Travel Notes from a Roman Holiday
Wednesday July 21, 2004
As August approaches, Rome starts to swelter. For that reason, August isn't high season for lodging in the Eternal City. You'll find some hotel bargains--just ask for air conditioning if you're a heat-wimp like me. The night temperatures are a bummer.
If you're looking for, say three star comfortable hotels at a reasonable price in Rome, you might find bargains by booking directly with the hotel instead of with an agency. You will get a discount for cash payment if you book directly at such places as the Hotel des Artistes and the Daphne Bed and Breakfast, both found in our Rome Lodging Links.
The best restaurant in Rome? Many think it's the Sicilian and Umbrian inspired Uno e Bino in lively San Lorenzo on the University side of Termini station. Cool jazz, modern Italian fare, and reasonable prices on top flight "slow food" give it my vote. I loved the cold cucumber soup tinged with mint in which warm bits of crunchy fried monkfish floated provocatively. And just for a contrast, we headed over to the mound of old roman pot sherds called Testaccio and had lunch at Checchino dal 1887, featuring modern versions of old Roman favorites, many including parts of animals you might not think of eating. (You can call it offal food if you want but it was delicious.) Veal trotter in a warm vegetable salad won the day.
I didn't choose the wine wisely, however. When I remarked about the taste, I found that the local wine I had chosen had been aged in chestnut, giving it a an unfamiliar taste. But the head waiter, noting my displeasure with the wine even though it tasted as it was supposed to, insisted on changing it to something more appealing to my palate, at no charge. It is an extreme pleasure to deal with a restaurant that takes pleasing its customers as a priority and I tip my hat to Checchino dal 1887. I hope you'll try them and discover a new part of Rome in the process. Testaccio rocks at night, helped along by a ton of night clubs dug into the amphora hill.
Check our Rome Directory for more on Rome. And did you know this year is the 50th anniversary of the film Roman Holiday?
If you're looking for, say three star comfortable hotels at a reasonable price in Rome, you might find bargains by booking directly with the hotel instead of with an agency. You will get a discount for cash payment if you book directly at such places as the Hotel des Artistes and the Daphne Bed and Breakfast, both found in our Rome Lodging Links.
The best restaurant in Rome? Many think it's the Sicilian and Umbrian inspired Uno e Bino in lively San Lorenzo on the University side of Termini station. Cool jazz, modern Italian fare, and reasonable prices on top flight "slow food" give it my vote. I loved the cold cucumber soup tinged with mint in which warm bits of crunchy fried monkfish floated provocatively. And just for a contrast, we headed over to the mound of old roman pot sherds called Testaccio and had lunch at Checchino dal 1887, featuring modern versions of old Roman favorites, many including parts of animals you might not think of eating. (You can call it offal food if you want but it was delicious.) Veal trotter in a warm vegetable salad won the day.
I didn't choose the wine wisely, however. When I remarked about the taste, I found that the local wine I had chosen had been aged in chestnut, giving it a an unfamiliar taste. But the head waiter, noting my displeasure with the wine even though it tasted as it was supposed to, insisted on changing it to something more appealing to my palate, at no charge. It is an extreme pleasure to deal with a restaurant that takes pleasing its customers as a priority and I tip my hat to Checchino dal 1887. I hope you'll try them and discover a new part of Rome in the process. Testaccio rocks at night, helped along by a ton of night clubs dug into the amphora hill.
Check our Rome Directory for more on Rome. And did you know this year is the 50th anniversary of the film Roman Holiday?
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