I always find the first day hard and long after flying the Atlantic. Our flight over was bumpy much of the way and true sleep eluded me. The baggage claim was packed with people, but coming through passport control was somewhat simpler than in the past. It was an hour from landing until we were in the car for the hour ride to our hotel. Rome was sunny and bright, and the light on the yellow fall leaves breathtaking.
Romans eat all day long
As expected, the room wasn’t ready, so we did the walk and wander routine around our neighborhood from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza del Popolo until it was an acceptable time for lunch. Just before 12:30, early by Italian standards, but perfect for tourists. The Chief Penguin tucked into a plate of fettuccine with porcini while I opted for the comfort of a risotto made with smoked provolone and Prosecco. We ate at a leisurely pace, enjoying the outdoor scene around Alla Rampa in Piazza Mignanelli and timed our return to the hotel for when the room was ready.
AFTERNOON & EVENING
The Chief Penguin took a long walk to his favorite piazzas while I dozed a bit for an hour before we set out again. Rome is packed with people, and I mean packed! We were here four years ago at this same time and it wasn’t nearly as crowded. But then, we know at least five couples who were to be in Italy at some point this month.
Soft evening light
The evening light on the city’s amber, rose, tan, and cream buildings was soft and beautiful. Dinner was at another restaurant café with outside seating, this one called Angie’s. It is more casual than Alla Rampa with a less extensive menu. We shared a mozzarella and prosciutto pizza, grilled vegetables (red peppers, zucchini and eggplant), and an apple tart along with some white wine. We retired early to be ready for another day in this city of narrow streets and intimate piazzas.
OBSERVATIONS: A few reflections on how Rome struck me on this visit.
More young people seen smoking on the street including high school students. A mix of cigarettes and vaping devices.
More pedestrian-only zones which make Rome quieter and even more pleasant for walking from piazza to piazza. Other than getting into and out of the city upon arriving and departing, we walked everywhere! Didn’t take even one taxi.
Rome is popular! This is early October, pre-Columbus Day, and the crowds everywhere are huge.
Dress here is as casual as what you see in cities everywhere. Lots of jeans on all ages, and mostly pants on the women. Of course, we were focused on tourist attractions which probably accounts for some of this.
Rome’s fountains and buildings all look cleaner and almost pristine; stanchions and signs are in evidence to deal with crowd management. Obviously, the government has invested in making the city more appealing.
The Spanish Steps are as beautiful as ever, but you are no longer allowed to sit on them. Enforcement officers were around making individuals get up and move. I found this disappointing as I always liked sitting there and watching the world swirl around me.
Vibrant restaurant scene with many options for Roman cuisine and also some very sophisticated creative fare.
CREATIVE ROMAN CUISINE
Again, thanks to Journy, we experienced a very sophisticated and innovative dinner menu at Per Me Guilio. It’s built around fish and seafood, particularly raw fish, and such Roman specialities as tripe. There are a couple tasting menu options, but you can also order a la carte which we did.
Shrimp carpaccio
I had scampi carpaccio which was served with four tiny cubes of foie gras and bit of onion jelly followed by cuttlefish gnocchi with clams, celery and bottarga.
Cuttlefish gnocchi
The Chief Penguin ordered the roast cuttlefish followed by scorpionfish with codfish tripe and beans.
Roast scorpionfish
Desserts were fancy, but more recognizable. And as is typical of very fine restaurants, there were lots of little extra tidbits along the way. Another superb dining adventure!
TRUFFLE FAVORITES
On our last night, we trekked through Piazza Navona, Pantheon square, past the Trevi Fountain, and on to the Spanish Steps before going over to Osteria Barberini for a dinner that featured truffles, both white and black. This is a very small restaurant, and we discovered, very popular! Our reservation was for 6:30 when they opened, but there were at least six other folks outside the door hoping to snag a table.
