbs of thousands of Kodak disposable cameras, and tossing a coin over your shoulder. If you can, take a moment to enjoy the Neptune fountain, built into the side of a palazzo (648). A trip to nearby San Crlspino (p, 643) is reward enough for being a normal tourist for a night.

PIAZZA BARBERINI. Bernini’s Fontana del Tritone is the centerpiece of this square, built for Urban VIII (of the same clan of Barberini bees that decorate the bronze canopy in the Vatican). A short walk up V. Veneto to the Capuchin Crypt in the Chiesa Santa Maria della Concezione is a spooky (and cool) way to spend a hot afternoon.

SPANISH STEPS. Home of all that’s Italian chic, the Spanish Steps are host to a number of overpriced and famous cafes, a couple of decent churches (for the materialistic sinners in Armani that congregate in the nearby piazze), and everything that you need to know about international fashion (648).

ROME ENOTECHE WINE BARS

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