Rome Trip Report
Nov 5th, 2006, 01:57 PM
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Rome Trip Report
We are just back from Rome (sadly!!) and I wanted to share a few quick thoughts. I will provide more detail later re: restaurants, etc.
I want to first thank everyone here for all of their help. We had a great trip and all of you provided some helpful hints.
We flew Alitalia, which except for a minor delay in Boston with no communication from Alitalia, we found to be quite good. Blankets and pillows at no charge, food at no charge (which was actually quite good) and free wine!! We have no complaints and would fly them again. They did change our outgoing flight the day before, but that's why you need to call I guess.
After much turmoil, we decided to stay in the Campo De Fiori area and rent an apartment. We had read some great reviews of this apartment, and actually changed our dates to later in the month so that we could rent this. We are glad that we did. It was everything we had hoped for an more. Here is the link:
http://www.rome-is-home.com/
The apartment itself was in the perfect location - close enough to the Campo to partake of all going on there ( a 2 min. walk), but far enough away so that it was not noisy. The apartment itself is beautiful. Very special. Hand-made Tuscan floors, beautiful tile detail, floor to ceiling windows in the living and bedroom, a huge bedroom with king bed, and sweet kitchen (with washer/dryer!!), and bathroom. The best part, though, was the lovely owners Massimo and Bianca and their daughter Delfina who met us the day we arrived, and showed us all their favorite spots near the apartment and introduced us to the shopkeepers they knew. They met us again when we left, and spent more time with us. They are truly wonderful people. I had reservations about not going through an agency, but it was not a problem at all. The location was absolutely perfect. We walked everywhere from here with no problem.
This trip was our first shooting digital. We had bought a new camera a few months before, and I was nervous about it, so we took along a film camera for back-up. This trip, however, has made me a convert. We "lost" 3 rolls of film somehow. May be when we had to put the loaded camera into security at the Vatican and also at the Colosseum, or could be at the developer, who has "lost" rolls before. Anyway, I will never travel with anything but digital again. We bought an extra battery, and I bought a 2GB card, and we were fine. We went almost the enitre week on the one battery.
These shots are not edited/cropped/enhanced yet, and I am still a beginner at digital, but I am happy with the camera. Here are our favorites.
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...ue/t_=78111016
We were there a week (arrived Sat and left EARLY Sat) and that was just enough. We paced ourselves, as Rome is a hectic city that can wear on you if you let it with the constant noise, dodging scooters, etc. We would see 2-3 major things a day, then have a leisurely lunch, maybe head back to the apartment to read and have lunch, then out again for dinner.
I never did get used to eating at 8PM. I was dragging by 5pm. I just could not seem to adjust to the time change. Every morning at 3am I'd find myself wide awake!
People told me to bring comfortable shoes for all the walking, which we did. I ended up with major blisters on my feet though, and the shoes were not new, neither are we new to walking. It's just harder to walk in Rome I think due to the cobble and dodging the scooters all the time. Bring bandaids, socks, and an extra pair. I wish I had had a pair of sneakers with me.
My husband and I have always done carry-on only and we stuck to it this trip. It worked out fine. I had been worried about what to wear, but people wear anything. I just brought a few slacks, different sweaters and short and long-sleeved tops, and a raincoat.
We were very lucky that the weather was great. 70-80 each day, except for our last 2 days there, where it was in the 50s in the AM (more seasonal). We had 2 days where it rained early in the AM, but cleared up by 10am or so.
Tomorrow I will post some of our favorite eating places and shopping finds. Rome truly is a treasure, with a picture around every corner. We found the food wonderful - better than Venice - and very reasonable.
We are sad to be home, but hold great memories!! Thanks again to everyone for your help.
I want to first thank everyone here for all of their help. We had a great trip and all of you provided some helpful hints.
We flew Alitalia, which except for a minor delay in Boston with no communication from Alitalia, we found to be quite good. Blankets and pillows at no charge, food at no charge (which was actually quite good) and free wine!! We have no complaints and would fly them again. They did change our outgoing flight the day before, but that's why you need to call I guess.
