Rome Reviews

The following is a list of reviews of hotels, restaurants and other services during our travel to Rome, Italy in July 2012.


Rome Vacation Rental/ Efficiency Apartment overlooking the Colosseum
We found this place on www.vrbo.com, which I have good experiences with in the past. We stayed in this apartment for four nights this past week in July. Irina met us at the agreed-upon time, showed us around and left us the keys. It was nice to stay in a place that wasn't a hotel for a change- where you have the freedom to come and go and no one is cleaning up after you immediately. This gem was a nice relief after travelling all over Italy all week- cozy, but comfortable. Perfect for one or two people. The bed was comfortable, and the air conditioning was heaven sent after staying so many places without! The view of the Colosseum out the kitchen window and the balcony is magical! The apartment was clean and useful. Cable TV was available, although we hardly used it, as the only channels en English were the news, as to be expected. It is equipped with a decent bathroom, a small kitchenette with all appliances, and a penthouse balcony with a view! Bus and metro lines are conveniently close, although we walked to several sites. Irina was even nice enough to call and arrange a car for us for transport to the airport. It was a nice, comfortable stay, and I would recommend it to others. A nearby restaurant is recommended to avoid the touristy spots- Naumachia was a very good experience and only a block away! Although only big enough for two people, this place was fantastic! 


Naumachia, Via Celimontana 7, Rome, Italy 
Only steps away from our apartment, we found this place on Trip Advisor app while in Italy. It is our last night in town, and we were looking for something close to our apartment. Luckily this place had good reviews and is only 192 feet away! The service was outstanding! Our waiter (I wish I knew his name) was so entertaining- great sense of humor and made an effort to make us Americans feel comfortable. He made an effort to speak English well and made lots of jokes. The food was good. We got the fried ricotta- awesome with honey! The zucchini flowers were ok too. We both had pasta and both were homemade and good. We ended splurging with the wine- first we split one large bottle for 9 euro and then we opted to get a small bottle for 5 euro. Our server let us know that the small bottle "was on him"! We then shared a piece of tiramisu, and it was to die for! So light, airy and tasty! We left our server a hefty tip although it was not expected. In short- good food, outstanding service!


Dar Poeta, vicolo del bologna 45, Rome, Italy
We went here based on a recommendation from friends. It was a little hard to find, but found it in a niche of the street. It is somewhat hidden in Trastevere. We ate inside and waited a bit long for service, but ordered a creative bruschetta (lots of fun choices!) that had white beans and "spicy sauce". It was very good and not very spicy, but was different and tasty. The Dar Poeta pizza was excellent, while the Bufala pizza was somewhat tasteless. Overall good experience, but get the Dar Poeta pizza.


Old Bear, via a dei Gigli d'oro, 2-3-4, 00186 Rome, Italy
We went here based on TA reviews when in Rome. We were visiting the Piazza Novona and wanted a good place to eat in Rome.  This was close by. We sat inside, which was ok, but would have liked to sat inside- very rustic and warm looking. The table outside was ok, but a bit crammed and wobbly. We ordered the bruschetta which was satisfactory, but then we also got bread. We ordered the clams and mussels - not very good. The chicken and potatoes with spicy sauce was good and a nice change from pasta or pizza. The sangria was good, but a bit pricey. The service was just ok.

L' Antica Birreria Peroni, Via S. Marcello 19, 00187 Rome, Italy
This was our first night in Rome. It was a perfect stop after the Trevi. We were actually tired of wine and were craving beer- there couldn't be a more perfect place! It was busy when we first arrived at about 9:30, but slowed down quickly at 10. They are open noon til midnight. We each ordered 2 beers and wanted "pub food". We ordered the hamburger and fries (does not come with a bun like its American cousin). It was good-very rich, succulent beef- almost like meatloaf. My husband ordered zucchini flowers and supli, which were good and then the carbonara. It was very rich, but good. Overall a nice change of pace for Italy.


Gelateria Grom, Via della Maddalena 30, Rome, Italy
I had heard great reviews about his place so when we spotted it as we were leaving the Piazza Navona, we thought we would give it a try. It was busy and there was a line, but it is was worth it.  Although it is a chain, this gelato was to die for!    Excellent flavors and the creamiest texture I have ever encountered!  Go here! 


