The New Roman Times

Last Thursday, as I was wandering around the Spanish Steps with a bit of time to kill before an appointment, I decided to stop by Marella to see if there was anything I should return for when the saldi start. To my surprise, as soon as I entered, a shop assistant told me that the summer collection was already 30% off, even though the signs weren’t up yet. I walked out with a new navy blue blazer, glad that I had snagged it before someone else snatched it up.

For a little village with a year-round population of less than 400 people, Portofino has an outsized reputation. Once a humble fishing village on Liguria’s Riviera di Levante, Portofino began to attract English and Northern European travelers on the Grand Tour in the late 1800s and cemented its reputation as a hotspot for wealthy aristocrats and celebrities in the 1950s and ‘60s.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that Italians take their coffee seriously. Aside from espresso and cappuccino, there are myriad different ways you can have a coffee here. (Just don’t ask for a to-go cup; you won’t see Italians walking around with big cups of coffee.) You might also know that when Italians just want a quick pick-me-up, they typically go to a bar and drink an espresso standing at the counter.

So you know about Capri and Ischia, but what about Procida? The smallest of the three inhabited Phlegrean Islands in the Bay of Naples, Procida is popular among Neapolitans but flies under the radar when it comes to international tourism. In 2022, became the first island ever crowned Italy’s Capital of Culture, which created some buzz, but when my husband Marco and I visited last summer, it still felt charmingly authentic and down-to-earth.

Welcome to the New Roman Times’ 72 Hours series! Why 72 hours? Because the New York Times publishes a “36 Hours” series, but in my opinion, 36 hours isn’t nearly enough time to spend in Italy’s greatest cities and most compelling regions. From time to time, I’ll spotlight popular destinations like Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Lake Como for paid subscribers. Have a place you’d like a 72 hours guide to?

Issue #191 “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by Joana Vasconcelos outside of PM23 near the Spanish Steps The commingling of art and fashion is nothing new, but lately it seems like more and more designers and jewelry houses are mounting exhibitions at Rome’s museums. Last year, everyone was talking about the Dolce & Gabbana show at the Palazzo degli Esposizioni. Earlier this year, I managed to catch the Cartier exhibition at the Musei Capitolini before it closed in March.

Issue #190 Cielo Bar at the Hotel de la Ville was recently refreshed with striped awnings and sofas Rooftop season is back in Rome—and a charmed season it is. There’s something magical about sipping a spritz while watching the sunset over the terracotta rooftops of the Eternal City. On hot summer evenings, being up on a rooftop with a nice breeze can feel so much better than sweating down at street level.

Photos courtesy of Profumoir If you’ve ever been to Florence, you might have learned a bit about the city’s history with perfume making and perhaps encountered Santa Maria Novella, the heritage perfume house that dates back to the 12th century, when the friars who lived in the monastery made tinctures, medicines, and perfumes.

Welcome to the New Roman Times’ neighborhood guide series! Every now and then, I’ll spotlight a specific neighborhood that I think is worth a deeper exploration for paid subscribers. Have a neighborhood you’d like a guide to? Email newromantimes@substack.com or leave a comment here! For a small neighborhood within Rome’s centro storico, the Jewish Ghetto is nonetheless packed with history.

Photo by Camilla Trani, courtesy of Sete Lazio (the central Italian region where Rome is located) may be known for its ancient ruins and Vatican treasures, but it also happens to be home to Italy’s historic wine-making traditions. With vineyards sprawling over 25,000 hectares, its diverse topography and soil types, as well as close proximity to the Mediterranean coastline make it the ideal spot for a rich history and promising present for wine production.