BEST OF ROME

after being here for 3 weeks the least i could do was put together my list of best places to eat and things to do when you're in Rome. i read about 100 guide books and a lot of them recommend the same places, but i'm gonna give you some insider scoop so next time you're in Rome, you can mix it up a little bit (addresses to come...)

BEST COFFEE
Sant' Eustachio
Although I'd like to give a shout out to the coffee shop on my street (Cafeteria Pasquino) nothing beats Cafe Eustachio. The line is out of control almost all times of day, but the coffee is well worth the wait.

BEST LUNCH
Da Tonino
This restaurant has a no frills atmosphere. It's all very casual and filled with a mix of tourists and regulars. Order the pasta con melanzane for an eggplant experience you've never had before. The carciofi (artichokes) romana style are a great side dish.

BEST DINNER
Locanda Vecchia


This little restaurant is located down a long dark alley just steps from The Pantheon. It looks mysterious from the outside and keeps that vibe going once you walk through the front doors. The tiny dining room is downstairs in a wine cellar. Unlike the restaurant itself, the wine and food selection is massive. We had the proscuitto con melone as an appetizer and two pasta dishes for our mains. For dessert try the eggnog profiteroles with chocolate.

BEST WINE BAR
Il Piccolo


Like the name implies, this place is tiny. It's on the best street ever (Governo Vecchio - my street!) and is great for an after dinner cocktail. I like their Vin Santo. Get cozy inside or sit outside for some people watching.

BEST NON TOURIST PIT STOP NEXT TO COLOSSEO
Cafe Cafe


Down a side street across from The Colosseum, this little restaurant is never too crowded. They offer great wine, coffee, and greek/italian infused food. The casareccio panini is like no other.

BEST BASIC PASTA PLATE
Baccanale


Right at Campo dei Fiori it's an outdoor eatery that knows how to work with the weather. Heat lamps are out the second the air gets brisk and if there is even a drop of rain they quickly attach temporary gutters to the umbrellas over all the tables. Order the Clemente Chianti to go along with your Fettucine Bolognese or Parpadelle con Pecorino.

BEST PIZZA
Da Buffetto (written up in all the tour guides)


There is just something amazing about this pizza. At first I thought it was all hyped up, but truthfully I was never able to find any pizza with quite the same crust or sauce (trust me. i ate a lottttta pizza while i was here). Try the Vegetariana for a hit of zucchini flowers and other tasty veggies on your pizza. I read in my guide book to get there around 7pm to avoid the line that builds up outside every night, but we had to get there at 6:30 to avoid a wait. I think it's worth the experience and the pizza. Check out the wall of celebs with Buffetto himself posing in all the pics.

The lesser known Zucca di Gialla is down the street so if the line is too long for your liking, head there for an almost as good pizza. Their dessert "flan" (better known to us as the molten chocolate cake) is amazing and the waitstaff is extremely friendly.

If you're in Trastevere, you have to hit up Da Vittorio. Their heart-shaped pizzas are as cute as they are delicious.

BEST TIRAMISU
Santa Lucia
If you're on a mission for the best tiramisu around, then go here for dinner. Personally, I wasn't extremely impressed with my dinner selection, but between the tiramisu and the atmosphere it just might be worth it. Try to get a seat in the raised outdoor garden if the weather is nice. If not, the inside looked pretty impressive as well.

BEST PASTICCERIA
Valzani


Across the Tiber in Trastevere, this candy shop is worth the trek. And quite honestly, it isn't that far to get to if you're staying in the Historic Center. Maybe a 15 minute walk at best which will burn off some of the calories you are about to consume. Their Diavolo chocolate has bite with ground up peppercorns inside and they fill the cannoli right before your very eyes. For authentic cannoli, this is the place to go. They only speak Italian but you can point and smile or just drool in the general direction of what tickles your fancy. The little old woman who runs the place makes the whole trip worth it! She is ADORABLE!

BEST GELATTO
It's a tie.



San Crispino is written up in all the books but I haven't tried anything besides the Merenga con Ciocolatto. This is a vanilla based gelato with chunks of chocolate and meringue in it and it's to die for.

Mimi e Coco is a gelaterio on Governo Vecchio and is amazing. Portion sizes are out of control so order a small and expect to get twice as much in your copetta (cup). If you've ever had Bloomingdale's "yogurt" flavored frozen yogurt they have a gelato that is identical. Crema caramel is also awesome and Baci tastes just like the perugina chocolates.

BEST FUN THING TO DO
Wine tasting with Heather Hanson.
Go to ContextRome.com to book a tasting tour. Heather knows her vino and makes the night both fun and educational. Be prepared to get a little buzzed!

BEST WAY INTO THE COLOSSEO
You will read about it in your guide books and it's true. Go buy a ticket at the adjacent Palentine Hill and use the same ticket to skip the very long line at the Colosseo to go practically straight in. As an aside: Palentine Hill is well worth the money and a must-see.

BEST VIEW
Top of Palentine Hill that overlooks the Fori Romani and Colosseo.



