Tag Archives: travel tips for rome

Top 10 restaurants in Rome (6 -10)

Posted on by brontejackson
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Hello all,

The rest of the list is a bit later than expected.  We have been through some trying times recently which I will blog about next.  In the meantime here is the rest of the list!   Although I did say they would be in order, upon reflection I can’t order them as they are all so different and depend on what kind of dinning experience you are seeking.  The caveats from the last blog still apply though.

 

6.  Ai Spaghettari – P.za di San Cosimato, Trastevere 57-58-59-60

A beautiful, succulent and rich experience of a typical, contemporary restaurant, that has nevertheless been around for half a century or more.   It is based in the most traditional part of Rome, Trastevere, a mostly pedestrian only precinct, which is now packed with restaurants and is an enchanting neighborhood to eat in.  Ai Spaghettari is always noisy, has the television blaring, and is always full.  A pizza oven greets you at the door and you can watch while your pizza is made, being flung up in the air and all. There are vast amounts of seating outside and in, and service and menu are both good, featuring lots of traditional Roman specials.  If you don’t book you may be waiting a while but you will get a seat eventually.

 

7.  Pizzeria Popi Popi – Via delle Fratte di Trastevere 45, 06-589-5167

I avoided going to this restaurant for years as it looks like the typical tourist trap often found in Trastevere.  Red checkered table cloths, tables set outside in front of a beautiful, white marble church, and filled with tourists.  Then my Italian husband and his mates took me there.  Now we know the waiters by name.  Frequented by both Italians and tourists alike, its cheap and cheerful outdoor atmosphere make it a superb summer Roman dinning experience (and indoors for Winter).  They have a large and traditional menu (including pizza) and the food always tastes surprisingly good for its quick production, volumes turned-over, and large variety.  Their Tiramisu is one of the main  reasons we keep going back.  By the way, once I asked the waiter what the significance of the name was.  He told me its the sound that Italian men make when they squeeze the breast of a woman “popi, popi”.   Booking is optional, just turn up and the waiters will look after you.

8. Ciak – Vicolo de’ Cinque, 21 ,Trastevere 06 5894774

Carnivores unite! The window is packed with hanging dead animals of the kind not often seen – boar, pheasant, deer and hare.  If you need an iron or blood fix this is the place to come.  Deep rich, red salamis of wild boar, pastas with venison ragu, stews of hare, Fred Flintstone steaks of beef, pork and veal are all on the menu here and nothing much else.  If meat is what you are after you will get any kind your heart desires (including heart…..).  It feels like you are eating in a Tuscan agroturismo with bare brick walls, lively noise and Chianti bottles everywhere.  The huge open grill is at the front and you can go and choose your type and cut of meat before cooking.  Best to book as it tends to be a restaurant that people go to specifically for this kind of food.

9.  Spaghetteria L’ Achetto – Via dell’Archetto, 26, Trevi Fountain 06 678 9064

This is the Frat Boy version of these top ten restaurants in that it has foregone all the add-ons of Italian cuisine and just focuses on the pasta.  Exactly 100 different pasta dishes can be ordered here and not much else.  But why would you bother coming here for anything else, their pasta dishes are fantastic?  Originally another restaurant I stayed away from as it seemed too gimicky to be good food to me, but I was dragged again along by my husband and his mates who had all eaten here for years.  Once I tasted my Fiume di Londra (London Fog) pasta dish I understood that no short cuts had been taken in delivering high quality, mouth watering food by focussing on just one type of dish.  This is a great place to go when you are sick of the same menus in all the other more traditional restaurants of Rome, although here you can get the traditional plates as well of course.  Try also the Pasta al Limone and the Penne alla Vodka a traditional dish that many restaurants disdain to put on their menus but is delicious and won’t make you drunk (although perhaps best not served to children).  Their vegetable dishes and Tiramisu are pretty good too.  Seating is outside partly and right on the cobblestoned street so cars will pass at your elbow.  Inside there is plenty available although it is a bit warren like, underground and airless at times.  If you book try to sit outside or ask for a table close to the entrance.  This restaurant is literally around the corner from the Trevi fountain.

10.  Est, Est, Est – Via Genova, 32, Nationale  06 488 1107

This is a gorgeous, out of the way, nourishing and cosy restaurant.  It is situated off the main shopping strip of Via Nazionale, close to Termini and right at the end of a dead end street.  It serves most things but I come here for the pizza which is slightly different from the pizza you will get in most of Rome.  Instead of the delicious light, thin-crust pizza that is typically Roman, these guys follow the Neapolitan tradition of thick crusted, doughy pizza bases.  Most Roman pizzas, like their pasta dishes, have two, maybe three toppings on them.  Don’t be tempted to do more, especially not in this restaurant, as you will be unable to finish it.  Toppings  are designed to enhance the pizza base not drown it out, similar to the toppings for pasta.  For example the best pizza is usually the Margarita (named after their last Queen) which consists of tomato paste, mozzarella cheese and basil (the three colors of the Italian flag) .  The wood panelled walls and old-world decor make it a relaxing and casual dinning experience, inexpensive and a nice place to eat as a couple or in a small group.  The menu is not large but has most traditional Roman food on it.  It is small, quieter than the other restaurants and has high quality food.

