Anyone been to Rome on this day? I need to find a place near the Colosseum for lunch and around Piazza Navona/Pantheon for dinner.

Just wondering what I can expect in terms of dining. I guess someone has to feed the tourists.

Two places which I remember having seen open that day....

One, from our hotel room window...
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/120003538

... and the other was the very pleasant Ar Galletto - on Piazza Farnese, just off the Campo de' Fiori - where we ate at a table out in the square. Address and phone number on this:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/130890776

It's not impossible to find somewhere that day (although our first choice for lunch wasn't open!), but booking in the evening isn't a bad idea!

Peter

Thanks Peter. Der Pallaro is actually on my "not to go" list as I have heard that it is not very good but I love the Ar Galletto rec. That is a lovely Piazza too!

Doesn't help that they're RS-listed but, unless things have changed significantly since we were last there, Der Pallaro is very good at what they do - serving almost "set" meals at fixed, low prices. Not fancy, just family cooking.

Perhaps try asking TA to sort these so the Italian ones come out first:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...ome_Lazio.html

................

For lunch near the Colosseum (if they're indeed open) maybe do the same with these:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...ome_Lazio.html

(But skip any that mention pizza as they don't serve it! Like Der Pallaro, at least one other place has a very similar name - and not all reviewers' geography what it might be?)

Peter

PS: If looking for restaurants that specialise in Rome's traditional cuisine, do try this - which lists 50 or so of them...

http://www.italiantouristoffice.se/sv/docs/71.pdf

As it's a few years old now, and even the Eternal City changes slowly, do cross-check the holiday dates shown - and opening times etc - since they may have done so too!

Perhaps more 'traditional' than the average selection, some are sure to be closed in August; while we were lamenting their absence, the owners of one we like were themselves here on Ischia for their own vacation - quite possibly in amongst the crowds we'd escaped...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/125703191

Thanks for the advice Peter and wow - I am never going to Ischia in August! Kinda looks like the community pool near my home on sweltering days.

Hostaia Nerone is another opinion divider, although one of the Rome food experts loves it! See here:
http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome....me-nerone.html

Jamierin, thank you - but we've been going there long enough to have formed an opinion... otherwise I wouldn't have suggested that you looked into the place!

As for Ischia in August, your loss perhaps?

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/aug08rest

Peter

I ate at Nerone a couple of weeks ago and liked it, the Carciofo alla Romana was delicious. It would be harder to get closer to the Colosseum.

Der Pallaro to be avoided, just dishing out tubs of institutional type food to tourists.

Peter - I wasn't trying to be condescending when I suggested that Nerone was a restaurant that divides opinions - just factual. I truly appreciate your responses, and especially you wonderful photos. Sometimes our "tones" do not get translated very well over the internet. No disrespect intended.

Might be easier if you indicated where you'd seen those adverse opinions - much of what's "heard" is worth about what one pays for it!

Peter

Great place to eat near the Colosseum: Taverna dei Fori Imperiali. It is on a tiny little street named for the church at the end, Madonna dei Monti. The make their own pasta and my ravioli in pistachio pesto sauce was astounding. DH had spaghetti carbonara with artichokes and saffron that was equally amazing. We decided to make our main meal right on the spot and ordered secondis. DH had braised chinghale, and I had rabbit and duck in a lemon thyme sauce. What a gem of a place. Oh! They have a website! http://www.latavernadeiforiimperiali.com/english.htm We went on the recommendation of the hosts of our B&B. Every place they sent us was wonderful.

Could we know your B&B please? We stayed at Hotel Amalfi, aother Rome hotel I would not return to although the location on Via Merulana was convenient.

this is a tiny detour from navonna (5 min walk) but not much and was very good and in campo di fiori which is definitely worth seeing if you hadn't planner it already. Its really buzzy and full of locals and very pretty too

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur...ome_Lazio.html

english option website

http://www.ristoranteditirambo.it/

These look good. Just gotta check if they are open in August.

Thanks.

@tarquin - not sure if uhoh busted will check back on this thread so I went to hers from Sept. 2011 and it looks like the stayed at the Deko Rome.

Thanks Jamierin. Will look it up for next time.

You can search by area on the Rome Tourism website.
http://www.060608.it/en/accoglienza/mangiare-e-bere

Hi...I did happen to pop back in...we loved the Deko Rome. It has only 6 rooms or so, and he has been pretty steadily filled up since opening about a year ago. Very personal service and a welcoming place to stay. The location was terrific for us...about a block from the US Embassy. Probably not a good location for a first visit to Rome, but fine for a return trip, especially if you've not spent much time in that particular area before. We were there for 7 nights, and left feeling like family friends, something I would never have expected from a stay in a big city like Rome.

uhoh busted - if you ever come back here I want to thank you for the recommendation of Taverna dei Fori Imperiali. We went on Ferragosto - and it was open. Many families had booked large tables for the holiday but the owner was gracious and he and his family made room for us right beside the kitchen and we loved our lunch.

Glad to hear you liked it. We really enjoyed it, and will return next time we find ourselves in Rome, for sure!