Travel guide to Rome’s Trieste Salario neighborhood, a beautiful residential part of Rome with unique sights and delicious food addresses.
The Trieste Salario district is a beautiful part of of Rome, immediately outside of the historical center, on the northern side of the city.
A residential area, the district is usually ignored by tourists and it takes you away from the area with Rome’s most famous attractions.
However, this is an area with some interesting sights and also a beautiful one to consider if you want to live in Rome or just spend a day exploring a different side of the city, one made of parks and families rather than big ticket tourist stops.
I know this area very well. I grew up here and spent most of my life in this district, so you can say I am biased.
However, after reading this guide and visiting Trieste Salario, I am pretty are you’ll agree it is one of the best areas in Rome!
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Where is the Trieste Salario Neighborhood of Rome and how to get there.
Triste Salario stretches from historic Porta Pia and the Aurelian walls to the southern bank of the river Aniene, Rome’s second largest river after the Tiber.
From the historical center, you can get to here with a 30 min walk or by bus or metro.
Buses covering this area are: 38, 60 (excellent and fast in/from the center), 62, 80 (excellent and fast in/from the center), 89, 90 (excellent and fast to/from Termini station), 310
Metro: Annibaliano
The area is large and, overall, on the wealthy end of the spectrum and is it subdivided in several district areas, each with a rather distinctive feel.
From the point of view of the tourist, some of these areas will hold more appeal than others: these will probably include the Coppede’ District, the church of Santa Agnese and Santa Costanza and Priscilla’s Catacombs.
However, if you area reading this guide considering a move to Rome, you will find all district in this area have something to offer.
In this guide, I will try cover all aspects.
The best things to see in Trieste Salario neighborhood, Rome
Porta Pia
Porta Pia is one od the ancient gates in the Aurelian Walls and an important place in the history of Rome.
On the 20th of September 1870, the Italian Army, in the form of the Bersaglieri battalion, entered the Papal City of Rome from this very location, and started the process that led Rome to become capital of Italy in 1871.
La ‘breccia di Porta Pia’ as it is known was a fundamental event in the history of united Italy and it is still remember in this location.
If visiting, you will find here:
Porta Pia itself, a monumental gate with some decorative elements by Michelangelo and now housing the Museum of Bersaglieri
A statue to Bersaglieri, to commemorate the event
The location of the ‘breccia’ itself few meters down the road from the gate, marked with a plaque.
Porta Pia is now in the center of a busy crossroads and the visit to it only takes a couple of minutes and can easily be combine with several other locations in this beautiful area.
Macro Museum
The Macro Museum is one of Rome’s museum of contemporary art museum and an interesting exhibition space.
The quality of what is on display depends on the program at the time of your visit (in my experience, it’s a bit hit and miss), but the building is architecturally interesting and worth noticing, if in the area.
You can find program and info here.
Villa Torlonia
Villa Torlonia is a beautiful park in the Trieste Salario District and a lovely place to spend an afternoon.
The park takes its name from the Torlonia Family, who used to own it and has several interesting spots.
When in use as a private estate, the Villa acquired some lovely buildings in unique Art Deco architecture, a Moorish Greenhouse, recently reopened to the public, a theater and some elegant residential spaces, now turned into museum areas.
During the Fascist regime, Mussolini moved into the Villa and famously rented it from the Torlonia Family at the cost of one lira per month (lire were the old Italian currency: to give you an idea, it took almost 2000 lire to make 1 Euro!).
From that time, the Villa Acquired a bunker, which is now occasionally opened to the public.
As well as these attractions, Villa Torlonia is also a public park with a playground, a small kids/science museum (older kids) and a lovely cafe’ / restaurant called La Limonaia, pleasant for lunch or a quick drink.
You can find here >>> our guide to Villa Torlonia.
Villa Paganini
Right in front of Villa Torlonia lies a small park called Villa Paganini.
The park is pretty but hasn’t got any of the attractions of Villa Torlonia, unless you have kids!
In that case, you will probably want to bring the children to Villa Paganini as you will find here a new playground (nothing fancy but clean and nice) and tons of local kids!
The parks also hosts a school so all the local kids are here at playtime, which is at around 4.30 pm during the school year, when school ends, and a little later in summer, when local kids come out to play after the heat of the day has subsided a little.
Coppede’ District
The Coppede’ District is the most famous part of the Trieste Salario Neighborhood and a place like no other in Rome.
Built at the beginning of the twentieth century by Architect Gino Coppedè’, this area is characterised by a very peculiar style of Art Deco unique to this park of the city and its creator.
This small district develops over a main, pretty square called Piazza Mincio, and has a series of buildings with a fairytale looking appearance and whimsical sculpture.
It is the type of place that needs to be seen to be believed.
You can find here >>> our complete guide to the Coppede’ District
Villini area
Between Villa Torlonia and the Coppede’ district lies a very special area, with small houses with pretty from yards and climbing plants: Rome’s Villini.
