Rome: A Short, but Calorically Gigantic, Stay in Aventino and Testaccio
Oct 23rd, 2012, 08:17 AM
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Rome: A Short, but Calorically Gigantic, Stay in Aventino and Testaccio
We ended our cycling trip to Puglia, Italy, as described here in this post --
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...adventures.cfm --with a short stay in Rome in the Aventino/Testaccio area, mainly so we could gain as much weight as possible before returning to the US.
In fact, they should have just weighed the two of us pre- and post-trip and skipped the darn luggage.
<u><b>The Basics for Reference</u></b>
Hotel for two nights in the Aventino/Testaccio area:
<b>Hotel San Anselmo</b> (+39 06 570057), http://www.aventinohotels.com/inglese/sa/home.htm)
Ate at two Testaccio restaurants reserved for us by the hotel at my request:
<b>Perilli</b> Via Marmorata, 39
<b>La Villetta</b> Viale della Piramide Cestia, 53
Saw the<b> Vermeer exhibit</b> at <b>Scuderie del Quirinale</b>
Took a food tour with <b>Eating Italy Food</b>(800-838-3006, http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/)
Backstory:
We have often stayed in Rome, and even though we always intend to stay elsewhere, we always end up staying near the Pantheon. And before we leave for FCO, I always walk out to the Pantheon near dawn and say goodbye to it with tears running down my cheeks.
This time, we actually DID stay somewhere else, and even though like homing pigeons we ended up at the Pantheon for a bit, I felt as though I've finally broken away from "home". No tears this time.
Why choose the Aventino, one of the hills of Rome?
1) Our food tour was in nearby Testaccio
2) One of my desired restos was in nearby Testaccio
In other words: FOOD
<b>Next: Moving into the Hotel San Anselmo</b>
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...adventures.cfm --with a short stay in Rome in the Aventino/Testaccio area, mainly so we could gain as much weight as possible before returning to the US.
In fact, they should have just weighed the two of us pre- and post-trip and skipped the darn luggage.
<u><b>The Basics for Reference</u></b>
Hotel for two nights in the Aventino/Testaccio area:
<b>Hotel San Anselmo</b> (+39 06 570057), http://www.aventinohotels.com/inglese/sa/home.htm)
Ate at two Testaccio restaurants reserved for us by the hotel at my request:
<b>Perilli</b> Via Marmorata, 39
<b>La Villetta</b> Viale della Piramide Cestia, 53
Saw the<b> Vermeer exhibit</b> at <b>Scuderie del Quirinale</b>
Took a food tour with <b>Eating Italy Food</b>(800-838-3006, http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/)
Backstory:
We have often stayed in Rome, and even though we always intend to stay elsewhere, we always end up staying near the Pantheon. And before we leave for FCO, I always walk out to the Pantheon near dawn and say goodbye to it with tears running down my cheeks.
This time, we actually DID stay somewhere else, and even though like homing pigeons we ended up at the Pantheon for a bit, I felt as though I've finally broken away from "home". No tears this time.
Why choose the Aventino, one of the hills of Rome?
1) Our food tour was in nearby Testaccio
2) One of my desired restos was in nearby Testaccio
In other words: FOOD
<b>Next: Moving into the Hotel San Anselmo</b>
Oct 23rd, 2012, 08:34 AM
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Looking forward to tour next posting with great anticipation. Like you we have our favorite area of Rome where we always rent the same apartment so your Testaccio experience will be fun to read about.
Oct 23rd, 2012, 08:46 AM
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We took a taxi from FCO to the Hotel San Anselmo, which was 48E before tip. Driver handed me a leaflet talking about getting a REAL taxi for the way back out of the sight of the bellman. That price would also be a flat 48E.
The Hotel San Anselmo is just one of the cluster of Aventino Hotels Group properties on this primarily residential hill, and supposedly it's the group's best.
The double deluxe room was really well appointed, if small. And the bathroom was probably bigger than the room itself.
It was all very luxurious, but it was "off". The light variations (we had a constellation of lights on the bathroom ceiling, for goodness sakes!) became annoying. The endless variation spray shower nozzles needed a waterproof owner's manual hanging alongside it. And I never did find the switch to be able to see myself well enough to put on makeup in the bathroom mirror.