After much turmoil, we decided to stay in the Campo De Fiori area and rent an apartment. We had read some great reviews of this apartment, and actually changed our dates to later in the month so that we could rent this. We are glad that we did. It was everything we had hoped for an more. Here is the link:
http://www.rome-is-home.com/
The apartment itself was in the perfect location - close enough to the Campo to partake of all going on there ( a 2 min. walk), but far enough away so that it was not noisy. The apartment itself is beautiful. Very special. Hand-made Tuscan floors, beautiful tile detail, floor to ceiling windows in the living and bedroom, a huge bedroom with king bed, and sweet kitchen (with washer/dryer!!), and bathroom. The best part, though, was the lovely owners Massimo and Bianca and their daughter Delfina who met us the day we arrived, and showed us all their favorite spots near the apartment and introduced us to the shopkeepers they knew. They met us again when we left, and spent more time with us. They are truly wonderful people. I had reservations about not going through an agency, but it was not a problem at all. The location was absolutely perfect. We walked everywhere from here with no problem.
This trip was our first shooting digital. We had bought a new camera a few months before, and I was nervous about it, so we took along a film camera for back-up. This trip, however, has made me a convert. We "lost" 3 rolls of film somehow. May be when we had to put the loaded camera into security at the Vatican and also at the Colosseum, or could be at the developer, who has "lost" rolls before. Anyway, I will never travel with anything but digital again. We bought an extra battery, and I bought a 2GB card, and we were fine. We went almost the enitre week on the one battery.
These shots are not edited/cropped/enhanced yet, and I am still a beginner at digital, but I am happy with the camera. Here are our favorites.
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...ue/t_=78111016
We were there a week (arrived Sat and left EARLY Sat) and that was just enough. We paced ourselves, as Rome is a hectic city that can wear on you if you let it with the constant noise, dodging scooters, etc. We would see 2-3 major things a day, then have a leisurely lunch, maybe head back to the apartment to read and have lunch, then out again for dinner.
I never did get used to eating at 8PM. I was dragging by 5pm. I just could not seem to adjust to the time change. Every morning at 3am I'd find myself wide awake!
People told me to bring comfortable shoes for all the walking, which we did. I ended up with major blisters on my feet though, and the shoes were not new, neither are we new to walking. It's just harder to walk in Rome I think due to the cobble and dodging the scooters all the time. Bring bandaids, socks, and an extra pair. I wish I had had a pair of sneakers with me.
My husband and I have always done carry-on only and we stuck to it this trip. It worked out fine. I had been worried about what to wear, but people wear anything. I just brought a few slacks, different sweaters and short and long-sleeved tops, and a raincoat.
We were very lucky that the weather was great. 70-80 each day, except for our last 2 days there, where it was in the 50s in the AM (more seasonal). We had 2 days where it rained early in the AM, but cleared up by 10am or so.
Tomorrow I will post some of our favorite eating places and shopping finds. Rome truly is a treasure, with a picture around every corner. We found the food wonderful - better than Venice - and very reasonable.
We are sad to be home, but hold great memories!! Thanks again to everyone for your help.
Nov 5th, 2006, 02:00 PM
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http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=620...andOid=1000131
Try again - sorry, the pictures did not link correctly. If this does not work, can someone help how I post?
Try again - sorry, the pictures did not link correctly. If this does not work, can someone help how I post?
Nov 5th, 2006, 02:03 PM
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Rome is a fantastic city and I hope to return someday. It seems as though you had a most enjoyable trip! The international airlines do offer blankets and pillows free and they still do feed you actual meals with wine gratis. Good to know that you had a good experience with Alitalia.
Nov 5th, 2006, 03:33 PM
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Hi Wanderer,
Sounds like you did have a wonderful trip, I can't wait to hear the details!
Sorry to hear about the blisters. Yes, they happen sometimes even if the shoes are broken in! Have you heard of moleskin? Take it next time for sure! A hundred times better than bandaids, which always end up peeling off or scrunching up on you.
Sounds like you did have a wonderful trip, I can't wait to hear the details!
Sorry to hear about the blisters. Yes, they happen sometimes even if the shoes are broken in! Have you heard of moleskin? Take it next time for sure! A hundred times better than bandaids, which always end up peeling off or scrunching up on you.
Nov 5th, 2006, 04:08 PM
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Try again with the pictures. If this link doesn't work I REALLY need help!! (Sorry, have never done this before...)
http://community.webshots.com/album/555367607INRNXH
http://community.webshots.com/album/555367607INRNXH
Nov 5th, 2006, 04:27 PM
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wanderer, mind telling us how much that apartment was? I enjoyed their website, but there seems something tricky in going on and on in details and never giving a hint how much it might cost. Or did I just miss that?
