Italy report: Rome, Venice, Florence

[sgmils]

My boyfriend and I just finished up a two-week trip to Italy. During the first week, we visited friends and family in Tuscany and Umbria; for the second week, we spent several days each in Venice and Rome. For that second part of the trip, we used Chowhound quite a bit to find good food, so I wanted to report back on the highlights (given the length of this post, I’m skipping the duds).

In Venice:

La Boutique Gelateria. It was recommended by a couple of books, and we went several times. On the last, I had a combo of grapefruit and yogurt flavors that we talked about for days.

Gelateria Igloo. We chanced across it (using the method some of you have recommended: look for steel tubs, not plastic; muted colors in the gelato itself; gelato that isn’t mounded really high in the tubs; signs about natural ingredients, etc). The fruit flavors were outstanding.

Il Refolo. As others here have reported, this is fun place with very good pizza and a few beers on tap. We had a Buffalo Bill (combo of cheeses, featuring a liberal amount of bufala mozzarella) that was excellent—more than made up for the silly name—and a pizza with zucchini and eggplant that was very good. The pizzas paired well with the beers, and the salad was very fresh and nicely under-dressed. Make reservations.

Fiaschetti Toscana. We went on the recommendation of my boyfriend’s parents and all the books. Here’s where I need to note that Tony is an enthusiastic omnivore, but I’m a vegetarian. I’m a serious cook and a seeker of good food, but I don’t eat seafood, poultry or meat. So I’m not the ideal person to comment on the menu at FT, which is 95% seafood. With that context, we had a nice but mostly unspectacular meal.

Tony had a dish of lightly fried seafood and vegetables that he liked but didn’t swoon over. I ordered the “Great Selection of Cheeses” (six tastes), an arugula salad, and two sides--green beans and a potato cake. I love arugula, and I buy greens directly from farmers; my standards are high. So I was surprised that the salad—simply baby arugula, perfectly under-dressed, almost to the point of dryness, with a lovely olive oil—was one of the most memorable dishes of the whole trip. The cheeses were good, but our waiter, who was scarce, didn’t bother to tell us what they were. The potato cake was very yummy, in the way of potatoes at French restaurants. The green beans were overcooked and soggy. We shared a very good almond torte for dessert (a couple owns the restaurant, and the wife is the baker). It probably goes without saying that if you eat there, focus on the fish dishes. Also, sit outside.

In Rome:

Gelarmony. A Sicilian gelato place that my aunt and uncle, LA transplants who now live in a 2000-year-old castle up a mountain in Umbria, described to us like this: “OK, we don’t know the name, but you follow the line to get into the Vatican Museum around the wall and then turn left on this main shopping street. We don’t remember the name of that either. After six blocks, the street doesn’t exactly widen, but the buildings are set farther back. From there, go to the second block and turn left. It’ll be a block or two down on your left. There’s a picture of Sicily on the sign. It’s terrific.” We found it exactly as described. The store was patronized by local workers of various kinds, and the gelato was sublimely flavorful and creamy. Absolutely worth seeking out.

Gusto. We were feeling sluggish one evening around 6:30p or so and happened to drag by Gusto, about five blocks south of the Piazza del Popolo. The outdoor tables were in the shade, the happy hour was just starting, the buffet was calling our names. We each had a few draught beers and two small plates from the buffet—which comprised mostly fried foods—piled high. Although the bites weren’t intensely flavorful, the frying was very nicely done: light, not at all greasy, great with beer. Gusto is a wine bar, so we were bucking the theme with our pints. But that set us up nicely for what was really our second dinner that evening….

Roscioli. Although we’d had enough food at Gusto to call it a light (albeit utterly fried) dinner, we wanted to try the pizza bianca at Roscioli, just south of the Campo de Fiori. In an emergency—like, just a few nights in Rome—we are not averse to having two dinners in a row. So we walked (rolled?) down to Roscioli, where we found the salumeria. It didn’t list pizza bianco on the menu, but other things tempted us, and the cheeses and meats in the case looked terrific.