There were halogen reading lights on each side of the bed. I love reading lights. Problem was that if one fell asleep, the reading lights were so hot and so close to the bed hanging-type curtains that we're talking fire potential.
The AC would go off if one opened the windows, but the AC wasn't that functional. And there were mosquitoes EVERYWHERE (which is apparently a huge problem in Rome this specific fall) so opening windows or going out into the garden meant bites galore, anyway.
<i> Sidenote: Hey, isn't that how Henry James' Daisy Miller died anyway? Mosquitoes? I told my husband later as we were scratching away that I felt so darn literary!</i>
In others words: a lot of palatial decor money went into a lot of useless features.
People have complained about the hotel breakfast, and I thought it was fine for Italy. Not over the top but not bad, either.
I enjoyed the common rooms, though--particularly the library. We bonded with the bartender, who had been run ragged by other guests, so our beer service became quite swift
Other guests--ALL AMERICANS. Now THAT annoys me.
My verdict? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?
It was worth our while. We received a decent deal and we had seen Rome so many times before. We were both willing to hike AND willing to jump in a cab. We wanted to see Testaccio. The desk made reservations for us. For us, a win-win.
But I feel bad that I did not directly call the cab company for our final departure to FCO. The hotel used to charge 50E but apparently has wised up with the leaflet the taxi drivers hand out, and the concierge told us the ride would be 48E. I assumed he would be calling a cab. He did not.
I still feel guilty.
<b>Next: Homing Pigeons Be Us--Pantheon We Go AFTER visiting Vermeer</b>
The Hotel San Anselmo is just one of the cluster of Aventino Hotels Group properties on this primarily residential hill, and supposedly it's the group's best.
The double deluxe room was really well appointed, if small. And the bathroom was probably bigger than the room itself.
It was all very luxurious, but it was "off". The light variations (we had a constellation of lights on the bathroom ceiling, for goodness sakes!) became annoying. The endless variation spray shower nozzles needed a waterproof owner's manual hanging alongside it. And I never did find the switch to be able to see myself well enough to put on makeup in the bathroom mirror.
There were halogen reading lights on each side of the bed. I love reading lights. Problem was that if one fell asleep, the reading lights were so hot and so close to the bed hanging-type curtains that we're talking fire potential.
The AC would go off if one opened the windows, but the AC wasn't that functional. And there were mosquitoes EVERYWHERE (which is apparently a huge problem in Rome this specific fall) so opening windows or going out into the garden meant bites galore, anyway.
<i> Sidenote: Hey, isn't that how Henry James' Daisy Miller died anyway? Mosquitoes? I told my husband later as we were scratching away that I felt so darn literary!</i>
In others words: a lot of palatial decor money went into a lot of useless features.
People have complained about the hotel breakfast, and I thought it was fine for Italy. Not over the top but not bad, either.
I enjoyed the common rooms, though--particularly the library. We bonded with the bartender, who had been run ragged by other guests, so our beer service became quite swift
Other guests--ALL AMERICANS. Now THAT annoys me.
My verdict? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?
It was worth our while. We received a decent deal and we had seen Rome so many times before. We were both willing to hike AND willing to jump in a cab. We wanted to see Testaccio. The desk made reservations for us. For us, a win-win.
But I feel bad that I did not directly call the cab company for our final departure to FCO. The hotel used to charge 50E but apparently has wised up with the leaflet the taxi drivers hand out, and the concierge told us the ride would be 48E. I assumed he would be calling a cab. He did not.
I still feel guilty.
<b>Next: Homing Pigeons Be Us--Pantheon We Go AFTER visiting Vermeer</b>
Oct 23rd, 2012, 01:30 PM
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The Pantheon is one of those "can't stay away" places, like Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.
We were in Rome Oct 8-11, and found the Trevi fountain so crowded, it was not at all the same experience as happening upon it (in wonderment) in the middle of the city on our first trip to Rome in 2005.
Next time we go, we will get up at the crack of dawn to see the fountain in the semi-darkness with no-one else around! And the Pantheon straight after that.
Looking forward to your "food" experiences.
