Rome 2010

1985 ... Jim (never even heard of Logan Square) spends two weeks in Rome and environs. Summer after graduating high school, a Latin geek, he travels there alone and meets up with a classical studies group for an amazing, intense tour of all that Rome left behind. Realizes trip will be auspicious when he spends first leg of flight (Indpls. to Cleveland) seated directly behind Don King, who talks up the Jackson Victory Tour to his seatmate, then falls asleep and snores (Don, not Jim). In Rome, Jim eats anything, loves everything, but he's 18 years old and grew up in Indianapolis in the 1970s, and they serve him vino bianco no questions asked, so ... doubts.

2010 ... JiLS and Mrs. JiLS will be traveling to Rome during the first week of September. Just one week, no classical studies group to guide them, and (at least in her case) more sophisticated than the 18-year old Hoosier Abroad.

Any number of posts about Rome on LTH, and I've been perusing them all, but if anyone has a recent and/or noteworthy but unposted Roman experience or recommendation for us, I'm all ears.

Thank you, LTH

Jim - not foodie related but something that was way cool, IMO, so I thought I would share. Maybe you've already done it, but here goes.

The Vatican Excavations Office "SCAVI" offers guided tours of the necropolis underneath St. Peters Basilica. We did this in 2008 and our guide was a priest from Naperville I think at the time is was 20 euros per person and you must make reservations well in advance by calling, faxing or emailing the SCAVI office. You enter at the Holy Office Gate to the Vatican (through the colonnade to the left, on Via Paolo VI) and speak with the Swiss Guards stationed there who direct you to the office:

Excavations Office
Fabbrica di San Pietro
00120 Vatican City

Tel. +39 06 6988.5318
Fax +39 06 6987.3017 - 6988.5518

E-Mail: scavi@fsp.va

Here's the website:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/insti ... 12_en.html

A bonus is that tour concludes in the grottoes under St. Peter's. Since you're already inside the basilica, you don't have to stand in line for tickets

Even a central Illinois Methodist like me was impressed!

We will also be traveling to Rome in early October. Have also looked at threads and GypsyBoys amazing post. We will be traveling with a 3 year old and spending 5 days in Rome. Traveling to Nettuno, which is 60 km's away on the coast, for our Italian friends 40th birthday and his brothers sons christening for 5 days after Rome. Looking for any new info as well as to places not to miss. I do have a friend who lived there for a few years and put everything he loves on a google map. I will post when I figure out how. Been 9 years since my wife and I have been to Europe. That was a story in itself as we were the first flight out of O'Hare on September 15th, 2001 on our way to Paris. Yes security was a little crazy that day! Extremely excited to return. Thanks in advance for the help,

Danny

Davooda wrote:The Vatican Excavations Office "SCAVI" offers guided tours of the necropolis underneath St. Peters Basilica.

This. More than any other non-food attraction in the city. You can't get as up-close and personal with the necropolis as you could 10-15 years ago, but it's still one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

/tangent

Dmnkly wrote:

Davooda wrote:The Vatican Excavations Office "SCAVI" offers guided tours of the necropolis underneath St. Peters Basilica.

This. More than any other non-food attraction in the city. You can't get as up-close and personal with the necropolis as you could 10-15 years ago, but it's still one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

/tangent

Thanks for this great recommendation; I agree, this is quite a ticket. I have submitted an email request and am looking forward to it very much. I also hope a miracle occurs (the place, at least, is propitious), and I'm able to find the gelateria in a hotel near the Vatican where one of my 1985 co-ramblers and I wound up and had the best lemon sorbetto I've eaten before or since.

Yep, interested in checking that out as well. Will also be in Rome for 3 days in mid-October, after stops in Taormina (Sicily) & Florence.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:the best lemon sorbetto I've eaten before or since.

If you pass through Cleveland again,
and somehow have the time, search out
La Gelateria for their delicious grapefruit sorbet.

Also, if in Indy again, the new ice cream place
in Broad Ripple (BRICS - BR Ice Cream Station)
has a pretty incredible lemon-lime sorbet.

Oh, and be sure to bring a towel to the Vatican,
and tell them you want to check out that "Holy Sea"
you keep hearing about.

Dmnkly wrote:

Davooda wrote:The Vatican Excavations Office "SCAVI" offers guided tours of the necropolis underneath St. Peters Basilica.

