Here are some thoughts on accommodation and meals during this trip.
This time we stayed in a great hotel, as I mentioned – next to the Pantheon. Not very big, but we weren’t looking for one. The feeling was amazing. In the evening, if you open the shutters, you hear a pleasant noise from the Pantheon Square, from curious tourists walking, from the nearby restaurants.
The four stars were deserved everywhere, despite our expectations and the experience of tourists, from which we learned how diverse the meaning can be invested in the concept of “hotel category” in the most visited cities in Europe, and not only there. It’s good when you come across exceptions.
After a lot of travel, I think that compromises should not be made with hotels – where you are staying is one of the most important issues, immediately after deciding where to travel. It affects the overall perception of both the destination and the time spent there. In this case, there was no more ideal location, comfort and atmosphere for a stay in Rome. Most of sights are within walking distance. In the evening you just walk out of the entrance and find yourself in one of the characteristic streets with many restaurants.
When it comes to restaurants, the central area of Rome offers an endless choice, which makes it better to use the old tried and tested method – a recommendation from local people. By the way, here in Rome for the first time we came across a restaurant that is closed on weekends! Apparently its owners have long since reached a point of complete financial indifference :), naturally maintained without much effort by the good location of one of the most visited Roman squares plus the crowded influx of tourists at any time. It seemed absurd to us, but it was a fact. However, the truth is that the restaurant has long earned a name, if we have to look for economic logic. In addition, restaurants, like most hotels in Italy, are mostly a family business, and ultimately everyone has the right to relax on the weekends?Naturally, however, such working hours seem strange to the tourism industry, from which point of view you look at it. But the fact that things were not the same for all restaurateurs was evident from a number of completely empty restaurants, which once again shows that it is not just a question of location.
The first night we came across “La Sacrestia” – near the Pantheon and to our liking. Not that at least ninety percent of the trattorias didn’t look that way, but we liked the food and the cramped but cozy hall with crowded tables, pleasantly noisy, and unobtrusive music (Italian, of course).
The other night we were in the notorious “Alfredo” – with walls full of photos of all sorts of celebrities – from Elizabeth Taylor, John F. Kennedy and Sophia Loren, to Alice Cooper :), who eat the famous fettuccine Alfredo, which we remembered with one of the red wines in the leaves.
When it comes to food, I do not dare to miss a trattoria in Trastevere – “Sabatini”. It is located in the square opposite the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere – one of the oldest in Rome. There are probably many better restaurants in the area, but we remembered the one with delicious food, intimate atmosphere, and the warm attitude of the waiter – about 70 years old gentleman, cheerful and loving his work – a view that would be a unique landmark . In general, Trastevere turned out to be a very pleasant stop and if we can judge only tonight – not as crowded with tourists as other places in Rome.
If I have to summarize – nothing that can be called luxurious, we have not seen in the appearance of most restaurants in tourist places in Rome, but everything else can be fully described as such – and the atmosphere, and music, and food. And most importantly – and after paying the bill, which is by no means symbolic, you still come out happy and smiling
