Get up close & personal with Italy
Access Italy doesn't just take you to places, we take you to people. The locals who preserve, extol and share their Italian way of life.
Below is a snapshot of some of the friends we've made and shared many great moments and memories with. The ragazzi (guys) and ragazze (girls) ready to show you Italy's shortcuts and secrets.
Roberto & Lorenzo - the best fish
Roberto and his son Lorenzo run a beautiful restaurant in Rome. Our relationship together has grown over the past 40 years, just as our businesses have. The restaurant used to be a fish trattoria but Lorenzo has evolved it into a great setting for seafood lovers. Our clients always eat at the best table, and we’re the only ones that Roberto and Lorenzo offer cooking classes and wine tastings too. Their north-to-south or region-specific tastings take place in their beautiful barrel-shaped cellar.
Massimo & Maurizio - the best pasta
These two brothers run one of our family’s favorite restaurants. The restaurant is Roman through and through with lots of local dishes like carbonara, cacio e pepe, carciofi alla giudia (fried artichokes), and hams from the Lazio region. As diners you’re not so squished together like you are in other trattorias which gives everything a more comfortable and spacious feel. Massimo and Maurizio also make the best pasta in town which they then serve in a pan. Not to be missed.
Enzo - the best pizza
Enzo has been friends with Angelo (Access Italy’s founder) for many many years. Originally from Naples, he opened a pizzeria in a beautiful spot near the Pantheon with frescoes lining the ceilings. For such a central location you get comfortable tables and, without doubt, the best pizza in Rome. Enzo does the pizzas for our family and friends. Our favorites? A truffle pizza or a margherita with buffalo mozzarella straight from Naples.
Roberto - the best barber
Roberto is based in Rome’s most iconic barber shop. The shop is located in a sixteenth-century building which is in the area where a lot of Eat Pray Love was filmed. Roberto has been in the shop for many years and the way he shaves is the most authentic and true Italian method. The shop also makes its own aftershave.
Domenico - the best tailor
Domenico runs a family tailor with two shops in Rome. They sell a range of mens clothing, but their true specialty is the custom-made suits and shirts they craft. Domenico’s creative skills and passion are coupled with a family tradition that dates back to Napoli in the early 20th century. Everything is 100% made in Italy with high-quality materials - including mother-of-pearl buttons and hand-stitched buttonholes and sleeves. You won't find anything like this anywhere else.
Giancarlino - the best street artist
Giancarlino was born in Rome in 1954 and has been working as an artist on the same street for over twenty years. The street is his study. Giancarlino hangs a sheet on the wall with nails, then paints as travelers pass him by. We regularly take clients to his little studio near Navona square so he can share his story of the city, its people, and how art is developing here. These insights are totally unique and give you a true representation of what local life is like.
Dante - the best sculptor
Dante is a Roman craftsman and sixth-generation sculptor whose family began making chalices for the Pope 120 years ago. He uses centuries-old techniques to hand-make perfect reproductions of the world’s most prized trophies, and regularly sculpts bronze hands and feet for Hollywood’s A-listers including Martin Scorsese and Samuel L. Jackson. Dante always shows our clients around his studio with passion and care, sharing his process which has been passed down through the generations.