BEST PLACE TO STAY
Anywhere recommended by www.lacasaroma.com



Next time you're coming to Rome DO NOT BOOK A HOTEL! Unless you are really nervous about getting around and feel like you need to have a front desk clerk handy. Instead, email Charlotte at La Casa Roma and tell her what type of experience you're looking for. She has a whole range of apartments (including 2 bedrooms for couples traveling together) all in the Historic Center of Rome which is where you want to stay. Most of the sites are walkable from the Historic Center but hotels in this area can cost a bundle. I found this experience not only much more cost efficient, but also nicer all around. Charlotte is a great person to work with, has lots integrity, and is super easy-going and accomodating. For all of my future trips back i will definitely utilize her service.

I hope you enjoyed my Best of Rome list. I had such a wonderful time here (and in all the other great cities I got to visit this month). If anyone wants to come to Rome and needs a travel buddy - you know where to find me! I'm definitely coming back again in '08 so let me know if you want to join!

Water Taxis, Trains, and Autobuses

although the majority of my trip is in and around Italy, liz had a cool idea that we should pop on over to Croatia for a bit. now in climate of peace, it’s a tourist haven for europeans. plus it's practically just across the water from Venice.

however, getting there wasn't exactly as easy as we thought it'd be. turns out, there aren't any more ferries between Venice and Opatija at this time of year. after a few moments of panic (one of the tourist agents here told us she didn't know any way for us to get there), liz and I stumbled across a much more helpful woman who happened to be Croatian. it wouldn't be as simple as hopping on a ferry, but it was feasible. thank god. so we woke up at the butt crack of dawn on saturday morning and began our adventure. it started with a half hour ride on a water bus from outside of our hotel to the train station in Venice. then we took a two hour train ride from Venice to Trieste. at this point we both had to use the bagni (bathrooms) VERY badly. imagine my horror when i finally got into a stall and there was no toilet seat. just a hole in the ground. i know plenty of people who have had this experience, but this was a first for me. i like to think that it simply added to the adventure of the moment. after regressing back to what i imagine the cavewomen used to do, liz and i took a two hour bus ride from Trieste directly into Opatija. once we arrived, we knew it was well worth the journey.



Opatija is beautiful. picturesque, relaxing, heavenly. and the people are adorable. one young woman was talking to us about how she had a chance to live in NY and Pennsylvania during an exchange program. she said that she used to watch tons of american movies and noticed how when someone was depressed they always seemed to be sitting around with a pint of ice cream and a spoon. she thought, "yeah right - like they ALWAYS have ice cream just sitting around in their freezer. then i got to America and i realized - you do!"

we had a nice time in Opatija. we took advantage of the wellness spa in our hotel (only $50 for a one hour massage!) drank wine that was called something like Slutina while sitting on the water...



and pigged out for liz's birthday (which was yesterday). they even delivered a surprise birthday cake to our room which i decided to eat even though i'd already had a full 3 course meal and dessert.




i haven't stopped eating since i got here. i was joking before i left that i'd probably come back 1,000 pounds heavier and i'm well on my way. clothing is getting tighter and tighter, but i am enjoying myself thoroughly. I LOVE FOOD. especially italian food. in a little while, liz and i are going to have our last dinner together in Venice (we came back this morning). tomorrow Liz heads back to the states and i head off to Rome for the next two-thirds of my Italian adventure.

the other night I was thinking about all of the fun times liz and i had together on this trip and some of the highlights we’ve shared. a personal favorite that I never wrote about happened when we were in Rapallo.

we were both pretty wiped out and had a bit of a lazy day, taking our time getting ready to go out for dinner that night. i had dibs on the first shower. the actual shower was a tiny rectangular box that reminded me of that game show in the 80s when people would get into a tiny clear booth and have to grab as much money as they could while it blew around them. except there was no prospect of instant wealth in this situation, only a prize of cleanliness. which, was worth the effort.

i could barely move my arms around to lather up properly and I kept getting water in my eyes, but I pushed through. by the time I got out of the shower I needed to rest before going into full on blow-dry mode (which, if you know me well enough, you know it is an ordeal in itself). so i relaxed with a little RAI TV as liz took her turn in the shower coffin.

i was zoning out a bit when the room phone started ringing. “hello?” “hello is everything okay?” “uh… yeah…” “we got an alarm signal from your bathroom. are you sure everything is okay?” at this point I’m thinking there must be some sort of language barrier because how could they have an alarm from the bathroom? i’m like, “uh… yeah i’m sure. thanks. bye bye.” and i go back to watching TV and then it dawns on me. liz.

i walk over to knock on the bathroom door and the first thing i notice is the digital display that usually has the room temperature on it now says, “HELP!” in all caps. i call for liz to make sure she’s okay, which of course, she is. and i tell her that we got a call from downstairs because they got an alarm signal from our bathroom and next thing i hear is liz giggling hysterically.

in our teeny tiny shower there was a big string hanging from the wall. in liz’s defense, it was completely unmarked. she thought it was the way to turn the shower on so (in her own words) she was practically swinging on the thing and nothing was happening. well, she thought nothing was happening. clearly, she was sending out a signal to the whole hotel that we had arrived.

our 10 days have been filled with lots of gelato and lots of laughter. so many great things memories! now for me... it's onto Roma...

the adventure continues...