"..... Once this was the Suburra - in crowded inner-city district nestled right up against the Empire's center of power, and eventually divided from it by a long wall, designed to protect the Forum from the regular fires That would break out in a district colonized by craftsmen and workers. Today its ocher-washed houses on cobblestone lanes are prime real estate, inhabited by architects, trust-fund creative screenwriters and other well-heeled types. But despite the gentrification, Monti Retains a bohemian edge, and has become one of Rome's most rewarding areas for alternative fashion, gourmet street food and alfresco cafe cultures." TheGuardian April 2014