meg

Where/what is the best breakfast you've ever had in Rome - and I'm not talking about the one that is included with your room. Looking for great coffee, great people watching, pasteries or some Roman breakfast specialty.

Ed

I was hoping, Meg, that someone would have a bright and enlightening answer for you. <BR> <BR>For myself, I must admit I come up dry after a couple dozen trips to our favorite city. <BR> <BR>A typical Italian breakfast at home might be leftover bread or cake from dinner last night and a cup of coffee. Breakfast is just not a big deal in Italy. <BR> <BR>A place where people gather for a gourmet breakfast and people-watching? Can't think of one. <BR> <BR>Great breakfast pastries? Certainly not in the context of French, or even German or Swiss breakfast pastries. <BR> <BR>Tourists, for the most part, huddle in their hotels' dining rooms or day rooms eating a richer and probably larger breakfast than most Italians. <BR> <BR>The Italians we know or have seen that don't eat at home are in bars/cafes hurriedly downing a coffee and perhaps a small pastry. <BR> <BR>I'll be interested to see if someone comes up with a great idea for you. I'm sure I've missed something in our trips. <BR> <BR>But don't be surprised if you get few, if any, ideas for a great "power breakfast" in Rome. <BR> <BR>The food in Rome is marvelous ... after 1230 pm! <BR> <BR>Ed

karen

Ed's right. Romans don't do breakfast. You can get a wonderful espresso or capuccino, and a delightfully fresh croissant (cornetto) at any number of bars in the city. Or, like the Roman schoolchildren, you can stop at the corner bread store for a slice of pizza bianca or pizza rossa, wrapped in paper, to eat as you walk down the street. If you opt to sit down and people watch at a cafe, you'll be among a very few. The Romans will be gulping their coffee and cornetto down while standing at the bar. My breakfast-dependent American travel companions find some satisfaction in the tramezzini, or "toast," a sort of grilled prosciutto and cheese sandwich that many bars serve in the morning. But I think you should wait till 1 p.m., sit down at an outdoor restaurant in a charming piazza, and make a proper two-hour lunch, with wine, preferably followed by a siesta, to get a true Roman experience.

ro

if i remember correctly: il delfino @ corso vittorio emanuele 67 on n.w. corner of largo argentina.2 blocks from pantheon. for $5.30 break of eggs, bacon, toast w/ butter, fruit juice or cappuccino. this is a self-serve cafateria but the food is very good.

Mike

You can also get cooked food at Doney's on the Via Veneto, I think. I just had coffee in the morning. It's one of the smart roadside cafes and is nice, although that part of town is less fashionable than the Spanish Steps/Via Condotti nowadays - La Dolce Vita was a long time ago now.

Ed

Yes, Mike, I think Doney's may be exactly the sort of spot Meg may have had in mind. The windows along the sidewalk are just fine for the purpose ... if ... <BR> <BR>Except for the fact that there are unlikely to be very many Romans in there at breakfast, if any, and the people watching is going to be pretty slim ... a few cafe and shop persons brooming the sidewalk, commuters scurrying to a bus or metro. <BR> <BR>As Karen suggested I'd leave the people-watching until lunch or dinner ... or after dinner. <BR> <BR>Doney's sidewalk tables (or Cafe de Paris across the street) are still fairly enjoyable in the evening after dinner. Although, indeed, other spots than via Veneto have become more fashionable of late. Sic transit gloria mundi. <BR> <BR>Ed