Rome with kids and Catholics

This summer my son and I will go on an EF tour of London, Stone Henge, Paris, Barcelona and the over to Rome to check out Vatican City with a group of kids he went to Catholic Elementary school with (and some of their parents). While in Rome we will be officially off EF tours and going our own pace, our own way. I’ve read up on some other threads here and I think that stopping at Salumeria Roscioli is doable with this group. There will be 10 of us (12 when my wife and daughter fly in to meet us) so I am looking for great food, maybe in a street type way, traditional and rustic is good- not looking for touristy food, or 3 star. Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

After the other families leave, my brood and I will continue on and rent a car - haven’t decided which way to point it. Probably stay another week or so. I will be brave and cherry pick bottles as I go.

Thanks!

We took our kids last summer to Roscioli’s wine tasting. Which is held in a different place around the corner. My boys were 11 and 15 and used to longer dinners etc and had a great time. The owner was very accommodating with them and there was never a moment where we felt uncomfortable. It ended up being a 4 hour tasting and my kids enjoyed it. The restaurant itself is pretty small and a group that large would take up a pretty good chunk of it so getting space might be an issue especially during the busy summer season.

Overall in Europe kids are pretty well accepted. This IMO is because European kids especially with the Italian and French, food is much more important and they learn how to act from an early age. I can’t say the same for American kids. We spent 2 weeks there and ate everywhere from Michelin 2 star to local tiny restaurants. Our kids were always welcomed with open arms. We spent most of our time at various cafes eating great food with a bottle of wine and just enjoying Italy. We never really planned ahead for lunch just picked one that looked good. They are everywhere. We particularly enjoyed the cafes in Piazza Navona because to me the entire Piazza is the absolute essence of Rome.

Enjoy,

George

Agree with George. Roscioli is not large, and in summer it will be in high demand. I’d certainly try to arrange before I even landed. I tried to walk-in for a two and there was nothing, even at the very early hour. In general it seems to me that getting space at decent restaurants is far harder in European cities.

On our Vatican excursion we just went super low key for lunch. There are couple of good pizzerias and gelaterias right outside the perimeter.

Good to know. Thanks.

Yes, big groups are fine at Roscioli. 2 winters ago, I booked our family reunion group of 14.

Also dined, with the same big group at:

Al Pompiere - a traditional, old style Roman trattoria in the Jewish Quarter. This restaurant is very hard to find for first timers, but well worth it. Comfortable. A must stop for us whenever in Rome. Very good Roman-centric dishes, great ox tail stew dish and always good whatever pasta of the day are/is being offered. http://www.alpompiereroma.com/

La Campana - tout themselves as the oldest restaurant in Rome. It’s in a hard-to-find alley somewhere between P. Navona and Pantheon, but closer to P. Navona. Good for large groups, very good service, a little more touristy due to the high tourist traffic of the neighborhood, but good food.
http://www.ristorantelacampana.com/

On renting a car: be aware of the driving zone limits when driving into and/or out of Rome. There are certain times in certain areas that you’re not permitted to drive in, unless you have a permit. Make sure you know how to read, and be watching out for, these signs before driving into a street.

Ramon has some good suggestions.
I love the Travestere area also for comfortable family style food. Don’t know where you are staying. There are several great places there. I will try to get up a list.

In Travestere, De Teo is the place.

There is a small place called Augustarello in the Testaccio area close by. Great food and homemade pasta. Very small place however. Local craft beers here. Great trippa and exotic dishes. Very Roman. Runs about 30 bucks/person

Augustarello
Via Giovanni Branca, 98, Tel: 06 5746585

In the old days, you had to wait in line, as Augustarello refused to accept reservations. But this has changed since the Commentucci heirs started running the place after Augustarello, who opened this simple trattoria in 1957, retired to Ardea and then died at 82. Otherwise, the second generation has been doing so well at keeping the family tradition alive that this is also still a Testaccio classic, a place where you «magni bene e spenni poco», you eat well and spend little, although nowadays finding a good eatery in Rome where you really spend little is like the proverbial needle in the haystack. All the traditional Testaccini dishes - trippa alla romana, coda alla vaccinara, abbacchio a scottadito - are served here as well as homemade desserts from tiramisù to the crostata di visciole.

Courtyard dining in good weather. Closed Sundays, reservations suggested.


There is a fantastic market also. Volpetti in Testaccio. A salumeria. You can get meat and cheeses for a picnic. Fantastic place.

Pizzarium and Ai Marmi are great pizza places. Not in Travestere/Testaccio but good locations. Not sure about big parties but great food.

Have a great time.