Cafe Apia Antica, on the Via Appia past the San Sebastiano catacombs
We stopped here for a light lunch, as recommended by Rick Stevespomodoro (tomato) sandwich with mozzarella and some eggplant pomodoro recommended by our server.  The service was good considering they speak limited English and we spoke limited Italian.  When we were done eating here we rented bikes for 4 euro per hour to ride on the Via Appia Antica.  I did not have a passport or license with me, but they nicely accepted a copy in exchange for the bikes. However, the bikes are a bit rickety and not in the best shape, but usable for short jaunts. 

Day 6: Florence: Museums, Decaying Fingers, and Martin (as in Steve...)

This sums up our fun night in Florence the night before. 

On the sixth day of this adventure, we woke very early in an effort to get the Uffizi at a decent time.  For those of you who may not know (I didn't before this year), the Uffizi is one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world that houses several classical pieces of artwork including several pieces and/or rooms by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Giotto, Raphael, Caravaggio, and many more.  You actually have to make reservations to go to the Uffizi, and you still have to wait in line- usually for hours.  Luckily, we were equipped with our Firenze cards so there was no waiting for us!  We quickly jumped to the head of the line and straight to security!  For more info about the Firenze card, see my last post here. 


However, Sam did not realize we had to go through security and that certain items are banned, so unfortunately he had to throw away our souvenir from Venice- our handy multi-tool.  Oh well. We immediately hooked up our iphones and started to rock the Rick Steve's tour of the Uffizi Museum.  This was pretty handy- as it explained several of the paintings, history of pieces of artwork, and interesting facts, helping us navigate through the top floor somewhat successfully.  I have to be honest, however, the Uffizi was just not our thing.  I think I wanted it to be my thing.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate wonderful artwork and respect it in so many ways, but I just wasn't that interested in the artwork here. After awhile all of the Madonna with Child's and portraits of Venus look the same.  As I suspected, I am much more of an architecture girl than an art-fiend.  Nevertheless, we are glad we went, but were ready to move on after 2 hours of paintings. 


We then decided to hit the Museo Galileo- a small museum to dedicated only to Galileo.  And no lines!  In fact the museum is just around the corner from the Uffizi and is lesser-known.  It is also much smaller and the admission was also included in our Firenze card.This was much more up our alley.  This museum is dedicated to the science and astronomy of Galileo Galilei, originally from neighboring Pisa. He was eventually imprisoned here in Florence just across the Arno River from the museum now erected in his name, held on charges of heresy for defending heliocentrism.  


We found this museum filled with Galileo's inventions, tools, and instruments to be pretty interesting.  It probably only took us about an hour or so to wander through it.  We even saw Galileo's fingers and teeth!  This was fascinating to me!  What can I say- I like dead people. :)  Apparently, the as the story goes, some of his teeth and decaying fingers were removed by admirers when his body was moved to Santa Croce Basilica in Florence in 1737.  After they were missing for centuries, they turned up at an auction in 2010 and here they now sit in a slender glass case. Read more about the story here. 

Galileo's finger! 

We were getting ready to the leave the museum and were wandering through the gift shop, when Sam and I noticed a familiar face..Steve Martin!  He returned glances, and he knew immediately he had been recognized.  I have never seen anyone famous before so this was a first!  And of all people, thank goodness it was Steve Martin and not Jessica Simpson or someone ridiculous!  I couldn't get the guts up to say anything to him, but I made Sam sneak a picture as I pretended to look at my map in the lobby. He seemed either very bored or or a little grumpy.  I got the impression that his wife was dragging him around Florence, but I found out later that he is an avid art collector.  In retrospect, I thought that I should have brought up his bluegrass music with him, as I am sure not many people do. Oh well.  It was cool anyway and the highlight of our day in Florence!  Is that sad?   Here is a pic.  (Please excuse the sweaty lady in the front!) 

Steve Martin! 

After our celebrity run-in, we thought we would venture over the Ponte Vecchio and to the other side of Florence to see if we could find the house where Galileo lived out the rest of his life, imprisoned.  After much walking in the heat, we never found it.  However, we just continued to walk to the Piazza Michelangelo. This is simply an elevated portion of the city- up many, many, many stairs and uphill climbs- where you can look out and see spectacular views of Florence.  Check it out! 

Views of the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. 

