A guide by italophile
These are possibly the two best places to eat in Trastevere, and they're opposite one another down a small side street just north of Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Augusto is a legendary restaurant with a very limited and traditional Roman menu. There are no frills here - you'll have to share a table with complete strangers, there's only house wine available, and the bill is scrawled on the tablecloth by a rushed waitress who doesn't make a fuss of tourists - but the food is great and punters flock here from all over the city for a proper Roman nosh.
Cassetta opposite lacks the charm and the history of Da Augusto, but the food is similarly authentic and (whisper it) even better. Both places are amazingly cheap, with a three course meal with a litre of wine costing about 30-40 pounds for a couple.
A small street just 20 metres north of Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere
A Cafe-cum-restaurant on the Piazza del Popolo. Very cheap, great tasting authentic food and civilised atmosphere. It has the best beef lasagne I ever tasted for a very reasonable price. Also has great desserts.
Piazza del Popolo. Nearest metro station is Flaminio. It is located on the side of the piazza nearest to the Borghese gardens.
It looks equally amazing from the outside, with its facade and obelisk, or the inside, especially the ornate ceiling. You're unlikely to have to queue to get in, in contrast to another cathedral in town. It's also the Pope's own church.
Near the San Giovanni Metro, or a ten minute walk from the Colosseum.
Iam Italian, I read 6 pages of tips and, regarding Rome, I was surprised that nobody seems to have visited San Pietro in Vincoli, an otherwise unimportant church but one that contains the statue of Moses by Michelangelo. The first time I saw it I felt like I was in the presence of God and I am not a believer.
It is in Via Cavour, you can walk there from the Stazione Termini in 15 or 20 minutes, then on your left there are stairs leading to the church. I am sorry I cannot give better directions, maybe there are signs - anyway you can ask the tourist bureau.
This restaurant is a true Roman restaurant. Its pasta is the best you will ever find. It’s a loud hustle and bustle kinda place - great for quick yet delicious dinners. I go to Rome every year and I have to tell you that if we stay for six days, we eat as Da Francesco on at least four of them. It’s truly great – trust me!
Piazza del Fico, No. 29, just off the Piazza Navonna, down the street from Piazza della Pace; tel. 66864009. No credit cards
This fantastic cake shop is a stone's throw from the Vatican, and it has fantastic cakes and a great sweet, tea and coffee selection, plus good sandwiches.
Worth a visit and half the price of nearby restaurants etc.
55 Via Ottaviano (nr Vatican)
Once named by an Italian foody mag as the best value trattoria in Rome’s “centro storico” (historic centre), Matricianella serves good Roman cuisine at reasonable prices. It is always crowded, so best to book. In summer, there is a small covered terrace outside. A three-course meal with wine should work out around €45 per person.
Via del Leone, 4; Tel: 06 6832 100 (Closed Sun)
This marvellous monastery is tucked away in the back streets and has the calmest and prettiest cloister in Rome, a fine church with good mosaics, and a massive fortress tower above the entrance. Definitely a place to relax if you've seen too many sights in a morning.
Oh yes, it also has the most superb little mosaic chapel - ask one of the friendly nuns.
Up Via dei Quercetti from the main drag of Via S Giovanni in Laterano
Only in Rome does service barely above curt and drinks for a single-figure amount cause an enthusiastic stir. But Enoteca Antica gives both, and much more besides. Reasonable and tasty food, great Erdinger beers for 5 Euros, and – hang on to your seats – service that is genuinely friendly. And then there’s the location – a stone’s throw from the Spanish Steps, in an old wine cavern so atmospheric you can smell the Chianti in the air.
Address: Via della Croce, 76/b, 00187 Rome
E-mail: enoteca.antica@tiscalinet.it
Telephone: (39-6) 6790896
Fax: (39-6) 6797544
If you're shopping on the Corso or heading towards it after a hard morning's slog in the Forum and up the Campidoglio, there are wonderful enoteche, cafe-bars and restaurants tucked away on either side.
Vic's on Vicolo della Torretta offers fast, sustaining lunches (soups, salads and excellent-value wines); Gino in Vicolo Rosini serves spaghetti alla vongole and coniglio al vino bianco with such zing the local MPs are willing to queue; and neighbouring bars Vitti and Ciampini in Piazza Lorenzo in Lucina (an elegant, airy space) are wonderful for an al fresco drink even in winter - they thoughtfully provide outdoor heaters.
Afterwards, wander back up the Corso and across the grand expanse of Piazza del Popolo to Santa Maria del Popolo, its shadowy interior magicked into life by Pinturicchio, Raphael, Bernini and Caravaggio - and then up to the Villa Borghese and the Pincio for the classic, breathtaking view of domes and spires.
Vic's, Vicolo della Torretta 60; Gino in Vicolo Rosini 4, off Piazza del Parlamento (tiny and hard to find -you may need to ask for directions); Vitti and Ciampini, Piazza Lorenzo in Lucina 33 and 29
The Palatine Hill, located beside the Forum, is definitely worth a visit, and a great place to grab a break in Rome.
Also, go there before you visit the Colosseum, as the ticket is valid for both places - this means you can avoid the lenghty queues at the Colosseum.
The guide books tell you that the best cup of coffee in Rome is found at the Tazza d’Oro at Piazza della Rotonda close to the Pantheon. They are not wrong. Remember you have to pay for your coffee at the till and then take your receipt to the counter to be served.
Piazza Della Rotonda
One of the best views in Rome is from the Pincio, above Santa Maria del Popolo, which has two magnificent Caravaggios, including the Crucifixion of St Peter and Conversion of St Paul.
South west of the Villa Borghese, above Piazza del Popolo.
Pick up a copy of Romac'è to find out what's going on.
Forty years living in and about Rome, I discover a best-ever cup of espresso coffee, 70¢. On the sunny side of the piazza.
#4. Piazza del Parlamento
Tre Scalini is a cracking restaurant in Piazza Navona. Famous for one thing really - its scandalously delicious Tartufo Nero. Chocolate desert to die for, I went there on a pilgrimage having sampled the Tartufo at the River Cafe - the real thing takes some beating though, and the rest of the food is light and superbly priced too. Highly recommended for foodies.
Piazza Navona
The most surprising is what you see if you look through a keyhole in the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta on the Aventine hill. You can’t miss the door. There’s always someone peering through it. And I won’t ruin the surprise. Open 10-11am Sat.
Priorito di Malta, 3 Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta; Tel: 06 6758 1234
It allows unlimited travel on the very accessible Metro and bus service for up to 3 days. Incredible value and makes getting around to the many sights very easy. We travelled a considerable distance from the centre outside the city walls to the Catacombs and back under our own steam.
Can be bought from tobacco/newspaper kiosks.
Knicknamed "Citta dell' Acqua", this great little archaeological site is in a quiet street just behind the Trevi Fountain. For two euros you can examine the excavations of several levels in an ancient Roman residential area plus enjoy a little exhibition that explains the excavations and their finds.
Vicolo del Puttarello, 25 (it's a small street, near Via dei Modelli and the Trevi Fountain
OK, so it's Sicilian and we're talking Rome, but Capricci Siciliani delivers the best baby squid in the known universe. Fantastic seafood, excellent wine list, including many native Sicilian grape varieties, reasonably priced, and a warm and inviting staff. Over an 8-day visit, we actually had dinner here twice, and our 14-month-old enjoyed both the delicious bread and unending attention. Two truly memorable meals.
Via di Panico, 83 (near Piazza Navona;
tel: 06 4543 3823;
www.tavernadelduca.com
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