Trastevere, one of the hippest neighborhoods in Rome, is nightlife heaven when it comes to cool bars and great restaurants. And of all these bars, one of the most renowned is Freni e Frizioni (“Brakes and Clutches,” as it resides in a former auto shop). The bartenders are wholly capable, making me perhaps the best cocktails I’ve had thus far in Rome: an elegant mint julep with ice surrounding even the outside of the metal cup, and a unique Old Fashioned with blackberries and some amaro I can’t remember. The aperitivo food was also quite tasty, but the best part of it all was sitting outside in the cool Roman night with a drink and a good friend: Valeria, the new Yelp Community Manager of Rome, who was kind enough to give me an autographed copy of her novel, Invisibile.

After Freni e Frizioni, we headed to Antilia, another Trastevere bar. We met up with some new friends and enjoyed some amaro al fresco.

It was one of the best nights I’ve had in Rome, and I see now why Trastevere is so highly regarded as a hangout locale. Luckily, I had recently become accustomed with taking the buses in Rome, and I shared the ride home with a bunch of fellow night owls at 2:30 a.m., as evidenced by the last photo below.