I am just putting this here not really for discussion, but for people to have as data points for their future trips.
We flew from Dallas to Rome and landed here on Sunday. We checked into our hotel and grabbed breakfast then head out to walk around. We eventually stopped at Emma Pizzaria con Cucina for lunch. We had a beautiful tomato salad and a fantastic seasonal caprese pizza. This was recommended by several people who live in Rome and did not disappoint. We went back to the hotel and took a nap before getting up to meet some friends for dinner and drinks.
We went over to the courtyard at the Hotel de Russie and had martinis and great bar snacks…this place has a fantastic ambiance and i would for sure go back. From there we headed over to the michelin starred Glass Hostaria in Trastevere. We did the 9 course tasting menu and also added in an additional pasta course. I thought this was a fantastic meal because the food was spectacular and thoughtful but not pretentious at all. Also i thought the price point of this meal was really fair for what we got. Our waiter was great in recommending wine to pair with the meal and the 60 month Parmesan ravioli might be my favorite pasta of all time. Dessert was also fantastic…i will try and post pics later. We asked to our waiter for a place to go get a drink and he told us to go around the corner to the Coffee Pot. This bar was really fun with great energy and fun bartenders. The drinks were really good and interesting and we ended up staying until close.
The next day we went with a private tour guide to do some sight seeing (he was fantastic and if anyone needs a guide i would highly recommend him and connect you). On his suggestion we had lunch at Pierreluigi. I am in love with this place and may go back next Monday for dinner. Just a beautiful dining room with great service and fantastic food. We had a beautiful selection of fish carpaccio and then a perfect cacio e pepe. That night after a long day of sights we set out to El Floridita for an appetizer and Cuban cocktail. This is a great cheap eats sushi place but the stars are the tartares and cocktails. After that we walked over to Salumeria Roscioli and had a great meal eating traditional Roman dishes and the meats and cheeses from the deli counter.
Today we went to the Vatican on a private tour (i can’t imagine doing it without a guide as the line to buy a ticket to get in was 2 hours long). From there we walked through Trastevere and had lunch at a great cheap eats place called Grazie & Graziella. There was nothing inherently special about this place but it had great energy and staff and a decent Pizza Diavola. We leave for Positano tomorrow.