We were in Rome Oct 8-11, and found the Trevi fountain so crowded, it was not at all the same experience as happening upon it (in wonderment) in the middle of the city on our first trip to Rome in 2005.
Next time we go, we will get up at the crack of dawn to see the fountain in the semi-darkness with no-one else around! And the Pantheon straight after that.
Looking forward to your "food" experiences.
Oct 23rd, 2012, 01:38 PM
#5
lol, alessandra, we went all the way to tropical Sri Lanka an hardly saw a mossie anywhere, you go to Rome and are plagued by them.
why do you think that your hotel was so popular with americans? [BTW, that link didn't work for me]
why do you think that your hotel was so popular with americans? [BTW, that link didn't work for me]
Oct 23rd, 2012, 01:55 PM
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<b><red>Hotel San Anselmo URL Correction:
http://www.aventinohotels.com/inglese/sa/home.htm
</b></red>
Thanks, annhig, for catching the error so quickly. I had put a parentheses at the end of the URL but not at the beginning, so the little lone " ) " had become part of the URL by mistake.
As to the Americans--I'm thinking that a) the US embassy to the Holy See is a spit away and some of the guests are there with their local priests and church groups and b) the hotel has caught on on the US TA site and is "showing" better than it actually is. We got the feel that most of the people in the hotel really had not been to Rome before. It WAS really nice, though. Just not THAT nice.
sundriedpachino: I so get what you mean about the Trevi, etc. not being the same. I swear we did not have to fight through a wall of people every step when we first visited in the early 2000s.
http://www.aventinohotels.com/inglese/sa/home.htm
</b></red>
Thanks, annhig, for catching the error so quickly. I had put a parentheses at the end of the URL but not at the beginning, so the little lone " ) " had become part of the URL by mistake.
As to the Americans--I'm thinking that a) the US embassy to the Holy See is a spit away and some of the guests are there with their local priests and church groups and b) the hotel has caught on on the US TA site and is "showing" better than it actually is. We got the feel that most of the people in the hotel really had not been to Rome before. It WAS really nice, though. Just not THAT nice.
sundriedpachino: I so get what you mean about the Trevi, etc. not being the same. I swear we did not have to fight through a wall of people every step when we first visited in the early 2000s.
Oct 23rd, 2012, 03:08 PM
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Can't wait to hear the rest. Perilli was on our list for our trip back in September, but we never made it and I had been told their carbonara is the best in Rome, so I can't wait to hear about it (and then kick myself over and over when you tell us all it was the best pasta ever )!
The Trevi was busy when we were there but not as bad as I had thought it would be. There was a tour group of Italian teens and had they not been there, it would have been perfect.
The Pantheon thing got me...we swear to stay at Algergo del Senato next trip to Rome!
)!The Trevi was busy when we were there but not as bad as I had thought it would be. There was a tour group of Italian teens and had they not been there, it would have been perfect.
The Pantheon thing got me...we swear to stay at Algergo del Senato next trip to Rome!
Oct 24th, 2012, 12:55 AM
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Looking forward to reading your impressions of your food tour. We did the same one in June - we had Luna as our guide - and really enjoyed it; apart from the supli which didn't really appeal and were a bit salty. Has the market moved to the new premises yet? Apart from the food, it was interesting seeing around a non-touristy area of Rome.
Oct 24th, 2012, 04:02 AM
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Trip Report Cont'd: <b>Homing Pigeons Be Us--Pantheon We Go AFTER visiting Vermeer</b>
After we had checked in, we figured we'd wend our way downhill to our heartbeat, the Pantheon area. On our very first trip to Rome with the two kids, we had stayed a week, so we had made our way to most of the sites in the Aventino (aka, The Aventine or Aventine Hill).
But for those of you who don't know about these, the Orange Garden (called <i>Giardino degli Aranci</i> or <i>Parco Savello</i
is one of Rome’s lovely gardens, with a gorgeous view over Trastevere. It was a former monastic orchard. Just down the street on the right from the Orange Garden, is the Keyhole, a small key hole in a large green door offering a view through a grove of trees to the dome of St. Peter’s. Tour guides like to say you can see three countries--which is sort of stretching it: Italy, the Vatican, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which owns the building that the keyhole belongs to. So the real deal is that one can see St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City perfectly framed between two rows of trees.
