owntown Miami isn't just a place. It's a jungle… a concrete one at that. Government agencies, courthouses, foreign consulates, real estate offices and firms in the fields of law, public relations, advertising and marketing swarm here on top of the occasional magazine and newspaper office. Various schools and colleges can be found downtown, especially Miami-Dade College.

To sanctify the working masses, there are also shops, restaurants and bars vying for the attention of the workers who managed to sneak out of the office for a smoke or a coffee break. And then there's the post-work types. There are plenty of stressed-out writers, diplomats, asylum seekers, lawyers, judges, jurors, accused criminals, developers, shopkeepers, store clerks, waiters, waitresses, fry cooks, police officers, code enforcement officers, confused tourists and bored teenagers sporting white Downtown Development Authority uniforms zipping around the Magic City's skyscraper wilderness. Some on foot. Some in automobiles.

Ah yes, driving in downtown Miami. Now that's fun! Average speed: five miles per hour on the one-way streets. And the parking spaces are few and expensive. Fret not, though. In this swamp full of stress, an Italian oasis awaits those who can steal the time --and parking spot: Soya e Pomodoro. Just slip off the main street into the high-arched entryway of this serenely dim bistro.

Fine Italian food - Zagat rated, no doubt - good service, and affordable prices all exist within this open-air-yet-sheltered, Mediterranean revival-designed eatery. The bohemian flair is evidenced by two stuffed bookcases that get shoved apart three nights a week to reveal a corridor leading to an intimate gallery and concert venue.

Thursday through Saturday Soya becomes a cultural lighthouse in an otherwise darkened, mostly shuttered urban core. Even after most of the workaholics have switched off the computer, Soya stays up late to host live music acts, art exhibitions and fashion shows. On Friday nights guitar prodigy Lucciano Pizzichini, also known as “the man who shocked Santana,” performs. Did we mention Pizzichini is only seven years old? Well, he is. Most Thursday nights belong to Cuban trumpet player Renoir Rodriguez. On Saturday nights, take in the music from Latin jazz band Hidalgo.