The focus of the regularly occurring series “When in Rome” is the city beyond the Janiculum, coming directly from those who have spent time in Rome—including fellows, residents, staff, and more. Selections typically include: quiet places or off-the-beaten-path locations; specialty shops or stores; cafés and restaurants; parks or green spaces; and views or vistas.
Last June, we said goodbye to one of our longest-serving employees, deputy director Cristina Puglisi, who now works at ICR-ICC, a leading preservation and conservation firm. A vibrant presence at AAR since 1991, Puglisi helped restore the Academy’s historic campus, including the McKim, Mead & White Building, Villa Aurelia, and Casa Rustica. Here she shares some of her favorite things in Rome.
1. Streets
Rome is a modern city where traffic, noise, and masses of tourists can easily overwhelm any sense of place, so it is important to choose one’s path carefully. Viale delle Mura Aurelie is a wonderful way to return to the Academy from San Peter’s. A small, quiet road at the foot of Pope VIII’s massive seventeenth-century fortification walls, it has many right-angle turns, with caper plants growing on the brick wall on one side and private gardens on the other.
2. Stairs
Over the years I developed a walk that pays tribute to great staircases, commencing with the staircase at Palazzo Corsini in Trastevere on Via della Lungara. Then cross the Tiber to the grand staircase at Palazzo Venezia. Walk over to the small staircase inside Palazzo Altemps (entry ticket required), then proceed to San Carlino on Via del Quirinale and go down the beautiful, small stairs to the crypt (Borromini). I end at Palazzo Barberini (Via delle Quattro Fontane), home to two of the greatest staircases in Rome: on the right, the sculpturelike staircase by Borromini, and on the left, the delicate and elegant staircase by Bernini.
3. Monuments
The Pantheon is Rome’s anchor. It requires no words.
4. Where to Eat
Il Vascello Dai Sardi (Via Giuseppe Massari 8), a family owned and operated Sardinian restaurant and pizzeria, is an important presence in Monteverde for decades thanks to delicious, honest food prepared by Angelo and served by Dorina, Giorgio, and, on busy days, Carmela, Dorina’s sister. Whether you are a third-generation local or a lost tourist, all four are friendly, generous people who welcome everyone equally. Enjoy Sardinian wine with delicious tonnarellli ai moscardini, calamari fritti, risotto al nero di seppia, pasta e ceci, roasted fish, puntarelle, cicoria aglio e pepperoncino, and home-made pastas. Il Vascello is everything one hopes to find in a restaurant at home or abroad: honest, delicious food and friendships for life.
5. Hidden Gems
Cimitero Acattolico, founded in the early 1700s but still active, is a quiet and beautiful place despite being close to chaotic Via Marmorata. Most visitors pay their respects to John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Perhaps the cemetery’s most wonderful quality, especially at a time of so many divisions, is that people of all faiths—Muslims, Christians, Jews, Orthodox, atheists, and declared Communists—rest peacefully together. I served as an advisor to the cemetery for a few years and never stopped being touched by the beauty of this magical place.