LowCountryIslander & Mom Go Back to Italy...A Bologna & Rome Trip Report
Dec 29th, 2010, 05:48 AM
#41
Sorry - I erred in copying the url. This should work
http://tinyurl.com/35y2jju
http://tinyurl.com/35y2jju
Great trip report.
Dec 29th, 2010, 05:21 PM
#48
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basingstoke....yes your pictures are of the market I was referring to. I'll try to post photos, but the last trip report where I tried to post photos I had difficulty with it, I'll see if I can work it out this time.
kybourbon...sorry about the links not working. I just tried and found that some in parentheses do work for me, there were about 3 that didn't, but on those there was a message to redirect and by clicking on the redirect it went right to the website. Sorry for the inconvenience.
I hope to finish up and have the Rome restaurants posted in the next couple days.
kybourbon...sorry about the links not working. I just tried and found that some in parentheses do work for me, there were about 3 that didn't, but on those there was a message to redirect and by clicking on the redirect it went right to the website. Sorry for the inconvenience.
I hope to finish up and have the Rome restaurants posted in the next couple days.
Dec 29th, 2010, 05:44 PM
#49
The first few links, where the parentheses are not highlighted in blue, work because the parentheses are not being made part of the clickable url. The others are picking up the parentheses (or at least one of the parentheses) which are not part of the web address resulting in "page not found" or "error" (might be a Fodor's software glitch). Putting spaces between the parentheses and the web addresses might prevent them being picked up as part of the link (or just leaving them off).
Dec 29th, 2010, 06:16 PM
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Hi Marcy,
So wonderful reading about your trip! I loved being with you both and look forward to getting together when I am back. I'll take note of your Rome suggestions---turns out my son and his girlfriend were just there en route to se me in Bologna and really enjoyed Osteria del Pegno so it was at the top of my list. Glad you agree!
My niece is visiting in February and will be doing the Italian Days tour with Alessandro---my friend Sue and I had as much fun as you and your mom, even with a larger crowd (an enjoyable group). With all the raves on Trip Advisor, there was a high bar and it even exceeded my expectations!
So wonderful reading about your trip! I loved being with you both and look forward to getting together when I am back. I'll take note of your Rome suggestions---turns out my son and his girlfriend were just there en route to se me in Bologna and really enjoyed Osteria del Pegno so it was at the top of my list. Glad you agree!
My niece is visiting in February and will be doing the Italian Days tour with Alessandro---my friend Sue and I had as much fun as you and your mom, even with a larger crowd (an enjoyable group). With all the raves on Trip Advisor, there was a high bar and it even exceeded my expectations!
Dec 29th, 2010, 07:40 PM
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The final installment...
What and Where We Ate In Rome:
Al Bric
Located at Via del Pelligrino, 51/52 ( www.Bric.it )
This was a repeat for us and it was good, but you know how sometimes you remember the first experience as being fantastic and the second seems to fall short, that’s how I felt with this repeat visit. Do not get me wrong, the food was fine, but in my mind it didn’t seem as good as the first visit. I do love the atmosphere of the dinning room at Al Bric, lots of wooden tables and chairs, exposed brick and wine crates decorating the walls. The service was very good, attentive but not overly so.
For starters mom had the house pate served warm. This was by far the most outstanding dish of the night. It was smooth, rice and decadent. I had the eggplant parmigiano and it was delicious. For my main dish I had the paparadelle cinghale, it was warm and felt like a bowl of comfort. Mom had the veal involtini stuffed with cheese and it was incredibly tender. With a bottle of pinot grigio, 2 espresso and 2 limoncello the total cost of the meal was €103.
Trattoria Moderna
Located at Vicolo dei Chiodaroli, 16 ( www.trattoriamoderna.it )
This was always a repeat for us on this trip. We found this trattoria several years ago because it was just across the street from a hotel we were staying at. It’s open 7 days a week and since we were looking for a place to eat on a Sunday night this spot fit the bill, and we did not need a reservation.
Unlike Al Bric, I was not disappointed with Trattoria Moderna on this trip. It was just as good as I remember, who knows, maybe it was the liter of white wine we drank that made it seem good! Mom started with the eggplant and zucchini tower, layers of eggplant, zucchini, cheese and sauce, you can’t really go wrong with that in our eyes. I had the mozzarella with mushrooms and pancetta for my starter; it was smooth with a salty kick.