The Mouth of Truth (of "Roman Holiday" fame) is at the Santa Maria in Cosmedin, more or less on our way from the Aventino to the center of historic Rome. We didn't bother this time at all. The line for it was really long anyway.
Anyway, as we were walking down the hill overlooking the Circus Maximus, we saw posters advertising a Vermeer exhibit at the Scuderie del Quirinale. We looked at each and other thought, "Why not?" We're rather obsessed with Flemish painting of that era anyway, and somehow we'd never been to the Scuderie del Quirinale.
The Scuderie used to be the pretty spiffy stables of the Palazzo del Quirinale, and the stables were remodeled in the late 1990s by architect Gae Aulenti to host to large art shows. It is located on another of Rome's hills, the Quirinal (no duh).
The art exhibit was good, not great. The big problem, of course, is that Vermeer didn't paint that many paintings, so his share of the exhibit was limited. But we did get to learn more about the other Flemish painters of his precise era, and that was good. What was GREAT, however, was at the end of the visit. The art tour ascends the building. To exit it one descends a modern, glass-walled staircase with amazing views of Rome.
The light was changing as we left the Quirinal, and we had to scurry. Heading to the Pantheon, we relived past trips with our kids. This spot was where our eight-yr-old dropped her gelato and suddenly said in Italian: Sono così triste (I'm so sad). Yeah, we about fell over. That spot was where we watched a con artist work for hours bumming change by precisely determining the nationalities of approaching marks. This corner was where our oldest said, "I refuse to go the wrong way again--let's ALL check our maps, and I mean it!"
So we got to the Pantheon. Crowded as ever, noise at a total din, now lit by the candles and small lights as darkness approached, and we did a mutual sigh.
We headed up to the Trevi fountain, stopped for a beer a few blocks over, and then caught a cab.
After all, we were going to be at Perilli ON TIME no matter what.
<b>Next: Perilli </b>
After we had checked in, we figured we'd wend our way downhill to our heartbeat, the Pantheon area. On our very first trip to Rome with the two kids, we had stayed a week, so we had made our way to most of the sites in the Aventino (aka, The Aventine or Aventine Hill).
But for those of you who don't know about these, the Orange Garden (called <i>Giardino degli Aranci</i> or <i>Parco Savello</i
is one of Rome’s lovely gardens, with a gorgeous view over Trastevere. It was a former monastic orchard. Just down the street on the right from the Orange Garden, is the Keyhole, a small key hole in a large green door offering a view through a grove of trees to the dome of St. Peter’s. Tour guides like to say you can see three countries--which is sort of stretching it: Italy, the Vatican, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which owns the building that the keyhole belongs to. So the real deal is that one can see St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City perfectly framed between two rows of trees.The Mouth of Truth (of "Roman Holiday" fame) is at the Santa Maria in Cosmedin, more or less on our way from the Aventino to the center of historic Rome. We didn't bother this time at all. The line for it was really long anyway.
Anyway, as we were walking down the hill overlooking the Circus Maximus, we saw posters advertising a Vermeer exhibit at the Scuderie del Quirinale. We looked at each and other thought, "Why not?" We're rather obsessed with Flemish painting of that era anyway, and somehow we'd never been to the Scuderie del Quirinale.
The Scuderie used to be the pretty spiffy stables of the Palazzo del Quirinale, and the stables were remodeled in the late 1990s by architect Gae Aulenti to host to large art shows. It is located on another of Rome's hills, the Quirinal (no duh).
The art exhibit was good, not great. The big problem, of course, is that Vermeer didn't paint that many paintings, so his share of the exhibit was limited. But we did get to learn more about the other Flemish painters of his precise era, and that was good. What was GREAT, however, was at the end of the visit. The art tour ascends the building. To exit it one descends a modern, glass-walled staircase with amazing views of Rome.
The light was changing as we left the Quirinal, and we had to scurry. Heading to the Pantheon, we relived past trips with our kids. This spot was where our eight-yr-old dropped her gelato and suddenly said in Italian: Sono così triste (I'm so sad). Yeah, we about fell over. That spot was where we watched a con artist work for hours bumming change by precisely determining the nationalities of approaching marks. This corner was where our oldest said, "I refuse to go the wrong way again--let's ALL check our maps, and I mean it!"