 
 
 

Top 10 restaurants in Rome

Posted on by brontejackson
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Hello all, now just to put this in context, this list comes with a couple of caveats:

1.  Although there are many great restaurants in the suburbs of Rome, these are not them.  These top ten are all in the “centro historico”, the city centre of Rome.  Handy if you are visiting Rome as generally this is where you will be staying.

2.  I am a bit of a restaurant Luddite.  My definition of a top Roman restaurant is one that has been in operation at least one hundred years or so, is family run, usually by the second or third generation, specialises in traditional Roman cuisine (which is very simple, fresh and offal based), due to the freshness aspect may run out of things or not have a written menu (menu depends on what is available at the market) and does not depend on decor.  Not for me the modern, sleek, sharply fitted out interiors with modern twists or re-inventions on traditional dishes.  If I wanted those kind of restaurants I would go to Milan or Melbourne.

So here goes, the top five are not in any particular order, but the last five are (and I will give you those next week):

1.  L’Hostaria Romanesca – Piazza Campo dei Fiori, 40 – 06 6864024

Don’t bother calling as you can’t book and if  you are lucky enough to get a seat you will have to wait a long time often for your meals.  It is one small room plus a square of the piazza, and an even smaller kitchen. There is also a sign written in local dialect warning about the wait and not to bother the chef with complaints.  But it is worth it.  Dishes are individually and lovingly prepared and spilling over with food of the highest and freshest quality.  The Spaghetti Carbonara, Pollo con Pepperoni (only found in Rome)/chicken with capsicum, and Fegato alla griglia/grilled liver are the best I have ever tasted.  But everything on the menu is good, cheap, and cooked with care and attention to detail.  Try any of the specials as they will be seasonal and based on the chefs traditional knowledge.

And while you are waiting you will have the spectacular Campo dei Fiori to watch – full of people, no cars, magnificent medieval buildings and a statue of Giordano Bruno the last person burnt to death there in 1600 for heresy.  Reflect on how, if waiting for some spectacular Roman food while sipping wine and eating bread is the main problem you have at the moment, then life is much improved since 1600.

2. La Carbonara  – Piazza Campo dei Fiori,23 .- 06 6864783

You will be lining up often with international movie stars and politicians to get a seat but it is not a pretentious or expensive place, just a Roman institution.  At the other end of the piazza from L’Hostaria, it is thankfully much larger so your chances of eating there are greatly increased, and they take bookings.  Again it produces very traditional, high quality Roman dishes with just a bit more flair (and prices) than the down market L’Hostaria. The Fiori di Zucca/fried zucchini flowers, Saltimbocca alla Romana (veal with proscuitto and sage) are the best I have ever tasted and the Carbonara is on a par with L’Hostaria.  Again you will have the Campo dei Fiori piazza to look out upon and will be entertained by a parade of non-stop travelling musicians.

3. Il Bric – Via del Pellegrino 51, 06-687-9533

This one is around the corner literally from La Carbonara and is a gorgeously rustic, wine filled interior, cosy and with a wine list that resembles an encyclopedia.  It is often refered to as the “cheese restaurant” by locals as one whole window is dedicated to a range of melt-in-your-mouth French and Italian cheeses in such an array that stops passersby in their tracks.  It gives the impression of being a Vineria (wine bar) but has a full restaurant menu.  It is fairly new (twenty years old) and its decor does draw me in hence not always the rules apply.  But the combination of feeling like I am eating in someones lovingly kitted-out cellar with high quality food based on traditional Roman and French cuisine with the usual fresh and lovingly thought through ingredients in a romantic and more tranquil atmosphere than the other two, gets me in every time I want something just a little more upmarket and refined, without feeling I have to forgo my Roman casual street-wear.   Booking is essential.

4. Il Drapo – Vicolo del Malpasso 9, 066877365

Il Drapo is certainly the most upmarket, expensive, romantic and luxurious so far.  It is great for a romantic dinner for two or elegant get together with more.  I notice that they tend to put couples and quieter parties together which preserves the atmosphere in some rooms and makes others louder.  The food is Sardinian based so you will get a slightly different menu but they are respectful of where they are (just around the corner from La Carbonara) and Roman cuisine is also honored.  It is a peaceful and attentive experience compared to the above four.  The food is fantastic, beautifully presented and you come out feeling like you have been refreshed and pampered with a belly full of excellent memories.  My favourite here is the suckling pig in juniper berries.  Bookings essential.

5. Da Luigi – Piazza Sforza Cesarini 23, 06 6865 946

I stumbled on this place when I used to live around the corner from it and noticed it was always full with lines of people waiting.  Hence I usually had to eat dinner next door in a grossly inferior establishment.  It is packed full with Roman families who like to keep this place a secret.  It is squashed along the side of a tiny piazza across the road from Piazza Navona.  Here you will find reasonably priced, down-to-earth Roman dishes specialising in sea food.  It is noisy and always crowded and there is nothing to look at, but the variety and good reliable quality of the food makes up for it.  The booking system doesn’t seem to work so be prepared to wait for a table which is never very long.

Next week: numbers 6 – 10 which are based in Trastevere, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona.

