PICK OF THE DAY - LIVE MUSIC IN ROME

Live Music in Rome

Rome is no exception, like in every important city there are several places where to go for live music.

Here is one of the several seleections we found (link to the original)

For your conveninece we placed the recommended places on a map.

PICK OF THE DAY - SUPPLI' IN ROME

Nowadays every traveler wants to "live as a local". In my opinion, at the very end, because of their choices that are strongly influenced by the hype that is created by strong marketing campaigns, they end up knowing very little of the place they visit, especially in a city like Rome.
Staying in some specific areas of the historical center means not seeing some of those things that made Rome what it is and not really knowing a key element of the local culture, that is the cuisine.
In every city of the world, eating in the center means having "touristic food" or spending a lot of money.

As we wrote here, Rome has a long tradition for the street food. Even if pizza is the most common stree food, in Rome there is only one king

SUPPLI' - THE KING OF THE ROMAN STREET FOOD

What is supplì? They are balls of rice cooked in tomato sauce, filled with a small piece of mozzarella chees and then deep fried in olive oil. Here it is possible to find a possible recipe.I would recommend a small variation, as taken by an Italian recipe. After cooking the rice and before it cools down, add some butter and beaten eggs; the rice will stick together even better.

The nice thing of home made supplì is that one can prepare 20, 30, 40 of them in the same time, more or less, that is required to prepare few ot them. Then, they can be frozen and cooked according to the needs in few minutes. So they can be a great resource for those having young kids coming back home very hungry.

And now, where to eat the best supplì in Rome. Next map shows one the latest recommendations found on the web. As it happens for all those recommendations, it is not the Truth and the ranking might change every day.

Anyhow most of the best places are out of the center. And that is the same for any type of food you are looking for in Rome 

By the way, supplì is my favourite street food and my son, that is a professional cook, prepares some of the best home made ones. But he is going to take a long vacation starting next week.

Vincenzo

PICK OF THE DAY - GRATTACHECCA

What does it mean to live like a local? Having to go to buy bread, milk and meat at the supermarket or discovering the pleasures of the place one is visiting?

In my opinion only the second. The first is a boring duty that one has to do every day.

One of the local pleasure in Rome during the summer time is the grattachecca. What's that?

It is crushed ice with a syrup, lemon, cherry, mint, almond or whatever the fantasy might suggest.

Grattachecca is something completely different from granita, a typical specialty from Sicily, and sorbet.

These last two specialties are prepared starting from water in which the sugar has been melted making it boil. The syrup is then added to the water, also a liqueur or prosecco for the sorbet and everything is then put in the freezer stirring every 15-20 minutes. The final result is something that is at the same time granular and creamy. In some recipe, also some drops of milk to get it more creamy.

The preparation of grattachecca is much quicker as it is made from blocks of ice that are crushed at the moment, the adding the syrup. Therefore at the same time one will drink and chew the ice. 

Because of the low sugar content, it will result strongly refreshing and thrist quenching.

Grattachecca is typically sold in small kiosks that normally open in the late afternoon or even only in the evening. Those kiosks usually become also meeting point for the people.

One of the best grattachecca in Rome is sold in a kiosk that is located just steps away fro the St. John Villa, along Via Magna Grecia, close to the subway stop. The name of the place is Er Chioschetto.

Vincenzo

ICE CREAM TIME IN ROME

Summer time, ice cream time.

Here the guide by ROMEING

Here the cuide by ROMEWISE

Do not forget to book you room on Rome at Villa Borghese Guest House

ITALIAN BREAKFAST - WHEN IN ROME DO AS ROMANS DO

From a guest review

The breakfast was very basic and only offered sweet items...

Apart from the fact that, at the St. John Villa, we do not offer only sweet items (the specific guest did not look around), even if that was the case, there would be nothing strange, it's the Italian breakfast.

I frankly beliebe that, when traveling, one must not only visit monuments and museums, but also enter into contact with locals and local traditions. And cuisine is an essential part of that.

Italian cuisine is recognized to be of of the three most important cuisines in the world, along with the French and the Chinese ones (I would personally add also the Turkish cuisine). The order of preference can be different, every person may have his/her own, but there is no doubt that visiting Italy and expecting to eat like at home might sound strange.

ABOUT SAN LORENZO BY NIGHT

In a recent review a guest of San Lorenzo Guest House wrote the following words.

"We weren't completely happy about the localization because we sometimes were afraid to walk as it was getting dark ( many homeless people and drunks).It was safe to walk during day."

I think that it is necessary to provide some clarifications especially for our future guests.