I’m happy to report that we had one of our favorite meals in Rome there. Because we’d essentially eaten dinner already, we ordered light. A burata starter to share, and a pasta each. The burata—a very large, very rich mound of it—was served with pungent, tangy semi-dried cherry tomatoes and not-too-salty black olives. Heaven. Especially with the glass of red wine the waiter recommended to go with it (I now forget the name). For the pastas—both al dente in exactly the way you can seem to find only in Italy--I had fresh, handmade large tubes served with a light tomato-pistachio sauce and dollop of very fine basil pesto. Tony had the spaghetti alla carbonara, which he said was very good (apparently, the guanicale that studded the pasta was other worldly). We had to stop there because we were really quite full. But we seriously debated going back another night (in the end, we didn’t, which I think was a mistake).

Incidentally, it turns out the pizza bianca is served only at the bakery, which is down the alley from the salumeria. We went back to try it two days later and weren’t blown away, but I suspect our expectations were out of whack at that point.

Paris. In Trastavere, Paris is like Fiaschetti Toscana—widely recommended. Also like Fiaschetti Toscana, you won’t get the most thorough review from me because the place does not shine on the vegetarian dishes. We shared fried zucchini blossoms (good, not great), and an arugula salad (disappointing: not all fresh, soaking in far too much balsamic vinegar). I had gnocchi that were a pleasing, light texture, but swimming in a bland, soupy Fontina sauce. Tony, however, had a lemon veal that was one of his favorite dishes of the trip. He said it was outstanding and highly memorable. If you go, eat more like him than me.

Testacchio Market, Volpetti and Volpetti Piu. On Saturday morning, we swung down to Testacchio to get some goodies for our trip home. We started at the Testacchio market, which has produce stalls in the center, ringed by meats, cheeses, shoes and batteries on the outside. If you shop often at US farmers’ markets or if you’re a member of a good CSA, you probably won’t see too many fruits and veggies you don’t recognize (at least not in early June). But you won’t see too many tourists, either, and you’ll be very happy walk among the goodies, trying to figure out who has the most promising-looking items and the sales system for each. Particularly worth seeking out is the tomato guy; he made us up a basket of mixed small tomatoes, each sweeter than the last, great for eating without cooking.

After that, we headed to Volpetti, where a series of friendly men gave us samples of cheeses (we had about six vacuum packed to take home) and pizzas and torte rustica slices for the flight back. Then we sat down at Volpetti Piu for a slice of the potato pizza and a wonderful stewed artichoke.

Next time, we hope to connect with mbfant (www.maureenbfant.com) for a more structured dive into Volpetti and the market. If you can’t go with her, do show up at Volpetti with some basic Italian nouns and adjectives to describe the kinds of cheeses and things you’d like to try. Frankly, we were underprepared on this front. Though we had a wonderful time letting the Volpetti staff suggest things, we could have spent more money if we’d been less clueless.

Gelateria del Teatro. From Testacchio, we walked up to Gelateria del Teatro, north of Campo de Fiori. Strong flavors, creamy texture, highly recommended. We wound up getting three combo cups, and the best flavor was the “Puro” (pure chocolate). As is often the case, the more unusual flavors, like Ricotta Fig or Raspberry Sage or Dark Chocolate with Red Wine, were great for a few licks but then became a bit tiresome. Not that I’m complaining. I’d head back there any time—I’d just order more carefully.

La Gallina Bianca. Earlier this year, we flew to Phoenix primarily to try Pizzeria Bianco (totally worth the trip, though we still prefer DiFara’s in Brooklyn). So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that on our last night in Rome, we had to try at least two pizza places. The first was Gallina Bianca, near Stazione Termini. I’m glad we tried it, but I wouldn’t give it a strong recommendation. The service was hectic, and the pizza (we split a Margherita) was good but not great. The cheese tasted very fresh, but the tomato sauce didn’t quite stand up to it in taste or quantity, and the crust was flabby.

Pizzeria da Baffetto. Just west of the Piazza Navona, this place has big reputation and a perpetual line. We waited about 20 minutes, then wound up seated right near the counter where the guys (it’s all guys) make the pizza and occasionally yell at each other. We loved watching them in action, and the pizza was very good. Crispy, thin crust, supporting a sweet tomato sauce that blended smoothly into the salty cheese. On the down side, because it was so crowded, the service was very slow. Bring patience.

