ttt

A most excellent hole-in-the-wall pizza place in the piazza in San Polo in Venice. It's hard to miss because there is always a line-up, or an assembled group, of locals waiting for their slices to come out of the oven and be served. No chairs/tables, but you eat just like the other locasl, while standing in the beautiful piazza.

Al Pompiere in the Jewish quarter in Rome serves very good traditional Roman dishes. Reservation is recommended.

We had a lovely, casual, rather inexpensive meal at Ristorante or Trattoria Coppelle in Rome. It's a few blocks from the Pantheon on the street of the same name. Don't know the address. It's right on the street and has red and white checkered table cloths. Good basic stuff like pasta and pizza. Great baccala and fried olives!

We just got back from Italy - one of the best meals we had was in a little mountain village in the hills of Chianti. Its' called Osteria Passignano in Badia di Passignano. It's Tuscan with a lighter really creative touch - great setting, lovley little town but you'll need a car. One of the best meals we had.

anamaria--we enjoyed Ristorante Bruno in Milan--just a few blocks from the Duomo. The antipasti bar is excellent.

Thank you Nini, we will try Bruno.

I beg you to understand, however, that "I absolutely want to be anonymous, including the place where I live now; it has to do with a certain prominence in a certain country,....

Um, I don't think I even WANT to go here! People DO have euphemistic ways of explaining their "predicaments" to others, if you know what I mean??

And I wonder at all this deference being given here to this dude. Do you think it would be the same if Franco were Franca? Something tells me not!

At any rate, I'm afraid I can't jump on this Franco bandwagon AT ALL, and I'm surprised at how many people who know Venice and its food scene don't see through this. Franco's alleged "expertise"- uh, what is it here? A seafood restaurant in MESTRE, and a couple of other small osterie in Venice? (maybe Franco is an expert on Mestre, because he stayed there instead of Venice?)

I don't know about you, but that sure don't impress-a ME much. I can name 5 osterie in Cannaregio alone that are terrific-and at least that many in San Polo/Santa Croce.

Venice has some of the best food anywhere- if it didn't it wouldn't keep getting written up in food reviews-I think there have been at least 4 major articles on the food scene in Venice within the last 6 months-all naming different places. And those are just some of the new slick restaurants-they don't hit all the old favorites of the Venetians in the two sestiere I mentioned above.

Okay, let's name 5 great osterie in San Polo (this is easy)

1. Cantina do Mori
2. Cantina do Spade
3. al Posta Vecie (more expensive-ancient bldg. right along side the Pescaria)
4. Bancogiro
5.

Now let's take the traghetto over from San Polo to Ca d'Oro and start right across the Strada Nuova on the other side of the vaporetto stop:

1. Osteria Ca d'Oro (alla Vedova)walking down the Strada Nuova, we stop off at

2. Bentigode alla Andrea-Calle delle Fornase, just past the Ponte de Guglie or just off the San Marcuola church-everyone knows this place-just ask

3. Continuing to walk down the Strada Nuova towards Gelateria Ca d'Oro and Rialto, and Campo Santi Apostali, we turn left onto tiny Calle d'Oche, and we find not ONE, but TWO osterie:

3. Osteria da Bomba (my special favorite-go to the communal tables, like alla Vedova, this is just fun-lit with candles, you're taking part in Venetian tradition)

4. Osteria Aziende Agricole-Rio Tera Farsetti(equi distant from the Ponte dei Guglie and San Marcuola, off the Strada Nuova

5. Continuing to walk down to Campo Santi Apostoli, turn left to Campiello (little Campo) Flaminio to OSTERIA OMBRA

Now, 5 TRATTORIE in Cannaregio that are excellent:

1. VINI DA GIGIO-Fondamenta San Felice

2. AI PROMESI SPOSI (the promised spouse)-on the same calle as my favorite Da Bomba-right off the Strada Nuova towards Campo Santi Apostali-vaporetto: Ca d'Oro

3. L'ANGOLO DI TANIT-Sicilian food, one of the best restaurants in the city-featured in T & L recently -vaporetto: San Marcuola/Ponte dei Guglie-Calle d'Aseo

3.

posted too soon...,

Venice-Cannaregio/San Polo Osteria, con'td:

4. OSTERIA AL VAGON-off the Campo Santi Apostali, on sotoportego del Magazen

5. DA ALBERTO-right by the Chiesa dei Miracoli, calle larga Giacinto Gallina

and to finish the osteria/trattorie list in San Polo:

1. Cantina do Mori
2. Cantina do Spade
3. Da Pinto
4. Poste Vecie
5. Antiche Carampane
6. Antiche Osteria Ruga Rialto

I could name quite a few more, but there's a good start.

GirlTravel,

Perhaps you missed the title of the thread: &quot;Great <b>&quot;hidden&quot;</b> restaurants.

Of the 16 trattorie/osterie/cantine named, 12 have been in the guidebooks for years.

As a matter of fact, no fewer than 10 are currently listed in Fodor's.

Hardly &quot;hidden&quot;...

And I've seen absolutely lousy reviews of at least six of them, not only here, but on Web sites that cater to people who understand and enjoy good food rather than to passing tourists (although the two categories do sometimes overlap).

Thank you Eloise. That seems to put an end to her venoumous, unprovoked, out of context attack on another poster.

Must be jealous...

Wow. I was thinking the very same thing, Lenox.

I AM curious, I must admit, about the identity of this Franco person. Could he be Jim Morrison, perhaps???

Or Jimmy Hoffa, Guy 18, lol???

Ok on with the OP's question...

In Florence Leo’s was our favorite:
Leo’s (Via Torta 7R – www.florencerestaurant.com open for lunch and dinner – closed Mondays – phone 055 210829).

In Venice:
Tavernetta San Maurizio (San Marco 2619 – phone 041 5285240)

Delish!
Enjoy, Tiff

There is a whole post on who is Franco and its pretty funny.

Read the other posts by GirlTravel. She must get a kick out of aggravating people or she has a permanent thorn in her side. How pleasant she must be in person.

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