PICK OF THE DAY - ROME RESTAURANTS MAP

 

In a city like Rome there are thousands of restaurants of every type for all pockets.
And there are a lot of websites where one can find the ranking of their top restaurants.
Obviously the rankings are not always the same but some restaurants can be found in several of them.
But, in most of the cases, their location is not whown on a map. Once entered in those websites, the visitor will have to start huntng to find the closest place.
Well, I took one of those rankings, click here to see the full details, and placed all of them on a map of Rome. It contains 38 restaurants of all types and for all pockets. Just open the map and give a look.



And, don't forget to book your room at our properties.

Villa Borghese Guest House
St. John Villa

FAST FOOD ROMAN WAY

Pizza, supplì and...

When talking about fast food restaurants, one thinks immediately to brands like McDonald's or Burger King.
Actually there are not many places from those brands in Rome. Nevertheless there are plenty of places that may be defined fast food, or strett food restaurant-

TESTACCIO - IL CUORE ROMANISTA DI ROMA

In tutte le città che hanno più di una squadra di calcio militanti nella serie maggiori, esiste una fiera rivalità. Sarà perché tutto ciò che riguarda Roma è unico, nessuna rivalità come quella tra Roma e Lazio è così sentita tanto da essere diventata simbolo delle rivalità stracittadina ed essere entrata nella cultura popolare venendo ad essere messa al centro di numerosi film e telefilm famosi a partire da Un giorno in pretura degli anni '50 del XX secolo fino a I Cesaroni, recente serie televisiva e anche Mangia prega ama, film americano del 2010 con Julia Roberts.
Aldilà dell'unicità di Roma, cosa ha fatto sì che questa rivalità diventasse tanto accesa?

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 15

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 14

Tramway Lines in Rome

While writing Part 10 of this diary, I mentioned that combining the use of tramway lines 3 and 19 allows the visitor to see several important sites as well as  hop oon - hop off bus.
Indeed that is true in general when considering the entire tramway network of Rome.

TRE APPUNTAMENTI A ROMA PER IL 1 MAGGIO

Ecco tre eventi a Roma per festeggiare nella miglior maniera la festa del lavoro

Il Concertone

Il più classico degli appuntamenti romani è il concerto che si tiene ormai da vari anni di fronte alla Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. Il via sarà dato alle 15 e si andrà avanti fino a notte.

PICK OF THE DAY - DISCOS IN ROME

Travelling is not only visiting museums and monuments, but it is also tasting food, meeting people and having fun.

Three of the most famous discos of Rome are just steps away from Villa Borghese Guest House.

Piper Club, simply said, is the most famous disco in Italy. Opened in the 60's of the XX century, The Beatles, The Who, The Genesis, Nirvana and a lot of the most famous Italian artists have performed here.
- Piper Club, Via Tagliamento 9
Art Cafe and its twin Babel are currently considered to be the best  place in Rome. Many VIPs spend their nights here.
- Art Cafe & Babel, Via del Galoppatoio 33 (Villa Borghese underground parking)
Alien club Roma is one of the most popular among foreign people and it is one of the most beautiful places, popular among high-level people.
- Alien club Roma, Via Velletri 13

Close to San Lorenzo Guest House you will find mainly live music clubs. Anyhow there are two places that are worth a mention. Like al the San Lorenzo district, they are characterized by an anarchic and young style.

Ex Dogana, located in the former customs area of the railway goods yard, is not only a disco but a huge space for events and performances
- Ex Dogana, Via dell Scalo di San Lorenzo 10
7cl San Lorenzo (also known as Ex Balic) is one of the places that have made the history of the night life in San Lorenzo neighborhood
- 7cl San Lorenzo, Via degli Aurunci 35

When staying at the St. John Villa, there are two places that you can easily reach.

Dancing Zanussi is probably the best place in Rome for the Latin-American dance, especially for salsa, and for group dancing.
- Dancing Zanussi, Piazza Tarquinia 5
Ore 20, located on the attic floor of the COIN department stores building, offers a stunning view of Rome. It is a very versatile place, operating as a cafe during the day for a break during the shopping, it becomes an elegant disco-restaurant in the evening.

- Ore 20, Via Magna Grecia 2

Videos of the performance of The Genesis and of Nirvana at the Piper Club

PICK OF THE DAY - CARNIVAL SWEETS

 

In Piazza di Pietra one of the most beautiful squares of the center of Rome, looking to the Temple of Hadrian, you may taste the best of  the Carnival sweets from the tradition of Naples and Rome at the Gran Caffè La Caffettiera.

SAN GIOVANNI SWEET TEMPTATIONS

Here are some sweet addresses in San Giovanni, ice creams and pastries.

