Destinations

Sora Lella in the Tiber Island, surrounded by rushing water (in the winter). The island is one of Rome’s earliest settlements and hosts now one of the oldest hospitals in town. Try the “tonnarelli all cuccagna” a specialty of the chef.

Da Pierluigi, in the lovely Piazzetta de’ Ricci, near the Campo de’ Fiori area, a popular source for centuries-old Roman recipes, as beloved as ever. Begin with one of the specialties: pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) or minestra broccoli (broccoli soup). Follow up with spaghetti con frutti di mare (spaghetti and seafood sauce), and then complete it with pesce al sale (fish baked in a salt shell) or calamari e gamberi fritti (fried squid and shrimp).

Trattoria da Giggetto al Portico d’Ottavia: A fine Roman-Jewish restaurant with a terrific backdrop—the portico of Ottavia. Still family-run, still using authentic Jewish Roman recipes, this restaurant bears the official cucinaromana designation.

Ostaria Margutta: An incredibly romantic restaurant on a charming street. The all-red Ostaria Margutta serves specialties such as linguine and prawns, tortellini made in-house and baked turbot with potatoes, all in a candlelite setting. Changing art exhibits add to the decor.

Camponeschi: An upscale restaurant near the Michelangelo-designed Palazzo Farnese, which now houses the French Embassy. Try the fusilli calabresi (corkscrew pasta with fresh tomatoes and eggplant sauce) or, if you favor fresh seafood, maltagliati all’astice (short, flat pasta with lobster sauce). For an entree, ask for rosette con carciofi (veal with artichokes) or agnello al rosmarino (lamb with rosemary). There’s a wide selection of rich, creamy desserts.

Casina Valadier: on the Pincio (Villa Borghese) a great place for an aperitivo or for lunch al fresco which commands one of the most splendid vistas in the city.

La Rosetta: Serves the freshest seafood in Rome. Chef-owner Massimo Riccioli haunts the fish auctions on the coast and pays top lire for top quality, so don’t expect your meal to be inexpensive. Main-course fish and crustaceans are simply grilled, steamed or baked, allowing the clean tastes to shine.

Dal Pallaro: Surely one of Rome’s most endearing trattorias, located also near tha Piazza of Campo de’ Fiori, on an obscure, irregularly shaped piazzetta near the famous “Teatro di Pompeo” where, supposedly, Julius Ceasar was killed. Lunch can be consumed on tables outside in the warmer season and what you get is what chef-partner Paola Fazi cooks. The progression might begin with good bread and oily black olives, than go to pink borlotti beans with tomatoes and basil, followed by a slice of pancetta-dotted frittata, or suppli’ al telefono (Roman rice croquettes made with bits of mozzarella cheese that melt to form strings that, to the romans, resemble telephone wires), fried eggplant, all preceding wide pappardelle ia a meaty sauce and perfectly moist roasted veal with hot potato chips cut in rounds and ovals textural contrast.