Shipwrecked in Italy

Posted on by brontejackson
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January is never a good month in Italy.  It is short thank goodnesss; but it is a cold, dark month full of the hangover from Christmas and New Year, and the necessary guilt-  based dieting that goes on to try and recover from how much you ate and drank.  There is absolutely no hope of a reprieve in the bleak, boring month and definitely no excuse for a party until Carnivale in February.  In short its a bit boring and a bit depressing.

This year even more so as we contemplate the sheer bizzareness of a captain who wanted to steer his huge ocean liner full of thousands of people onto a beach for fun, and the sadness and shock that it resulted in of lives lost.  In a world full of obvious dangers it seems particularly unfair that lives should be lost as a result of being shipwrecked on a cruise ship off the coast of Tuscany, 50 metres from shore.

As the stories come out about the lack of procedure, the captain not following basic maritime law and protocol, huge risks taken and responsibilities abdicated, none of it actually surprises me.  Bucking the rules for family and friends, bending the rules for personal comfort, and plain ignoring them at times are all fundatmental parts of Italian culture.  This leniency benefits just about every Italian in their lives, as well as most foreigners, at some stage or another.  It is part of the charm of Italy and something that makes it a special and magical place to live in.  It just sometimes all goes horribly wrong.

I am reminded of a hovercraft trip I took a few years ago from Sorrento to the island of Capri with my tall, blonde haired, blue-eyed, British girl friend.  There were more people wanting  to go to Capri than the boat could legally carry.  However in order not to disappoint travellers and their families they just kept letting  on as many people as needed to go (it is a short trip).  As all available space slowly filled up my friend and I found ourselves being pushed to the top of the hovercraft until we were at the Captains cockpit.

“Come in, come in”, he beckoned to the dozen or so of us standing around squashed up against the door.

“There’s plenty of room in here, stand up along the wall here.  You two (meaning my friend and I), come and sit up here on the Captain and First Mates chair.  We can stand.”

We found ourselves sitting in front of the “wheel” which is actually a stick which steers and drives the hovercraft.  It was difficult for the Captain to actually steer the hovercraft with my friend sitting in the seat directly in front of the wheel.

“Here, you do it”, he said after a while.  “It’s really easy, just hold it straight like this and head for that island, I’m going off to get a coffee”

Photographs curtesy of A.Lake

Berlusconi’s last bunga bunga

Posted on by brontejackson
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It is with great relief and so much joy that we say goodbye to Berlusconi as Italy’s Prime Minister for the better part of seventeen years.  Now I know a little how people feel when their countries are rid of dictators.  Berlusconi came to power shortly after I arrived in Rome and hailed himself as a progressive leader that would modernise Italy.  Instead he went about feathering his own nest and did nothing to revitalise or bring Italy forward.  He even went on national television (which he owned) and gave a monologue speech in which he contracted with the Italian people to do a number of things, and holding himself accountable to the population, for them.  At the time I am sure he believed himself.  I can’t remember if that was before or after he was charged with corruption and asked to step down as Prime Minister.  The first time.

Italians are an incredibly forgiving race and tolerant to the point of the ridiculous but I knew it was all over when I read in the paper last week that according to Berlusconi’s second in command, Berlusconi had to go as he had created a laughing stock out of Italy and that no other countries respected them anymore.  Four indictments of corruption, constantly accused for having broken the law in a number of other areas during his seventeen year reign, his lack of leadership, changing electoral laws so it was easier for him to win elections, owning most of the print and television media and using it as the communications arm of his political campaign, flagrant womanising, stacking his political party with gorgeous women he had seduced, and sex with an underage prostitute was never going to be enough.

Italians have an expression “La Bella Figura” which is fundamental to understanding part of their culture.  It means “to make a good impression” and is the basis for all social interaction and behaviour.  It is important at all costs to conduct yourself in a manner which creates a good impression (and this means treating others well as part of it).  I knew that the comment in the newspaper meant that Berlusconi had crossed this line and caused his country to not have a Bella Figura.  I was therefore pretty sure that unlike all the other times, this time he was doomed.

I do however have a word of caution to the Anglo leaders (USA, UK, Australia) who have been calling for him to get his act together and start leading the country.  Like that was the piece of advice he had been missing.  If only it had come sooner.  There are several cultural, historical and social reasons that Italy is the way it is, and not the way any of the Anglo type countries are.  These circumstances, although they may lead to some disasters such as now, are also tied up in the many successes and wonders of Italy.   It is not as easy as it first seems.

  1.  Berlusconi has mostly had to govern with a minority government over his seventeen year reign.  Traditionally his government has had to include parties in it from the extreme left to the extreme right, in order for him to form a government.

At the moment Australia has had a minority government for just over a year and it has caused us paroxysms of anxiety, debating, stalemates, slowness and at times divided the country because we have had to get the OK of a few people not in the party of the current Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The UK and USA systems have been constantly paralysed and brought almost to the brink of disaster over the past four years due to partisan politics.

Berlusconi’s government has had to run the country like this for seventeen years, trying to get agreement on everything they do across a wide spectrum of political parties, any of whom could dissolve the government if they didn’t agree.  Governing in Italy is a major act of facilitation, participatory practices and consultations to bring everyone along as a group.  It is something that not many other governments have to put up with, and even fewer display the aptitude and leadership skills for.

