La Garbatella - my favorite district of Rome and other Rome, Italy Off The Beaten Path Tips

First I've heard about Garbatella while watching the movie "Caro Diario" by Nanni Moretti and I just felt in love with this part of Rome. The first summer in Rome it was basically summer evenings around Garbatella.
This district was built around 1920 as the place of cheap housing for people who needed to move out from a center of the city, as long as new streets were built at the place of their houses.
The old part of today Garbatella is amazing. There are not historic monuments and tourist's attractions, but from my point of view this place have something more - has "L'ANIMA" - a soul. If you enjoy walking around and watching buildings full of colors and plants you will like it for sure.
For me it's a ritual - walking along the streets, looking at people's windows, theirs gardens.
There are many good, cheap restaurants, where you will not meet anybody else just Romans.
(see restaurant section: Er Panonto)

You need to remember to walk a bit from the metro station Garbatella (metro B - Blue Line) towards the old part of the district, the theatre Innocenzo Sabbatini.
The new part of La Garbatella is nothing really special with new, kind of "match box" buildings.

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If you are tired of a crowd in the center of Rome you should visit an ancient port of Rome called Ostia Antica. There are so much to see that you can enjoy a walk between ruins and pine trees even for a half of the day.

It's open from 9 am till 4 - 5 pm (it depends on a month)
It's close on Mondays.
The ticket costs 4 E or 2 E for students

When in Rome during the summer you can go in the evening to a concert played in the ancient theater located in Ostia Antica. The play is really memorable. We went there for a concert of Gaetano Veloso and it was great.

It's starts about 9pm, remember that the the last train to Rome leaves around 10pm so you should be prepered to take a taxi (40 E)
See the web-site below for concert ticket.

Address: Viale dei Romagnoli, 717 - 00119 Ostia Antica - Roma

Take Metro B Blue Line to Piramide and then take a train LIdo Ostia get off at Ostia Antica Stop.

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Phone: 06/56352830
Website: http://www.cosmophonies.com/home.htm

Villa Torlonia was built in 1806 for a banker Giovanni Torlania, but nowadays it's remember mostly as a home of Mussolini, who lived there in the 1920s.
After the IIWW the villa was abandoned and even today some its parts need to be reconstructed.

There is free guided tour organized around the house, it lasts about half an hour and it's very interesting, so just ask at the entrance.

Villa Torlonia is a bit far away from the center but it's worth your visit.
The best way to get there form the center is to take metro B and get off on Bologna stop and later walk or take bust 62.

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Other Contact: Via Nomentana 70

Oasi di Porto - it's a park where Traiano Lake is located. Most of tourists pass nearby while going to Rome from Fiumicino airport or visiting Ostia Antica.
This place is really nearby Rome, but it's not well-known, even by Romans. We decided to visit it because it's close to our house and it was funny how difficult it was to find the entrance. Everybody we asked for info gave us different directions. Finally we managed to find it :)

Oasi di Porto - is a very nice private park and an artificial lake. The lake was built by Imperatore Traiano (98-117d.c.) It has hexagonal shape and was used as port in the time of Imperial Rome. Unfortunately in medieval times it was destructed by water which created here wetland.
After 1856 when this territory was bought by Prince Alessandro Torlonia the lake, park and some archaeological sites were renovated.
Today it's a private property, often visited by school trips. It's especially interesting to visit it with children because there is a guided tour on a horse-drawn carriage and botanical mini tour. Unfortunately, it's forbidden to take a walk around the lake alone (only guided tours).

It's open on Thursday and Sundays, from 10 AM till sunset
(closed during major holidays) Call to ask if it's opened.
Ticket: 8 Euro

Location: Fiumicino, entrance: 100m pass the cemetery.

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Phone: 065880880

Rome has so much to offer besides magnificent monuments which are known all over the world. In case you would like to get rest from the crowd of tourists or just take a stroll and have a picnic go to one of Rome's parks. There are so many of them, easy reachable even by somebody who doesn't know the city well.
My favorite one is Villa Doria Pamphilj, the biggest park in Rome. There are lakes and many beautiful alleys to wander. It's very popular among Romans who like to jog or do other outdoors sports.
To get there take BUS nr. 31 144 791 982

Other parks in Rome:
Villa Borghese: the most famous park in Rome, easy to get there from Piazza del Popolo or Piazza di Spagna

Villa Ada: is located along Via Salaria, it's wilder than other parks

Villa Torlonia

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