Alcuni dolci indirizzi a San Giovanni, gelaterie e pasticcerie

Cannoleria Siciliana - typical Sicilian pastries and gastronomy - Piazza Re di Roma, 10
Gelateria Rivareno - ice creams - Via Magna Grecia, 25
Gelateria Kappadue - ice creams - Via Britannia ,49/51
La Dolce Costa - pastries prepared with the recipes of the famous confectioner Sal De Riso form Amalfi - Via Gallia, 12 

Taste them, enjoy them - Assaggiate e gustate

CORNETTI BY NIGHT IN ROME

A common saying is "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". Something that you shoud therefore do is one thing that every Roman has done at least once in his/her life, having breakfast before going to sleep. We are talking of a light Italian breakfast, not an American style one with eggs and bacon. Indeed, it would be rather difficult to sleep after that.

In rome there are several places where, in the middle of the night, or just close to dawn, you can find a freshly baked cornetto, the foundation of the Italian breakfast.

Here are some places where you can go for your night stop

• Il Cornettaro di San Lorenzo, Via dei Piceni, just steps away from San Lorenzo Guest House; this is a bakery, not a cafè, and you will have your cornetto for half of the normal price
• Cornetto Notte, Via La Spezia 115, close to the St. John Villa
• Cornetto Notte, Via Ostiense 77, close to the Testaccio area
• Il Sorchettaro, Via Cernaia 49, Porta Pia area, not far from Villa Borghese Guest House 
• Alba Dolce, Via Albalonga 64, close to the St. John Villa (by the way, it is on the same steet of Pompi, famous for the tiramisu, that is also open till late hours.
• Il Maritozzaro, Via Ettore Rolli 50, close to the Trastevere station; this is an institution for another Roma specialty, the maritozzo con la panna (a cake with whipped cream)

And here are few places for the day

• Cristalli di Zucchero, Via San Teodoro 88, Circus Maximus; even if you are not a fan of sweet food, go there in any case, it is probably the most enchanting street in Rome
• Gran Caffè La Caffettiera, Piazza di Pietra, where you can have probably the best coffee in Rome along with cakes of the Neapolitan tradition, looking to the Temple of Hadrian

PICK OF THE DAY - RESTAURANTS AROUND ROME

Alcuni suggerimenti di vario tipo e in varie zone di Roma, dal ristorante raffinato alla tavola calda

Some recommendations for eating in different ways around Rome

L'Arcangelo - Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli 59 - Prati, Castel Sant'Angelo
Ristorante raffinato sotto la guida del famoso chef Arcangelo Dandini
Fine restaurant under the guid of the famous chef Arcangelo Dandini

Kinkku - Viale Guglielmo Marconi 415 - Ostiense, Basilica di San Paolo, Università Roma 3
Cucina espressa, take-away con alcuni tavolini sotto la guida dei giovani chef Simone Santini e Luigi Torraco
Express cuisine, take away with some seats operated by the young chefs Simone Santini and Luigi Torraco

Ginger Sapori e Salute - Via Borgognona 43-46 - Piazza di Spagna
Panini gourmet, frullati e piatti bio
Gourmet sandwiches, healthy and susteinable shakes and meals

HOME PIZZA IN SAN LORENZO

HOME PIZZA 

Come ordinare una pizza che arriverà direttamente nella tua camera, calda e croccante? 

Ecco qualche posto consigliato!!

How to order a pizza and have it arrive in your room, hot and crispy? Here are some recommended place !!

Radicchio&Pommodoro - www.radicchioepommodoro.it

+ 39 06 4441524 - +39 3888875886

Pizza Lampo - www.pizzalampo.eu

+ 39 0627800696 - +39 3475685566

Pizza Jet - www.pizzajet.net

+ 39 067008914 - +39 3896222255

Pizzologia - www.pizzologia.it

+ 39 0644702629

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 3

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A TRAVELLER FROM BRITAIN

I got back from my walk in San Lorenzo and took my room. It was comfortable as I expected and I was happy to find in the room a water kettle to prepare complimentary tea and coffee. After a shower, I went to take a quick lunch in one of the several places that can be found in the San Lorenzo district, such as Mejo, 100 Montaditos, pizzerie al taglio where one can get slices of pizza, and finally I started for my first tour in the centre of Rome.
Having no knowledge of the city and wishing to get a first idea, I decided for a hop on - hop off tour.
There are many companies running those toures with a double deck bus (obviously, seat on the upper deck when weather is good) and almost all of them have their terminal at Temini station that I reached with a 20 minutes walk.
They do not run all the same route, but variations are slight and all of them goes to the most famous places, Colosseum, Circus Maximus, St. Peter, Castel Sant'Angelo, Venice Square and so on. Nice tour for sure to get a first knowledge of the city, and also to meet a nice girl, Janet, that... well to make it short, we are now planning our wedding.
To tell the truth, when the day after I told to the girl at the reception about the hop on - hop off tour, I was told about a very good alternative that is easily available when you stay at San Lorenzo Guest House. I will tell you about that next time. But, anyhow, the tour was wonderful at least because I met Janet.

