In Canova's Studio

Research trip to Rome.

I had not paid much attention to Antonio Canova (1757-1822) before visiting Rome. He was a neoclassical sculptor so, as the historians say, he is NOT IN MY PERIOD.

Well, more fool me. As a result of my mania to see Baroque art, I managed to score a couple of evening tickets to the Borghese Gallery, which does require pre-booking. It’s a stupendous collection, and, due to an online scramble before leaving the UK, I ended up with tickets for “museum night”. This is worth looking out for if you’re on a budget because you get evening slots (in our case, 7.30pm to 8.30pm) for three euros each. I accidentally bought four tickets in two slots, which is not a bad idea because there’s a lot to see.

In the first room you will see Antonio Canova’s sculpture of Paolina Borghese (Napoleon’s sister, above) which is mobbed by crowds even today. She caused a sensation by posing nude, as Venus. (Clearly, shyness was unknown in that family.) Anyway, I mention this because, during our stay, we found another way of engaging with Canova which is less busy and arguably more authentic.

At some point on your trip, you will want a rest and a snack. You can go to any number of cafes and restaurants in Rome: the Antico Caffè Greco (haunt of Liszt, Keats, Stendhal, Byron ... ) or perhaps Babingtons’ Tea Room next to the Spanish Steps. These are fine establishments, but for a really incredible experience, I advise going just around the corner to Ristorante Museo Canova Tadolini.

Is it a museum or a cafe or a restaurant? It's all of these things. What happened is that in 1818, Canova, at the height of his European fame, signed the lease of his studio over to his favourite student, Adamo Tadolini, with an agreement that it would be forever preserved for sculpture. From 1818 to 1967 the studio (in Via del Babuino) remained in the possession of four generations of sculptors belonging to the Tadolini family, and after that it was sensitively converted into a cafe-restaurant.

You can drink outside, but it’s worth going in to appreciate the high ceilings with skylights and the maquettes which crowd the space. If you drink at the bar, you will do so standing up (the cocktail snacks are amazing and could make a meal in themselves) but if you stay for dinner, you are in for a special treat. The food is great, and you can sit amongst the art works. Canova trusted Tadolini with copying his most famous works, and these are joined by pieces from generations of Tadolini sculptors, some of which are huge.

One final tip for Brits: if you want a cuppa, they serve a very nice English Breakfast Tea here, which you can order with milk. They will bring the tea with a slice of lemon and hot milk on the side. But's that's OK - just remove the lemon, add the milk and drink it. You're in Italy now.