I have booked a hotel in this location in Rome. Can someone tell me a little about what is surrounding this area?

Any good restaurants, shopping?

Thanks!

Barberini is a very upmarket and safe area in Rome.It is close to the Spanish Steps
and to Via Veneto which is the place of the famous "Dolce Vita".There are many restaurants and shops but they will be expensive.
I suggest you go to via del Corso for shopping.

I don't know if this bit of trivia will interest you, but Louisa May Alcott wrote "Little Men," the sequel to "Little Women," while staying on the Piazza Barberini. The building where she was living has a plaque commemorating Margaret Fuller, another 19th-century writer from Concord MA, who was a supporter of the Italian "Risorgimento" (unification movement). (I know all this because I work at the Alcott museum in Concord.)

We ate at a good Tuscan-style restaurant not far from the Piazza, called Da Tullio, on via S. Nicola da Tolentino.

The Piazza also isn't far from the Trevi Fountain, near which is San Crispino's very good gelato.

Thanks Romelover and nonnafelice! That is quite an interesting fact about Louisa May Alcott - I love the history. I also love ice cream and will definately try San Crispino's.

They are VERY serious about their gelato at San Crispino. The first time we went there my husband requested a combination that they didn't want to serve him because they said the flavors wouldn't combine well! I don't remember now exactly what the "bad" combination was, but he ended up with licorice and chocolate, which doesn't sound so great to me, but did get the gelato barista stamp of approval!

We actually preferred Giolitti's gelato, which is near Piazza Navona, and had a wider range of flavors. But San Crispino was very good.

I really liked this area and found it very convenient. What hotel did you choose?

I have been to Giolitti's and thought it was fabulous!!!!!!! I usually just have two scoops, but that night I couldn't help myself and had to have 3! That is a funny story about your husband not being able to combine flavours. Once when my brother and I were in Southern italy that happened to him too. He requested fiore di latte (vanilla) with limone - and the owner refused - to which my brother responded if he had ordered a gelato with fiore di latte and a meatball - that is what he is entitled to! Italians have a different sentiment when it comes to business, than North Americans do. This is one of the reasons I love italy.

What hotel did you stay at in Rome?

We stayed at the Aberdeen, which is a few blocks away from Piazza Barberini. It was a nice place and very reasonable; I'd stay there again.

Hi Willtravel,

I am staying at Hotel Julia.

Can you recommend any good places to eat? Or any attractions I shouldn't miss in this area?

Thanks!

I stayed at Hotel Julia also. I really liked it. But keep in mind at my budget level, I'm not looking for anything luxurious. If you've read the reviews at TripAdvisor and Venere, you'll have a good idea what to expect.

Just down and across the street from Hotel Julia there is a simple eatery called Luna Caprese which is nice for a quick, cheap meal (under 10E).

One of the restaurants that was practically next to Hotel Julia looked quite appealing - I wish I had tried that. Otherwise, I can't really advise, because I ended up eating meals all over the place while sightseeing.

And I also very much liked certain gelato flavors at San Crispino.

I too am on a "budget" which is widely exagerated, considered the exchange rate from Euro - Canadian. But I love being and travelling in Italy, and I think this will be my last trip over the Atlantic for awhile.

I am definately going to try Luna Caprese. Every city I visit, I only do the sit-down-dining experience once. The rest of the time I grab a panino or a slice of pizza to go.

I'm really getting excited about my trip now!

Ciao

Rome is so compact and easy to get around, that you don't really need to stay right in the area of your hotel. We walked to the Piazza Navona area most evenings, since there was a bigger choice of eating places there.

I do have a trip report online -- you can read the Rome part starting at:
http://www.rozault.com/italy2004/report09.html

Your trip report is just fabulous - I especially enjoyed viewing your pictures.

Are you planning to go back soon?

I checked out the Italy trip report and enjoyed it--mainly because I just returned from a trip to Italy and was also there in 2002. There is so much to explore that it would take many trips to do it justice. And I have to agree that Paris is great too.

The Barberini fountain has bees/hive on it and also another "fountain" on the corner of the Piazza area has similar art.

Near the Piazza is the Carthusian (?) Monestary, which has a rather morbid, but interesting "cemetery" using the various bones of deceased monks to create scenes, which you view by walking through a narrow passageway.

