Unless you enjoy walking around the quiet streets of a rich apartment-house neighborhood, there is really only one reason for a tourist to go to this area of Rome: The Villa Borghese. The word “villa” doesn’t only mean a big house in the country, it also means a park, and the Villa Borghese is Rome’s Central Park. It is well worth some time to walk through it, if just to take a break from the city streets. However, in it is a major art attraction: the Galleria Borghese. This building was once the play palace of a Pope’s nephew (his uncle gave him the title of Cardinal), and now it is the showcase for the cardinal’s collections, including the some of most awesome of Bernini’s sculptures, many other masterpieces, as well as some incredibly kitschy but amusing art. You need a reservation for the museum –ask your hotel concierge to secure one – as all admissions are with a tour guide. You can just show up, but you will usually have to wait for a tour unless you have reserved. By the way, the museum has a very nice caffé with good tramezzini and pastries. If you are strolling the park, you may want to just stop here for a refreshment. Inexpensive.

Ristorante Ambasciata d’Abruzzo
Closed Sunday
Via Pietro Tacchini, 26
Tel. 06.807.8256
www.ambasciata-di-abruzzo.it

Located in Parioli, the overall most affluent residential neighborhood of Rome, it’s amazing how reasonably priced and down to earth this wonderful restaurant is. You must start with the house antipasto array, which always includes vegetable dishes, a frittata of some sort, and, perhaps best, a selection of salumi from the region of Abruzzo, dried sausages and ham, most of which you cannot get in the States. (I am particularly fond of the dried sausage with liver.) The cheese and spinach ravioli dressed with butter and sage are also a must. Then you are on your own if you can fit in anymore. There is also a gargantuan set-price feast. You may want to ask about it. The rooms, including a wine-lined side one, feel substantial and comfortable. The atmosphere at both lunch and dinner is lively with local customers, including families who come for the set-price meal. High-end tour groups also find their way here, but the prices are moderate, not expensive. I took a group here last year, and we left groaning with pleasure from way too much good food. Moderate.

Fiore di Zucca
Via G. Donizetti, 16
Tel. 06.842.42417

This is a smart, neighborhood restaurant in the smartest residential neighborhood. The food ranges from serviceable to delicious. It’s sort of hit and miss. Still, I think it is worth mentioning because it is within walking distance of the Galleria Borghese, affords excellent (rich-) people watching, and is moderately priced with all that. In addition, since it serves a cosmopolitan crowd, it is savvy to American ways without being touristic, It is, for instance, a good place to have that green salad you’ve been hankering for. Moderate.