For the main dish I had the bacala and potatoes, and mom had the sole meuniere. Both dishes were simple, and delicious. We also had a side dish of punterelle, which we both love, and now that we’ve had it in several different Roman restaurants, think the version at Trattoria Moderna is the best we’ve had.
With a bottle of water, 2 espresso, and 2 limoncello the total cost of the meal was €82.
Café Café
Located at Via De SS Quattro, 44 (near the Coliseum) ( www.cafecafebistrot.it )
Mom had found this place mentioned on Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog
( http://www.wrighton.com.ar/archives/...ment-benefits/ ) and I am glad she did. It was the perfect little spot to stop for a light lunch after exploring the Coliseum. The inside is a bit of a mish-mash of about 10 wooden tables and chairs. Mom had the chicken salad with parmigiano cheese and verdiana leaves, which is a green we had never seen or heard of before. I had the capresee panino, which made for a great light lunch. With a bottle of water the total cost of the meal was €18.
Tonino – Trattoria/Antonio Bassetii
Located at Via del Governo Vecchio, 18/19
This really is one of my most favorite places in Rome to eat the food is excellent! There is no sign so make sure to note the street address. The prices are very reasonable and the service is friendly and casual. When we went here last year the menu was completely in Italian, this trip I noted there was an English translation below each menu item, it must be getting more popular with visitors. The night we were there we literally got the last table; the place was teeming with happy patrons eating. We had a liter of the house white wine and a bottle of water. For starters mom had the eggplant rigatoni and it was as good as we remembered. I had the pasta with mushrooms and peas and it was creamy and delicious. For our main course mom had the rabbit which was very tender, but watch out, for lots of bones. I had the meatballs which were fabulous, they were as big as the palm of my hand and were veal and pork, with the marinara sauce it was heaven on a plate. The total cost for this meal was €49. If you are cost conscience any one of the pasta primi dishes could easily satisfy any hungry person.
Provincia di Roma
Located at Via del Foro di Traiano, 82/84 ( www.provincia.roma.it )
This was also recommended by Elizabeth Minchilli and it was an excellent choice. We stopped here for lunch one day and enjoyed it so much we came back for dinner another night. At lunch since we did not have a reservation we sat at the bar. I had the porchetta sandwich and it was the best porchetta I have ever had, and I had the porchetta at the Roli Roti at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and thought that was from heaven, before I tasted this version. If there is a perfect sandwich, this may have possibly been it. The pork was incredibly most and bursting with flavor. Mom had the eggplant panini, which was excellent to, the bread was just crispy enough and the cheese was melted to perfection. With 2 glasses of the local white wine and 2 espresso the total cost of the meal was €30. What I really liked about this place is that all the food and beverage served here comes from the province of Rome, we really were eating locally.
When we had dinner here we started with a salumi plate that was fantastic. Mom had the porcini mushroom lasagna, which was the winning dish of the evening. I had the eggplant involtini and it was good, but honestly I’ve had better. With a bottle of water, a bottle of wine and 2 espresso the total cost of this dinner was €47.
Palatium
Located at Via Frattina, 94 ( www.enotecapalatium.it )
We really enjoyed everything about this place, the food, the service, the atmosphere. The whole menu and wine list is from the Lazio region of Italy and I believe this enoteca opened fairly recently, maybe within the last year. We did make sure to have a reservation because it can become busy.
We started with an aperitivo of a white frascati wine but we ultimately ordered a bottle of Fontana Candida Malvasia wine with dinner, which we had tried during an earlier lunch. For our starter mom had fried mozzarella squares with anchovy and punterelle, it was delicious. I had the eggplant involtini which include 3 large rolled eggplant stuffed with cheese, we probably should had stopped there since the portions were generous, or just ordered one starter to share! But we each had a main dish too. Mom had the local sausage with spinach. There were 2 pieces of sausage served in a square shape stacked with layers of spinach in between, it made for an interesting presentation. I had the tonarelli cacio e pepe and it was fresh, creamy and had the perfect touch of pepper.
We decided to splurge had had the chestnut cake for dessert, which was 3 small meringues filled with cream of chestnut; it was not sweet at all. Since this restaurant only serves items from the Lazio region, there was no limoncello to be had, but the sommelier suggested a dessert wine, we were a bit weary about this, thinking it would be really sweet. Boy, were we surprised to find this was a delightfully light and refreshing dessert wine. In fact, we liked it so much, we bought 2 bottles of it right there. Wondering to ourselves how much a restaurant would charge for the wine we were gob-smacked to find each bottle was just €6.50! With a bottle of water and 2 espresso (plus the 2 bottle of wine to take home) the total cost was €86.