2.  Traditionally who you voted for in Italy depended on what your professional was or where you lived (your region).  In order to keep your job/get a job or have access to government services in your region you had to pledge support to the candidate who represented this as part of the election campaigning.  All journalists voted a certain way, so did university staff, doctors, bank employees etc.  It was only recently that a law was passed banning mobile phones in the polling booths so that people could not be pressured to prove who they voted for by taking a photo with their phone of their ballot.

This is a system of patronage that greatly hampers any individual politician leading or making any great changes once they get to Parliament.  Much like the system of big business and other factions in the Anglo countries that can afford to pour huge sums of money into candidates’ electoral campaigns.  In Italy the politicians go after the voters, in the Anglo countries it is the other way around.

3.  Italy is a country of 65 million people and one of the eighth most industrialised countries in the world.  It has huge wealth, high productivity, and a black market possibly as large as the one that is recorded on paper.  It is much harder to manage this kind of economy than one which has only 20 million people in it and only 1% of the world’s market.

The way Italy’s economy works is based on its social system which has been around for longer than the economy.  Unlike other countries whose culture can now be called Economic Rationalism, Italy has retained much of its pre-industrialised values and traditions.  This is what makes it such a wonderful place and is also part of the reason it is filled with world heritage treasures.

Sometimes the “Stock Market” is not able to list, define or appreciate all the world’s stocks.  Therefore let’s not make it the only measurement of value in the world.

Top 10 places to visit in Italy (6 – 10)

Posted on by brontejackson
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6.  Knock off Naples

This is a tricky one.  Naples is definitely a “must see” on your trip to Italy but in the past few years the number of street shootings have increased to the point where you can see them replayed on U-tube.   And they are not occuring in “out-of-the-way” places, but in average downtown and shopping areas that anyone is likely to be in (hence them being captured on mobile phone videos).  These days I wouldn’t actually go to Naples for safety reasons.

However Naples is still one of the top ten places to visit in Italy.  Nowhere else is like it.   It is the birthplace of pizza and the ones that you will taste here will leave you pining for the rest of your life.  The centre of the city is an ancient labyrinth of tiny streets, filled to the brim with humanity and all its trappings.  This is not a tourist city.  The rhythm of this city is more like an African than a European city.  The combination of art, history, food, overpopulation and danger means it feels like a city that is on the edge of a precipice.   And technically it is.   When Vesuvius, the volcano behind the city, blows up again in the not too distant future it will be bye bye Napoli!  Just in case you don’t get here I’ve included a few more photos than usual.

If you dare to go to Naples stay at the appropriately named: L’Albergo del Purgatorio, +39 081 299 579.

7. Idle to an island

Italy has many, and to truly experience the fullness of Italian life, you need to go to one.  Pick one, any one – Sardinia, Capri, Ischia, Ponza, Ventotene, Elba, Lippari, Procida, Lampedusa, Vulcano, Stromboli, just to name a few.  They are all on the left side of Italy running down from Tuscany to Sicily, and are all easy to get to, and within a few hours by boat from the mainland or Sicily.  They are the ultimate Italian holiday experience.  Although each has its own character, they all operate at a much slower pace than the mainland and it is nice to see that even Italians can wear flip flops and shorts at times.  Although in parts of Capri and Sardinia they maybe Valentino and Gucci.

Stay at: Casa Adolfo, +39081999443, Ischia

8.  Absolutely Amalfi

I know that many people visit, and love, the Cinque Terra.  However my theory is that only those who have not seen the Amalfi coast, love the Cinque Terra.  Along the Amalfi coast is the town of Amalfi, although I recommend Positano as the place to base yourself in.  I find it hard to describe the Amalfi coast as it takes my breath away every time I see it.  Imagine sheer, grey, craggy cliffs, covered in bright bougainvillea flowers and green cacti, plunging into an aqua blue sea.  Imagine driving along a road that hugs these cliffs and that winds in and out of them for hours, giving you enticing glimpses of the sea, flowers, the cliffs above you, and every now and then a set of dwellings that seem to hug in or tumble down from crevices in the cliffs.  The views are stunning and world class.  Add to this some deep crystal clear water to swim in, magnificent sea food, pizzas (you are still only an hour out of Naples),  and delicious desserts and liquor made from Amalfi’s famously huge lemons, and I am in paradise every time I go (which is annually).

Positano is mostly a pedestrian town, fantastic shopping and eating, with views to die for from even the cheapest hotel windows.   Because it is mostly pedestrian, and the town opens up onto the sea, it makes for a wonderfully relaxed and escapist beach holiday, and a truly summer Italian experience.

Stay at: Hotel Conca d’Oro, Positano (See blog roll for link), Pensione Casa La Reginella, +39089875324, Positano

9.  Admire Albero Bello

There has to be one obscure gem on this list and this is it.  Nowhere else in the world will you see anything like this little town, right at the southern end of Italy, in Puglia.  It is a town made up entirely of Trulli, the name of the traditional rock and cave houses from this region.  It is the only one of its kind in Italy and in the world.  These houses were made entirely out of stones stacked on top of each other and consist of several round rooms joined together with a round roof.  They are whitewashed and each has a different symbol on the peak of their rooves which indicated families or landlords they belonged to.  It is a pedestrian town and you can eat, shop and visit all within these traditional dwellings.  It is like walking through a film set and is a cross between a Hobbit village and a village from the Star Wars trilogy.

