Will be in Rome in September. I would appreciate suggestions for hotels, restaurants and enotecas. The prior threads date back more than 1 year. Anything new in the old countries?

For accomodations and even restaurants, I would suggest tripadvisor dot com for info. What is your budget per night for hotels?

We were in Rome last year and had meals here:
- Ristorante il Gabriello near Spanish Steps on Via Vittoria 51. I highly recommend their 40 euro Claudio's Extravaganza which was a 6-course meal that included cured meats, seafood, and meat dishes. Pastas were al dente and seafood were fresh. Go there when you are really hungry.

- Da Settimio all'Arancio near Via Corso and Piazza San Lorenzo on Via dell' Arancio 50. Food was delicious. I wish I wrote the particular dishes, but they were not your typical olive garden fare. Expect to pay about 40 euros for appetizers, pasta course, and main course. This is not cheap either but you'll eat well.

- Restaurant Coco near the Pantheon on Piazza delle Coppelle 51 offered an awesome brunch buffet on Sunday at 15 euros. Freshly prepared pastas, fish, meats, and dessert with espresso.

- Giolitti for reasonably priced and generous portions of gelatto.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DoubleD:
For accomodations and even restaurants, I would suggest tripadvisor dot com for info. What is your budget per night for hotels?

Thanks DD. The budget is somewhat elastic, but a comfortable room in a nice area (restaurants, enotecas, shopping)in the 175 euros range would be great.

I use tripadvisor a lot and I find it very valuable. You have to do a bit of reading and be of a certain mindset/personality, but it's all there.

I love Rome, it's one of my favorite cities to visit. If I were doing it again soon I'd probably stay somewhere near the steps, or on the Via Veneto. Piazza Navona is a very cool place too. There's a great place for lunch at the top of the steps to the left as you come up, walk as far as you can until you feel like you're going to fall off the cliff and you'll see a little restaurant that literally hangs over the edge. I don't remember the food as much as the setting, looking at the roofs of the buildings below from about 40 feet away.

Don't miss out on Trastevere. After spending a few days in the more touristy side of Rome it's an interesting place to explore. I had one of my best meals in Rome at a little place on a side alley there. For the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

quote:

Piazza Navona

This piazza is in the flat area, as I remember. Which way was the hill? Must be to the south or south east.

Rome Cavalieri Hilton, Via Alberto Cadlolo 101, Rome, Italy 00136....On a hill overlooking the Vatican...not your average Hilton. Spent easter there a few years ago with my girlfriend (now my wife !) never managed to get down the hill into the city before 4pm on any day ! Highly recommended.....

quote:

budget is somewhat elastic, but a comfortable room in a nice area (restaurants, enotecas, shopping)in the 175 euros range would be great.

Maybe 175 Euros would be the budget. Looked at TA and found nothing less than $ 292.

Stay in Via Venento area, near steps, and good resturants, and not far from train station.

Rome is pricy, but not as bad as Paris or Zurich. You can find nice meals at the sidewalk cafe's on Via Veneto, that will not break the bank and have some good wine lists.

Although a long time ago, one of the best meals I have ever had was at Agata e Romeo -

Enoteca Costantini treated me well as a wine shop while I was studying abroad in Rome. They have a great selection and the prices were good (2005-2006 when the exchange rate was around $1.13-1.20). I got the 1999 Nardi BdM for €24, the 2003 Oreno for €33 and the 2001 Flaccianello for €34. I'm not sure of their current pricing, but you can check it out on their website. http://www.pierocostantini.it/

There is a very good (and cheap) 24 hour bakery (that's the only name I know it by) that is right off of the Ottaviano metro stop on the A line. If memory serves me well, the bakery should be on Via Barletta between Viale delle Milizie to the north and Viale Giulio Cesare to the south. The bakery itself is not at street level, there is a winding staircase that goes down from the street into a basement where it is located. Just follow the smells or the drunk American study abroad students stumbling to their 3am fix.

Porta Portese is a flea market on Sunday mornings in Trastevere and is an experience in and of itself. Just be careful if you go as there are loads of gypsies who will try to jack your stuff.

Depending on when you go in September, you may be there for La notte Bianca, essentially an all night party and cultural event. Most merchants stay open all night as well as museums and whatnot. It doesn't look like they have updated the date for 2008, but the website is here http://www.lanottebianca.it/

I'll try to come up with a few more things.

Just got back from Rome. Hotel Alamandi which is right across the street from the vatican museum is an amazing deal. $200 euro for bed and breakfast. It is a recently renovated hotel with air conditioning and satellite tv.

I would highly recommend it.