Food & Drink
La Montecarlo for Pizza ala Romana
Vicolo Savelli 11a-12-13
These guys treated us like family every night of the week during our stay in Rome. It was down the street from our fantastic apartment and their house wine was just the right flavor and price.
Cantina & Cucina Hosteria Pizzaria
Via Del Governo Vecchio 87
We had drinks here one day and then dinner the night before. Meatballs the size of my head. Gluten free pasta options for Jake. Beautiful ingredients prepared simply beautiful and tasty.
Il Piccolo
Via Del Governo Vecchio 74-75
Great wine bar with seats outside on the street facing all the action. If there isn’t a table available go inside and check out the frescos on the ceiling while you wait. Most tourists only stay for one drink. But the locals that come there hang out for quite a while and are worth the watch.
Scampo
Piazza Campo de Fiori 28/29
Best grilled octopus appetizer in Rome. Located in one corner of the popular Campo de Fiori, they are cooking up a mean lasagna and offer some fantastic olives with your starter cocktail.
Norcineria Voila
Piazza Campo de’ Fiori 43
Ask for Benedict, his family has been running this cured pig house for four generations. Try the prosciutto jerky and grab and slice of borchetta too. This is an authentic Italian cured pork store. He ships internationally too.
Maccheroni
Piazza delle Coppelle 44
Carbonara is the quintessential Roman pasta dish for me. This place makes it beautifully. Sit inside, and watch the chef-quarium where the chefs are preparing all the dishes for the house fresh and quick on the spot. Giant pots of pasta with steam wafting to the rafters, the walls are lined with beautiful wine selections and the staff is buzzing with an industrial do it yourself vibe. Casual and relaxed environment.
Piazza & Other Great Locations to People Watch
Piazza Navona
Called the heart of old Rome, features beautiful fountains and sculptures by Bernini and both ends along with one of the city’s many prized stolen from Egypt obelisk. The surrounding buildings are great examples Baroque Roman architecture.
Campo de Fiori
Campo de Fiori is worth a look, during the day it is a busy touristy market. But fresh pomegranate juice for 4euro is worth a wander in. This piazza once was the site of public executions. The most famous being the man featured as the statue in the center, looming over all the people. He is philosopher, Giordano Bruno. He was burned alive for heresy and placed on the forbidden book list from the Vatican.
Piazza de Spagna and The Spanish Steps
Scene and be seen here in this location romanticized by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the popular Roman Holiday film. Grab a gelato, have a seat to watch everyone tourists and locals alike checking each other out.
Recommended special events and sights:
Vatican City, the Museum and the Sistine Chapel
Happy hour cocktails, appetizers and music in the garden at the Musei Vatticani
Sistine Chapel is also a part of this experience once you’ve walked through the Vatican Museum. This is the only way to go to the Vatican. There are limited seats available for this experience and reserved entry times. Plus in the evening, the lighting inside the museum is spectacular. Sculptures and paintings come to life in the night.
The oldest museum in the world, Musei Capitolini atop Palatine Hill.
This museum houses the “Lupa Capitolina” which is a bronze sculpture of Romulus and Remus sucking the teat of the Mother Wolf. They were the founders of Rome. The story of the brothers is pretty dramatic, just like Rome.
They also have the Medusa by Bernini, the Venus Peducia, Mars the God of War, the Fawn and so many other famous sculptures, your head will spin for days.
The Colosseum and the Roman Forum are right around the corner from here.
Personally I found the Roman Forum more inspirational, but the Colosseum seems to appeal more to men. Purchase a self guided ticket from the booth by the Forum it also includes the Colosseum. Walk through the Forum on the way down Palatine Hill to the Colosseum. (They will also put you in a different entry line.)
It’s all right next to each other. One giant Roman ruin after another. Also, the white marble building is Altere della Patria, “The Monument to the Fatherland”.
A walk through the Borghese Gardens in the morning if you have the time. I wish I would have taken a coffee with me although there are plenty of carts and a cafe in the garden.
Lastly, be certain to thow a coin in the Trevi fountain to ensure your return to Rome.