Campo de' Fiori

By the way, we completed the day at Campo de' Fiori with a nice dinner and later sitting in one of the several bars around the square.

The name of the square (Field of the Flowers) comes from what it was once, a field with flowers. Centuries ago it was the place for public executions. The most famous person that was executed here was the mok and philosopher Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake, whose statue is dominating the square. Talking wih a local guy I learned a something of interesting about the Romans. Giordano Bruno lived in  the second half of the XVI century and became very famous, making also some money, for his work. He travelled all around Europe and teached in several cities. When he was accused of heresy, he was invited on numerous occasions to recant his philosophical positions but refused indignantly to do so. And he went to the stake. Every year, in the anniversary of his death, several people meet in Campo de' Fiori to celebrate him as martyr of freethought.

Whenever you talk to people in Rome you will discover that most of them will tell you the worst thing about the Catholic Church, that it is conservative, reactionary, hypocritical just to quote the first and easiest things coming to my mind. On the other side almost no one could consider the idea of a Rome without the Pope.

A common saying in Rome is  Venire a Roma e non vedere il Papa (you came to Rome but you didn't see the Pope) meaning that someone did't do what he was expected to do.
And, when a Roman want to talk about spmething occurring very rarely, he will say A ogni morte di Papa (on every Pope's death).
In reality the city and the Catholic Church are like two conjoined twins. They might hate each other but they cannot live separated.

Palazzo Farnese

THE FAN

P.S. It comes just now to my mind; steps away from Campo de' Fiori, there is Piazza Farnese where you can admire the worderful Palazzo Farnese, one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. It is the location of the French Embassy, the most beautiful in Rome indeed. However also the British Embassy, modern architecture, is worth a view.
 

Dove mangiare la vera Pizza Romana a ROMA

Dove mangiare la vera Pizza Romana a ROMA 

Qui un tempo era tutta scrocchiarella, verace baluardo –sottile e croccante– del mondo pizzettaro capitolino.

Al massimo pizza alla teglia (al taglio cotta nel forno elettrico) o pizza alla pala, ancora      reperibile in tutti i panifici.

Dissacrati questi valori fondativi dell’identità romana con stili diversi:

pinze, pizze napoletanizzate,           

gourmet con lievito madre e a degustazione, la scena è diventata calda e quasi sempre  

 equipaggiata di lieto fine.

Creatività, innanzitutto.

Ma anche ingredienti ricercati e sapienti mani ad amalgamare gli impasti.        

          Dalla semplice Margherita alla più originale e gourmet, sfornare pizza è un’arte    

  (non a caso sempre più chef fanno capolino dietro le possenti braccia dei pizzaioli).            

 Ecco allora dieci locali a Roma dove mangiare la pizza alta o scrocchiarella,      

      tra creatività e tradizione.

1.  "La Gatta Mangiona" -  Via F. Ozanam, 30-32     
2. "I Gerani da Peppe" -     Via della Pisana, 192
3. "Da Remo" -   Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice, 44
4. "Mamarò" -   Via dei Sabelli, 26\A
5. "Ai Marmi" - Viale di Trastevere, 53
6. "Il secchio e l'olivaro" -  Via del Porto Fluviale, 3
7. "Formula Uno" -  Via degli Equi, 13
8. "Nuovo Mondo" -  Via Amerigo Vespucci,15
9. "Pizzeria Ostiense" - Via Ostiense, 56 A/ B/C 
10. "La Pratolina" -    Via degli Scipioni, 248/250

San Lorenzo Guest House

Via degli Apuli 46 - + 39 3401586022

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 1

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A TRAVELER FROM BRITAIN

Well, let's start from the beginning: why did I decide to spend few days in Rome and to stay at San Lorenzo Guest House?

To make short a long story it's because, on May 2016, my bank account suddenly increased by about 50000 pounds and also because of the history of my family.

How did it occur? I am a strong fanatic, supporter of Leicester City Football Club, I am actually a citizen of Leicester, and, at the end of the 2015-2016 season, the Foxes, that's the nickname of the club, won the Premier League championship. That has been a great surprise, many believes the greatest one in the history of of team sports. 

I am not a fanatic of betting but every year, when the season starts, I bet few pounds on the victory of the Foxes. At that time the victory of Leicester FC was given 5000 to 1. That's the reason why my few pounds becan approximately 50000. Well, I invested most of them in my business but enough money remained to enjoy life.

Likely, most of the credit of the victory has to be given to the trainer, Mister Claudio Ranieri, a native of Rome, from the Testaccio neighborhood, as I discoverd later, the heart of the supporter of AS Roma. But in reality that was not yet enough to decide to make a trip to Rome and to stay in San Lorenzo