From Porta Pia to the Torlonia treasures with Bap's salt

Enjoying a slice of panettone kneaded and decorated by Matteo Anselmi in the dessert laboratory of his Bap, a former glassworks converted into a gourmand address in Rome for those who love Capitoline cuisine and its contamination with international cuisine, practically a few steps from Porta Pia, means simultaneously immersing oneself in Italian history and the evolution of tastes. Chef Anselmi, in fact, proposes in his bistro-cafeteria both a special Panettone with Miyagawa early mandarin, dark chocolate and a touch of rum, and a savoury version, with black Nebrodi ham, DOP fontina d'alpeggio cheese, honey mustard and béchamel. One can eat a slice while admiring Porta Pia, one of the 18 inserted in the defensive walls of the Aurelian Walls, which Pope Pius VI Medici entrusted to Michelangelo - in the decoration of the inner façade one can recognise the patene, the small plates of the Catholic liturgy used in the celebration of the Eucharist during Mass - and then visit the Bersaglieri Historical Museum located in the courtyard between the two façades that make up the gate. From there you can walk to Villa Torlonia where, after passing through the Casino Nobile, you enter the underground area and the area of the anti-aircraft shelters and the bunker dug six metres deep and cylindrical in shape, where through simulations and ground vibrations you can feel the effect of an air raid. More airy is the Serra Moresca whose polychrome stained-glass windows and elegant structure in Peperino marble, iron and cast iron give freshness thanks to the architecture that Prince Alessandro Torlonia wanted to be entirely inspired by the fairy-tale, arabesque Alhambra of Granada. At the Casina delle Civette, also inside Villa Torlonia, colourful tapestries by Niki Berlinguer are also on display in a successful dialogue with the Art Nouveau style of this space. A short distance away, one can have the privilege of crossing the threshold of Villa Albani Torlonia, a favourite destination of artists during the 19th century Grand Tours: the 18th century architecture among the slopes and terraces, the woods of tall trees, the domestic pines, the eight avenues of holm oaks leading to the geometric parterres are definitely enchanting. Together with the splendid collection of Greek Roman art consisting of sarcophagi, busts and statues.