Nov 5th, 2006, 04:37 PM
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One more test for the pictures...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...&ownerid=0
As to the apartment, nothing tricky. Just realize they are not an agency, so the web site is simple. But they are very honest people. We paid 1400E for the week plus a 50E cleaning fee. The apartment is a one BR, one bath.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...&ownerid=0
As to the apartment, nothing tricky. Just realize they are not an agency, so the web site is simple. But they are very honest people. We paid 1400E for the week plus a 50E cleaning fee. The apartment is a one BR, one bath.
Nov 5th, 2006, 05:17 PM
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Sorry, I didn't mean to imply dishonest or shady by "tricky", but it seems so meaningless to do an involved website without any indication of price which clearly is a priority for most people. I suppose their goal is to only attract people for whom price is NOT a priority. I suspected when I saw there was no price listed that it was considerably more than similar apartments -- and I'd have to say now that yes, my suspicions were right, but actually less than I suspected it might be.
Nov 5th, 2006, 08:21 PM
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NeoPatrick,
I have to agree with you. I had been looking at this site as it has wonderful reviews on SlowTrav. I sent an e-mail. but they didn't respond. (They do say to re-send if they don't respond in three days) but, in the meantime, I booked with someone else. Price is always one of the first things I look at.
I have to agree with you. I had been looking at this site as it has wonderful reviews on SlowTrav. I sent an e-mail. but they didn't respond. (They do say to re-send if they don't respond in three days) but, in the meantime, I booked with someone else. Price is always one of the first things I look at.
Nov 6th, 2006, 02:37 AM
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I'm back - and a little more awake!! BTW, the Webshots link is the only one that worked for the pics (above)??
Our itinerary was as follows:
Sat - arrive, get settled, wander around our Campo
Sun - Trastevere, Fritti Baccala (the smalles church)
Mon - Pantheon, Piazza Navona, see more of Campo de Fiori area
Tues - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Villa Borghese and Pincio Terrace
Wed - Colosseum, Forum, Capitoline Hill and Palatine Hill
Thurs - Vatican and St. Peters
Fri - Sleep in, shopping and pack
Sat - Leave for home 6am
We like to pace ourselves so that we are not running around crazy, to give ourselves time to take pictures, wander the streets of the area we are in, stop at a cafe for a glass of wine, go home for a nap, etc. This pace may not suit everyone, but we figure we are on vacation, and it was perfect for us.
Highlights/Comments of what we saw:
St. Peters and the Cat Sanctuary for me, the Forum for my husband. I actually liked the Forum better than I thought I would. At the Vatican, we saw the Egyptian Rooms, Raphael Rooms (stunning), the apartments, the Map Gallery (one of my favorites) and the Sistine Chapel.
We took a double-decker bus tour (the 100 Open - 13E) after the Colosseum. We rode around a couple of times, as it was just getting to dusk, and the lights were all coming on. Unfortunately, it didn't go by the Colosseum or the Trevi fountain, but we got to see some areas we would otherwise have missed.
We walked to all, as I have mentioned, other than the Vatican, which we easily could have it not for my feet. We picked up a cab at Largo Argentina (5 min from our apartment) and it was extremely reasonable - cheaper than Boston!)
Disappointments/Things we would do differently:
When we arrived at Piazza Navona, there was a huge demonstration going on. We still don't know what it was - something regarding pensions - but it was a mob scene, which totally took over the Piazza, and many, many police with guns, shields. I couldn't wait to get out of there! We of course went back, but were dismayed to find a couple of the fountains in scaffolding and not operating. We found this also at the Spanish Steps (the obelisk), and at Piazza del Popolo. Most likely because it's not high season, and that's when things get fixed!
My least favorite part of Rome was Spanish Steps/Trevi - I felt claustrophobic. There were some shops I had wanted to see, and just couldn't wait to get out of there. I can't imagine it in high season!
I had wanted to see Villa Borghese, my husband did not, and it needs advance reservations. We did stroll through the Gardens (huge!!) and they were peaceful and beautiful. Next time, we (or I) will definitely see it. The building and grounds are spectacular and a world away from the noise.
We followed people's recommendations at the Vatican to go out the "groups" door from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peters and it worked great (door is on the right corner facing the back of the chapel). It deposits you in the line for the dome. We should have stayed here, but wanted to see the main church, and stupidly left that line to go inside. I hadn't realized that there was a massive line outside the church entrance that they were letting little by little into the line we had just been in! So by the time we got out of the church, the line was all the way outside, winding around the building, and we decided to forgo the dome. Another must see when we return.