So we got to the Pantheon. Crowded as ever, noise at a total din, now lit by the candles and small lights as darkness approached, and we did a mutual sigh.
We headed up to the Trevi fountain, stopped for a beer a few blocks over, and then caught a cab.
After all, we were going to be at Perilli ON TIME no matter what.
<b>Next: Perilli </b>
Oct 24th, 2012, 12:53 PM
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<b>Perilli</b>
When I realized we were going to stay in the Aventine and take a food tour, I started researching area restaurants.
I became SO confused. So many of the ones that were beloved seemed to be equally detested in reviews.
I left it up to the concierge in an email: "Tell me which restaurants you would recommend for our Sunday/Monday night stay".
Response: "Your choices are limited. We would gladly recommend Perilli any night it is open, and here are our other suggestions...."
So Perilli it was, and I am ever grateful that the concierge made the reservation because we were treated well from the get-go. But maybe we would have been anyway.
The place is REAL Italian in that the restaurant is over bright. I find it ironic that in Italy, I rarely find a bathroom that is well lit enough to pluck an eyebrow, but it's really easy to find a restaurant with surgical lighting.
I digress.
Since we are early, we get our aged waiter's full attention, and he is fabulous. He starts picking on my husband right off the bat, and I'm loving it. My husband's a great guy, and he's absolutely willing at all times to be the straight man, so for the rest of the evening, I get to watch Abbott and Costello in action.
Hmm--maybe that act got its origin at Perilli.
Anyway, as unprepared as I've been for this trip, I have a laundry list of what I want to eat at Perilli: Cace e pepe (cheese and pepper dressed pasta), Puntarella (escarole type green served with olive oil, anchovy and a squeeze of lemon), Carciofo alla romagna (Roman style artichoke), and I wanted my husband to order lamb braised in vinegar.
My husband, of course, listened to his new best friend and ordered pasta with oxtail and RABBIT braised in vinegar.
He loved it. And I loved mine. I don't think we loved the artichokes so much, but the Puntarella was a huge hit.
I can't remember what I ordered for dessert--I think it was underwhelming--but in retrospect, we should have just cancelled our next night's reservation on the spot and made one there.
Is it the greatest meal on earth? NO. Am I still thinking about my cace e pepe?
YES!
So I MUST return to order their Carbonara, their Amatriciana and I know for sure my husband will try the Rigatoni con Pajata (lamb's intestine).
<b>Food Tour</b>
When I realized we were going to stay in the Aventine and take a food tour, I started researching area restaurants.
I became SO confused. So many of the ones that were beloved seemed to be equally detested in reviews.
I left it up to the concierge in an email: "Tell me which restaurants you would recommend for our Sunday/Monday night stay".
Response: "Your choices are limited. We would gladly recommend Perilli any night it is open, and here are our other suggestions...."
So Perilli it was, and I am ever grateful that the concierge made the reservation because we were treated well from the get-go. But maybe we would have been anyway.
The place is REAL Italian in that the restaurant is over bright. I find it ironic that in Italy, I rarely find a bathroom that is well lit enough to pluck an eyebrow, but it's really easy to find a restaurant with surgical lighting.
I digress.
Since we are early, we get our aged waiter's full attention, and he is fabulous. He starts picking on my husband right off the bat, and I'm loving it. My husband's a great guy, and he's absolutely willing at all times to be the straight man, so for the rest of the evening, I get to watch Abbott and Costello in action.
Hmm--maybe that act got its origin at Perilli.
Anyway, as unprepared as I've been for this trip, I have a laundry list of what I want to eat at Perilli: Cace e pepe (cheese and pepper dressed pasta), Puntarella (escarole type green served with olive oil, anchovy and a squeeze of lemon), Carciofo alla romagna (Roman style artichoke), and I wanted my husband to order lamb braised in vinegar.
My husband, of course, listened to his new best friend and ordered pasta with oxtail and RABBIT braised in vinegar.
He loved it. And I loved mine. I don't think we loved the artichokes so much, but the Puntarella was a huge hit.
