Visitor's Gallery
I have started a new posting page for those visitors who have been to Rome and have either experienced a good restaurant, good shopping, or stayed in a hotel they enjoyed and wanted to tell me about it. They are listed under Restaurants, Shopping, and Lodging Recommendations below, in that order.Disclaimer: By posting these establishments on my website here, this does not mean that I can personally endorse any of them that are listed. I am just happy to include other Rome visitors' experiences in case any of you would like to try any of them. I will post them as they come in but please be mindful when reading these that, as visitors to Rome, establishments people visit, especially first-time visitors to Rome, may not be what the locals find to be correct. All comments below are 'personal opinions' of those submitting them, good or bad, and not the author of this website.
If you travel to Rome and have an exceptional dining experience, have found a neat shop or shopping district, or stayed in a hotel that you really enjoyed and want to share it, send me an email indicating the name and address of the establishment (very important), where it is near, and a little about your experience, and I will be happy to post it on this page. Be sure to also let me know whether I can use your name and where you are from after the entry. If it is a dining establishment, what food you thoroughly enjoyed would be helpful to other readers. Any other information that I feel is necessary to put will be inserted in italics within the text to better define it. Thanks.
Visitor's Restaurant Recommendations"We ate a couple of times at a fabulous restaurant called L'Arcano, on the via de Pastini, just off the Piazza della Rotonda, so it is only a couple of hundred yards away from the Pantheon. The food was wonderful - a wide selection on the menu, and a list of "daily" specials - the service excellent, and the atmosphere great. We sat at a table in the garden, but the tables inside seemed great, too. It isn't cheap - we paid 100 Euros for two, including three courses, wine, coffee, and service, and we thought it was very good value for the money. The steak is wonderful, and the Crayfish Risotto was fabulous." - Caroline Garrity, Sheffield, England (June 2002) -
"I've been reviewing your Rome web page on a sort of sentimental journey; I am a college student and spent this past semester in Rome. I stayed in the Trastevere area, which I don't believe really wants more tourist traffic than it already receives, but there are a few businesses that would not begrudge extra visits, and for the less conventional traveler, it is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. A great place to grab a quick meal is on via di San Francisco a Ripa. It sells the best Suppli in Rome and very good pizza as well; it's on the right side of the street heading towards Viale Trastevere, a few doors from the end. Also on the same street is the Standa, an all-purpose store (groceries, toiletries, etc.). The second best (second only to the Blue Ice shop right off the Piazza Navona) gelati place is on via della Scala. They open around 2 p.m., but you have to watch ouot; it's right next to a kindergarten that lets out at about the same time. If you'd like to help out two ragazzi who have started their own pub, look for the red doors on via della Scala. The place is called Flakes and they are prodigious. They also serve sandwiches there. If you're looking for Chinese food (for whatever reason), go to Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, face away from the church, and turn up the alley to your left that goes past the cafe. In a little niche is a very fine Chinese restaurant that gives you lots of food for little money." - Sarah Estes (July 2002) -
"I want to tell you about a great little restaurant near the Pantheon. Facing the Pantheon, to your left, there is the via del Seminario. If you were to go down this street towards the (via del) Corso, just before you get to Sant'Ignazio, on the left is a restaurant called Due Collonae (named after the two ancient columns inside). The food here is very good and reasonably priced. They have the best lemon linguini that I've ever had. - Dave (August 2002) -
"One restaurant that never shows on any of the Rome sites is Pizzarito Pastarito. I think that is because it is a chain and maybe Roman websites shy away from suggesting something like that. But it's better than what you find in the states for Italian food. Pasta is always cooked to perfection. There are several in Rome and if you can't decide between the thousand's of restaurants in the city, this is always an excellent choice. It's popular with locals because it is a great value. The one we frequent is at the bottom of Via Veneto (Via Veneto 13, at Piazza Barberini, across the street from Santa Maria delle Concezione Church and the Capuchin Crypts), Tel. +39/06.4742248. I'm Bruschetta crazy and this is my favorite. It's served as a trip of tomato, artichoke, and black olive. I have eaten here at least once on each of my visits to Rome and have never been disappointed. (Other addresses for this restaurant in Rome include Via Sardenga 34-36, Via Cavour 59, Piazza Euclide 43, Via Ostiense 119, Via Roma Libera 19, Via Labicana 86, and Via Isacco Newton 102.)A great bar in the Campo de'Fiori area is Sloppy Sams. Yoou can sit ooutside for a glass of wine or one of the many drink specialties. They do have a happy hour as well. This is also one of my favorite Bruschetta locations - the artichoke is the best I've found." - T. Stratton (November 2002) -
Zigaetana is located on the shopping street Via Cola di Rienzo, 263. You walk down a flight of stairs and they have a lovely one-trip buffet or pizza luncheon special. Phone is 06/3212342. Price is cheap. Food was great! - T. Stratton (November 2002) -
I would like to share with the visitors of your site the following dining experiences during my visit to Rome two weeks ago. First, my absolute disappointment with the famous restaurant Sora Lela on the island of Tiberina, for its exorbitant prices, below average quality and small portions, which make it necessary to order an average of three dishes in order to fill yourself. It should be renamed "Sorry Lela" and focus itself on the making of ice cream, which was the only pleasant surprise, at the price, however, of 7 euro per bowl.Among the pleasant surprises, I want to mention once again the wonderful trattoria Edy's, close to the Piazza del Popolo for its excellent food, reasonable prices, and its staff's friendly manners.