Osteria del Pegno
Located at Vicolo di Montevecchio, 8 ( www.osteriadelpegno.it )
This was a repeat for us and thanks to Fodorite gracie04 for this recommendation. We really like this place, the dinning room is rustic, homey and lovely, the service is attentive and the food has always been delicious. We both started with the eggplant parmigiano and it was excellent. For my main dish I had the lamb with oven roasted potatoes and mom had the veal saltimbocca and we shared a side dish of spinach, we certainly didn’t have a lack of iron in-take on this trip with all the spinach we ate! We had a bottle of the house wine, a bottle of water, 2 espresso and 2 limoncello and the total cost of the meal was €68, which I think was a great value for all we had.
Cul de Sac
Piazza del Pasquino, 73
We stopped here one evening for a couple glasses of wine. This was another repeat spot for us and we always enjoy this laid-back wine bar. Here is what I’ve written before about Cul de Sac: Great place for glass of wine and light meal. Wine is crammed into every available inch of space.
Bar Farnese
Via dei Baullari
Between Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Farnese great location for good people watching. When I stay in the centro storico I like to sit at this café/bar had have aperitivo, the servers are friendly and the aperitivo “snacks” are generous.
Some Additional Thoughts:
Transportation: We purchased a 7 day bus pass to use while in Rome. This worked out very well for us at €16 apiece, we used the Rome bus system frequently, especially on days that were rainy. We also used the buses in Bologna and purchased individual tickets at €1 each for when we needed to use the buses. We took the high speed trains from Bologna to Rome and again from Rome to Florence (round trip). I would not hesitate to recommend train travel in Italy, it was easy, and reliable and got us to where we wanted to be without any trouble. I purchased all our train tickets at one time at the Bologna train station.
Some thoughts on Bologna:
While reviewing some of the information I’ve written here I keep seeing my references to much of the food in Bologna as being “warm and comforting”, maybe it was because it was a cooler time of year and that is the type of food that I was craving. But whatever the reason, I also felt the city of Bologna itself was “warm and comforting” to me. It gave me a sense of what it really is like to be a part of an Italian city and not part of a flow of visitors simply passing through the streets.
What and Where We Ate In Rome:
Al Bric
Located at Via del Pelligrino, 51/52 ( www.Bric.it )
This was a repeat for us and it was good, but you know how sometimes you remember the first experience as being fantastic and the second seems to fall short, that’s how I felt with this repeat visit. Do not get me wrong, the food was fine, but in my mind it didn’t seem as good as the first visit. I do love the atmosphere of the dinning room at Al Bric, lots of wooden tables and chairs, exposed brick and wine crates decorating the walls. The service was very good, attentive but not overly so.
For starters mom had the house pate served warm. This was by far the most outstanding dish of the night. It was smooth, rice and decadent. I had the eggplant parmigiano and it was delicious. For my main dish I had the paparadelle cinghale, it was warm and felt like a bowl of comfort. Mom had the veal involtini stuffed with cheese and it was incredibly tender. With a bottle of pinot grigio, 2 espresso and 2 limoncello the total cost of the meal was €103.
Trattoria Moderna
Located at Vicolo dei Chiodaroli, 16 ( www.trattoriamoderna.it )
This was always a repeat for us on this trip. We found this trattoria several years ago because it was just across the street from a hotel we were staying at. It’s open 7 days a week and since we were looking for a place to eat on a Sunday night this spot fit the bill, and we did not need a reservation.
Unlike Al Bric, I was not disappointed with Trattoria Moderna on this trip. It was just as good as I remember, who knows, maybe it was the liter of white wine we drank that made it seem good! Mom started with the eggplant and zucchini tower, layers of eggplant, zucchini, cheese and sauce, you can’t really go wrong with that in our eyes. I had the mozzarella with mushrooms and pancetta for my starter; it was smooth with a salty kick.
For the main dish I had the bacala and potatoes, and mom had the sole meuniere. Both dishes were simple, and delicious. We also had a side dish of punterelle, which we both love, and now that we’ve had it in several different Roman restaurants, think the version at Trattoria Moderna is the best we’ve had.
With a bottle of water, 2 espresso, and 2 limoncello the total cost of the meal was €82.