10.  See Sicily

Sicily is a country in itself and unlike anywhere else in Italy.  But again to understand and have a true feel of Italy you must see and experience Sicily.  It is the wild west of Italy and extremely varied even within itself.  See Palermo and visit the islands other ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine temples, palaces and churches.  See the most amazing beaches in the Mediterranean, picturesque countryside, incredible food found nowhere else in Italy, and an ancient way of life clung to with fierce pride.

Photographs by A. Verhagen and A. De Luca

Top ten places to visit in Italy

Posted on by brontejackson
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1.  Visit Venice

It may seem passé, a tourist trap, and a cliché but the truth is that Venice is still a lovely, lively and real city teeming with actual inhabitants.  It is also worth going because it so unique.  A city built on water with canals instead of streets not to mention some of the world’s most beautiful squares, palaces, hotels and art galleries.  Venice is timeless, an important part of Western and Eastern history, and yes full of tourists.  However it is a favourite destination because of the above, why would you want to miss out on that just because everyone else is there too?

And do take a Gondola ride.  Yes they are expensive but on your death bed will you be glad you had that extra hundred or so dollars in your pension fund or will you be glad that you took a romantic Gondola ride in Venice?  The Gondoliers are a respected and traditional trade that is passed down from father to son.  Only if you come from a family of Gondoliers can you become one, after many years of training.  They know the city intimately and will show you places you can’t see on foot, and yes they will probably sing for you as well.  All in all it’s an experience that you can’t get anywhere else.

Stay at: Le Guglie B & B, Cannaregio, Venice  (see blogroll for more details)

2.  Do the Dolomites

Part of the magic of Italy is that is so many countries in one.  To appreciate the dry, almost African feel of the South you must have experienced the mountainous cool region of the North, more like Germany than Italy in some parts.  The Dolomites are majestic and offer incredible skiing in the winter and beautiful walks in the summer with stunning views, authentic wooden chalets, beautiful towns, and magnificent food and wine of the region, not found anywhere else.

3. Miss Milan

I may get into trouble for suggesting this but as a long term resident of Italy I get a bit sick of the hype about Milan.  It’s a shopping centre, a big church and then an industrial city of the type you can find anywhere in Northern UK or Southern Germany, and usually cloaked in fog.  In a word, not unique.  If you want to use your holiday to boast to your friends you have been to Milan or if your idea of a holiday is shopping, then you will probably like Milan and fit in well with the “seen to be seen” set.  Otherwise you will be bored after a day.

4. Tour Tuscany

Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Cortona, Bagni di Lucca, Lucca, Pitigliano, Sovanna, Montepulciano, Pienza, Florence, Montalcino, Lucinangno, Pisa, San Severo… ……… so many medieval hill top towns all within an hour’s drive of each other.  Tuscany is a nonstop feast for the eyes and stomach.  Feast your eyes on the rolling hills topped with cypress trees, fields of sunflowers, stone farm houses and wild deer.  Tuscany is the poster child for Italy.  Then fill your stomachs on its rich, earthy Chianti’s, chewy salami, handmade bread and stews of wild boar, venison and hare.  Once again everyone goes to Tuscany because it is gorgeous, peaceful, and breathtakingly beautiful.  Nowhere else in the world looks or feels like Tuscany.

Stay at:  Agriturismo Selvoli, Pienza http://www.selvoli.com or Relais La Suvera, Pievescola, Siena http://www.lasuvera.it or Hotel Helvetica e Bristol, Florence (See Blogroll for links)

5. Revel in Rome

Of course if you don’t have Rome on your agenda when you visit Italy then you are a complete Philistine.  Even if you have no inkling or interest in history I guarantee you will be bowled over by it in Rome.  Where else can you go and stand in ancient chariot racing arenas, sit where tourists sat 2,000 years ago to watch someone mauled to death by a wild bear as part their Saturday afternoon entertainment, stand in the same spot where Mark Antony addressed the crowd after the death of Julius Caesar, visit the building where Roman Senators ruled the world for over 1,000 years or visit the illegal underground burial chambers of the first Christians?

If history and Roman buildings don’t grab you then how about the world’s biggest collection of art works and sculptures in just one city, ornate marble filled churches, squares full of fountains, tiny medieval streets and the Vatican.  No?  How about the chance just to chill in a café all afternoon sipping cold Belgian beers or Italian whites and watch some of the world’s most beautiful people go by, often two or three at a time on a moped,  not letting their driving interrupt  their smoking or ice cream eating?

Stay at:  Hotel Locarno or Hotel de Russie (See Blogroll for links)

Tips 6 – 10 next week.

Top 10 travel tips for a cheap Roman Holiday

Posted on by brontejackson
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The final 5 tips in this topic.  Sorry they took longer than expected!