At the Colosseum, we again used the advice to purchase our tickets at Palatine. We thought we could go right to the turnstile then, but there was a massive line, which turns out is for security that everyone has to go through. We were dismayed that we would have to wait after all, and a young Italian tour guide saw us and took pity on us. She escorted us half-way up the line and deposited us there and said "We Italians, we are friendly people". It was so cute. Had anyone have complained, I would have gone to the back, but no one said a word.
We intended to take a boat ride on the Tiber, and walked down to the docks on a Sunday but no one was operating. The walk along the Tiber was nice anyway. The boats are a great deal. I think 3E for the day. You can pick up one at any of the bridges.
Sant Andrea della Valle - a beautiful church you must see. We saw it at night. Has the second highest dome after St. Peters. Absolutely stunning.
A couple of special things recommended to us that we didn't get to:
A visit to the French Embassy - beautiful building. You need advance permission to get in here.
Galleria Spada - in the same area. Small museum.
A carriage ride by Trevi at night.
Pizza Bianca at Forno on Via dei Chiavari (the street we stayed on). Reported by some to be the best pizza in Rome - they sell it by the "etto" and wrap it up for you to walk with and eat. Looked delicious.
Jewish Ghetto.
A ride on the 116 Electric Bus (goes to Villa Borghese).
That is all for now. Later on will write about our favorite restaurants and shops!!
Our itinerary was as follows:
Sat - arrive, get settled, wander around our Campo
Sun - Trastevere, Fritti Baccala (the smalles church)
Mon - Pantheon, Piazza Navona, see more of Campo de Fiori area
Tues - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Villa Borghese and Pincio Terrace
Wed - Colosseum, Forum, Capitoline Hill and Palatine Hill
Thurs - Vatican and St. Peters
Fri - Sleep in, shopping and pack
Sat - Leave for home 6am
We like to pace ourselves so that we are not running around crazy, to give ourselves time to take pictures, wander the streets of the area we are in, stop at a cafe for a glass of wine, go home for a nap, etc. This pace may not suit everyone, but we figure we are on vacation, and it was perfect for us.
Highlights/Comments of what we saw:
St. Peters and the Cat Sanctuary for me, the Forum for my husband. I actually liked the Forum better than I thought I would. At the Vatican, we saw the Egyptian Rooms, Raphael Rooms (stunning), the apartments, the Map Gallery (one of my favorites) and the Sistine Chapel.
We took a double-decker bus tour (the 100 Open - 13E) after the Colosseum. We rode around a couple of times, as it was just getting to dusk, and the lights were all coming on. Unfortunately, it didn't go by the Colosseum or the Trevi fountain, but we got to see some areas we would otherwise have missed.
We walked to all, as I have mentioned, other than the Vatican, which we easily could have it not for my feet. We picked up a cab at Largo Argentina (5 min from our apartment) and it was extremely reasonable - cheaper than Boston!)
Disappointments/Things we would do differently:
When we arrived at Piazza Navona, there was a huge demonstration going on. We still don't know what it was - something regarding pensions - but it was a mob scene, which totally took over the Piazza, and many, many police with guns, shields. I couldn't wait to get out of there! We of course went back, but were dismayed to find a couple of the fountains in scaffolding and not operating. We found this also at the Spanish Steps (the obelisk), and at Piazza del Popolo. Most likely because it's not high season, and that's when things get fixed!
My least favorite part of Rome was Spanish Steps/Trevi - I felt claustrophobic. There were some shops I had wanted to see, and just couldn't wait to get out of there. I can't imagine it in high season!
I had wanted to see Villa Borghese, my husband did not, and it needs advance reservations. We did stroll through the Gardens (huge!!) and they were peaceful and beautiful. Next time, we (or I) will definitely see it. The building and grounds are spectacular and a world away from the noise.
We followed people's recommendations at the Vatican to go out the "groups" door from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peters and it worked great (door is on the right corner facing the back of the chapel). It deposits you in the line for the dome. We should have stayed here, but wanted to see the main church, and stupidly left that line to go inside. I hadn't realized that there was a massive line outside the church entrance that they were letting little by little into the line we had just been in! So by the time we got out of the church, the line was all the way outside, winding around the building, and we decided to forgo the dome. Another must see when we return.
