Rome

A concept store should have a clear concept. The weTAD founders knew from the beginning that they wanted to open a flower shop. Still, you have to put them into something and so they also started to sell vases. And once there is such a nice smell, why not sell a few beautifully scented cosmetics along with it? O.k. And a hairdresser would also go well with the cosmetics. Wearing artistic creations on your head, why not put some on the wall, too? Oh, you look tired, how about an espresso in our café? Or just lay down for a bit on our sofas here, which, by the way, are also for sale. This is how it probably happened, because today the weTAD Concept Store sells just about anything: Flowers, modern art, furniture, coffee and night lotions. And, of course, fashion, preferably from Vivienne Westwood and Alexander Wang. Never seen anything like that? Then it's time to take a look into the weTAD Concept Store, which has everything except for a concept.

Did you know? It's so hard to say good-bye to Rome, you would love to pack a piece of it and take it with you. If not for yourself, then at least for friends and family at home, since no one can describe how delicious this particular pasta or that pesto sauce was. A hot tip to make things easier for you: The Cerasari is a shop for delicacies in which you can buy all your most favourite treats and take them home with you. Endless wine shelves contain the best of Barolo & Co, wide counters seduce with Tramezzini and fish platters, the shop windows lure you with unusual pasta and sauces that are stacked to the ceiling. If you cannot decide, just buy a gift hamper, with wine, parmesan, canned goods, sausages and pasta all nicely wrapped for the undecided customer.

What made Ferragamo famous? Maybe the heels: Used in the right fashion they could serve as murder weapons. Or the double plateau: Not quite as deadly as the other high heels, but in combination with cobblestone pavement they are still dangerous. Or was it the price: For a whiff of nothing Ferragamo asks 300 Euro, the bags start at 900 Euro, providing enough room for Handy, Make Up and credit line. Whatever Ferragamo got right, today shoe fetishists from all over the world storm into the flagship store in Rome to buy once in their lifetime what the stars are wearing on the red carpet:  Eva Longoria was seen there, Kate Beckinsale wore sun glasses from Ferragamo, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Angelina Jolie joined their ranks and also wore Ferragamo, Ferragamo, Ferragamo. Thus prices don't come as a surprise. By the way, male feet are also served: The shop for men is only one door over and sells classics in leather.

It didn't take long until the Aroma, the new restaurant on the roof-top terrace of the hotel in the Palazzo Manfredo in Rome attracted the local gourmets. The unrestricted view on the Colosseum and Domus Aurea was probably yet another reason for that.   In the kitchen, local hero Guiseppe die Iroio wields the sceptre. He plants the herbs for his dishes himself, to be smelled at on the terrace: thyme, rosemary, sage and mint. On the menu it takes the following form: medallions of calf with white truffles, twisted pasta with turbot, tuna tartare wit ginger and date soufflé or figs soufflé. His cuisine has already been rewarded the Five-Star-Diamond-Award from the renowned American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.   Below-stairs, in the wine cellar, 300 vintage wines are storing under sommelier's Martin Pechev ward. These demand an appropriate appearance from the male guests: long trousers and shirt!

Naturists beware: You should wear something to get in - the L'Isola doesn't expose itself. It won't serve any skin nor anything else meat related. The eatery is entirely vegetarian, including vegan and macrobiotic options. The furnishing, with a lot of wood and warm colours, goes along with the organic food, such as Polpettine Vegetali (vegetarian dumplings), vegetarian pasta and healthy salads. The restaurant is a typical example of relaxed Italian vegetarianism: Fish is a staple on the menu, and while most vegetarians object to calling fish eaters by their name, it demonstrates that Italians are, as a general rule, oblivious to dogmas.

Feel like something completely different? Then you shouldn't miss the Gusto: With its brick walls, the bright ship planks and the solid wooden tables the restaurant is definitely one of the most modern in Rome.The interior design, the guests, the ambience: Everything seems cool and relaxed like in New York, the old Rome seems miles away. The cuisine is simple but trendy, undoubtedly Mediterranean, but with a modern twist.The downstairs Pizzeria serves specialities from the wood oven, such as Salami Pizza with Ricotta Cheese, mainly to a young crowd. The restaurant upstairs is a bit more classy, but still rather unpretentious for Rome. The wine bar starts at 18.00 with an aperitif for 9 Euro, and every Tuesday and Thursday it's Swing and Jazz night. If you want to try the recipes at home, take a look in the shop next door, where you can buy cookbooks and the right utensils.

