A vaulted, candlelit wine bar a few steps from the Colosseum, with a grand piano, live jazz most nights and a long Italian list.
Published Mar 17, 2026 Location Via Celimontana 21B, Rome Celio, near Basilica San Clemente Price $$ Glasses of Italian wine, salumi boards Hours Tue–Sun 6:00pm – 12:00am Monday Closed Live jazz Most evenings Kitchen Salumi and small plates Drinks Specialty Italian wine by the glass Cured meats, cheeses, live jazz Wine Bar Live Jazz Celio Candlelit 4.4 ★★★★★ aggregate across Google and Tripadvisor reviews Visit Il Pentagrappolo Reserve a table Ask the editors Listings are editorial. Tell us if hours or details have changed and our editors will verify and update.
Il Pentagrappolo sits on Via Celimontana 21B in Celio, the quiet hill between the Colosseum and Basilica San Clemente, and Lonely Planet sends people up here for exactly the reason the bar works. It is a vaulted, softly lit room with a grand piano, and it stays a neighbourhood wine bar even with one of the city's heaviest tourist sights five minutes downhill.
Fodor's describes the space the way regulars do, low light, candles and arched ceilings, the sort of room built for a long sit rather than a quick glass. The piano is not decoration. Live jazz plays most evenings, and the music is the reason a lot of Romans pick Pentagrappolo over the wine bars nearer the centre.
The list is broad and Italian-led, poured by the glass, with cured meats, cheeses and a short menu of local plates to drink alongside. Prices land gentler than the postcard location suggests, a point planetgusto makes in its Rome wine bar round-up, which is part of why it reads as a local's room and not a tourist trap.
The vibe shifts with the music. Early evening is calm and conversational, good for a first glass. Once the jazz starts the room fills and warms, and a table near the piano becomes the seat to want. It runs evenings only, closed Mondays, so plan around the live nights.
Come for a candlelit glass and a set of jazz after walking the Colosseum, when most options nearby are tourist pricing. For more in the city, see our Rome wine bars guide, the Rome cocktail bars list, and the best bars in Europe.
Time a visit for a live jazz evening, when the piano and the room come together. The bar posts its music nights, so check before climbing the hill.