Florence and the Duomo

Florence from Piazza Michelangelo

More of beautiful Florence

We then trudged back down the hill, by this time late afternoon and pretty hungry.  We were looking for a place along the way, but then somehow passed the area, and we figured we would run into something before we made it back to our hotel.  Eventually, out of desperation, we found a place fairly close to the Hotel Hermitage that looked basic and would fit the bill.  Little did we know that we were about to get the worst meal of our entire vacation.  Bad choice.  We went to the Sun Cafe Firenze.  See the full review here.  We sat down and had two disgustingly expensive cokes, an ice cold piece of pizza and a soggy egg sandwich with horrible service for a whopping €

A horrible lunch.  Really. It was worse than it looks. 

After a couple hours of resting in the nice, cool hotel room, we left to truly explore the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore!  We left around 5pm and walked to the Duomo in less than twenty minutes or so.  The beautiful dome was artfully engineered by Fillipo Brunelleschi.  By the way there are separate charges for the cathedral itself, the Baptistery (with its famous bronze doors designed by Ghiberti), and Giotto's Campanile. We decided to climb to the top of the dome, which closes at 7:00 pm (19:00).  We immediately got in line to tour the Duomo for €8 each.  This is not covered by the Firenze pass. Better yet- there was no line!  Perfecto! The dome was modelled after the Pantheon in Rome and was a first in engineering at the time.  The "dome within a dome" is still the tallest building in all of Florence and served as the model for Michelangelo's St. Peter's.  Read more about this remarkable feat and the construction of Il Duomo here. We climbed the 463 small spiral steps to the top.  It was a little spooky, but very rewarding! I think this was by far our most favorite sight in Florence.

Amazing sculptures half way up to the top of the Duomo

The inside of the Duomo - The Last Judgement by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari 

Another view of the Duomo and the cathedral 

The Baptistery

After our visit to the Duomo, we hopped over a street or two and hit Ristorante Self-Service Leonardo.  After our previous dining debacle earlier in the day, we made sure to research where we were eating dinner so we would leave satisfied and like we got our money's worth. This place was it.  We found this recommended in our Rick Steve's book, and to be honest -  it is nothing fancy! However, there was a line out the door (mostly Americans), waiting for them to open at 7:00 (19:00).  This is when many restaurants open for the evening meal.  It is straight-forward, no frills, but lots of good food for your money. It is actually a cafeteria-style restaurant (with air conditioning!).  It is definitely not known for its ambiance, but its variety of comfort food, generous portions, lovely service, and affordable price.  This place was perfect for what we wanted that night- good food at a cheap price.  They offered everything from various pastas, meats, sides, several types of salads, desserts, and FREE ICE WATER!  Yes, I said free water- with ice in it.  This is almost unheard of in Italy, and they kept the pitchers coming.  It. was. awesome.  It's the little things, right?  Please read the full review here- it would be a perfect place to go with kids. The total bill for all of what you see below (and it was a lot of food) was €22. Here is a picture of our meals that night:

The Chow at Leonardo's Self-Service Restaurant

Then we walked and got gelato at Gelateria de Neri.  This place was phenomenal! They had tons of flavors to choose from- more than three times anywhere else we had been!  I got cookies and cream- which is different than its American cousin- it had chocolate-covered graham crackers in it, but it was good.  Sam got a cone that had a scoop of pistachio and a scoop of amaretto. Excellent!  Read the review here. 

Sam's gelato.

Later we enjoyed a bottle of wine on the rooftop of our hotel while we talked with people from all over the world- mostly to a couple of gals visiting from Long Island. ...And then we went to bed.  

Florence, Italy Reviews

The following is a list of reviews of hotels, restaurants and other services during our travel to Florence, Italy in July 2012.


Hotel Hermitage, Vicolo Marzio 1 (Piazza del Pesce) | 50122 Florence, Italy
We stayed in the Hotel Hermitage in Florence for two nights in early July. It was recommended by a relative.  The location was very central, as it is literally planted directly next to the Ponte Vecchio.  The entrance was somewhat hard to find at first, as the door is actually hidden around a corner in the tiny little square. The hotel is at least six floors. I thought it might be a bad sign that we were placed on the first room on the first floor, but quickly learned that there were other guests. Although the hotel is in a busy area, luckily they have good windows, as you could not hear any of the street noise in our room.  The rooms are very well-adorned with nice furnishings, including a large wardrobe for clothing and a TV. The bathroom was fairly decent-sized with a large jacuzzi tub and an intereresting shower in the tub.  However, it was a very tight space between the door and the toilet. They offered a typical Italian breakfast buffet and a very nice rooftop terrace.  Our first night there we purchased a bottle of wine from the hotel for a typical price, which was very convenient.  They even served it to us on the terrace.  Service was satisfactory. 


