Rome Distractions

A British voice with a cut-glass accent, issuing from the hand-held cassette, guides visitors through the picture-clogged rooms, lavish furnishings and ageing sculptures – in short, the excessive wealth of the powerful Doria Pamphili family, a pillar of Rome’s papal aristocracy. The half-British sibling and heir recalls childhood memories of roller-skating along the parquet floor of the 18th-century ballroom – tiny indentations prove the truth of his tale. The rambling palace is still occupied and a number of the private apartments are open to the public (mornings only) for a small additional fee. Works by Correggio, Caravaggio and Velázquez are on show here, as well as some amusing pieces by lesser-known artists.

Piazza del Collegio Romano 2

Tel: (06) 679 7323. Fax: (06) 678 0939.

Website: www.doriapamphilj.it 

Transport: Bus to Piazza Venezia.

Opening hours: Fri-Wed 1000-1700.

Admission: €7.30.

Campo de’ Fiori

From Monday to Saturday, each day at dawn, stall holders at Rome’s best-loved fruit and vegetable market set up their wares at Campo de’ Fiori. This down-to-earth square – surrounded by tumbledown orange-ochre facades – is a far cry from the more grandiose piazzas of the centro storico. Here one encounters the friendliness and spontaneity for which Romani are so renowned. Come sunset, some of the city’s liveliest and most authentic wine bars and trattorie spill their tables out onto the cobbles, as locals and visitors alike flock here to eat and drink below the stars.

Campo de’ Fiori

Transport: Bus to Largo Argentina.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat dawn-dusk.