“Italian wines don’t have to be expensive to be good. It is absolutely ridiculous that people feel that have to spend a fortune.” – Gino D’Acampo
I’m playing a bit of catchup. Sure, this trip was last year but hey I got the bourbon trip out of the way so I should be able to get this done quickly. After that, we should be up to date… mostly.
Omg ur still here?!
Thanks for the confidence vote, anyway, let’s talk Italy. Wifey and I have wanted to visit Europe for a minute and we thought 5 years of marriage was long enough to think, “hey this thing is going well we should treat ourselves.” That’s an oversimplification but we wanted to travel abroad and Italy ticked all our boxes. Food, Culture, History, Pasta, Architecture, Vibes, Pasta.
Bruh u said pasta twice after food…
Yeah, Italian food is without a doubt my comfort food and pasta is my love language. I have fond memories of Mom making me Fettuccini when I was younger. After that Cream and Garlic became staples of my diet. We’re getting distracted, let’s talk about Rome
Rome
This was the first time we flew Premium Economy and we let it get to our heads waayyy too easily. We won’t do anything less if we do an overseas flight. It was a pleasant trip for being 8+ hours in the air. Lemme tell you Rome International Airport is BUSY. We took forever to find our airport transfer amongst the bajillion other drivers with signage. Granted our driver was holding a notecard-sized “sign” to get us.
The drive was quiet but our driver attempted to keep things interesting. He nearly dropped us off at the wrong hotel but got us to where we needed to in the end. Residenze Argileto was the most perfectly located hotel for what we wanted to accomplish on our trip. Close to the sights, walking distance from basically anything we needed. When I say walking distance I mean it, 1 minute to the Via dei Fori Imperiali which has a butt ton of sights. We hiked up the WWI monument, the Ara Coeli Staircase, the Piazza del Campidoglio… turns out there are lots of stairs in this place and you should definitely train up before visiting. You can see the entire forum from the backside of the Campidoglio along with the Lupa Capitolina which many folks glossed over while we were admiring it surrounded by scaffolding.
We had two tours scheduled while we were in Rome, one to the Vatican and one to the Forum and Colosseum. The Vatican was an unbelievable experience that we both agreed to NEVER TO DO AGAIN IN OUR LIVES. It’s hard to appreciate the ornate ceiling paintings, beautiful tapestries, immaculate marble statues all while being herded along with 16 bajillion tour group companies shoulder to shoulder like cattle. While we did get to see the Vatican how much of it we actually “saw” is up to speculation. We do have a moment where we got to be awed by the Sistine Chapel and how hundreds of years ago the Cardinal who commissioned part of the project thought to himself, “This is straight garbage and I hate it, you did a terrible job Mike” and let the black smoke stain the ceiling for hundreds of years before we get to appreciate it. I will highly recommend using a tour group to skip the individual ticket lines because that looked miserable as we glided on by those folks and they did offer a ton of context to what we were looking at.
The other excursion was the Roman Forum and Colosseum which are both absolute musts. Having a guide to explain the historical and architectural significance of everything we were seeing made everything seem magical. The Roman’s had heated floors in the palace which is absolutely ridiculous but 100% true… HEATED. FLOORS. WTF. The Forum was not as crowded as the Colosseum, but being in a group we were able to skip the 2 hour line for individual entry. Once again, go with a group to the big sights, skipping the line is such a time saver. It was impressive to imagine the Colosseum filled to the brim with Romans in the grandstands watching what our tour guide affectionately characterized as “WWE but in the past”. While the Emporer could have gladiators executed, it was rarely done because crowds had their favorite athletes and wanted a show, not an execution. Imagine if Mankind and the Undertaker were in a bout, then Vince McMahon decided to have them both executed in the middle of the ring after the Undertaker threw Mankind off “Hell in a Cell” and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer’s table…
…Did you just copypasta that last part from a Reddit post?
You betcha, it’s historical.
That’s great and all but isn’t this the city of your love language? WHERE IS THE FOOD?!
Where we ate in Rome
Pizzeria della Madonna dei Monti
Every good vacation needs a base of operations to recover and strategize the plan of action, that is what this place was to us. They stayed open late, they provided our aperitifs, and they made a dam good pizza. Being next door to our hotel also helped immensely.
Don Nino
Is it a chain gelato place? Sure, is it gonna knock your socks off? I dunno, what size sock do you wear? Are they loose? Then maybe. I can tell you that when it’s 90 degrees in the heat of the day you won’t give a shit if the gelato is from a chain or not you’ll enjoy it while sitting on the steps of the fountain in the tiny square while people watching.
Pizzeria da Zi Adele al Farinone
Just outside the walls of the Vatican is, well, this place. While it may not have the allure or ratings or the fancier osterias you can get prosecco on ice, tasty pizza, and a place to avoid the hustle and bustle of St. Peter’s Square.
Suburra 1930 Cucina e Liquori
We got vibes now. The design is fantastic the outdoor area was large and felt incredible for our late evening dinner. We actually walked by this place while we were heading to the train to the Vatican earlier that morning and I booked a reservation same day. Delicious pasta, a large assortment of wine, and the first tiramisu of the trip. Highly recommend.
Drink Kong
Down the road a ways, was this Blade Runnner acid trip of a bar where we were going to take our nightcap. Every square inch of the place was carefully considered down to the menu itself, which was a work of art. Each cocktail was carefully color-coded and received its own breakout of characteristics. My mezcal-based cocktail was green with grey accents for reference. This may not be everyone’s vibe but definitely grab a reservation and check it out for yourself because a line was a few people deep by the time we left.
Volpe Pasini bistro italiano
Listen, they can’t all be first round draft picks alright. Especially after going several hours since breakfast and walking through the Colosseum and Forum… Wifey was textbook hangry and I found a solution. Was the menu large? Yes. Could we have found something more authentic? Sure. Did we care since we got ourselves a big ol’ bier? Not at all. Proscuitto and Melon was the perfect pick-me-up to get us out of our hangry ditch.
Gelateria dell’angeletto
Hey would you look at that, this gelato is not inflated with air and busting over the containers. This place was legit. Intimate space back in the tiny square near our hotel and extremely delish.
Meridionale Restaurant
I’m determined that next time we’re in Rome we will stay in Trastavere and only eat and drink because holy cow there are so many good restaurants in this area. Grab a reservation, sit in their tiny outdoor space, order a bottle or two and take your time here. The dish here is Cartoccio Orata, which is a steamed smorgasbord of all types of ocean delicacies. I had Bream, Shrimps, Octopus, all nestled over a magnificent broth. Ending with, of course, Tiramisu.
Milea
An excellent spot for a nightcap, the joint was decorated beautifully. Every spot allowed you to watch the bartenders craft their excellent beverages. Afterward, we enjoyed a cool and quiet walk back through the forum to our hotel, we think you should too.
Trattoria Cadorna
It’s the final night before our flight back home. We stayed at a hotel right next to the Termini Station for the easy train ride back to the airport. Take the time and walk to this family-owned establishment. While the worn signage may scare off most, gather courage and experience a real Italian restaurant. Everyone and their cousin was coming in and out and chatting with the front of house. Incredible service, savory pasta, and of course delicious Tiramisu. Remember the calories don’t count on vacation.
Speaking of not counting calories, minutes away from Trattoria Cadorna is Gelateria La Romana. Little did we know the family has been running gelato places around town since 1947. A fantastic end to a fantastic adventure.
We can only hope to return, and quickly. Especially to Prosecco Road, which will be the next debrief.
Cheers Y’all,
Will
W Is For Will 
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