The Fish Pub, Piazza del Mercato Centrale 44/R, Firenze
We met friends here and sat outside for beers.  We did not eat here, but they offered good times for good prices during happy hour before we departed for dinner.  The service was good. $$


Trattoria Za-Za, Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 26  50123 Florence, Italy
Outstanding!  Our friends found this wonderful place- recommended by a local.  It really was one of the three best meals we had in Italy over two weeks.  We had reservations for 6:30 and sat outside at a sturdy table.  It was cozy and comfortable. The service was perfect.  Try the truffles- they are known for this! We sampled a liter of the house red wine.  We had a cheese and meat platter as an appetizer. We also had delicious fried zucchini flowers as well- wow! All four of us shared our meals and they were all excellent!  We had risotto with saffron, zucchini, and shrimp, fried chicken with rosemary potatoes, steak with truffles, and a trofie pasta with truffles. It was to die for!   Everything was awesome! Go here!  $$


Sun Cafe Firenze, Via de' Castellani, 50122 Florence, Italy
This place was the worst place we ate anywhere in Italy during our entire two week vacation!  This was horible.  We stopped here very hot and hungry- without doing any research.  From the street it looks ok- a snack bar with outdoor tables.  If anything, we should have gotten the food to go, as it was much cheaper, but we elected to stay and sit.  Prices were MUCH higher.  Regardless, I ordered a piece of pizza topped with mozzarella and tomato from the case and my husband ordered an egg panini.  We each order a coke.  Even the cokes didn't taste "right". Both dishes were ice cold in the middle.  It was FAR from fresh and although we hadn't eaten all day, we refused to finish it.  Service was poor.  We were floored when we got our bill.   €22.00 for the worst food we had anywhere!  We reluctantly left our payment and slouched off in disappointment. Avoid this place at all costs! $$


Ristorante Self-Service Leonardo, Via de' Pecori 11, 50123 Florence, Italy
After such a bad experience earlier in the day, we did some research ahead of time as to where to eat that night near the Duomo.  We wanted something comfortable, low-key, affordable, and hearty.  We found this place in Rick Steve's book and thought we would give it a try.  It is definitely not glamorous, but there was  small line of people waiting to get in when we arrived, so we took that as a good sign, although most were Americans and probably read the same book we had!  When they saw us lined up, they immediately let us in and everyone working there was incredibly friendly and helpful. This place is cafeteria-style.  You walk through a line and choose what you want and pay at the end of the line.  There were several choices of different salads, pastas, meats, sides, and desserts. We had quite an assortment- I had a green mixed salad, spaghetti, and soda.  My husband had fruit cocktail, gnocchi, a salad, and fried zucchini.  All of this only cost €22! Honestly, the best part of this place were FREE endless pitchers of ICE water.  This is almost unheard of in Italy, and we took advantage!  It was very good food for the price and was filling.  This place would be exactly where I would go in Florence with kids. Easy, cheap, and good.  They also have air conditioning, which is plus! Go here if you are not concerned about frills.  $ 


Gelateria de Neri, Via dei Neri, 22  50122 Florence, Italy
Great gelato with lots of choices! They probably had three times as many choices than other places we had been to. Seemed to be a popular place with lots of patrons.  Definitely go here! $

Ciao!

So as many of you know ( I mean really... how could you not with all of my obnoxious posts?), Sam and I are off on a new adventure this week.  We embark to Italy this weekend! To say that I am excited is an understatement.  Coming from two families where travel was not a priority or not always feasible (other than travel within the state), this will be both of our first trip overseas.

To be honest this trip was more my idea than Sam's, and I am lucky that I have a supportive husband who agreed to this "pre-midlife crisis".  About 7 months ago, I was in a funk one day and could not figure out why. I realized that travel abroad was a part of my life that I needed to experience.  I had always dreamed of travelling the world.  I am not really one for collecting stuff, toys, or material possessions. This is more my husband's cup of tea, which I understand; however, I would much rather go somewhere new and fun! I am appreciative that I have ventured through many of these United States, but I have always wanted to experience other cultures and lands. We needed to make it a priority, and he supported me in this dream. I am so grateful!

