By then the artist had been appointed inspector general of fine arts and antiquities for the Papal States, and had received commissions from Napoleon. Though he did stints in Venice, Vienna, and Paris, he spent much of his life in this appealing corner of Rome, and created many of his most iconic works here. At the time, the area—known as the Tridente—was populated by artists and poets, including John Keats, who lived in an apartment on the Piazza di Spagna and who, like Canova, drew inspiration from classical Rome.

Nowadays you’ll find elegantly dressed Romans drinking Aperol spritzes on Via del Babuino, a narrow street that runs from the Piazza del Popolo to the Piazza di Spagna. Some locals visit Canova Tadolini for the food (the spaghetti alia carbonara is perfectly fine) but the atmosphere is the real selling point. The restaurant is magical for one simple reason: It invites you to linger with the art, to exist alongside it. Surrounded by Roman history, it’s easy to feel that the city may reveal its secrets to you, if only you could stay for one more glass of Brunello.