This. More than any other non-food attraction in the city. You can't get as up-close and personal with the necropolis as you could 10-15 years ago, but it's still one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen.

/tangent

The Lovely Dining Companion did this tour as well and was quite impressed. I stayed out, despite my interest, because I am quite claustrophobic. According to the LDC, if you are even somewhat claustrophobic, you would do well to stay away. Otherwise, both her thumbs are enthusiastically up!

My wife tried to book the excavations tour for the beginning of October and they are already full.

We will have our 3 year old so we would not be able to do it anyway. Now, anyone got any food rec's?

I'm guessing you've already booked hotels but just in case, I highly recommend the Ponte Sisto Hotel at the base of the Ponte Sisto bridge connnected Campo de Fiori to Trastavere--perfectly situated for an early a.m. trip to the market in CDF after enjoying the nightlife in Trastavere. Nice breakfast spread as well. Reasonably (all things relative) priced.

For food:
Campo de Fiori—don’t miss the market. Taverna del Campo is a fun place to get snacks and a drink and watch the world go by—personally, I like Campo de Fiori better than Navona—less chi chi (and less expensive) and the people watching is just as good…
Insalata Ricca—believe it or not, this salad place was awesome—there’s a good one not far from Campo di Fiori and the Largo Argentina. Sometimes you just need a break from pasta!!
Pizza---Dar Poeta in Trastavere—popular and delicious. Lived up to the hype.
Jewish Quarter—Da Giggetto for the artichokes, Piperno is also supposed to be great but haven’t been.
Gelato—San Crispino—near Spanish steps, cool looking place in addition to having wonderful gelati; Blue Ice is good as well—near Campo Di Fiori
Good restaurants: Osteria der Belli in Trastavere—great seafood and prices; Spirito di Vino, in a medieval synagogue---this was always one of my faves—a bit nicer but worth it, it’s also in Trastavere (this was my favorite area to hang out in at night—young, fun, good prices, less snooty than Spanish Steps/Piazza Navona area)
Fiaschetteria Beltramme, Enoteca Corsi—Spanish steps area

If you have time for a trip to Orvieto or Siena I would definitely recommend going--they're a quick train ride away and a great counterpoint to the "big city" bustle of Rome. I had a few terrific meals in Siena and would be happy to dig up the names if you think you might make it up there.

Have a wonderful trip and I can't wait to hear your report!

While in Paris, I read David Lebovitz's blog quite a bit. This summer, when I wanted some great Paris rec's, he was - well in Rome. Here's a link to a few of his posts about Rome just a couple of months ago - http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/dining-travel/europe/

Have fun.

Thanks Jen for the tips! Tyrus the link will work as well. This will be good starting points, much appreciated.

Danny

Two places I ate when i was there a few years ago

Virginiae
41 Via di Parone
Had excellent grilled baby lamb. My last meal in Rome and what a great way to exit.

another place we ate in the trastavere (sp?) that was very good was
Bruno alla Lungaretta
68 via della Lungaretta

They also run a wine shop on Corso Vittorio Emanulla (sp) that was very nice. I would avoid eating dinner anywhere on the Piazza Novanna too touristy. The one thing I did not get to try was Jewish Roman food. I had read a lot about the Jewish Ghetto in Rome and it sounded interesting, but not enough time.

Also try to go to Campo Di Fiore in the day. They have an excellent farmers market its worth going to. We had rented an Apt so it was fun to go and shop there, It was one of the hilights for us.There was a great place for pizza on the NW corner of the Piazza as yyou were walking from Piazza Navonna that we liked.

I also tell everyone to go to the church Gesu. It is my favorite in Rome and I saw a lot of em.

Enjoy.

Bill

I want to echo the recommendation for Trastevere. I spent ~3 months in Rome while in college and we stayed just up the hill from Trastevere. I believe we ate in a different restaurant every night for 4 weeks before we started to run out of options. I wish I could remember some of the specific places but it's been while (and there was a fair amount of wine involved back then, too). I'd also suggest eating carbonara as often as possible -- no peas or cream sauce anywhere to be found!