Who's better, the Swedes or the Italians? Last year most would have said that it depends on your tastes. The Italians have traditionally specialized in baroque knickknacks, lots of brocade and kitsch ribbons, while the Swedes swore by practical, striped and minimalist furniture. Now everything is different, because today everyone agrees: Back to the roots, charming and cosy furniture made of precious wood should help you live the easy life!   Europe is finally united. Each year more than a thousand visitors storm the Moa Casa.  Some are there to evaluate the trends and others to buy the newest in interior design. 200 exhibitors work their customers on 20,000 square meters. If you need a break from all the furniture, you don't need to walk very far: Next to the MOA Casa the MOA Gustibus offers tastes of traditional Italian specialties, and naturally for purchase, too.

In Milan, Inter and the AC are at war in the San Siro, in Rome Lazio fights against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico. The four teams have one thing in common: They are all brilliant, at least from an Austrian point of view. Inter brought home the Champions' League with its proven defensive technique, AC Milan got that sought-after title seven times in total, Roma is playing with Francesco Totti, who won the World Cup in 2006, and Lazio counters with the Argentinean master Mauro Matías Zárate.Real fans should not miss the popular derby in the Stadio Olimpico. In contrast to some of the players, the audience is anything but defensive, and quickly boils over when the blood is stirring. Small advice: If you buy a ticket for one of the popular games, make sure you to sit with the Roma fans, not with Lazio - unless you tend towards the extreme political right.

Once the Globe theatre was the centre of the action, today the Teatro Dell'Orologio is rocking the boat: This small theatre has left the mainstream and is as off-Broadway as you can be. Far beyond classical tragedy, the theatre is experimenting to such an extent that critics are left speechless. You might recognize the plays, but you will never have seen them like this: Ionesco, Genet, Becket and Maeterlinck are all rediscovered in strange ways. Shakespeare would be delighted and Brecht overjoyed: The Teatro dell'Orologia lacks the technical sophistication of the great stages, but its dedication to the art that makes this theatre so special. Valentino Orfeo is the artistic director, but other directors also play their parts. To be there or not to be? Poor Yorick would have had no doubt!

The Stendhal Hotel, with all the rooms painted light blue, looks like it might set sail one day. The striped wallpaper and wood panelling reinforces the feeling, and sitting down in the blue reading room you might feel like going along to discover new horizons yourself. Northerners do not like too many knickknacks, thus the Stendhal excels in subdued luxury and clear lines. Here a statue, there a little marble, the total being timeless and discreet, offering real comfort in a low key atmosphere. Actually, you might not want to set sail too quickly, because when you disembark you step right onto the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and one of the most exclusive shopping street in the city, where you will definitely find the proper sailor's kit. Double starting at 255,- Euro per night.

The First Luxury Art Hotel Roma. Quite a long name for a hotel. But that doesn't matter since the location of the historic building from the 19th century - right next to the Spanish Steps - is all the more brilliant. And the distances therefore shorter.   There are artworks by famous and aspiring artists hanging on almost every wall in this newly refurbished boutique hotel in the centre of Rome. Every room basically resembles a little gallery. The range of exhibits: portraits, floral or abstract motifs. Which painting will be hanging over the bed makes it all the more exciting.   Also memorable: the life-sized artwork made of metal and stone in the entrance hall of the boutique hotel and the whitewashed cow in the hallway. Don't be frightened by her suddenly looking into your eyes when going around the corner! Enjoy the view from the rooftop garden or the private terrace of the jacuzzi suite. The latter can be specially recommended to honeymooners!

For a long time there were only two ways to Rome: Via the golden baroque hotels with their outrageous interior design or via the avant-garde hotels with their hysterical modernism, which seems to cater more to museum rooms than to living creatures. The gap between both philosophies was filled by the Hotel Capo D'Africa: It is service-oriented without being overbearing, modern without seeming sterile, and it has a long history. What else is new in Rome?   The former schoolhouse is not the severe type: Bright colours, bright wood and very spacious rooms easily make you forget the times when exams still took place in those same rooms. Those with some nostalgia for the cane can hire a personal trainer at the fitness center. You can easily catch up with the lost calories in the rooftop restaurant, which offers great food, a beautiful view and lots of calm near the collosseum.   The Capo D'Africa is surely less spectacular than other hotels, and it isn't high art. Yet for those who seek the golden mean it means they have hit home. Doubles starting at 189,- Euro per night.