When In Rome
Discovering vintage Brunellos and forward-thinking designs in the heart of Italy’s most romantic city.
Any decent Roman holiday requires at least a week’s worth of Vespa rental, but after you’ve whizzed past the Coliseum two or three times, what then? Sounds like it’s time to park and shop. We wouldn’t dare return home from Rome without lugging a bottle or two of great Italian wine, not to mention sporting a new haircut and an Alexander McQueen ensemble…
Wine to go
In a city renowned for its gourmet passions, Buccone stands out as Rome’s premier wine merchant. This 45-year old enoteca, located just off the 17th century Piazza del Popolo, stocks more than 2,500 different labels, attracting global oenophiles like us in search of Italy’s finest and rarest vintages. New and dusty bottles alike are stacked against the old stone walls, sometimes all the way to the arched ceilings, almost brushing the chandeliers. Shoulder past exquisitely hip Roman couples indulging in smoked salmon and roasted vegetables from the shop’s intimate but highly skilled kitchen (limited seating offers lunch and dinner to a select few), and browse the aisles for everything from Tuscany’s best Valpolicella to the famed 1964 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, yours for a cool 3,000 euros. If you’re like us, you probably can’t resist immediate gratification and will end up indulging in a few wines by the glass from the extensive list. The famous Italian cellar is supplemented with an eclectic mix of international gems from Chile, Israel, Switzerland, Australia and Greece, but that’s not really why we’re in Rome, is it? 19-20 Via di Ripetta (Piazza del Popolo), Rome, Italy. Tel. 011.39.06.361.2154.
Conceptual Design
Riding a scooter through the streets of Rome requires a certain look, and for that, we love TAD, the city’s white-hot concept store. This sleek boutique in the heart of Rome’s high-end fashion district embraces everything from couture and coffee to perfumes and pampering, much of which is unavailable in North America. Jet-setters can submit to creative cuts in the stark hairdressing space, shop for Christian Louboutin and Alexander McQueen, or merely flick through the latest design mags in the exhibition space, TADLAB. A multi-lingual sales staff (we heard Italian, French, English and German spoken to an international clientele) assists with those all-important choices, like comparing an Indian-esque, silk-covered day bed to a 7,000 euro bench-seat carved from teak. Decisions, decisions. Via del Babuino 155/A, Rome, Italy. Tel. 011.3.906.3600.4675; ww.taditaly.com (a new location is slated for Milan, spring 2005).