Rome

Patrick Pistolesi's globally lauded, 1980s-Japan-inspired cocktail bar in Monti, now with a slick nightclub upstairs. Inventive drinks and a design-led crowd.

A 300-seat Trastevere cinema saved by youthful activists, with a sharp Italian and international programme. A grassroots cultural triumph with an outdoor sibling nearby.

A 1916 temple of Roman pastry, beloved for its cream-filled maritozzo. Arrive early — the best treats sell out before lunch.

A Roman institution since 1870 for serious loungewear and beachwear — pyjamas, shirts, socks, knitwear — combining craft and pared-back elegance.

A buzzy Prati all-day spot for charcuterie, trapizzini and bio wine, with the real party out on the street. 'Life is too short to drink cheap wine,' as the staff T-shirts say.

A treasure-filled private gallery hidden in a vast Via del Corso palazzo, still in the same family since the 17th century. Don't miss Velázquez's portrait of Innocent X.

An 1860 institution on a quiet Ghetto piazza, serving Jewish-Roman classics. The carciofi alla giudia — deep-fried artichoke — is the thing to order.

Bulgari's gem-studded Rome flagship in a restored 1930s building facing the Mausoleum of Augustus, designed by Citterio and Viel. Spartan Roman glamour at its most polished.

Zaha Hadid's swooping National Museum of 21st-century arts in Flaminio, a 'campus' for art and architecture with a stellar archive. As much about the building as the shows.

One of Rome's finest tailors since 1946, in a club-like Via Condotti courtyard studio. Exquisite shirts, suits and silk ties from a true sartorial institution.

A beloved Trastevere bookshop crammed with English titles, strong on Rome-set fiction. A welcoming corner for cultural immersion.

Six vibrantly reimagined rooms inside the Renaissance Villa Medici, dressed by India Mahdavi for the Académie de France. A rare chance to sleep in one of Rome's finest palazzos.

Sarah Cicolini's trailblazing trattoria, redefining offal, pasta and Jewish-Roman classics, now bigger after a sharp redesign. Tradition with a modern edge.

Italy's grand department store, with two Rome sites including a Franco Albini postwar landmark sensitively revamped, complete with a panoramic rooftop. A reliable luxury one-stop.

A warmly run 'cucina laboratory' in Trastevere, where the women in charge ply you with crisps and wine while you wait. Reimagined Roman street food from the open kitchen.

The maison's largest flagship worldwide, a Chipperfield-designed Roman palazzo of marble and terrazzo by Piazza di Spagna. A Rome-exclusive made-to-measure denim service too.

Rome's queen of flea markets, a 1.5km Sunday sprawl of secondhand clothes, vinyl, antiques and bric-a-brac. Come early to dig for treasure.

Daria Reina and Andrea Ferolla's intimate shop of covetable leather totes, Ferolla's illustrations and an eclectic edit of fine goods. As stylish as its founders.

The Perfetti brothers' anchor shop near Via del Governo Vecchio, flagship for their own label of minimalist tailoring and denim in Japanese cloth, finished in Italy.

A 1925 art deco charmer near Piazza del Popolo, full of original character, with a fireside bar, palm-shaded garden and roof terrace. Don't miss the cocktails.

The Roscioli brothers' beloved deli-restaurant, with hundreds of cured meats and some of Rome's best pasta. Order the carbonara and mop up with bread from the family bakery.

A museum of masterpieces in Cardinal Scipione Borghese's villa, with Caravaggios, Berninis and Canova's reclining Paolina. Only 360 visitors at a time — book ahead.

A white-tablecloth Tuscan ristorante off Piazza di Spagna since the 1930s, all dark mahogany and etched glass. Past diners include Loren and Hepburn; dress the part.