We are taking a Tauck Bridge Tour to Italy with our grandson in mid-April. We are surprised to see that we will be on our own for quite a few meals during the trip. Does anyone have any recommendations for dinner in Rome, lunch in Orvieto, lunch and dinner in Florence and lunch and dinner in Venice?
We don't want to 'wing it' and appreciate your suggestions.

I haven't used this site in a while, and I do not recall how to get my message back to the top--can someone out there help me? Thanks!

Hi Har,

Your message goes back to the top whenever anyone posts a reply.

Lunch in the Garden of I Sette Consoli in Orvieto is worth the visit to Italy.

About 40E pp fixed price. Everyone at the table has to order it.

Thanks, Ira. We have made a note of that and look forward to it. We followed your suggestions for Hotel Bonaparte in Paris a few years ago, and really enjoyed it! I thought there was a way to get your message back to the top besides when someone posts a reply.

Hi har,

If you click on your name, all of your posts will appear on the left hand screen.

HAR:

Here is a report I wrote about eating in Rome and Orvieto. The restaurant we ate in, and loved, in Orvieto was Trattoria dell Orso. It is a more homey and relaxed place than I Setti Consoli. You will find many suggestions here, with prices noted:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34931625

HAR,
Ciao I am currently studying abroad in Florence and would recommend the following restaurants for lunch:
for a cheap yet good lunch i would recommend trattoria anita or for more sandwich-type, the oil shoppe, slightly more expensive but very good would be osteria il gatto e la volpa (the cat and the fox). there are trattorias on every street corner. beware though some look like they would be good, but are less than memorable. for dinner i would highly recommend aqua al 2 (be sure to make reservations) the blueberry steak is fabulous here and they also have a fun thing where you can get a pasta sampler for how many ever people are dining and they bring you several pastas in small portions so that you get to try a large variety of foods. also if you see a dessert that you like when you come in be sure to reserve a piece, because they will likely be gone by the end of the night! I would also recommend the Yellow Bar for dinner. it has great food and atmosphere at a slightly cheaper cost -- great pizzas, pastas, and salads. Il Latini is a fun restaurant, but I enjoy it more for the atmosphere than for the food. There is no real menu the waiters just tell you what they have for each course and ask what you would like. At the end of the night the owner comes by and the waiter tells him what you ate and then he names a price. It had been recommended to me several times and I wasn't quite as impressed, but I may have also went with too high of expectations. It is in many guide books. Trattoria ZaZa is also a good dinner place - it is located near the central market and has wonderful outdoor seating that will be perfect for mid-april. typical italian salads, pastas, and meats. I hope that you have a wonderful trip!!!!

I just re-read your post and see that you are asking also about Florence; maybe my food report from a visit last year will help you.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34743272

There are many options in Venice; two places that I like are:

Ai Gondolieri (mainly meat; great tasting menu)
Fiaschetteria Toscana

More casual and equally excellent in a different sense:

Osterie alla Botte
Alla Vedova

You ought to search here because these places have been covered in great detail in various posts.
I imagine that your budget is not too strict; do you have a price range you want to stick to per person?
Do you plan to drink alcohol?

I would advise you to reserve at the places you select, especially for dinners.

These links should still work. They are for my trip reports, which include information on good restaurants in each city. Have fun in Italy!

Florence-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34813784

Rome-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34813272

Venice-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34814606
>-

Thanks to all of you for the many suggestions! I have printed them out and will take them with me on our trip. Reading about your experiences has whetted our appetites and added to our excitement about our trip. Happy traveling to all.

Lunch in Orvieto - try Ristorante il Giglio d'Oro it is beautiful!

Dinner in Rome - Le Jardin Du Russie at Hotel Du Russie or there is another that is when translated it's Two Sisters. I don't have the name in front of me right now.

Dinner in Florence - San Michele or if you want something more casual try Paoli. Lunch you could try Za Za's.

Venice - try Lineadombra.

I have reviews of most of these places on my site http://www.bombacticlife.com Here is the link to my Florence restaurant page http://www.bombasticlife.com/pe-ital...staurants.html I am not as far along on the other pages yet.

I'll check this posting again to see if you have any specific questions I might be able to help with or feel free to contact me directly.

Have a great trip!

a

Florence--Ristorant La Giostra!!!
www.ristorantlagiostra.com

One of my favorites ever!

hi, har,

that website is actually www.ristorantelagiostra.com - looks very good but ? prices - the recipe features white truffles which are not cheap!

regards, ann

ann,
Thanks for the correction on the website. I'm not sure exactly how much it was, but I believe it was under 100E for the 2 of us. One tip--they bring a free appetizer tray that is almost a meal in itself and the other servings are large as well. I think it's well worth the price considering the quality of the food.

hi, artlover - that does sound good. we had a lot of luck finding good places to eat in Rome, but had less luck in Florence.

with 4 of us to feed, i tended to go for cheaper places, but never found any where we actually wanted to splurge. I wished I'd paid more attention to OP's recommendations.


regards, ann

Great thread for upcoming trip.

We really loved Mario's by the forum and opera in Rome. Very good menu, fresh, wonderful waitstaff, etc. In Florence, we went to a small area between the academia and market. there were several restaurants there and we chose one called (I think zaza) - good food, again, great atmosphere. In venice, we followed the suggestions of Rick Steves and had great meals in small places that were a little out of the way but easy to find. enjoy!

In Orvieto I recommend Osteria del Teatro. Excellent!

bookmarking this because I looooove my food when I travel!