A recent episode of No Reservations sent Bourdain to Rome. Most of what he ate looked amazing. Maybe the episode is available OnDemand if you use Comcast, or maybe seek it out as a repeat. Here's the website for the episode, including a list of where he ate as well as a link to future airdates (be warned, the episode was shot in a pretty pretentious black and white except for the food itself, which was shown in something resembling technicolor):
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/A ... e_Rome.map

As amazing as St. Peter's must be from below, the climb to the top of the dome is pretty great, too. There's an elevator that takes you to the roof of the church, but then it's a small, narrow, winding staircase to the tallest point in Rome. Also, the Galleria Borghese was the most impressive single collection artwork I visited. It's relatively small and reservations are required, but it's really, really well curated with classical antiquities and neo-classical works. Some of Bernini's best works are on view.

Galleria Borghese
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/en/edefault.htm

(ETA: the website for the episode)

Thanks for all the tips! Yes we watched the new episode the other night of No reservations. Also have it on the DVR for further use. What was up with the Black and white? It was funny when the regulars started screaming because the food was taking to long due to the filming! LMAO

If not too late, two great spots are Pizzarium and Cul de Sac. I'll post more on them soon. Just got back from Rome, but probably too late to be of service to the OP.

Pizzarium is north of the Vatican. Best pizza we had in italy. The lardo was phenomenal -- stacked nearly an inch high before getting blazed into a heavenly porky goo. Simple tomato was just as great. Pizza is by the slice. They cut it with scissors to your desired size. 5-6 types on offer at any time, but after we finished our 3 small slices, we went back in to find the case had cycled to entirely new pies. Nice selection of craft italian ales (and Scottish IPAs for some reason).

Cul de Sac was the best of many wine bars we sampled. A good 20+ cured meats on offer and just as many cheeses. Wines by the glass were all wonderful. Also a great selection of vintage grappas, rums and other uncommon spirits.

thanks or the tips! We do not leave until early october so would love to hear more about you trip. Thanks in advance. DB

The wife and I spent 10 days eating and drinking our way through Rome, Florence, Santa Margherita, Portofino, and Cinque Terre for our honeymoon last September, and by far our favorite meal/restaurant/experience was at Bir e Fud in Rome.

Bir e Fud is basically an organic farm-to-table pizza spot with an incredible beer selection. They brew about 12 different beers in house that are on tap on top of the 100 or so mostly Italian craft beers they have in bottles. As far as the housemade drafts, I loved the Nora, Rodersch, Duchessa and L'Una.

Loved the pizza, love the bacon trio suppli, loved the offal. But it was their simplest peasant (and vegetarian!) dish -- a deliciously thick pappa al pomadoro with the greatest mozzarella I've ever had -- was the best dish we ate in Italy. It's been nearly a year since I've had this dish, and I crave it multiple times a week.

All the menus are in Italian, and the waiters don't speak much -- if any -- English. Definitely not a tourist spot.

They used to have a website, but it's down. Here's a good BeerAdvocate.com profile of the spot: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17916

EDIT: For what it's worth, Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate recently spent a large chunk of time in Rome and kept raving on Facebook about Bir e Fud being her favorite go-to spot there.

Thanks to all those who provided tips and insights on Rome. Mrs. JiLS and I had a marvelous time, and while we were more focused on our daily forced marches through ruins, museums and the like, after which a liter or two of vino bianco was more important than culinary excellence, we did have a few notable meals. One definite winner is Dar Poeta pizza. Wow, what an experience. We got there early (7:30 p.m.) and good thing; immediate seating was NOT something found after 8:00. Dar Poeta falls into that category of, "If you can only do one, then do this." Stunningly good pizza, excellent service, a killer experience all around.

Our other major dining success story was Cul de Sac. I could eat here every night. Every element is right here. Unexpected setting in tourist zone? Check. Tiny space run with the efficiency of a pre-nuclear submarine? Check. Friendly, casual, highly informed and trained waitstaff? Check. Traditional, impeccable Roman dishes of highest quality (meat-centric pates and hunter food) cranked out effortlessly and in endless variety? Check. 1999 Barbaresco properly cellared, decanted and served, just beginning to oxidize and throw out an abundance of fruit concurrently? Check. Cul de Sac is like a workshop where everyone is an artisan, delivering an experience that is just plain genuine. This was the best meal we ate in Rome, and I only regret it was our last night there.