Another great find is the Argentinian restaurant Baires on Via Cavour.
- E. Rozaki - Greece (December 2004)
Visitor's Shopping Recommendations
"Liquor Store - it's called Enoteca Constantini and it is located at Piazza Cavour, 16, tel. 06/3203575. Good price on all liquor and especially lemoncella (not sure if I spelled that right or not, but the wonderful after-dinner liquor shot famous in Italy made from lemons)."(Please note that I have been told that the locals consider this establishment quite pricy, and the same bottle of Limoncello might have been bought one-quarter mile off that shop in a supermarket for about a third of the price, unless the purchaser is a professional sommelier searching for a pricy brand, or year, in the case of a specific wine. I know when I was searching for some wine, I went to the Conad Supermarket in the lower level of Stazione Termini and found very inexpensive wines that were very good.) - T. Stratton (November 2002) -
" . . . jewelry store in Rome called Raggi, located on the local shopping street of Via Cola di Rienzo, 282, across from Zigaetana Restaurant). There are four of these shops in Rome. One, a little farther from town, is the largest but all are nice and have both expensive and inexpensive jewelry. Purchases are nicely wrapped in paper and bows for gifts." - T. Stratton (November 2002) -
Visitor's Hotel Recommendations
"We stayed at La Residenza on Via Emilia two years ago and had a wonderful time. Your description is good. The entry is more stylish than the rooms. But the front desk staff is what makes this a great hotel pick. They fall over themselves trying to accommodate your every need. After a long day of shopping or sightseeing, we always sat in the little lounge area to relax, and twice we were greeted by the bartender with complimentary champagne. Some may not like the outdated decor in the rooms but, for us, the staff made up for it. Emanuele, Paolo, and Antonio are the best! Paolo has since been promoted to General Manager.
This trip, we stayed at Rezidenza Canali ai Coronari. Brand new, just opened before we arrived. A small, family hotel on Via dei Tre Archi, 13. We loved it. Only drawback is the fact there is no lift and some rooms are on the 3rd or 4th floor. But we were very pleased. We paid about $213 Euro per night for a large triple consisting of one queen bed and one single bed. Very clean, great staff (although not much English spoken). I like the rooms far more than La Rezidenza and the location was supurb? Right off Piazza Navona. Email is info@residenzacanali.com. I would stay here again. It was more than we wanted to spend, but I still liked it." - T. Stratton (November 2002) -
I wanted to share your enthusiasm with staying at Planet 29 Accommodation at via Gaeta, 29, near Stazione Termini. Though it does not have food, we got a room with a kitchenette. There was also an excellent restaurant across the street that stays open well into the night hours with very good food, and an Internet Cafe next door to the hotel so we could check our email. The rooms were clean, the staff extremely friendly, the atmosphere truly Roman, the location seemingly safe. It was not the Ritz Carlton but, then, when in Rome, who wants to stay at a Ritz Carlton! We also enjoyed its location, near to restaurants in and around Stazione Termini as well as its closeness to various venues and especially the bus system and Metro. Cristina was an absolutely charming lady as well as the rest of the staff. A wonderfull delight indeed. We will definitely stay there again during future trips. - John - (April 2003)