In addition to the regular menu, there’s a truffle menu. We love truffles, especially the pungent white ones. We ordered the bruschetta with white truffle and Parmesan (lovely), and then each had an order of the tagliolini with white truffle in a very light cream sauce. Sublime!
The Chief Penguin had his all time favorite, saltimbocca, which he said was the best ever. I ordered the veal strips with red bell peppers in a balsamic glaze which was good, but not exceptional. We shared an order of sautéed spinach with oil and lemon. Our waitress was an animated woman who added to our enjoyment of the evening. The chef also came out from the kitchen to see if we were happy with our dishes.
Despite my earlier observation about Rome being trendier these days, you can walk the neighborhoods from Campo de’ Fiori to Trastevere and pass many restaurants and cafes. But this is Italy and every single establishment we passed was offering some version of Italian cuisine. No Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese in sight. Every one has its versions of spaghetti cacio e pepe or carbonara, its saltimbocca, or a wide variety of pizzas. Today we did see one Indian restaurant nearer the center of the city.
CAFÉ CULTURE
If it isn’t raining, chances are you can sit at a table outside on a square somewhere. Lunch our first day was at Verso Sera in peaceful Piazza del Biscione. On Sunday mid-morning we contemplated life over cappuccinos and cornetti at Vyta in Piazza Farnese. Still and peaceful until about 11:00 when people started swarming.
Lunch later that day was at Da Pancrazio, a more elegant restaurant with cozy inside seating (perfect for winter), and tables on the now familiar Biscione square.
Saltimbocca
Here we shared a wonderfully peppery rendition of bucatini alla gricia (with bacon and pecorino) and then dived into saltimbocca for the Chief Penguin and vitello tonnato for me. The latter is one of my longtime favorites—-it’s thinly sliced roast veal served cold with a smooth layer of tuna mayonnaise and dotted with capers.
I have fond memories of my first taste in Rome many years ago and also of my good friend Hilda making it for a picnic lunch one time. It’s a fussy dish so I was both impressed and pleased that she served it!
INDOOR DINING
Last evening we booked at a restaurant we discovered while out walking. DanEl, is the brainchild of two individuals whose names make up the restaurant name. The chef is Elisa and her father was our maitre d’ cum waiter and very informative about the restaurant’s history and the aromatic truffle bread in the pretty basket. This is Roman cuisine, but a more traditional version.
We started with some carmelized shrimp in their shells (tasty!) and then followed that course with semolina gnocchi and sea bass. The bass was a lovely filet that was rolled up and served on a slab with scattered berries and several broccoli florets. Sophisticated dishes and delicious!
Semolina gnocchi
For lunch today, we walked farther afield past the monument to Vittorio Emanuel II, Trajan’s Column, the Forum and up a hill to Ai Tres Scalini. This was another recommendation from Journy and we were very pleased with it! The dining room is small and pretty and the menu has a mix of snacks, pastas and entrees as well as meat and cheese plates.
We opted to try the truffled sausage snack (tiny bites) and the thin columns of Gorgonzola with honey and walnuts. Yum! To follow, the Chief Penguin had a lovely plate of pink prosciutto with a ball of mozzarella. The mozzarella here has been more piquant than that we typically get at home.
Ravioli
I ordered the ravioli stuffed with cheese and glazed with a cherry tomato sauce which were equally good. We arrived at the beginning of the lunch hour and were glad we did as the restaurant filled up soon after.
After lunch, we walked uphill a few more blocks to the domed Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore. From our approach all we saw was solid fencing and tightly closed doors. The Chief Penguin was convinced we could go in so we trudged all the way around to the opposite side.
Ceiling of the basilica
After going through a bag check, we entered the sumptuous sanctuary and had the extra treat of hearing part of choir practice to organ accompaniment. As we were leaving, the pews were filling up with nuns and others of various ethnicities all wearing name tags. We surmised they were South American attendees at the Vatican conference on saving the Amazon rainforest taking place this week.