Thanks so much!

As mentioned by Don, one great pizzeria - and it’s very near the Vatican - is Pizzarium (only a few blocks away on a nondescript street, Via della Meloria, near the metro/bus station). This is Gabriele Bonci’s place, probably the ultimate in Roman style pizza al taglio, the best of which has a crunch and chew unlike any other. There will be a line of excited pizza pilgrims, but it will move quickly, and you will likely eat on the sidewalk out front. Great selection of Italian craft beers to boot.

There are some excellent Neapolitan pizzerias in Rome, but you know … when in Rome and all that. Pizza al taglio in Rome is a very different thing, and absolutely worth trying. There’s a guy in Manhattan who’s doing this style in a great way, and you’ll see some mementos from Gabriele Bonci should you go (and you should!) My Pie Pizzeria Romana

I would also highly recommend that you plan ahead/make reservations for a typical huge family lunch on Sunday. And I’d recommend you do it old-school. Sunday lunch is a very Roman tradition, so much so that many restaurants aren’t even open on Sunday nights. So, eat big for lunch and light for dinner. There are plenty of excellent places, but if you want super traditional, non touristy, outside the usual neighborhoods but still very close and easily accessible (one metro stop from the Colosseo metro station), you’ll want to try Perilli trattoria in Testaccio. It’s considered to have among the very best carbonara in Rome (Roscioli also gets plenty of praise for its carbonara, so here’s your opportunity to compare). It’s a few doors down from Volpetti (the salumeria Don recommended), but unfortunately Volpetti is closed on Sundays (frankly, Volpetti is a tad overpriced . . . rather unlike Perilli!). You’ll want reservations and you’ll likely need an Italian speaker to make them. I’d recommend that you have your hotel make the reservations about a week ahead.

Elizabeth Minchilli on Perilli (her site is a great resource generally): http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/2011/05/last-meal-before-raptureearthquakeend.html

Another excellent blog for English speakers wanting to eat well in Rome:

Another q: if I were to airbnb.com in Rome with my family, what would be a nice neighborhood. Thanks.

Yep. I couldn’t recall the name of Pizzarium, but that’s one we went to.
I also find Elizabeth Minchilli a good resource. Last I looked, in addition to her site, she posts on the Chowhound Italy board.

In Rome, make sure to hit gelato San Crispino, near Trevi fountain. And of all the museiums and tourist attractions, do not miss Galeria Borghese for the Bernini sculptures. You need to buy tickets in advance.
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/borghese/it/default.htm

Travestere. It is a little way from the tourist attractions but you can get to them easily. It is a neighborhood and very quiet and nice.
Walking distance to the Testaccio area where there are lots of good restaurants.

Yep, a +1 for Trastevere for all the reasons that were provided.

If a walking location to major tourist attractions is preferred, there are apartments at/near the Spanish Steps that are 5 - 20 minute walking distance to all sites, including P. Navona, Campo di Fiori, Pantheon, Trevi, etc.

Trastevere isn’t exactly outside of the tourist area, at least not any longer, but it’s certainly not ugly touristy - quite a gorgeous neighborhood in fact. It would also be my choice for place to stay.

Really can’t beat waking up on a gorgeous morning and strolling around this beautiful neighborhood, stopping for a little suppli here, checking out a wonderful little artisan shop there, and parking yourself at a cafe table on the plaza of the Basilica di Santa Maria and sipping a negroni as the world slowly revolves around you. This was one of my most beautiful moments in life.

Be sure to note that Trastevere can be a total party scene in the evenings, with a lot of festive folks gathering on that same plaza in front of the Santa Maria basilica and in all the cafes, clubs, and bars. It’s a lot more fun than Harry’s Bar and the whole Via Veneto scene - which you might briefly hit after a checking out the Berninis (et al.) at the Galleria Borghese as Alan rightly suggests!

You guys rock.

Trastevere is it, booked an apartment for our group of ten today. Thanks again for the help!

What do you think a cab would run from airport to Trastevere?

48 Euro flat fee, max 4 people, in a tiny taxi, from the da Vinci airport to anywhere within the ancient walls of Rome. But the drivers often try to rip tourists off and claim the flat fee is only TO the ancient walls of Rome. Isn’t Rome fun!

I’ve been home for 24 hours now from the whirlwind Educational Foundation tour of London, Paris, Barcelona- and Rome on our own. What a tremendous city. Our flat was on the tram line, but we walked to the Vatican the first day, ate a lot of food everywhere, and none disappointed. I may have gained some weight on the trip even though we walked a massive amount everyday.

I wanted to thank you all again for the input. Cheers.