At the Colosseum, we again used the advice to purchase our tickets at Palatine. We thought we could go right to the turnstile then, but there was a massive line, which turns out is for security that everyone has to go through. We were dismayed that we would have to wait after all, and a young Italian tour guide saw us and took pity on us. She escorted us half-way up the line and deposited us there and said "We Italians, we are friendly people". It was so cute. Had anyone have complained, I would have gone to the back, but no one said a word.
We intended to take a boat ride on the Tiber, and walked down to the docks on a Sunday but no one was operating. The walk along the Tiber was nice anyway. The boats are a great deal. I think 3E for the day. You can pick up one at any of the bridges.
Sant Andrea della Valle - a beautiful church you must see. We saw it at night. Has the second highest dome after St. Peters. Absolutely stunning.
A couple of special things recommended to us that we didn't get to:
A visit to the French Embassy - beautiful building. You need advance permission to get in here.
Galleria Spada - in the same area. Small museum.
A carriage ride by Trevi at night.
Pizza Bianca at Forno on Via dei Chiavari (the street we stayed on). Reported by some to be the best pizza in Rome - they sell it by the "etto" and wrap it up for you to walk with and eat. Looked delicious.
Jewish Ghetto.
A ride on the 116 Electric Bus (goes to Villa Borghese).
That is all for now. Later on will write about our favorite restaurants and shops!!
Nov 6th, 2006, 03:28 AM
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To post a link to your photos on kodakgallery, you should share the album. Give your own e-mail address. You can uncheck the box that makes people sign in to view the photos. Open the e-mail and look at the bottom where there is tiny print with a link you can copy. Copy this link and paste that into your message here.
Nov 6th, 2006, 04:49 AM
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OK, will try again - SO sorry (can you tell it's my first time!!)
copy and paste the following directly into your browser:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-dxz2xe
copy and paste the following directly into your browser:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-dxz2xe
Nov 6th, 2006, 06:08 AM
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Wonderful photos, wanderer. I love the photos of "life" rather than just monuments.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on shops and restaurants. Thanks again for the tip in my "tea" thread.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on shops and restaurants. Thanks again for the tip in my "tea" thread.
Nov 6th, 2006, 08:59 AM
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Thank you samsmom1127!! My husband is always asking me "why are you taking a picture of THAT??" but that's part of what I like to do - give a flavor of where we were and the things that make it unique.
Thanks also to Niki for helping me finally get the photos on line!!
Thanks also to Niki for helping me finally get the photos on line!!
Nov 6th, 2006, 12:00 PM
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OK, on to restaurants....
First of all, our goal was to eat well but not in fancy restaurants. Good food in casual settings, as much outdoors as we could. We like to eat lunch out in the area we are sightseeing in that day, and do dinner close to home - within walking distance. Except on one occasion, we never spent more than 40E total, with a bottle of water, wine, primo and dessert. I don't know how Italians do it - we never had room to squeeze in a Secondo.
Our first night there, partly since we were zombies, partly because we had heard rave reviews we made reservations at Arnaldos. This restaurant was about 10 feet from our apartment, and the owners of our apartment know the restaurant owner. They walked us over, introduced us, told us what was special, and made the reservations for us. Arnaldo's is on Via di Grotta Pinta, 8, a few steps to the left off Via dei Chiavari. It's a sweet little place with outdoor tables, but we always ate inside where it's very romantic and cozy. Previous owners were ballet aficionados, so there are lots of interesting things on the walls, like a box of toe slippers. Veal is their specialty, but we never made it past the Primo because we always wanted dessert. Every pasta dish I had was superb. The sauces light and very tasty. Their Carbonara was excellent - very, very light. They also have a specialty Sangria wine, which they serve in a bowl. Our apartment owners urged us to try it, and I'm glad we did. I was quite hesitant, remembering the terrible headaches as a much younger person after drinking Sangria, but luckily history did not repeat itself. Arnaldo's also has a to-die-for dessert which is a crepe filled with gelato, covered with marinated oranged slices and caramel glaze/sauce. Heavenly. The owner and waiter speak no English, but we got by fine. (I speak just about no Italian, nor does my husband). Very gracious people, great food, great location. We loved it so much we ate here 3 times!