I can't remember what I ordered for dessert--I think it was underwhelming--but in retrospect, we should have just cancelled our next night's reservation on the spot and made one there.
Is it the greatest meal on earth? NO. Am I still thinking about my cace e pepe?
YES!
So I MUST return to order their Carbonara, their Amatriciana and I know for sure my husband will try the Rigatoni con Pajata (lamb's intestine).
<b>Food Tour</b>
Oct 25th, 2012, 06:33 AM
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<b>Eating Italy Food Tours</b>
There are now many food tours available in Rome, and knowing that I wanted to take one, I drove myself crazy trying to decipher which one was best.
In the end, I just went with this tour, Eating Italy
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/, and as I mentioned before, centered the location of our short stay around it.
Several Rome guides don't even mention the Testaccio area of Rome, and the people of Testaccio are a little irritated that some guides now ARE mentioning it. For years this working class neighborhood has been able to get on with life without hordes of tourists.
I think that time will be ending, so I'd see its vitality while you can.
Co-owner, ex-pat American Kenny Dunn started this Rome tour business after he went on a New York pizza tour in 2009. Originally from Philadelphia, Kenny was a cook in New Zealand, an urban farmer in Australia and Colombia, and a project manager on a TV pilot about the world's open air food markets.
Although we met Kenny by accident, our specific tour guide was Luna, an Australian expat who is a shorter version of Sandra Bullock. I know for sure that including Kenny, there are at least three guides, and given the booked-up status, if there are not more guides, there will be more.
Now, before I go into detail, I must tell you that I am dedicated to food tours because a friend at home runs them. Here are the qualities of a good food tour:
--Good pacing--no lollygagging but also breaks in the delivery
--Enough bathroom stops that don't break the rhythm of the trip
--Good food, not just historic food
--Audible guide who a) makes sure everyone is standing around him/her appropriately, b) is friendly to all between stops and c) knows how to pass out the food in the most streamlined manner possible who also exhibits...
--A demonstration of love for the food and a mission to share the history of it and its location
Our Istanbul Eats tour with Angelis met all of those markers. We went on a Dallas food tour that sadly missed the mark by a mile.
This food tour was right on the money (and by the way, it costs 65E pp for around almost hours).
What do you do for four hours? We learn fascinating facts of Rome's history, especially this slaughterhouse quarter of Rome, visited some interesting non-food sights, and sampled food from around ten places. We not only met the food, but also the people and the history behind the food.
As stated above, the tour takes place in the historic neighborhood of Testaccio. This quarter, given its access to water transport, was Rome's largest market and slaughtering area. Its name comes from "testae", fragments of broken amphorae that over time created an actual mountain, Monte Testaccio. And then the mountain ended up being used as a storage facility because all the clay fragments had created an insulated cave environment, and now it houses restaurants and nightclubs inside.
Amazing.
Food stops on the tour:
- The Testaccio Market--used to be open air and now has moved to a bright indoor location. Visted three places inside, tasting insalata caprese, bruschetta, and canoli
- Volpetti--a gourmet market (cheese, ham and other tasties)
- Barberini--pastry shop and caffe (cornetti and a tiramisu "cup" to die for--worth the tour. I'm serious, since I've always preferred a good croissant to the typical cornetto. This was the first I ever drooled over. Husband hates tiramisu and he wants to go back to Rome just to eat theirs here.)
- Giolitti--supposedly one of the top five best gelaterias in Rome
- Volpetti Piu--Pizza
- Flavio at Valavevodetto--Famous restaurant for "small" lunch that included cacia e pepe, amatriciana and carbonara and wine
- 00100 Pizza: suppli (basically rice balls)
I may have forgotten one or two, but you get the drift. There was enough food.
Everybody got a nice little neighborhood tour map that also listed some of Kenny's favorites food places all over Rome.
For further information, once you book online (which you have to do--no cash payments day of), you have up to three weeks before the tour to adjust your reservation, but the tour goes rain or shine. There is no minimum sign-up (it's possible you could end up with a guide all to yourself, although I doubt it!), and the max number on the tour is 12, which is PERFECT for this tour. Kids are allowed at 45E pp. No hills, and not a lot of walking, but you can easily get tired over four hours. However, there are a lot of places where one sits.