In Florence:

Ventri. Finally, I must mention that during our first week, we spent a day in Florence, where we stumbled across the best gelato of our trip. We just happened to walk by Ventri (www.ventri.it) and thought it looked good. So we ducked in and got a cup with two flavors: orange and mint cream. We tried about 20 gelato places in Italy, and Tony makes an outstanding orange sorbet, so I do not speak lightly when I say we were astonished by Ventri. We ate slowly, and then we quickly agreed to go back for a second cup (chocolate and strawberry combined—equally incredible). Ventri is a few blocks behind the Palazzo Vecchio, but worth seeking out if you’re anywhere in the vicinity at all. Like, say, Europe.

[sgmils]

Correction: the gelato place in Florence is Vestri (www.vestri.it), not Ventri. Worth going whatever the name is!

[jen kalb]

great report, a lot to think about, thanks!

[GretchenS]

Great report, I hope you post a lot more, whether about trips or about your hometown!

[Diane in Bexley]

Great report! This will be very helpful as we are planning Rome, Florence and Venice trip in the fall. Question - what do you think would be a reasonable daily food budget for the trip? We will be 2 adults, continental breakfast will be at the hotel, so need to budget lunch+dinner+snacks. We don't drink alcohol (no wine either). This will be our first trip to italy - can you get away with tap water or is it necessary to buy bottled water? Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[jen kalb]

I cant answer on your budget overall, but Ive not seen tap water offered at the table in italy - bottled water is nominal in price there. House wine in carafes is possibly even cheaper, but you say you arent drinking so thats not relevant.

[Indy 67]

For daily touring in Rome, you should make a point of drinking the water in the drinking fountains if they are the type in which the water flows continuously. These are occasionally co-located with an ornamental fountain; I think there's one of this type outside the Pantheon. Watch the people blocking the downward flow of water to create drinking fountain out of a hole along the top of the pipe. Then, follow suit.

The water flows into the city via the aqueduct system and is clean and delicious. That said, I can't recall ever having a restaurant in Italy offer me tap water. The waiter simply poses the question "Still or sparkling?" An Italian friend of mine is quite indignant on the topic of bottled water since he's the one who got us started drinking Roman fountain water a long time ago.

[jen kalb]

Absolutely right, . Wonderful water, keep a cup in your bag - itsa great civic amenity, but you will never see it served in a restaurant. the Roman water (assuming the acqua virgina aaqueduct has been fixed) is supposedly the basis for the really excellent coffee served in the area around the Pantheon.

[PBSF]

I spend at least a month in Venice for years, and I have not been able to drink the tap water which is deemed safe. Except for the high end restaurants, a large bottled water will be 2E or less. A daily food budget is difficult since we all eat differently. Venice is an expensive food city. Per person, a simple lunch of cicchetti/panini might be 8E. A two course lunch at an osteria will be around 20E. A 3 course dinner at a modest restaurant is around 35-40E; can be more depending on the seafood. All without beverages. Gelato is still cheap, about 1E for a simple cone; stand up coffee and pastry is around 2.5E; sit down at least twice that. Take away pizza/panini is around 3E.

[GretchenS]

And to stretch your dollar further, you can pick up gorgeous salumi (if you eat pork), cheeses, olives, bread and fruit -- even things like grilled marinated artichokes or zucchini -- at small shops in almost every neighborhood and picnic for some meals. If that interests you I am sure people here can chime in on some of their favorite shops. In Venice, I like Casa del Parmiggiano near the Rialto market and the produce vendor in the same small campo. In Florence there is a beautiful market south of the Duomo called Pegna but in that same neighborhood there are also much smaller (and cheaper) shops that havve gorgeous things.

http://www.aliani-casadelparmigiano.it/
http://www.pegna.it/

[sgmils]

Oh, good point! We got some nice cheeses and excellent crackers at Casa del Parmiggiano in Venice. Served us well on the train ride to Rome.

[sgmils]

We were aiming for about 40E a day per person on food. And we wound up averaging just about that without trying. If we hadn't had two dinners a night and three gelatos a day, we probably could have come in cheaper!

As others have noted, you don't get tap water at restaurants in Italy. But I did carry a refillable water bottle everywhere and found it handy.

[jen kalb]

Ive been known to swipe non-glass water bottles that we didnt finish from restaurants, too.

[jilm]

You can ask for tap water if you want it anywhere in Italy...they just assume everyone wants bottled water since that is what mostly drink themselves.