Café Café
Located at Via De SS Quattro, 44 (near the Coliseum) ( www.cafecafebistrot.it )
Mom had found this place mentioned on Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog
( http://www.wrighton.com.ar/archives/...ment-benefits/ ) and I am glad she did. It was the perfect little spot to stop for a light lunch after exploring the Coliseum. The inside is a bit of a mish-mash of about 10 wooden tables and chairs. Mom had the chicken salad with parmigiano cheese and verdiana leaves, which is a green we had never seen or heard of before. I had the capresee panino, which made for a great light lunch. With a bottle of water the total cost of the meal was €18.
Tonino – Trattoria/Antonio Bassetii
Located at Via del Governo Vecchio, 18/19
This really is one of my most favorite places in Rome to eat the food is excellent! There is no sign so make sure to note the street address. The prices are very reasonable and the service is friendly and casual. When we went here last year the menu was completely in Italian, this trip I noted there was an English translation below each menu item, it must be getting more popular with visitors. The night we were there we literally got the last table; the place was teeming with happy patrons eating. We had a liter of the house white wine and a bottle of water. For starters mom had the eggplant rigatoni and it was as good as we remembered. I had the pasta with mushrooms and peas and it was creamy and delicious. For our main course mom had the rabbit which was very tender, but watch out, for lots of bones. I had the meatballs which were fabulous, they were as big as the palm of my hand and were veal and pork, with the marinara sauce it was heaven on a plate. The total cost for this meal was €49. If you are cost conscience any one of the pasta primi dishes could easily satisfy any hungry person.
Provincia di Roma
Located at Via del Foro di Traiano, 82/84 ( www.provincia.roma.it )
This was also recommended by Elizabeth Minchilli and it was an excellent choice. We stopped here for lunch one day and enjoyed it so much we came back for dinner another night. At lunch since we did not have a reservation we sat at the bar. I had the porchetta sandwich and it was the best porchetta I have ever had, and I had the porchetta at the Roli Roti at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and thought that was from heaven, before I tasted this version. If there is a perfect sandwich, this may have possibly been it. The pork was incredibly most and bursting with flavor. Mom had the eggplant panini, which was excellent to, the bread was just crispy enough and the cheese was melted to perfection. With 2 glasses of the local white wine and 2 espresso the total cost of the meal was €30. What I really liked about this place is that all the food and beverage served here comes from the province of Rome, we really were eating locally.
When we had dinner here we started with a salumi plate that was fantastic. Mom had the porcini mushroom lasagna, which was the winning dish of the evening. I had the eggplant involtini and it was good, but honestly I’ve had better. With a bottle of water, a bottle of wine and 2 espresso the total cost of this dinner was €47.
Palatium
Located at Via Frattina, 94 ( www.enotecapalatium.it )
We really enjoyed everything about this place, the food, the service, the atmosphere. The whole menu and wine list is from the Lazio region of Italy and I believe this enoteca opened fairly recently, maybe within the last year. We did make sure to have a reservation because it can become busy.
We started with an aperitivo of a white frascati wine but we ultimately ordered a bottle of Fontana Candida Malvasia wine with dinner, which we had tried during an earlier lunch. For our starter mom had fried mozzarella squares with anchovy and punterelle, it was delicious. I had the eggplant involtini which include 3 large rolled eggplant stuffed with cheese, we probably should had stopped there since the portions were generous, or just ordered one starter to share! But we each had a main dish too. Mom had the local sausage with spinach. There were 2 pieces of sausage served in a square shape stacked with layers of spinach in between, it made for an interesting presentation. I had the tonarelli cacio e pepe and it was fresh, creamy and had the perfect touch of pepper.
We decided to splurge had had the chestnut cake for dessert, which was 3 small meringues filled with cream of chestnut; it was not sweet at all. Since this restaurant only serves items from the Lazio region, there was no limoncello to be had, but the sommelier suggested a dessert wine, we were a bit weary about this, thinking it would be really sweet. Boy, were we surprised to find this was a delightfully light and refreshing dessert wine. In fact, we liked it so much, we bought 2 bottles of it right there. Wondering to ourselves how much a restaurant would charge for the wine we were gob-smacked to find each bottle was just €6.50! With a bottle of water and 2 espresso (plus the 2 bottle of wine to take home) the total cost was €86.
Osteria del Pegno
Located at Vicolo di Montevecchio, 8 ( www.osteriadelpegno.it )
This was a repeat for us and thanks to Fodorite gracie04 for this recommendation. We really like this place, the dinning room is rustic, homey and lovely, the service is attentive and the food has always been delicious. We both started with the eggplant parmigiano and it was excellent. For my main dish I had the lamb with oven roasted potatoes and mom had the veal saltimbocca and we shared a side dish of spinach, we certainly didn’t have a lack of iron in-take on this trip with all the spinach we ate! We had a bottle of the house wine, a bottle of water, 2 espresso and 2 limoncello and the total cost of the meal was €68, which I think was a great value for all we had.