Please (!) tip the guide 15%!
We really enjoyed the tour and the people who went on the tour, who were from all over the world. Luna was quietly friendly (no "over the top" style) to all and VERY professional. We thought it was interesting that when asked what we liked on the tour at the end, at least 1/2 of the guests, who all loved the food, thought the history was their favorite part.
My husband gave it an A+, even though like CarrieAnn, neither of us liked the "suppli".
<b> Next: La Villetta</b>
There are now many food tours available in Rome, and knowing that I wanted to take one, I drove myself crazy trying to decipher which one was best.
In the end, I just went with this tour, Eating Italy
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/, and as I mentioned before, centered the location of our short stay around it.
Several Rome guides don't even mention the Testaccio area of Rome, and the people of Testaccio are a little irritated that some guides now ARE mentioning it. For years this working class neighborhood has been able to get on with life without hordes of tourists.
I think that time will be ending, so I'd see its vitality while you can.
Co-owner, ex-pat American Kenny Dunn started this Rome tour business after he went on a New York pizza tour in 2009. Originally from Philadelphia, Kenny was a cook in New Zealand, an urban farmer in Australia and Colombia, and a project manager on a TV pilot about the world's open air food markets.
Although we met Kenny by accident, our specific tour guide was Luna, an Australian expat who is a shorter version of Sandra Bullock. I know for sure that including Kenny, there are at least three guides, and given the booked-up status, if there are not more guides, there will be more.
Now, before I go into detail, I must tell you that I am dedicated to food tours because a friend at home runs them. Here are the qualities of a good food tour:
--Good pacing--no lollygagging but also breaks in the delivery
--Enough bathroom stops that don't break the rhythm of the trip
--Good food, not just historic food
--Audible guide who a) makes sure everyone is standing around him/her appropriately, b) is friendly to all between stops and c) knows how to pass out the food in the most streamlined manner possible who also exhibits...
--A demonstration of love for the food and a mission to share the history of it and its location
Our Istanbul Eats tour with Angelis met all of those markers. We went on a Dallas food tour that sadly missed the mark by a mile.
This food tour was right on the money (and by the way, it costs 65E pp for around almost hours).
What do you do for four hours? We learn fascinating facts of Rome's history, especially this slaughterhouse quarter of Rome, visited some interesting non-food sights, and sampled food from around ten places. We not only met the food, but also the people and the history behind the food.
As stated above, the tour takes place in the historic neighborhood of Testaccio. This quarter, given its access to water transport, was Rome's largest market and slaughtering area. Its name comes from "testae", fragments of broken amphorae that over time created an actual mountain, Monte Testaccio. And then the mountain ended up being used as a storage facility because all the clay fragments had created an insulated cave environment, and now it houses restaurants and nightclubs inside.
Amazing.
Food stops on the tour:
- The Testaccio Market--used to be open air and now has moved to a bright indoor location. Visted three places inside, tasting insalata caprese, bruschetta, and canoli
- Volpetti--a gourmet market (cheese, ham and other tasties)
- Barberini--pastry shop and caffe (cornetti and a tiramisu "cup" to die for--worth the tour. I'm serious, since I've always preferred a good croissant to the typical cornetto. This was the first I ever drooled over. Husband hates tiramisu and he wants to go back to Rome just to eat theirs here.)
- Giolitti--supposedly one of the top five best gelaterias in Rome
- Volpetti Piu--Pizza
- Flavio at Valavevodetto--Famous restaurant for "small" lunch that included cacia e pepe, amatriciana and carbonara and wine
- 00100 Pizza: suppli (basically rice balls)
I may have forgotten one or two, but you get the drift. There was enough food.
Everybody got a nice little neighborhood tour map that also listed some of Kenny's favorites food places all over Rome.
For further information, once you book online (which you have to do--no cash payments day of), you have up to three weeks before the tour to adjust your reservation, but the tour goes rain or shine. There is no minimum sign-up (it's possible you could end up with a guide all to yourself, although I doubt it!), and the max number on the tour is 12, which is PERFECT for this tour. Kids are allowed at 45E pp. No hills, and not a lot of walking, but you can easily get tired over four hours. However, there are a lot of places where one sits.