In 2002, we were in Italy in November and found the weather similar to nonnafelice's experience--but found the lack of tourists in most places made up for a bit of "water." I laughed at the comment about the rain in Pompeii--it poured the day we were there, but our pictures were surprizingly good, also. mhm

Hi iloveitaly (love you nick, LOL).

I think that everyone (well almost everyone) who goes to Europe this summer is going to be on a tight budget. But as you know just being in Italy is a joy all to itself. And it is such a great city to walk in.

I personally love the Barberini location. I am sure you will be very happy there. And from WillTravel's report the Hotel Julia sound good and also reasonable.

Do have a wonderful time! Enjoy every moment.

Hi, iloveitaly,

I'm glad you enjoyed my report and pictures. We will definitely go back (can't stay away from Italy!) but our next trip will be to France. We are addicted to both countries, so we've decided to take turns because there is just so much to explore.

If you only are going to do one sit-down dinner, and you don't want a really fancy place, my choice would be L'Orso 80. You probably saw our pictures of that extravaganza. It won't set you back a lot of money, and just the antipasto is all the food you need for one day! Lots of other Fodorites love that place, too.

Is this your first trip to Rome? Where else have you been in Italy?

I will definatley put that restaurant in my notes...the food looks amazing & quite filling.

I visited Rome last summer with my brother for 4 days (which was just not enough) then we took the train to Sorrento and Capri...which was breathtaking, peaceful and relaxing. From there we flew to the French Riviera and spent a week situated in Nice, and did daytrips to Monaco and Cannes. But Rome stole my heart...I loved it there. My only regrets last year were that 1. I was working full time and only could take 2 weeks vacation and 2. I did not go to Pompeii - judging from your pictures I really missed out. My boyfriend is from Salerno, close to Naples so I am hoping to make it back one day with him. He has visited and said the history and beauty of the preservation is something I would enjoy.

I have also been to Calabria and Sicily. Both my parents are from Calabria and it is a beautiful uncommercialized province lined with exotic fruit trees, including figs and oranges and wonderful unspoiled beaches. It is very slow paced and has the old country peasant feel to it. One of my fav memories from the last time I was in Calabria was baking a cake in my grandmothers kitchen one afternoon and running out of eggs. I decided to go to the corner store, when a cousin of mine replied "they are closed for the next few hours" I ended up having to cross the street to a neighbours house to borrow eggs. I thought, this would never happen in Toronto! It was straigh out of a movie. Sicily is very mountainous and has beautiful landscapes and also has fantastic beaches and greek history. I went to Messina and Taormina (which is the touristy part of the island).

This summer I will be in Rome for 1 week with my mom and 2 weeks in Calabria. I am hoping to make the most out of my trip, for when I come back I need to go back to the real world of work and complete my thesis as a grad student. The bella vita will end.

I hope you enjoy France...where will you be going? I know Paris is probably on the list, but keep in mind Provence is breathtaking!

Can't wait to see and read your trip report!

Loved your descriptions of Sicily and Calabria. Sicily is definitely on our list for the future. We were going to try to go on the recent trip, but decided it was just too much with everything else we wanted to do, and we'd save Sicily for a time when we could concentrate on it as the main destination. Someone recently posted a trip report here about driving down through Calabria and then across from the "toe of the boot" to Sicily. That sounded like a wonderful trip.

This will be our third visit to Paris in the past three years, so we are only spending a few days in the city. We were in Provence in October of 2002 (you're right about breathtaking), and this time will be seeing chateau country in the Loire Valley.

Could you go to Pompeii on your way to Calabria when you are in Italy? Or you could also take a day trip from Rome.

iloveitaly -- I sympathize with the process of completing a thesis. I've just completed mine, and will leave for Rome and Sicily in 4 weeks in celebration!

nonnafelice -- Thank you for sharing the link to your trip report. Your pictures have whet my appetite!

Best regards.

Thats fantastic Presocia! Congratulations. Do you mind me asking what your subject area is in?

Just last night I started jotting down some ideas I would like to develop further, as I have just finished my courses.

Can you also give me some information about where you are staying and what you are doing in Rome as well as Sicily? Last time I went to Calabria I took a short trip to Sicily and was able to go to Messina and Taormina. This summer I am hoping to go there again.

Best regards.