6.  Drink the local wine

Carrying on our theme of economising on eating and drinking which will make up the bulk of your trip expenses next to your hotel, don’t worry about what kind of wine to order, just drink the local house drop where ever you are.  In Rome this will be a Frascati wine from the Castelli region, the cool mountainous area just outside of Rome.  In Tuscany it will be local Chianti.  You can’t really go wrong ordering house wine in Italy and it will be much cheaper than ordering a bottle with a name on it.  House wine comes in glass or ceramic carafes that are quarts (enough for two small glasses), half’s or litres and can be refilled upon request.

7.  Walk

 Transport is usually a big expense for most trips however Rome as a city has the luck to be quite small in distances, per sight you might want to see.  It is therefore cheaper but also quicker and easier to walk everywhere.  Small maps of Rome are available everywhere.  Be prepared to make your way by foot from sight to sight and you will not only save time and money but get to see the city that exists in between the monuments, as well as surprising and unexpected sights not listed in the Guide Books.

This means however that you can’t wear stilettos, in spite of the fact that many Italians will be.  As a woman who loves her stilettos all I can say is that you will severely regret wearing anything with a heel and without a serious soul, full of padding.  Italian cobblestones are really hard to walk on; footpaths are few, small and crowded, making walking difficult and painful.

All this is particularly important given tip number one about how much you pay in a café to sit down which you will need to do if you don’t wear flat, rubber-soled footwear. Save your fancy shoes for the evening when you alight from your taxi outside of your restaurant and for a short after-dinner passegiata (the traditional times Italians go walking to see and be seen).  If you are not Italian most people will expect you to be wearing Birkenstocks anyway.

8.  Expect not to pay

This follows on from the above point.  Rome as a city is in itself a sight.  Her streets, her piazzas, her buildings, the river, her shops, gardens and statues are all worth admiring, walking through and experiencing on your way to sights and monuments.  The architecture, the decorations of art and murals on every street corner, the people, the weather, the outdoor living of the city are all also sights in themselves, beautiful, unique, and awe inspiring.

In addition many of Rome’s monuments are simply part of the city and free – the Circus Maximus, Arch of Constantine, the Pantheon, the Orange Gardens, Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain.  Have a look at my blog on Top Ten Places to visit in Rome.  Nine of them are free.  Rome’s churches are also all free (including St Peters) and hold world heritage art works and sculptures by Michelangelo and Caravaggio just to name a few.

So don’t expect to have to put a lot of money aside to see sights.  Simply walking through piazzas, stopping for a coffee, eating a panino, visiting Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, a church, and a monument or two will be enough to fill your days with silent wonder.

9.  Take the airport train

The most costly transport that any visitor to Rome will pay for is always going to be the travel from the airports to the city.  From both the main airports a taxi will cost around 60 Euro to the centre.  Taxi drivers in Rome have a tight cartel and airport fares are fixed at around 45 Euro.  In addition they will charge you for each bag they load into the boot and there is a surcharge if it is night time………..

The train from Fiumicino airport in contrast will cost around 13 Euro per person.  Tickets can be bought on the platform, a train leaves every 15 minutes at least, to various parts of the city and it usually takes less time than a taxi.  The trains are comfortable, have large luggage racks and are wheelchair friendly.

Spend 60 Euro on a nice pair of stilettos instead.

10.  Buy from the locals – Prada, Armani, D&G

Labels such as these and Valentino, Versace used to scare the daylights out of me.  But here they are just the locals.  Shops are unpretentious, full of helpful yet discreet sales staff, who won’t mind if you are not wearing a label, weigh more than 40 kilos or are over twenty five.  Everyone in the world comes to look at these stores and admire the craftsmanship.  Italians bask in the homage and consider it only natural.  There is no pressure to buy, you can look, touch, feel and ask as much as you want.  They are also cheaper here than anywhere else in the world so you never know.  You might just be able to afford something in there after following tips 1 – 9!

Enjoy!

Top 10 travel tips for a cheap Roman Holiday

Posted on by brontejackson
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1.  Stand up

Romans go to a café (called a bar here in Italy), two or three times a day to eat and drink cheaply.  Tourists go to the same bars and it costs more than three times the price.  Why is this?  Inherent racism?  No, it is because Romans stand at the bar and eat, tourists sit down and order and are waited on.  Hence the cost of this is added onto all the produce.  If you want to lower your eating and drinking costs by two thirds then stand at the bar and drink your coffee or eat your sandwich like the locals.  And pay like a local.  If you need to sit down (and I admit we all do), find a stone bench in a piazza, or some steps, or pay a visit to a church (don’t try eating in there though).

2.  Breakfast out

 There is a theme here.  Apart from your hotel, the biggest expense will be eating, and Rome, Italy in general, is not the place to skimp on this experience (let me know if you would like to know which European countries you could skimp on this experience J).  Therefore many of these tips will be how to lower this cost.  (And all tips are relevant for most Italian cities, not just Rome.)

If you are staying in a B&B or hostel, and/or your breakfast is not included, then head to your local bar (café).  There will be one within 100 metres of you, if you are staying in a city.  Order freshly squeezed orange juice, coffee and the local breakfast pastries called Cornetti (they will be on display so you can choose the type you want) and eat it standing up at the bar, along with the locals.  It will usually cost under 5 Euro in a suburb and under 7 Euro in the centre of Rome.

