Mandaloun

As a young man, Barakat and his two brothers worked in their father’s cafe & deli back in Lebanon. Now he is sitting across the table from me in his own establishment in Rome. “Have you tried Arak?” My face answers his question and he signals a waiter who brings me a glass of something […]

Gambero Rosso

  The Chinese New Year has always been an interesting, yet far away festivity; as Paolo Gorrieri (Manager Chinese Culinary Institute) stated, ”Their New Year is more like our Christmas.” Since it is so far away, the holiday is celebrated in most ethnically diverse cities around the world. Italy, having always been considered a country […]

200 Gradi

  Ask a resident of Rome about Piazza Venezia, and you’re likely to find yourself deep in conversation about the modern and imposing Vittoriano monument overlooking the square; or perhaps the endless traffic trying to make its way through the clogged roads of the capital. Speak to the staff at 200 Gradi, however, and you’ll […]

An Artist’s Journey to Rome:

A couple enjoys a casual Saturday stroll. A child wearing cumbrous rollberblades clatters over the sanpietrini as his mother calls out to him. I catch sight of Andrea and stand up from my seat on an ancient stone where I’d been watching the slow current of people moving through Piazza di S. Lorenzo in Lucina. […]

Project Rome

  “There’s a line in society. If you go below that line, you become invisible. It’s a lot easier to fall below the line than it is to get back up over it”. – Mary Stuart-Miller   Mary Stuart-Miller is a passionate woman, and Project Rome deals with the serious issue of homelessness, but it […]

Quetzalcoatl

    A well-dressed man with salt and pepper hair rests casually against the stone wall facing the chocolatier and gelateria bearing the mysterious name Quetzalcoatl. I am sure this is Jacques. I introduce myself. He greets me with a big smile and leads me into his store. We sit at a small table beneath a […]

Burberry:

  This year marks the 160th anniversary of fashion icon, Burberry. Since its birth in 1856, the company has gone through continual transformation, but their two foundational elements, the trench coat and the distinctive tartan pattern, have remained the icons of the Burberry line. Originally, the company’s products were geared towards outdoor wear. In 1880, […]

Saddlers Union

            Secluded, quiet, and surprisingly leafy green for a street in the center of Rome, Via Margutta has a reputation as being the road of artisans. In 1953 this quaint street was thrown into the world’s consciousness by the popular film Roman Holiday. Once the world saw Gregory Peck and […]

The Hermès Carré:

A single, surprisingly simple square of silk, an Hermès scarf is sold somewhere around the world every 25 seconds. In the 79 years since the first Carré was designed by a friend of the family, the Hermès Carré has become a cultural icon. Queen Elizabeth II wore one in the portrait used for the 1966 […]

Rechicle

  It’s easy to miss Rechicle at first; tucked away on a quiet street in Prati, there is no grand sign announcing its presence to passersby. In fact, the only thing giving it away is the window display, which tantalisingly reveals colourful vintage bags and scarves, alongside 1950s beauty cases and designer sunglasses. Intrigued, I […]