Photo: With summer in full swing, nocturnal Rome is one of the things not to miss. Home to over 400 discos and disco-pubs, the city has a vast range of nightlife for all tastes. In July and August some clubs move to Ostia and Fregene for the Ibiza-style open-air dancing, but that doesnt take the party spirit away from the city.

The best nightclubbing is concentrated in Testaccio and Trastevere. The most popular areas for eating and hanging out are S. Lorenzo, a university area full of pubs and pizzerie to fit a students budget, and the historic centre around Campo de Fiori. All four areas are accessible by night buses (often after a long wait at the bus stop) or by taxi. Note that the areas of the city centre closed to unauthorised traffic during the day, known as the ZTL (zona traffico limitato) will also now close on Friday and Saturday nights 23.00-03.00 until 23 September. However, the city council has promised extra buses and taxis to compensate for this closure.

Testaccio

This area is home to over 20 discos and disco-bars that kick into fashionable action after midnight. A few clubs not to miss are:

Coyote. Ideal for the young cautious-spending generation, it has a spacious indoor bar and a long staircase for chilling out while getting down to a mix of hip-hop and the latest house music. Drinks start from 5. Open daily, 21.30-05.00. Admission free. Via di Monte Testaccio 48b, tel. 3398721836.

Goa. A trendy club located just outside Testaccio in the Ostiense area, it plays house, hip-hop and tribal music powered by slide projections, exotic artefacts and incense. Tuesday night is gay night. Drinks range from 5 to 10. The club has wheelchair access and accepts credit cards. Open Tues-Sun, 23.00-04.00. Admission 15-20 (first drink free). Via Libetta 13, tel. 065748277. The club will be at Beat Park., Via Cristoforo Colombo at the junction with Viale Africa until 13 Aug, tel. 065922610.

Gay village. A hot spot thats become a staple summer element in Rome. This year for the first time the venue is at Parco S. Sebastiano. A cinema festival, musical shows, lesbian theatre and disco nights that arent exclusively for a gay audience form part of its activities. Drinks 5-10. Open 24 June-5 September, Tues-Sun from 22.00 until 31 Aug. Admission 15-20. Parco S. Sebastiano, Via delle Terme di Caracalla 55. www.gayvillage.it.

Baja. Youthful club located on a large boat off the banks of the Tiber. Arguably the most happening club for Erasmus students on Monday nights. The rest of the week it is also lively, playing a mix of ethno-house and hip-hop music and offering a wide variety of international beers and cocktails. Open daily, 23.00-04.00. Admission 10-15. Lungotevere A. da Brescia (Ponte Margherita), tel. 0632600118.

Other clubs worth checking out in this area are Zoo. bar, Via di Monte Testaccio 22 (closed 23 July-8 Sept), Alpheus, Via Commercio 36, Alibi. (gay-friendly), Via de Monte Testaccio 40 and Akab., Via di Monte Testaccio 69.

Trastevere.

Full Moon Wolf Riders Den. Hosts heavy metal and hard rock nights with occasional Celtic-themed nights. Open daily from 22.00. Admission free. Via Luigi Santini 12, tel. 3398996534, 3473011753. www.fullmoon.turn.to

Bali Oriental Pub. Ideal for a cool, relaxed yet romantic evening with pipe music. Varied cocktails and beer on offer. Open Mon-Sat, 21.30-02.00. Admission free. Via del Mattonato, 29, tel.065896089.

S. Lorenzo.

Balic. A resto-pub where you can enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in an ethnic atmosphere. On Fri and Sat there are disco nights playing house and pop music. Open daily, 20.30. Admission is free. Via dei Reti 25, tel. 0697612428.

Skyline. Disco-pub with an interior dcor of steel military designs. Music depends on evening. Open Tues-Sun, 10.30-03.00. Admission free. Via degli Aurunci 26-28, tel. 064441417.

Mais Caf. Mexican-styled pub that offers varied cocktails, draught and bottled beers. Happy hour 19.00-21.30. Open Tues-Sun, 19.00-02.00, (closed 15 July- 25 Aug). Admission free. Via di Porta Labicana 52, tel. 064456962.

Campo de Fiori and the historic centre.

Most restaurants and disco-pubs in this area open early in the evening for aperitivi and the crowd is a young international mix.

The Drunken Ship. Just the place to kick off the evening, especially for the English-speaking crowd. It offers a selection of beers, cocktails, snacks and music. Daily happy hour 17.00-21.00. Occasionally organises tequila parties. Open daily, 16.00-02.00. Admission free. Piazza Campo de Fiori 20/21, tel. 0668300535.

Anima. Interior dcor of settee seats, beds and tyres. Music is funk, soul and drum n bass. Aperitifs are served 18.00-22.00. Open daily, 18.00-04.00. Admission free. Via S. Maria dell Anima 57, tel. 066864021.

Supper club. A classy club in a beautifully restored 3rd century mansion offering international beers and cocktails. Plays cool and contemporary music. Open daily 19.00-03.00. Admission free. Via dei Nari 14, tel. 0668807207.

www.supperclub.com

The list of clubs is inexhaustible and you might never conquer all that Rome has to offer. See www.wantedinrome.com, whats on, clubs, for the latest news on events and pub-crawls, or the weekly Time Out magazine.

Useful websites in Italian include, www.rockolive.com, www.inroma.it

www.romadisconight.com, www.2night.it.