Another favorite was Grappolo d'oro Zampano, Piazza Cancelleria, 80/84. It is a hop, skip and jump off Campo de Fiori, with indoor seating only. My husband and I each had their homemade basil ravioli, which was really excellent. I had a chocolate flan for dessert, which was spectacular. The onlt thing that put a damper on our meal there was 2 young children (3-4 years old) of a tourist couple that screamed all through dinner. The parents simply sat there going about their meal until one point the father tried to appease them with a "story" from his guidebook reading very loudly for all the restaurant to enjoy!!
My third favorite - and our most expensive - dinner was at Roscioli, Via dei Giubbonari 21-22. The restaurant is in the back of a wine/deli store (Alimentari) which has great gourmet foods. The food was very, very good. I had a meat-filled tortellini in a poultry broth, and again, and chocolate flan for dessert, but this was spiced slightly with pepper. Very different, but it was good.
We ate a couple of nights at a restaurant on Piazza Farnese - great little spot called Osteria ar Galletto,Piazza Farnese, 102. Both nights we ate outdoors enjoying the fountain. Their pasta was excellent, and very inexpensive. We also tried the fried zucchini blossom appetizer here, and it was delicious. This restaurant is also known as Don Giovanni and is right at the corner of the Piazza facing the French Embassy.
Lastly, we ate dinner at La Carbonara on the Campo. All in all, it was not a bad deal. Save for the accordian players trying to collect from the patrons. The food was quite good, and not that expensive for a campo restaurant. Probably the only one I would eat a meal at. I had tortellini in a broth, which was excellent.
Breakfast every morning was at Bar Farnese (right next to Ar Galletto), facing the French Embassy. Great spot. Plenty of outdoor seating.
Lunches were pretty basic - mostly panini, or just some gelato. I'll dig these out and finish up tomorrow.
Lastly, some good recommendations from our apartment owners (local people who have lived in Rome for 20+ years) and a waiter who is from Rome we met while in Asheville! I cannot vouch for these, as we just didn't have time to try them all!
Da Francesco
Vicolo del Figo
Pizzeria Bersagliere
St. Ustacchio (best coffee - ask from Gran Cafe)
Sora Margherita (lunch only - get the Carciofi Cacioepefe)
Pasticceria del Ghetto (special cakes)
Villa Medici Terrace (good coffee bar)
Casima Restaurant (Villa Borghese Valadiei)
Pizzeria da Ivo - Trastevere
Bibli Bookshop - Trastevere - (brunch)
Ovindo (on Via della Scala - Trastevere - good Roman food
There is also a cafe at the top of the Capitoline Museum which has a rooftop view - you do not have to visit the museum to eat there - it's on the 4th floor.
Filetti di Baccalá in the Piazza Santa Barbara - best fried fish (salt cod) in Rome
Roscioli bakery - Via dei Chiavari - great white and red pizza by the "etto"
One last thought before I forget. I am the "queen" of guidebooks, and I forgot one of my favorites that we used throughout Venice - Knopf pop-up. Luckily we had the Moon Metro Rome, which is similar, and relied mostly on this guide as we walked around.
I had purchased a Citystreets Rome map, and a few others, but they were all too small for my aging eyes to read. Knopf is even better than Moon as far as size of the maps and print, and makes it manageable to carry around. We actually planned our itinerary around their breakout of the different areas.
Will continue tomorrow with the shops...
First of all, our goal was to eat well but not in fancy restaurants. Good food in casual settings, as much outdoors as we could. We like to eat lunch out in the area we are sightseeing in that day, and do dinner close to home - within walking distance. Except on one occasion, we never spent more than 40E total, with a bottle of water, wine, primo and dessert. I don't know how Italians do it - we never had room to squeeze in a Secondo.
Our first night there, partly since we were zombies, partly because we had heard rave reviews we made reservations at Arnaldos. This restaurant was about 10 feet from our apartment, and the owners of our apartment know the restaurant owner. They walked us over, introduced us, told us what was special, and made the reservations for us. Arnaldo's is on Via di Grotta Pinta, 8, a few steps to the left off Via dei Chiavari. It's a sweet little place with outdoor tables, but we always ate inside where it's very romantic and cozy. Previous owners were ballet aficionados, so there are lots of interesting things on the walls, like a box of toe slippers. Veal is their specialty, but we never made it past the Primo because we always wanted dessert. Every pasta dish I had was superb. The sauces light and very tasty. Their Carbonara was excellent - very, very light. They also have a specialty Sangria wine, which they serve in a bowl. Our apartment owners urged us to try it, and I'm glad we did. I was quite hesitant, remembering the terrible headaches as a much younger person after drinking Sangria, but luckily history did not repeat itself. Arnaldo's also has a to-die-for dessert which is a crepe filled with gelato, covered with marinated oranged slices and caramel glaze/sauce. Heavenly. The owner and waiter speak no English, but we got by fine. (I speak just about no Italian, nor does my husband). Very gracious people, great food, great location. We loved it so much we ate here 3 times!