Please (!) tip the guide 15%!
We really enjoyed the tour and the people who went on the tour, who were from all over the world. Luna was quietly friendly (no "over the top" style) to all and VERY professional. We thought it was interesting that when asked what we liked on the tour at the end, at least 1/2 of the guests, who all loved the food, thought the history was their favorite part.
My husband gave it an A+, even though like CarrieAnn, neither of us liked the "suppli".
<b> Next: La Villetta</b>
Oct 26th, 2012, 04:36 AM
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<b>Trip Report Continued: La Villetta</b>
As I had indicated, I had asked my hotel for their recommendations. They sent me a list of local restaurants, and recommended Perilli, then La Villetta, Taverna Cestia, Bucatino, Consolini, and Checchino.
Since we would be eating on a Monday night, that automatically ruled out Taverna Cestia, Bucatino, and Consolini. Checchino seemed a bit of a walk. So we asked the concierge to make the reservation for La Villetta.
La Villetta is a large place, offering walls lined with photos of family and celebrities.
Our waiter spoke perfect English, and for awhile, I thought service was going to be rather fast. There were lots of waiters were on hand, and very few people had entered the restaurant because our reservation was at 8 o'clock.
Wrong.
Remember, we'd been in Italy for around 10 or more days by that point. We were used to Italian style service, which meant it may take awhile to get started, then food would just start coming right and left, and then one would wait forever for a check.
So when I say this service was glacial, I mean "waiting for the next Ice Age".
Our food was good, but not great. I started with the started with spaghetti con aglio e oglio e pepperoncino and then ate saltimbocca alla romana. My husband went with the rigatoni pasta with oxtail to compare with his dish at Perilli (Perilli won hands down), but I forget what he ordered as a secondo. Our waiter completely forgot our rocket salad. And actually, he totally forgot us.
All this waiting gave us time to check out the action. Lots of large families coming in. Most were ordering antipasto (came on huge trays that were raised) and pizza.
When we finally were able to snag the waiter, he realized he had forgotten the rest of our order, so he brought us some sort of pistachio dessert "on the house". And then he forgot to bring us the check.
Our evaluation? As my husband says, "If I'm going to be mistreated, I'd rather be beaten up at Perilli any day."
<b>Next: a restaurant I forgot and I shouldn't have--Gregory a Testaccio</b>
As I had indicated, I had asked my hotel for their recommendations. They sent me a list of local restaurants, and recommended Perilli, then La Villetta, Taverna Cestia, Bucatino, Consolini, and Checchino.
Since we would be eating on a Monday night, that automatically ruled out Taverna Cestia, Bucatino, and Consolini. Checchino seemed a bit of a walk. So we asked the concierge to make the reservation for La Villetta.
La Villetta is a large place, offering walls lined with photos of family and celebrities.
Our waiter spoke perfect English, and for awhile, I thought service was going to be rather fast. There were lots of waiters were on hand, and very few people had entered the restaurant because our reservation was at 8 o'clock.
Wrong.
Remember, we'd been in Italy for around 10 or more days by that point. We were used to Italian style service, which meant it may take awhile to get started, then food would just start coming right and left, and then one would wait forever for a check.
So when I say this service was glacial, I mean "waiting for the next Ice Age".
Our food was good, but not great. I started with the started with spaghetti con aglio e oglio e pepperoncino and then ate saltimbocca alla romana. My husband went with the rigatoni pasta with oxtail to compare with his dish at Perilli (Perilli won hands down), but I forget what he ordered as a secondo. Our waiter completely forgot our rocket salad. And actually, he totally forgot us.
All this waiting gave us time to check out the action. Lots of large families coming in. Most were ordering antipasto (came on huge trays that were raised) and pizza.
When we finally were able to snag the waiter, he realized he had forgotten the rest of our order, so he brought us some sort of pistachio dessert "on the house". And then he forgot to bring us the check.
Our evaluation? As my husband says, "If I'm going to be mistreated, I'd rather be beaten up at Perilli any day."
<b>Next: a restaurant I forgot and I shouldn't have--Gregory a Testaccio</b>