Villini aka ‘small villas’ date from the beginning of the twentieth century and are romantic and a delightful to see.
Not to be missed is pretty Via delle Isole, charming Piazza Caprera and Via delle Alpi (there is also a nice hotel here, see below!)
Monumental Complex of Santra Agnese and Santa Costanza
The monumental complex of Santa Agnese and Santa Costanza is made of two ancient churches: the Church of Santa Agnese Fuori le Mura (St Agnes outside the walls) and Santa Costanza.
The place is unique.
Both churches are worth seeing and especially Santa Costanza is a bit of a hidden gem.
Named after the daughter of Emperor Constantine the Great, the one who made Christianity legal in Rome, the church dates form the IV century AD, it is round and it houses stunning ancient mosaics, among the most fascinating in Rome.
Santa Costanza is one of the most important monuments of late-ancient architecture and a hidden gem I highly recommend you take the time to visit.
You can find here >>> opening hours and info
The catacombs of Priscilla
The Trieste Salario neighborhood hided, under street levels, some of the most interesting catacombs of Rome, the catacombs of Priscilla.
These catacombs are unique in the city as they house the oldest representation of the Virgin with child ever gotten to us! They are an incredible sight and a must see for religious visitors or lovers of ancient art.
Access is by guided tour only. Find info and prices here.
Villa Ada (park)
Located immediately in front of the Catacombs of Priscilla and easy to visit in conjunction to them, Villa Ada is a large park in Rome, pleasant for an afternoon outdoors.
The park is in a rather poor sate of repair at present; however, it has some nice wooded areas, several walking paths, kids playgrounds and a pond area, popular with runners.
Around the pond, known as laghetto di Villa Ada, an event called ‘Roma incontra il Mondo’ happened in summer, bringing music and street food to this area.
Quartiere Africano (The African Quarter)
The so called African Quarter is a large area within the Trieste Salario district with streets named north and Eastern Africa location.
If this sounds unexpected, a brief history of the area can help put it in context: the area was names after the Italian colonies in Africa during fascist time.
The neighborhood is residential, pleasant and very well served. While you don’t find particular attractions here, this is a great place to call home and still hides some pleasant sightseeing surprises such as the unusual ‘Chair of the Devil’, Sedia del Diavolo, an ancient Roman ruin in the middle of an otherwise modern, bustling city area!
Where to eat in the Trieste Salario area
Trieste Salario is rich in places to eat. Some I love are:
Caprera Roma – lovely for lunch or aperitivo with views on one of Rome’s prettiest piazzas. Address: Piazza Caprera
Marziali Caffe – in front of Caprera Roma, a little bit more upscale and nice for aperitivo especiall. Address: Piazza Caprera
Grue’ – famous for offering one of the best breakfasts in Rome, think pastries, croissants, macaroons, sandwiches and more. Address: Viale Regina Margherita 95
Il datterino Giallo – delicious restaurant with fantastic cuisine and high crust pizza. Address: Piazza Ledro
Il Pepe Verde – offering excellent pasta and cooked dishes especially, as well as nice pizza. Address: Viale Gorizia 38
Cannoleria Siciliana – serving the best Sicilian cannoli in Rome. Address: Corso Trieste 100
Fish Hub – a tiny place with delicious poke and fish specialties, perfect for lunch or aperitivo. Address: Corso Trieste 112
Berbere’ – a great place for specialty pizza. In the evening, they make a special dough called ‘a idolisi’ which makes pizza super light. Address: Via Mantova 5
Tribeca cafe – a new favorite for me! As well as a great place for aperitivo, Tribeca now also has a fantastic dinner offering with Roman specialties and super fresh fish specialties. Fabulous and super friendly staff too! Address: Via Messina 29
I Balestrari – good, traditional pizzeria like the used to be! Good quality thin pizza and Roman specialties. Address: Via Alessandria 150
Ops – nice vegan restaurant with good buffet style lunch. Address: Via Bergamo 56
Marinari – one of the best pastry and cake shops in the area and the city, an institution! Address: Corso Trieste 95
For the best gelato in the Trieste Salario neighbourhood, we recommend:
I Gracchi, our absolute favorite on Viale Regina Margherita 212
Marinari, beside the pastry shop by the same name, on Corso Trieste
Guttilla, on Via Nomentana 267, in front of Villa Torlonia
Where to sleep in Trieste Salario area: hotels
The best hotels for sightseeing are between Porta Pia and the Coppede’ District. Some I recommend are:
Villa Pirandello – on a quiet street, close to the direct bus into the city center, this is a delightful hotel with outside patio. A but of an oasis, perfect for a quiet break
Palm Gallery Hotel – lovely small hotel on charming Via delle Alpi, only a short walk to the tram and bus into the city center and about ten minutes walk from the Coppede’ District
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the Trieste Salario area and it helped you decide if it may be a good neighborhood for your Rome adventure. Safe travels to Rome!