 

3.  Find a Rosticceria

 A Rosticceria is a place that does a bit of everything – pizzas, pastas, roast meats, vegetables.  It’s the closest things Italians have to a take away, where they can pick up an entire meal, pre-cooked and take it home.  You generally can’t order the food as it is pre-cooked, ready, and on display.  You can however eat it on the premises, complete with drinks.  There is no table service and it is not for a leisurely or romantic meal, but the food is usually good and much cheaper than a restaurant for a hot meal.  If you are walking around the centre there is one off Campo dei Fiori on your way to Piazza Navona, on Via dei Baullari.

4.  Picnic in the parks

 As an alternative to a Rosticceria for lunch (I don’t recommend on skimping on dinner, I recommend treating yourself to a restaurant dinner as often as possible in Italy), any supermarket or local grocery store (Alimentari) will make you up a bread roll with cheese and/or prosciutto/salami.  You can ask at the bread counter for this.  Tell them (or point to) the type of bread you want and that you would like a Panino.  The cheeses and meats are usually on display next to the bread so you can also point if necessary.  They will charge you on the weight of the products that you order.  It is much cheaper than buying them ready made.  Beware though that cheese and meats are the extent of what they will offer (no salad) and usually only one of each before becoming impatient and putting you in the class of annoying foreigner to be ignored.

5.  Don’t eat near a monument

 On the subject of dinner…..walk up to and around monuments, touch and experience them, gaze at them and photograph them but don’t eat near them.  The rent is horrifically expensive in any place that is historically or artistically famous causing restauranters to recuperate their costs through their prices, in addition to economising on wait staff and food quality.  They also generally don’t need to attract customers with their food as they have a steady supply of daily tourists such as you.  Eat in quiet back alleys, pedestrian lanes, or main streets that have no sights to offer but the menu.

Next five, next fortnight.

Berlusconi, balls, and bouncing bimbos……

Posted on by brontejackson
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People often ask me (especially lately), how Italians could ever have voted for  such a ludicrous character as their current Prime Minister.   How do the makers of some of the finest food, fashion and racing cars in the world tick the ballot box next to the name of an ageing, sex crazed, buffoon?  And if they did unwittingly why don’t they do something to get rid of him now?

My favourite Berlusconi story is this.  At a formal State dinner to welcome the visiting queen of a neighbouring European country, the elderly queen, just after they had sat at the table, started off polite State dinner conversation by asking Berlusconi and his Cabinet how Italy was faring during the GFC.  What were some of the changes he had noticed and had to deal with as Prime Minister?  To which Berlusconi replied that the main thing he had noticed was that the price of his hookers had gone up.

So I too would like to know the answers to the questions that I get asked.  Just cos I lived in Italy doesn’t mean I understand the phenomena or that I can explain it.  But I do have some observations, from having been inside the country during the entire time that Berlusconi has been PM,  and then I’m gonna defer to an expert.

Berlusconi hasn’t burst onto a scene of perfect, unfailing, serene and upright democracy.  He has burst out of failing, corrupt, chaotic and barely there democracy.  Italy had one party (the Christian Democrats) that ruled for more than four decades almost continuously after the Second World War, one of the last Prime Ministers of which was charged with murder and Mafia membership at the end of his term.  The only time the reign of the Christian Democrats was interrupted by an opposing political party, that Prime Minister was later charged with some of the largest fraud and money laundering activities the country had ever seen.  He fled the country to live out his life in North Africa.

So they have never had much to choose from.  Questioning friends of mine at the time, one of the main reasons for voting Berlusconi in, at first, was the fact that he was one of the world’s richest men and therefore would be immune from the bribes that others had fallen foul to.  They didn’t foresee that the tables could be turned and that bribes could be offered, to change laws, get immunity from prosecution, and break the rules of the constitution, because he was one of the richest men in the world.

Italy’s political system has always been complicated and difficult to understand by most students of politics.  They don’t have a left and right, they have at least five parties at any one time all circulating around the left and the right (the centre left, the left, the centre right, the right, the centre etc.).   Usually a number of small parties have to reign together which means that most of the time is spent fighting about ideology and not getting anything done, and that often the government is dissolved (three times in the 1990′s).  I remember a flat mate of mine from the UK experiencing this for the first time and being afraid to go out into the streets.  How can you be safe when there is no government she asked?  What do we do?  Will there be anarchy?  The answer is you can, nothing, and no.  I had lived through this before and had come to the conclusion that Italy more or less exists separately to its political governance.  It continues on in spite of it.

Berlusconi is clever though.  When Italy changed its voting system in the 1990′s from Proportional Representation to First-Past-the-Post he was the one of the first to realise that this meant less of the incessant cronyism that had been the hallmarks of success previously, and more that getting out to the people and winning the popularity vote, would be the way to victory.  This is where his owning most of the Italian media came in handy, and still does.  From just before the ban on publicity for political campaigning begins, you can be sure that Berlusconi will be on every chat show and news report possible.  His biggest antics are usually during this period so that every day the headlines of all the newspapers have the words Berlusconi in them.