Cul de Sac
Piazza del Pasquino, 73
We stopped here one evening for a couple glasses of wine. This was another repeat spot for us and we always enjoy this laid-back wine bar. Here is what I’ve written before about Cul de Sac: Great place for glass of wine and light meal. Wine is crammed into every available inch of space.
Bar Farnese
Via dei Baullari
Between Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Farnese great location for good people watching. When I stay in the centro storico I like to sit at this café/bar had have aperitivo, the servers are friendly and the aperitivo “snacks” are generous.
Some Additional Thoughts:
Transportation: We purchased a 7 day bus pass to use while in Rome. This worked out very well for us at €16 apiece, we used the Rome bus system frequently, especially on days that were rainy. We also used the buses in Bologna and purchased individual tickets at €1 each for when we needed to use the buses. We took the high speed trains from Bologna to Rome and again from Rome to Florence (round trip). I would not hesitate to recommend train travel in Italy, it was easy, and reliable and got us to where we wanted to be without any trouble. I purchased all our train tickets at one time at the Bologna train station.
Some thoughts on Bologna:
While reviewing some of the information I’ve written here I keep seeing my references to much of the food in Bologna as being “warm and comforting”, maybe it was because it was a cooler time of year and that is the type of food that I was craving. But whatever the reason, I also felt the city of Bologna itself was “warm and comforting” to me. It gave me a sense of what it really is like to be a part of an Italian city and not part of a flow of visitors simply passing through the streets.
Jan 1st, 2011, 05:13 PM
#54
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Let's see if this works. Below are links to some trip pictures posted to my Facebook account:
Bologna Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=ddf51a59ee
Bologna Market:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=6bc7b02b47
Making Pasta in Bologna:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=225a26d8ef
Rome:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=8b0c4dabd4
Bologna Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=ddf51a59ee
Bologna Market:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=6bc7b02b47
Making Pasta in Bologna:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=225a26d8ef
Rome:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...0&l=8b0c4dabd4
Jan 1st, 2011, 07:21 PM
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Loving your report. I was in Bologna for three days a few years ago and have wanted to return, as I was sick with a bad cold while there. As a result, I didn't go to Ravenna as planned and didn't see as much as planned, but I enjoyed the city. Now I really want to go back and take that food tour! I'm returning to Rome, my favorite place, in February and may try a couple restaurants you've written about.
Jan 3rd, 2011, 11:19 AM
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Just back from Christmas/New Year in Tahoe, Napa and San Francisco with this lovely gift waiting for me. I haven't had time to indulge in the whole report but I do like the format. Hope it was easier for you too. Can't wait to read it post by post.
Jan 3rd, 2011, 01:45 PM
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Enjoyed reading your latest trip report – and have also gone back to read your earlier Italy reports. I’m taking notes on your restaurants (and food selections, too!) for my up-coming trip to Italy in October 2011 (Rome, Venice, Siena and Florence). Also – great photos, looks like you two had a wonderful time! I’m considering buying a new camera – mine doesn’t do evening shots that well, though maybe it’s the operator. What type of camera did you use?
Jan 3rd, 2011, 06:27 PM
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Janetd5,
Thanks for checking out my pictures. I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ-18. It's what I'd call a "souped-up" point and shoot, bigger than a "pocket" camera, but not as large as a DSLR.
Thanks for checking out my pictures. I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ-18. It's what I'd call a "souped-up" point and shoot, bigger than a "pocket" camera, but not as large as a DSLR.
Jan 5th, 2011, 05:44 PM
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Wonderful report. My favorite pictures are the salumi platter with perfect spots and streaks of white fat and the porketta sandwich. Yummm. Glad you had such a nice time. Excited for your trip to Vietnam. That's really adventuresome.
Apr 11th, 2012, 05:55 AM
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LCI,
Look what you've done. I may now have to stay an extra day or so in Bologna.
Thank you for sharing your entertaining and informative report.
.... Got an email out now for the food tour. Hmmm, maybe if I can find an inexpensive B&B I can make it work.
Look what you've done. I may now have to stay an extra day or so in Bologna.
Thank you for sharing your entertaining and informative report.
.... Got an email out now for the food tour. Hmmm, maybe if I can find an inexpensive B&B I can make it work.
