Rome According To Margherita Buy

Hearing is believing in the impressively designed Auditorium Parco della Musica (30 Via Pietro de Coubertin; +39-06-8024-1281), where the acoustics are so perfect, they’re almost heavenly. No wonder attendance is second only to New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Three large concert halls, plus a 3,000-seat, open-air amphitheater, host musical performances ranging from classical music to pop year round. An archaeological museum wasn't in the Auditorium's original plans, but was added soon after excavation of the site began in 1995 revealing mural remains from the middle of the 6th century B.C., and a rustic farmhouse from an archaic era were discovered.

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome's national symphony, makes its permanent home at the Auditorium. The orchestra, one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, was established by a decree from Pope Sixtus V in 1585, and originally performed in the Church of Santa Maria ad Martires, now known as the Pantheon.

Indulgent emperor, Nero, built a new home for himself in 64 A.D. that was more like a small city than a palace. After the great fire of Rome, he spared no expense building the magnificent residence, Domus Aurea, (1 Via della Domus Aurea; +39-06-399-67-700), otherwise known as the Golden House. Lavish gold leaf, jewels, mother of pearl, stucco façades, massive bathhouses, frescoes, fountains, boundless vineyards, and baths which flowed with seawater, were just a few of the palace’s embarrassment of riches.

Following his death, Nero's successors buried the building entirely, trying to erase any trace of him. It wasn’t until Raphael and other artists explored the entombed palace that its forgotten majesty was resurrected. Time hasn't been kind to the Golden House, however, and it is currently in the midst of an ambitious restoration project. Massive work continues, but guided tours of the restoration site are conducted on weekends.

When working on a film, Margherita Buy spends several weeks at a time at Cinecittà Studios (1055 Via Tuscolana; +39-06-7229-31), the largest film studio in Europe. Opened in 1937, it was discovered in the early 1950s by American filmmakers, giving it the nickname of "Hollywood on the Tiber." This is where many 20th-century American classics were made, including Roman Holiday, Ben Hur, Cleopatra, and The Pink Panther.

Grab a backstage pass for Cinecittà Shows Off, a tour which goes behind the scenes to where the moviemaking happens. Majestic outdoor sets put you in the middle of colossal action—a five-acre depiction of ancient Rome used for the 2005 television series, Rome, produced by HBO and the BBC, and a re-creation of 15th century Florence made completely from fiberglass for a 2013 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Revered for its beautiful theaters, Rome is home to one stage in particular that has special meaning for Margherita Buy. She recalls her mix of anticipation and fear when she performed at the Teatro Argentina (52 Largo di Torre Argentina; +39-06-684-00-0311). Years later, she still feels butterflies when she steps into the auditorium.

There's much history built into the walls. Constructed in 1731, it is one of the oldest opera houses in the city. It was here that Gioachino Rossini debuted his opera, The Barber of Seville in 1816. The theater's history goes back even further—it is believed to be on the site of the Curia of Pompey, where Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C.

Soak up history and inspiration with an afternoon macchiato at Italy's second-oldest café, Antico Caffé Greco (86 Via dei Condotti; +39-06-679-1700). Way before there was Starbuck's, this community coffee shop has been the gathering place for philosophers, poets, writers, artists, and politicians since its opening in 1760. Portraits and plaster plaques confirm the notable patrons who have relaxed with a good book, or maybe written one, while seated on the café's red velvet chairs. Author-romantic Giovanni Giacomo Casanova, essayist María Zambrano, fashion designer Mariano Fortuny, and writer John Keats, who lived nearby, are just a few of the illustrious regulars who have frequented the café over its more than 250 year existence.
Attracted by food and ambiance, the dinner crowd lines up at Il Sanlorenzo (4/5 Via dei Chiavari; +39-06-686-5097) for the constantly changing pescatarian menu. Built over the foundations of the ancient Pompeo Theatre, the fine dining restaurant is on a quiet street near Palazzo Farnese. The freshest seafood in town comes from a cooperative of local fishermen who mine the Pontine Islands and Civitavecchia ports on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Like what you see? Il Sanlorenzo has a selection of fresh catch for sale. Below ground, a private chef's table is reserved for four, precisely on the spot where the theater foundation existed.