And what of his sexual indiscretions?  His buffoonery in that area?  Well…….without going into a huge debate on sexism, purism, church, state, family etc……. again there is context.  Italian public life has always had a lot more sexiness in it than what we would be used to in other countries.  The usual coupling of Compares on a family hour TV show would be an old, fat, ugly guy and a gorgeous, nubile, scantily dressed woman.  One of Italy’s most popular current events and entertainment show has, in between its news segments, two young, beautiful women who dance sexily, clad in mini skirts and cleavage enhancing wear.  The camera is often underneath them as they are dancing on the desks of the two guys who compare the show.   There is a fierce national competition held every year for the two places that these dancers hold.  When the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal broke many Italians shrugged their shoulders.  An “of age” woman giving a elected leader a BJ in his office…… so what?

When I went for my first professional job interview in Italy as an Associate Professor at a University, I was offered two jobs.  One where I would be available to sleep with my 65 year old Professor/boss (I was not yet 30) and get to travel all over Europe plus several other exciting perks, and one where I would not be available and be stuck at the University doing work.  At least 50% of the other women I worked with that year had taken the first option (I took the second one).  Some of them to get their degrees.  Sex, politics and sexual politics are all alive and well in Italy and are just another way of “getting along”.  Where Berlusconi has gone wrong is in making it too public, causing his wife to loose face and divorce him.  This is a cardinal sin.  He is now no longer protected by the “family man” image.  A vital part of the social fabric in Italy.

Lastly I will refer you to an expert.  Alexander Stille, an avid Italian watcher, has written The Sack of Rome.  How a beautiful European country with a fabled history and a storied culture was taken over by a man named Silvio Berlusconi. He warns us that any culture that reveres privately owned television/media as its main information source, candidate’s appearances over substance, sound bites over policies, and votes based on popularity and personality is in danger of a Berlusconi.  I couldn’t help thinking of that when I saw the National Opposition leader speaking on national television in front of a sign that said “Julia is bob’s bitch.”  It had all the hallmarks of a Berlusconiesque campaign.

PS:  If you like this post don’t forget to subscribe to it by clicking on the Feed for Entry orange icon at the bottom of this post.  Also don’t forget to check out my Blog about Melbourne.

Top 10 travel tips for surviving Rome!

Posted on by brontejackson
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If you like this article don’t forget to subscribe by clicking on to the orange icon at the bottom of this post.

Last week we had the first five, this week, five more!

6.  Don’t just look, cross.

Those of you who have visited Rome will have noticed the strange phenomena of the zebra crossings.  They exist.  They are there, but they don’t seem to work.  That is, you can stand at the edge of them forever without anyone stopping.  This is because Roman drivers expect you to take the first step…….Daunting as that may seem, once you put a foot on the crossing, the traffic will come to a stop.  They won’t slow which can be quite nervewracking as you watch them racing toward you, however they do always manage to stop in plenty of time to let you cross safely.


7.  Always have a plan B.

Museums, police stations, taxis, shops and restaurants open and shut based on a number of reasons besides the usual.  E.g. a football match, a strike (very common in Rome), mourning (also very common), a friend has dropped in for a chat, traffic jams, doctors visits, government decree, someone had a late night, too hot, too cold, and tiredness.   Therefore what is written in the guide book or online does not always correspond with the reality in-situ.  Owners operate and open things at will, Labour laws are not always predictable (grocers – Alimentari – are shut Thursday afternoons, Hairdressers all day Mondays, most retail shops are shut Saturday afternoons in the summer and Monday mornings in the Winter).  I once turned up at a cinema for a long awaited film, after having checked online, to be told that a completely different film was playing.  In response to my gentle questioning about the incongruency i was un-gently told that he didn’t write what was online so how was he supposed to know what was there……….

8.  Lunch like a roman.

In my favourite restaurant I was once observing an irate tourist couple who had come in for lunch.  They were becoming more and more enraged wtih the amount of time their meal was taking, making trips in to hassle the waiter and asking for them to hurry up.  They eventually left without eating, assuming that somehow they had been treated unfairly because they were foreign.  The owner came out shortly afterward with a huge, steaming plate of freshly cooked pasta, and lamenting nationalities that didn’t know how to take time over lunch.  Romans have quick and skimpy breakfasts (sometimes two to tide them over), and light and late dinners, so that due honor can be given to the sacred Roman lunch hour (or two).  Restaurants are packed at lunch time and therefore service is often long, however no Roman ever wants to rush over this minimum three course meal.  Expect to take your time, enjoy it, and when in Rome…….

9.  Siesta

This naturally follows on from Tip 8.  The city of Rome is very quiet from 2 – 4 pm, many places are shut, and in the summer the city is deserted at this time (of everyone except tourists).  You won’t miss out on anything by going home and having a kip.  City life will be buzzing and everything open from 5.00 pm until 7.30 – 8.00pm at night.  Having a rest in the middle of the day will help you survive Rome, and help you make the most of it during its most entertaining hours.  You will also understand where they get their energy from and why dinner is so late…………   

10.  Remember that ice cream is an anti-depressant

Why do think Romans are always eating it, any time of day or night, in any season?  Why do you think there is one every 200 metres or so?  Why are their always crowds outside of them?  Whatever happens in your life, whatever stress you are suffering, can all be alleviated by taking time out to have an ice-cream.  The Italian kind any way.  Make sure you have some every day you are there and all your ills will melt away.  I promise.