Gelato. Well, lot's of opinions here, but I will have to say the recommendation for Blue Ice was not so great. Mediocre stuff, weak flavors, not even presented properly (just sort of glopped into the bins, not neatly coiffed/curled like the better spots do). But, that said, this D+ Rome gelato would earn a solid B in Chicago. Much better was the hyped but worth it Giolitti, at least with respect to the specific quality of the gel. But the spot that became our favorite in the central Rome/touristy areas was just around the block from Giolitti, Gelateria Della Palma. Just the perfect balance of quality, variety and unpretentious service (i.e., none of the being ordered around like a Marine recruit by an ice cream slinger/drill sergeant/gelato nazi like they do over at Giolitti.

Excellent, Jim. We're staying at Campo Di Fiori for two nights next month, a couple blocks from Cul De Sac. Sounds like our first night dinner. Thinking Dar Poeta for lunch next day, and then Giggetto that night for the fried artichokes. Only 2 nights in Rome, have to make the meals count!

Leaving Saturday morning for our trip. Any last minute rec's? Bring them on. Thanks to all who have posted so far.
Danny

The last leg of our trip took us from Florence to Rome.

First off, I have to give a big thanks to Katie Parla and her awesome food blog on Rome I read in preparation for the trip.

Marco Roscioli
Pictured: cheese pizza


Pietro Roscioli
Pictured: mushroom pizza


In Rome, pizza is purchased by weight. Be ware, it's always more food than it looks. Not sure if Marco Roscioli and Pietro Roscioli are related (their respective bakeries are on opposite sides of town), but the Rosciolis are putting out some great pizza. Though it is possible to order cold/re-heated pizza since it sits on the counter, both of these places were doing good business around lunch time, so we were able to get pizza pretty much straight from the oven. The crusts were a little different, Marco's was crispier and more charred, Pietro's was thinner and had more chew, but both were excellent. The sauce, the cheese, everything was in balance. Fold two pieces together and you have a world-class sandwich.

Marco Roscioli
Via Chiavari 34

Pietro Roscioli
Via Buonarotti 48

Forno Campo di Fiori
Pictured: pizza bianca


Pictured: Zucchini blossoms


The Campo di Fiori area is bustling with vendors hawking fruits, vegetables, plates, oven mitts, oils, etc. It's fun to walk around, but honestly, I didn't think the quality or variety of produce was all that. Still, I did spy some beautiful looking zucchini blossoms. Nonetheless, the trip is worth it, if for no other reason than to grab a "slice" of pizza bianca at Forno Campo di Fiori. When we arrived the place was full of customers yelling out their orders and smuggling out bags full of pastries. Our pizza luck on this trip was awesome, just as we were ordering, a piping hot pizza bianca came out of the oven. We'll have half a kilo of the one that just came out of the oven, please. The crust is spongy and brushed with olive oil and topped with salt, that's it. It relies on the wood-fired flavor of the bread and the quality of the olive oil to deliver its delicious flavor. It's an interesting self-fulfilling prophecy. The busiest pizza places in Rome have the best throughput, so you get the best pizza. Works for me.

http://www.fornocampodefiori.com/

Roma Sparita
Pictured: Pasta Cacio e Pepe


So it turns out Roma Sparita was on No Reservations. Luckily you wouldn't know it because it was full of regulars on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It's located on a quiet street in Trastevere so it's a nice escape from the tourist crush. We started the meal out with some excellent fried zucchini blossoms that were stuffed with cheese and anchovies. Fried zucchini blossoms are a common menu item in Roma, and Roma Sparita's version stood out as having a delicate breading and excellent balance between stuffing and underscoring the mild flavor of the zucchini blossom. From the recommendation of the waiter we ordered a house-made fettucini with guanciale and fava beans, and their famous cacio e pepe. The fava beans leant an interesting textural contrast to the chewy, fatty guanciale and al dente noodles. Naturally, the highlight of the meal was the cacio e pepe, which really was all that. Everything about the pasta was perfect, the texture, the earthy cheese, the black pepper, the cheese bowl they serve it in. I'm far from a cacio e pepe expert, but I can't imagine it gets a whole lot better than this. Roma Sparita was our favorite meal in Rome.

