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Rome drink? 4 not to miss places where to have one… or two!
If you are visiting, having a Rome drink in one of the city’s charming squares should be on top of your list. Strolling around the city center it is easy to notice that some places are just ideal spots for meeting friends and talking about your day with a glass of wine or a beer in your hand. Frequently the most famous squares are too large or too busy, but it is quite possible that just around the corner from where you are there is a small cozy and often pedestrian square in front of a wine bar. What an excellent setting for groups and some small talk! The city’s mild weather allows for a Rome drink to be had outdoors almost 8 months a year. This is the reason why it is such a deeply rooted habit here. The following are 4 not to miss spots located in the city center where to breathe the city’s relaxed daily life and have a long cocktail or a glass of marvellous Italian wine for your precious aperitif in Rome.
Salotto 42
Piazza di Pietra 42 is the address of this charming wine bar. “Salotto” means living room and it says it all. Here the atmosphere is as relaxed as you would have it if you invite your close friends at home for a drink. And that’s exactly the idea: have fun, drink, talk. During the winter months, your aperitif in Rome can be sipped inside where there is a cozy seating area with sofas, armchairs and dimmed lights, which add atmosphere to the place. Outside there are just a few simple wooden tables with chairs and a large beautiful square (one of the most stunning) for an unlimited number of people to stand and sip on a drink. Besides an interesting selection of wines and artisan beers, the Salotto 42‘s specialties are the cocktails (a favorite Rome drink of mine!). Old meets new, meaning that traditional recipes are revised with new ingredients (for example ginger, an ingredient that mixes well with many others). Time can become a very relative concept here. Attractive cocktails served in great designer glasses, decorated with mixed berries or exotic fruits and straws, made with the best liqueurs ever – all in one! And all of that in one one of the most fabulous settings we have in Rome. What else do you need?
Bar del Fico
Well known address for chess passionates during the quiet and warm afternoons in the summertime (the owner of the bar is often there himself playing chess), Bar del Fico becomes a meeting point for the “Roman movida” twice per day: at about 8pm for an aperitif and at about 11pm for an after dinner drink. If you live in Rome and you are bored at home, why do not stop by il Bar del Fico? Any time you go there, you are sure to meet someone, it is almost a mathematical certainty. For your aperitif in Rome, large baking trays of white pizza with rosemary and olive oil or red pizza with tomato sauce (just taken out of the oven!) are served together with your great Rome drink. One of my favourite cocktails here is the Mojito made with leaves of fresh mint, cane sugar, lime, ice cubes, white rum, and club soda. Also other cocktails are professionally made. Mhmm! Fantastic! Particularly appreciated on a Friday night to welcome the arrival of the weekend and playtime!
Enoteca Spiriti
Enoteca Spiriti is a delicious restaurant and a well equipped wine bar at the same time. There is a great selection of Italian wines (the word “enoteca” means wine house in Italian) with a special attention given to the wines of “Feudi di San Gregorio“ for your Rome drink. The history of this brand is a lovely one. The beginnings date back to the pontificate of Pope Gregory the Great, around 590-604 A.C. Rich in vineyards, the lands of Sannio and Irpinia, situated along the Appian, belonged to some of the patrimony of Saint Peter. The living memory is the name “San Gregorio” makes for a lovely landscape in the district, between Sannio and Irpinia. The great success of the brand is related to the favorable climatic and soil conditions which result in a proper vinification of the grapes, but also to the professionalism of all the members of the family of Ercolino Capaldo. Attachment to tradition and passion at work: these are the keys for their success. A Rome drink not to be missed: Greco di Tufo.
Hotel Locarno
Hotel Locarno has a very chic location just around the corner from Piazza del Popolo where there are the famous restaurants “Il Bolognese”, “Rosati” and “Canova” café. A private courtyard with climbing wisteria makes a beautiful setting for an open air Rome drink. Almost daily, you can find here a nice melting pot of foreign visitors and “habitués” who come here to breathe a non-conventional atmosphere. Sometimes it happens that the location is used for small private events, for instance birthday parties or anniversaries, or launches of a fashion start up. On these occasions there is a lovely mood and crowd! Beside the outdoor setting, for cold or rainy days, there is a spacious elegant bar with a comfortable seating area with tables and chairs where you can spend your time chatting and laughing. Dim lights, kind waiters and excellent bartenders all ready for a show! A Rome drink not to be missed: Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Gewurtztraminer, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Franciacorta, Pinot. If during your visit to the Italian capital you choose to rent out a Rome apartment in the Spanish Steps area, this spot is ideal to buy a bottle of one of these prestigious wines. You’ll be able to enjoy a lovely Rome drink and sip it slowly in front of the stunning views of Roman roofs and cupolas.