Another favorite was Grappolo d'oro Zampano, Piazza Cancelleria, 80/84. It is a hop, skip and jump off Campo de Fiori, with indoor seating only. My husband and I each had their homemade basil ravioli, which was really excellent. I had a chocolate flan for dessert, which was spectacular. The onlt thing that put a damper on our meal there was 2 young children (3-4 years old) of a tourist couple that screamed all through dinner. The parents simply sat there going about their meal until one point the father tried to appease them with a "story" from his guidebook reading very loudly for all the restaurant to enjoy!!
My third favorite - and our most expensive - dinner was at Roscioli, Via dei Giubbonari 21-22. The restaurant is in the back of a wine/deli store (Alimentari) which has great gourmet foods. The food was very, very good. I had a meat-filled tortellini in a poultry broth, and again, and chocolate flan for dessert, but this was spiced slightly with pepper. Very different, but it was good.
We ate a couple of nights at a restaurant on Piazza Farnese - great little spot called Osteria ar Galletto,Piazza Farnese, 102. Both nights we ate outdoors enjoying the fountain. Their pasta was excellent, and very inexpensive. We also tried the fried zucchini blossom appetizer here, and it was delicious. This restaurant is also known as Don Giovanni and is right at the corner of the Piazza facing the French Embassy.
Lastly, we ate dinner at La Carbonara on the Campo. All in all, it was not a bad deal. Save for the accordian players trying to collect from the patrons. The food was quite good, and not that expensive for a campo restaurant. Probably the only one I would eat a meal at. I had tortellini in a broth, which was excellent.
Breakfast every morning was at Bar Farnese (right next to Ar Galletto), facing the French Embassy. Great spot. Plenty of outdoor seating.
Lunches were pretty basic - mostly panini, or just some gelato. I'll dig these out and finish up tomorrow.
Lastly, some good recommendations from our apartment owners (local people who have lived in Rome for 20+ years) and a waiter who is from Rome we met while in Asheville! I cannot vouch for these, as we just didn't have time to try them all!
Da Francesco
Vicolo del Figo
Pizzeria Bersagliere
St. Ustacchio (best coffee - ask from Gran Cafe)
Sora Margherita (lunch only - get the Carciofi Cacioepefe)
Pasticceria del Ghetto (special cakes)
Villa Medici Terrace (good coffee bar)
Casima Restaurant (Villa Borghese Valadiei)
Pizzeria da Ivo - Trastevere
Bibli Bookshop - Trastevere - (brunch)
Ovindo (on Via della Scala - Trastevere - good Roman food
There is also a cafe at the top of the Capitoline Museum which has a rooftop view - you do not have to visit the museum to eat there - it's on the 4th floor.
Filetti di Baccalá in the Piazza Santa Barbara - best fried fish (salt cod) in Rome
Roscioli bakery - Via dei Chiavari - great white and red pizza by the "etto"
One last thought before I forget. I am the "queen" of guidebooks, and I forgot one of my favorites that we used throughout Venice - Knopf pop-up. Luckily we had the Moon Metro Rome, which is similar, and relied mostly on this guide as we walked around.
I had purchased a Citystreets Rome map, and a few others, but they were all too small for my aging eyes to read. Knopf is even better than Moon as far as size of the maps and print, and makes it manageable to carry around. We actually planned our itinerary around their breakout of the different areas.
Will continue tomorrow with the shops...
Nov 6th, 2006, 04:05 PM
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wanderer,
I am really enjoying reading this as we will be visiting Rome for our first time in April for 7 nights too. It helps me to see what you did each day, as I don't want to overplan the day's activities either. Thanks.
-Bill
I am really enjoying reading this as we will be visiting Rome for our first time in April for 7 nights too. It helps me to see what you did each day, as I don't want to overplan the day's activities either. Thanks.
-Bill
