Bar San Calisto

While this bar is not at all a secret, it has fiercely resisted change and feels like Rome personified: it’s a little scruffy, and always busy. They’re open from very early in the morning until very late at night, and you can find just about anybody here, whether that’s eighth-generation Trastevere residents or study-abroad students who just got to Rome. In the morning, you’ll probably see a table of men playing cards, and on some nights, there’s live music. The coffee is great, the hot chocolate is even better, and you can get a spritz at 9am or midnight.