http://www.romasparita.com/

Checchino dal 1887
Pictured: Trotters salad


Checchino dal 1887 specializes in classic Roman cuisine with an emphasis on offal. It's located in the Testaccio neighborhood, which I understand used to be the meat packing district, but is now home to Rome's club scene. We started the meal off with a trotters salad with beans and celery and rigatoni con pajata which is calf intestines served on pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. The trotters and intestines brought some richness to the dishes, but the preparations were simple and nowhere near as funky as the ingredients would suggest. I appreciated that they treated offal as a component of a well composed dish rather than a novelty ingredient. For a main course we split the coda alla vaccinara which is a slow cooked oxtail in a tomato stew made with pine nuts, raisins, and chocolate. While the dish was tasty, it kind of lacked the complexity we were expecting from its ingredients list. Overall we enjoyed everything, but on some level we were expecting some more distinctive flavors from a menu that features so many interesting ingredients. Perhaps the food was too classic for our tastes, nonetheless it's a restaurant I would recommend for offal lovers.

http://www.checchino-dal-1887.com/

La Campana
Pictured: Fried artichokes and calf brains


Another classic Roman restaurant, another place that we felt prepared the food well, but not as full of flavor as we had hoped. We started off with the Roman style artichokes and fried zucchini blossoms. The artichokes, which are stewed and served cold, were big and flavorful, but not really memorable. The zucchini blossoms were stuffed with so much cheese they basically tasted like fried cheese. Next we ordered the rigatoni all'amatriciana which tasted like a salty tomato-sauce. I have to think there are better versions out there, though we didn't find one on this trip. For an entree we split an order of the fried calf brains and fried artichokes. Admittedly we were disappointed by the artichokes because we thought we were ordering carciofi alla giudia (the English translated menu was misleading, lesson learned, hold onto the original menu), so sadly we didn't get to try that Roman specialty on this trip. That said, I liked the dish, but it really was just artichokes and calf brains, lightly breaded, and fried well. Good, but not great.

http://www.ristorantelacampana.com/

Tempio di Iside
Pictured: Fried calamari and zucchini


For our last meal in Rome we went to Tempio di Iside. They specialize in fresh seafood as evidenced by the large display case of the daily catch that you walk by when you enter. Let me preface my thoughts by saying this is the only time on the entire trip to Italy that we encountered rude service (indifferent sure, but never rude). Our waiter was visibly turned off by the thought of serving us, intentionally spoke Italian very fast so we couldn't understand, and discouraged us from ordering everything we inquired about, including the urchin which he said had run out but we saw him serve it to the table next to us 10 minutes later. Another server could tell we were pretty put off by his behavior and comped us a dessert which was nice, but really didn't redeem the inexcusable behavior. That said, this is a serious seafood restaurant. They offer a number of raw dishes and grill whole fish (which nearly every table ordered) though we opted to stick to prepared dishes because we felt they would be more interesting. The appetizers were awesome. Unfortunately, I'm not totally sure what they were because they're not listed on the menu and our waiter wouldn't tell us. One was a poached shrimp served on toast with a vinegar sauce and another was a fried zucchini blossom with a pristine, whole anchovy stuffed inside. The best one was fried zucchini and calamari that was a remarkably good pairing, particularly since the calamari was fried perfectly. For entrees we ordered the seafood risotto and the fusilli with red shrimp (gamberi rossi). The seafood risotto was pretty ordinary, but I really enjoyed the fusilli. The red shrimp have a hard, almost miniature lobster, like shell that you have to peel. They leave a sweet yet fishy broth that was delicious with the thick pasta that is topped with pecorino cheese. If I lived in Rome, I could see myself going here a lot to get fresh seafood, particularly the grilled branzinos that looked fabulous. Too bad we didn't get to try the urchin.

Tempio di Iside
Via Pietro Verri, 11

Ciampini

The best gelato we had in Rome was at Ciampini. Almost across the board, the best gelatos we had throughout Italy were served at places that had a (relatively short) list of flavors behind the counter and stored the gelato in metal containers. Not sure if this was just random luck or if it's a sign that the best gelato should be stored more carefully (as opposed to the mountains of gelato colorfully displayed at scores of gelateria around the main tourist attractions). Whatever the reason, the gelato at Ciampini stood out from the pack. At a lot of gelaterias we felt the nut/chocolate gelatos were better than the fruit ones, or vice versa, but at Ciampini they were all equally good. Comparing the genuine fruit flavors to the artificial tasting flavors at so many of the more famous gelateria, it's pretty obvious when a place is putting in the effort to do it right.

Ciampini
Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina 29