Rome | Via del Governo Vecchio | Jeff Blynn | food

LUNCH
"You'll find the real Rome, as opposed to the tourists' Rome, in the upscale neighborhood Parioli, which has several fantastic restaurants. One is Celestina, which is the hip, trendy place where all the soccer players and everybody go. It's hard to get a table, but it's really worth it. If you want to have an American meal, there is Jeff Blynn's, named for a former top male model who owns it. It's like Morton's in L.A. - great traditional American food."

SHOPPING
"Campo de' Fiori is wonderful. When I was living in Rome, that was the marketplace where I went. There's a day you get your chicken, a day you get your flowers, a day you get your bread. It's on one of the most beautiful little squares, which, at night, is the most popular place for young people. There are three wine bars, one better than the next, all on the square. All of the great designers are on the Via del Corso, Via Condotti, and Via della Croce - the Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive of Rome. But I prefer the little stores in and around Piazza Navona. Many of them are on a charming street, Via del Governo Vecchio, which has little antiques stores, boutiques, and mom-and-pop shops. That street is like a time capsule. Antica Officina di Santa Maria Novella has been around forever. It's a really old pharmaceutical company from Florence, which makes something called Poivere per Bianchire le Carni, which means something like 'the dust to whiten your skin.' It's the most amazing face mask. From this, they built an empire of natural products. Also, Pineider is probably the oldest stationery store in Italy. They did stationery for the Medicis."

TRANSPORTATION