Rome

The Italians got style. How nice when they pass it down to others. Luisa Longo does so. The artist and textile designer has opened her house-atelier Buonanotte Garibaldi in Rome and rents out three different rooms for selected design aficionados.   The luxurious B&B hotel in Trastevere used to be Longo's parental home. Today you'll find an inner courtyard with orange trees and palms as well as three rooms to retreat behind the green ivory gate. The rooms are adorned with a mix of antiquities from the 19th and 20th century and textiles individually designed by the owner. There you'll find, for example, the Chocolate Room with golden and coppery-coloured shades. The citrus fruits and their fresh colours have been integrated by the Roman into the Orange Room. In the Rome Room she's draped hand-painted silk and satin. She serves house-made cakes and marmalade. And during the night a fine bevvy accompanied by Bach or Händel.

Karl is the name of one of the suites. The pictures and sketches on the wall come from their godfather, Karl Lagerfeld. In another room, the atelier suite, sketches and drafts by Chanel and Dior adorn the walls. We are in the haute couture of the Roman boutique hotel: fashion is the topic in the Villa Laetitia. The reason for it is quite obvious: the mansion is one of the private residences of the Fendi clan. And it is rented to fashion-conscious and stylish visitors of Rome.   The apartment complex run by the Italian fashion dynasty can be found in Rome, on the bank of the Tiber on the Piazza del Popolo, within a patrician house. The well-built stone men at the entrance remind of ancient times, and vintage objects and design pieces fit just perfectly. So does the filigree circular staircase. Each suite is designed individually, but chequered patterns and geometrical forms obviously range among the owners' favourite motifs.   There is no hotel restaurant but If you like to you can order a candlelight dinner. Or you cook on your own in the kitchen. Afterwards you can enjoy a divine tranquility in the enchanted garden.

No juice bar, but a refreshing and fruity boutique hotel: The Orange Hotel wins you over with its original design and wonderful view. You guessed it? Yes, it's orange all over. Yet they didn't overdo it and mixed the strong colour with a subdued grey, resulting in a joyful impression. A clear concept, modern and stylish execution, the rooms are straightforward and not overloaded. The Deluxe Orange even offers free room service for an extra serving of vitamins; however, those who have enough of orange on grey should move over to red and take a wine on the amazing rooftop terrace. Along with the Chianti you get a free view of cupola of St. Peter's Basilica, which is less than a hallelujah away from the hotel. Big plus: It's a juicy deal, with doubles starting at 69,- Euro.

For all who don't know: 451° Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper ignites and books burn. In contrast to Ray Bradbury's congenial novel there are no flames engulfing this charming bookshop. Bookworms are welcome. The Campo de Fiori is a bustling place so it's no wonder that the shop is full of customers. However, you won't find much Science Fiction here, the main topic being the arts and photography. Independent thinking is still allowed: The shop promotes smaller publishers and invites young authors to readings. If the firefighters have to come, then because you have caught fire: The staff are always in good spirits, and the atmosphere so relaxed that you'll definitely want to come back.

Attention: There is nothing to drink at the bar - in the L'Olfattorio Bar you are served neither whiskey nor beer, but scents. This is how it works: Go into the bar and order Eau de Toilette. Then pick the scent that you like most.The perfumes on offer are from small manufacturers, and you can test them for free. When you like a scent, you receive the address in Rome where you can buy that perfume. The innovative business concept works, because it allows small producers to introduce themselves and to compete against the big ones.Aside from perfumes you can also purchase scented candles and all sorts of other olfactory delights. Just don't stay for too long, you might get dizzy from all those scents.

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.

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.

The Pommidoro is all game: Grilled meat on the menu includes deer, wild boar and so forth. The classic: Pappardelle, that is tagliatelle in wild boar sauce or fettuccine with vegetables from the garden. Talking of which: Pommidoro means pomodoro in Rom, that is tomato, and is the nick name of the owner named Aldo. Whether or not he is just as red and round as his namesake, we couldn't determine.However, the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung dedicated a whole page to his wife Anna, who has served no less than 160,000 meals to her guests, filled with good, Roman specialties and lots of game. She and her husband seem to attract wild spirits: The restaurant is Roberto Benigni's and Pedro Almodovar's favourite, and no one other than Pier Paolo Pasolini enjoyed his wild boar here.

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.

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!

It took ten years, various culture secretaries and 150 million euro to complete the eccentric building designed by star architect Zaha Hadid. She especially put emphasis on the interaction between glass, fair-faced concrete and metal. Once again it becomes obvious: it's not only art, but also architecture which is maximal here in the Flaminio quarter.   The 27.000 square metres of the area with its 20 metres high entrance hall forms an open, urban space and guides the visitors along curved walls and interwoven levels on unexpected paths through five galleries. In the well-lit museum (thanks to the glass roof) we find the two museums MAXXI art and MAXXI architecture. The house is devoted to preserve and conserve the cultural heritage by means of exhibitions, workshops, performances and (educational) projects. But more: it offers space for experimenting and exploring modern aesthetic contents.   Tickets for 11 euro (reductions possible).