Il Pentagrappolo

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.

Early evening is the quiet window for a first glass and a table. Once the set begins the room fills, and the seats near the piano go first.