I am anxious to see beautiful landscapes and foreign seas, learn a new language (maybe a little bit...), try new foods (This is a challenge for me, but I am trying to get better.), soak in the ageless art and architecture, appease my inner history-buff, relax, and drink wine.  And did I mention drink wine?

As you can imagine, I will blog about our vacation when we return.  I hope to keep a log of our adventures, experiences, meals, tips, and more as we go, so I should have much to report!  I will log in and post pictures when I can access wifi, but will have a full report here. Just in case you are interested in our trip, I have laid out our overall itinerary below as a sneak peek.

Muscatine-Chicago-London-Venice

We will begin by venturing to Venice with a brief layover in London.  I wish it was a longer layover, so we could actually poke about London while on "holiday", but that will have to wait until a future trip. Once we arrive in Venice (Venezia)- after an overnight flight- hopefully we can fight off the jetlag somewhat to enjoy St. Mark's Square and the striking views from the canal!  Most of our three days in Venice have been slated in the official itinerary as "wander".  Truly, we just plan to walk all over and soak in Italy.  We may take a water taxi out to Murano to check out the beautiful glass blowing if we feel so inclined!

Venice

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Venice to Milan to Monterosso al Mare

Our next stop will be to take the train (I have never ridden on an actual train!!) via Milan to Monterosso al Mare- a small seaside town on the Mediterranean in the Italian Riviera.  It is one of five small towns - The Cinque Terre- connected by a steep water's edge hiking path.  We plan to relax by the beach and hike the entire trail seeing all five of the towns.  The entire area has been through quite a lot in the last year, as they had torrential flooding and mudslides last October, but now they are back on their feet. I feel that visiting this area is very important, as the people of this area need the tourism in order to make a full rebound. I think this may secretly be the part of our trip that I am looking forward to the most... everyday people in a quaint and charming atmosphere. And the beach helps.

Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

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Monterosso al Mare to Pisa to Florence

Next we will take the train, with a brief stop in Pisa, to Florence (Firenze). We will spend about three days here- soaking in the great works of Renaissance and Baroque artists, such as Bernini, Leonardo da Vinci, Carravagio, Raphael, Titian and many more. With ancient art and architecture abound, we will have a lot to see in a little bit of time! Some of the highlights include the Uffizi museum and then the Accademia, to see Michaelangelo's David. We also plan to climb the steps of the Duomo, walk the streets, and explore the gardens and outdoor markets.  We plan to meet up for a night in Florence with my good friends from college, Abby and Dogan, who will also happen to be there! I fully intend to eat obscene amounts of gelato while in Florence.

Florence

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The path we plan to take (more or less) through Tuscany

After Florence, we will continue through Tuscany, renting a tiny European car and trolling the countryside, visiting hilltowns and wineries! We are staying at an agriturismo in Greve in Chianti. Agriturismo's are working farms that are given subsidies from the Italian government to also function as B & B's, fostering both farming and tourism.  There are many along the countryside, and the one we have chosen is a winery, as well as a producer of olive oil.  We will stay in their farm house for three nights, eating delicious homemade breads, meats, and cheeses while sampling the local wines and relaxing.  We have three scheduled stops over our three days in the Tuscan countryside- all arranged tours at wineries and castles. Otherwise we may just venture about from tiny town to town and see what we happen upon.  I will be sure to give a thorough report upon our return. 

View of San Gimignano in Tuscany

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Florence to Rome

After our tour of Tuscany, we return the car to the Florence airport and then take the super fast train to Rome.  We will be in Rome the final four days and nights of our trip.  We are staying in a private apartment that overlooks the Colosseum! Some of the sites that we plan to see include the obvious must-see's such as the Colosseum, the Roman forum, and Palatine Hill.  We also plan to visit the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain among all of the numerous Piazzas and bustling neighborhoods of the city.  We have a day dedicated to touring Vatican City and St. Peter's Basillica as well. On our last day we may rent bicycles and venture along the ancient Appian Way to sight-see the ancient road that is preserved as it was so many years ago with a possible visit to the aqueducts and catacombs. We then fly out of Rome, again through London, and back to Chicago. 

Roma

I can't wait to go and although a bit apprehensive, I know it will be a vacation of a lifetime for us.  Stay tuned!  

Arrivederci!