Can someone help me identify this restaurant in Rome?
 

On our last trip to Rome my wife and I were walking back to our hotel near the Pantheon. We had been viewing the Forum which we had never seen lit up at night and we got lost somwhere between the forum and the Ponte Garibali bridge. We found ourselves walking through a dark alley when suddenly there was a restaurant full of people out on the patio loudly enjoying their food and wine. We stopped to ask directions and the owner invited us to have drinks and to take a tour of his restaurant. His restaurant featured a glass section in the floor that let you look into an old Etruscan tomb (cave, whatever). He took us done the stairs to get a closer look and to see some of the artifacts that had been dug up. The restuaurant had a number of them on display, I believe. I took his business card and promised we would go back the next night for dinner. Well, the next morning I got up and thought perhaps I had dreamed of the experience. I looked for the card in my pants pocket and it wasnt there. Now I was convinced it was a dream. A few minutes later my wife woke up and confirmed that it was not a dream and that I was an idiot for losing the card. We had no idea of the name or exact location so couldnt go that night. We are heading back to Rome in a couple weeks and would love to go back to this restaurant if only we knew the name. I know my sketchy memory hasnt provided many details but does this sound at all famililar to anyone? Again maybe a few blocks north of the river somewhere between Pont Garibaldi and the Forum.

La Cisterna, Via della Cisterna 13... ?

http://www.lacisterna.com/

Travelnut

Thanks for the try but it appears from their website that they are south of the river. We were definitly north of it.

Does this look familiar?

Da Giggetto is one of the best known restaurants in the Ghetto.

Oops, forgot to post the link:

http://www.giggettoalportico.com/english/cellar.ht:

Zerlina

The location seems about right but I am not quite positive if it is the right place. Do you know if it is located on a very small street - almost an alley?

I wouldn't call Via Portico d'Ottavia an alley; it's about as wide as most of the streets in the historical center. But if the restaurant you are trying to find was on a narrow alley, how did they manage to put tables outside?

Could it be Hostaria Costanza http://www.hostariacostanza.com/ingl..._costanza.html

My wife took me here for my birthday dinner. It was highly recommended and was great. Very friendly but professional staff. Food was some of the best in Rome. Nice wine list.

We had drinks in a small cafe in the Testevere area, then crossed the Ponte Garibali bridge to get to this restaurant. It was out of the way & took us an hour of walking around, stopping for drinks & directions, to find it.

I don't remember a glass floor but it is inside the ruins of the Theatrum Pompei and has many artifacts displayed around the restaurant.

If this isn't the one your looking for I would recommend trying it.

Ristorante da Pancrazio? Located on a small quiet sort of square around from Campo Fiori. I know they have a glass plate in the floor and the cellar with remnants and artifacts from the Theatre of Pompeii. And there is usually a crowd on the sort of long terrace outside.

Of all the guesses I think Da Giggetto is the most likely but I am not convinced. The restaurant we are looking for was on a very narrow street and as I recall there wasnt anything else around it open at night. It seemed like a dark deserted alley with no traffic and nothing open but this busy restaurant. The owner was a very friendly man - tall, thin and bald. Oh, well, maybe I did dream it. Thanks for trying

Well, everything you just said does sound exactly like da Pancrazio -- very dark, small sort of dead ended area of a small street, nothing else open there at night. Friendly waiters or managers who love to show people the "basement".

Here's the da Pancrazio link with some photos:

http://www.dapancrazio.it/

Steve

Thanks Steve. I did some Googling and that was the best I could find too, but there are no exterior shots which I was looking for. There is a pic on that link of a dining room in the basement with a "light" in the ceiling which I believe is actually that glass panel from the dining room above.
BoulderCO. If you were standing outside looking at this place, it has a fairly long terrace with awning in front of it. The entrance into the restaurant is at the far left end. You'd enter and you can go down little stairs just inside on the left to see the artifacts both on the stairs and in a couple of little alcoves down below and the downstairs dining rooms which seldom seem to be used.

Sound familiar?

Yes, it was a fairly long terrace with an awning. As I recall the entrance was on the left side. I can't remember where the stairs were. Based on your description, this could be it. We will check it out when we get to Rome. Thanks, everyone.

There are some outside pictures on that link, Patrick:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antmoose/17814725/

http://www.dapancrazio.it/?page_id=7

Steve

Thanks, I just saw those. This may well be the place. I have copied the info into my trip file and will have dinner there when we are in Rome next month. Thanks again.