When in Roma
A trip to Rome can set one off thinking about the roots of civilization and, of course, its decline. If ever there was a symbol of the age of post-modernity, or post-anything for that matter, it is the sight of thousands of tourists navigating ancient ruins through iphones perched on selfie sticks. Aided by this self-referential tool, millions every year get to put themselves right in the cradle of western civilization, and share it with the world without putting their phones down for a moment. Their experience of the cultural giants around them is entirely refracted into an “I was here” experience. Good for them too you might say, or “when in Rome”.
This shouldn’t deter you from visiting Rome though, unless you are constitutionally inclined to misanthropy or nihilism. Because Rome is far more than its historical monuments, as awe inspiring and impressive as those are. In the interstices of the old streets, and also in the newer urban and suburban areas, is a city heaving with energy, interesting style, sexy vespas and endlessly delicious food and produce. It's the kind of city we can imagine visiting for longer, it's got some of the modern energy of New York and all of the grace of its classical architecture.
Rome is the proud capital of a nation obsessed with food and produce, it also boasts its own city cuisine. Unlike Paris, which is aching for a revival of its fading cuisine, Rome’s unchanged eateries feel fresh and authentic. A perfect scrocchiarella, the thin crust Pizza invented in Rome baked with vigor at the 40 year old Pizzeria Remo still feels cutting edge (excuse the pun). Or an espresso at the 68 year old Café De St. Eustachio feels just as contemporary as it does timeless. When it comes to food and drink, Rome quickly shows us the difference between classic and conservative. Having said all this, there are a range of tourist oriented establishments which will rip you off, so go prepared and informed.
Local
Our usual way of preparing for a trip like this is on the plane, using a range of sources printed in haste, and identifying those places mentioned by more than one of them: a classic data triangulation technique. This time we used references in Monocle, Wallpaper, The New York Times, The Guardian, Parla Food, and a local website called The Roman Digest which helped guide us through suggestions. We also had some excellent tips from an Italian colleague of Kim’s.
A visit to Rome must involve pizza, which requires a pre-determined strategy to ingest carbohydrates. There are two kinds on offer in Rome. The round scrocchiarella thin-crust version which Rome claims as their own, and the Neopolitan thicker type with a range of toppings served by the square or oblong piece at many locations. Our pizza quest started extremely well at the 40 year old Forno Di Campo de’ Fiori and was the perfect accompaniment to a morning at the famous food market. The pizza comes out hot and is served, at great speed, as a sandwich in brown paper. It's worth waiting for a new slab of pizza to come out of the oven to get the full effect. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. The taste sensations on the street outside while munching down our selection of piping hot porcini, carciofi and melanzane pizza will stay with us forever. The crust was crispy and oily in quite the most sublime way, and provided the perfect base for the delicious toppings.
Our intrigue with this style of pizza led us to the new and much lauded Pizzarium which was founded by maverick chef, Gabriele Bonchi, and also hosts a pizza school. We were lucky to be staying very close to Pizzarium which is in the Prati area behind the Vatican, and very much wedded to its urban street roots. The pizza Bonchi creates has been lauded as the best in Italy, and is famous for using very particular organic, stone ground, ingredients. The toppings are certainly the most adventurous in Italy, including such combinations as rabbit, raisin and fennel greens. Locals spend their evening standing at the high tables on the pavement outside sampling every flavour that comes out of the oven, accompanied by house wine or a kraft beer from the fridge. All this said, we weren’t convinced ultimately that the taste outshone the perfection of the old school offering at Forno Di Campo De Fiori. Still, the place is most certainly worth a visit, particularly as it takes you out of the historic centre of Rome.
We had two samplings of the thin crust 'scrocchiarella' pizza. One in the historic centre at Da Francesco on the Piazza del Fico in Rome, and the previously mentioned Pizza Remo further afield. Pizza Remo certainly won between the two, and is absolutely worth the visit for the feeling of the place as well as the pizza. Da Francesco also has a great vibe, and is on a lovely square next to the seriously cool Bar Del Fico. A great place to hang out in the historic centre, and mostly protected from the tourists.
Other eating highlights included the adventurous L’Osteria Di Monteverde situated in the residential area of Monteverde and the famous Salumeria Roscioli where you can get exceptional ingredients accompanied by exquisite glasses of wine. Both venues allowed us to try out Rome’s signature pasta dish Cacio e Pepe, which is a stunning mix of pecorino, parmesan and pasta. A visit to the old Jewish ghetto on Saturday evenings is also a good idea. You can sit and enjoy a huge variety of dishes involving carciofi, most particularly Carciofi alla Giuida, on the Via del Portico d’Ottavia. This cheerful atmosphere contrasted strongly with the rather odd night time atmosphere on Via San Giovanni in Laterano – Rome’s “Gay Street”. We also enjoyed a drink in the stylish garden at the Hotel Locarno which hosts trendy Romans and their pampered dogs, and the rooftop bar of the Hotel Raphael where the sumptuous view helpfully distracted from the strange bar snacks. Finally, you must all visit the Gelateria Dei Gracchi, which serves wonderful wholly organic gelati in a lovely residential street near the Vatican.
We’re not going to dwell too much on the history stuff, which we are sure you all know and about which plenty is written (except to say that we were tempted at times to grab the tour guide umbrellas and lead the hordes on some spurious route, but in the end we thought better of it). Having said that we did book ahead and jump the queue to see the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Its well worth it, despite the feeling that you are part of a mass pilgrimage in a narrow passage, it was awe inspiring along the way and breathtaking to see Michaelangelo’s epic creation and to spot the few tourists who defied the ban on photography and reverential silence. The Carravagios in the San Luigi dei Francesci were far more accessible, and similarly stunning.
The sheer significance, scale and age of the Pantheon also inspires, and we even had an etymological explanation from a tuk-tuk driver on the way the Colloseum had gained its famous title.
Finally, in our last moments in Rome we stumbled upon two great shops opposite each other spatially (though their branding may suggest a similarly conceptual divide): Strategic Business Unit and Society. Both are a must, though Strategic Business Unit will surprise for its style to price value, in ways that Society won’t.
We’re going back to Rome, probably to learn Italian. There wasn’t enough time to explore skyline vistas from the Villa Borghese, but a drive by on the way to the Hotel Locarno made us determined to spend more time watching Rome’s skyline the next time we visit. There is also a sense that we’d scratched the street-level surface, that we hadn’t spent nearly enough time exploring the historic centre and Trastevere, and we also must return to Bar Del Fico at night. When we return we’ll let you know, and our first stop will be for coffee at Café St. Eustachio, which quickly entrenched itself in our morning routine. It's the perfect place to watch Romans meet, and to fall in love with their vitality and their idiosyncracies. Its just one reason to love this city, and to keep going back.
