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The Best Meal Deal in Rome

By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

Rome is expensive. During a trip in the summer of 2005 it was much more expensive than I thought. Every time I had an ice-cream cone, it seemed worth the three dollars it cost. Italian Gelato is priceless. But five dollars for a can of coke from a street vendor near the Vatican? Five dollars for a fast food hamburger at a flea market?

The old saying last is the best held true for my last meal in Rome after a month of traveling through Italy. I was staying at the Girosale Penthouse and wanted a quick neighborhood meal. I noticed a trendy looking restaurant named Doppiozeoo that was full of beautiful people. The graphics and lighting made me think it was probably very expensive, but I looked inside. I noticed a long pizza and pasta buffetand asked someone about it. They explained that the buffet was free if you ordered a drink.

Free! A word I did not remember hearing since I arrived in Italy.

I had a sweet red bubbly wine (5 euro) and gorged myself on pizza.

They have a salad and do it yourself sauce pasta at lunch plus an inexpensive breakfast buffet. Right near the train and not far from the metro, this is a bargain in a city where there are not many dining bargains. When coke costs 4 euro in a nothing special place near the Vatican, it is hard to believe you can get a good glass of Brachetto and a whole dinner for only a Euro more.

It was the best deal of my whole trip. My only regret is that I am leaving too early in the morning to go back for the lunch and tea buffets. Please let me know if you have time to try them.

Breakfast is 7 to 10:30
Lunch buffet is noon to 2:30
Tea is 4 to 6:30pm
Apertivo is 6:30 to 9pm (this must be what I had)
The wine bar is open until 2AM

Owners Edoardo Marchese and Luca di Mattia have a great concept here. I would not be surprised if they franchise it.

The bread oven was created 20 years ago by Edoard’s father.

Don’t miss the bathrooms (they are also free, unlike many in Rome).  Take the see through glass stairs downstairs.

The name means Double Zero
Doppiozeroo
Via Ostiense 68
06 5730 1961
www.doppiozeroo.it
info@doppiozeroo.it

I was in Rome on an extension from the Magic of Italy GoAhead Vacations.
www.goaheadvacations.com

Be Prepared for Italy

BEST WAY TO GET TO ITALY
US’s seventh-largest airline, serving 181 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate approximately 3,400 flights per day.  For more information on US Airways flight schedules and fares, visit US Airways online at WWW.USairways.com or call US Airways Reservations at 1-800-428-4322

BEST WAY TO GET AROUND IN ITALY
RailEurope offers a Trenitalia Pass network which covers 16,000 km (10,000 miles) running daily through beautiful landscapes to connect big cities and small towns, all famous for their art and history. The trains are comfortable and quick and easy to navigate.
www.raileurope.com
1-888-382-RAIL.

BEST WAY TO GET TO THE AIRPORT IN ITALY
WWW.airportshuttle.it

GREAT GUIDEBOOKS
Gelato
Finding Italy’s best Gelaterias
Happy Belly Guide
Fancy Pants Press
www.happybellyguides.com
info@happybellyguides.com

more about Gelato from Travellady’s expert http://www.travellady.com/Issues/January05/1178Gelatos.htm

GREAT SLEEPS ITALY
By Sandra Gustafson
Florence. Rome. Venice
www.chroniclebooks.com

GREAT EATS ITALY
By Sandra Gustafson
Florence. Rome, Venice
www.chroniclebooks.com

Italy: INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE*
By Nan McElroy
*when all else fails, read the instructions
The personal, on-site assistant for the enthusiastic but inexperienced traveler
www.Italyinstuctions.com

Fodor’s see it Italy
Detailed maps and lots of color pictures
www.fodors.com

THE COMPLETE IDOIT’S GUIDE to ITALIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
By Gabrielle Euvino with Michael San Filippo
www.idiotsguides.com

ITALY
INSIGHT GUIDES
www.insightguides.com

FODOR’S 04 ITALY
Shows you the way on and off the beaten path
WWW.fodors.com

Rick Steves Italy 2005
Avalon Publishing
www.ricksteves.com

BERLITZ POCKET GUIDE ITALY
www.berlitzpublishing.com

SPEAK LIKE AN ITALIAN
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO LEARNING ITALIAN
By Gabrielle Euvino
www.idiotsguides.com

THE POCKET IDIOT’S GUIDE to Italian
By Gabrielle Euvino
www.idiotsguides.com

Rick Steve’s ITALIAN PHRASEBOOK AND DICTIONARY
Avalon Travel Publishing
www.Ricksteves.com

BERLITZ Surviving in Italian
A handy mini phrase book with maximum information
www.berlitzpublishing.com

BERLITZ Shopping in Italian
Pocket-size with easy to read pronunciation
www.berlitzpublishing.com

EAT LIKE AN ITALIAN
LA DISPENSA DI FIE
By Stefan Pramstrahler
Hugendubel
www.hugendubel.de

BERLITZ Eating and Drinking in Italian
Convenient pocket size
www.berlitzpublishing.com

How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names
By Dianna Bellucci
They also include a bonus of Austrian, Spanish and Portugese Wine Names
Luminosa Publishing
www.howtopronounce.com

LANGENSCHEIDT’S POCKET MENU READER ITALY
A gastronomic dictionary, phrasebook and guide

EUROPE’S TOP RESTAURANTS 2004
Zagat Survey
www.zagat.com

SHOP LIKE AN ITALIAN
Suzy Gershon’s Born to Shop Italy
The Ultimate Guide for People Who Love to Shop
www.frommers.com

COOK LIKE AN ITALIAN
Order your own set of The Best of Ciao Italia..in Umbria and The Best of Cias Italia..in Tuscany. You can enjoy four of Mary Ann’s favorite programs that capture the hearat and soul of Umbria, a delightful, unspoiled and undiscovered region of Italy known for taste-tempting food markets, glorious street festivals, aroma-filled kitchens, fine art, friendships and more. The sets include interactive menus and printable PDF recipes.

THE BEST OF GOURMET
Featuring the Flavors of Rome
From the editors of Gourmet Magazine.
Random House
www.randomhouse.com

MANGIAMO  Let’s Eat!
A collection of family recipes by Sylvia Sebastiani
Sebastiani Vineyards

TASTE ITALIAN FOOD AT HOME
Try Sacla’s Classic Basil Pesto Sauce on your pasta at home. Robust bail leaves, fresh Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano cheese, ripened pine nuts, biting garlic and pure olive oil.

LISTEN TO ITALIAN MUSIC
Italian Café Music
Putumayo World Music
www.putumayo.com

BEST SPAS IN ITALY
Terme di Saturnia
Saturnia, Grosseto 58050, Italy
www.termedisaturnia.com
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December04/1025TermediSaturnia.htm

Romantik Hotel Turm
Kichplatz - P.zza della Chiesa 9
I - 39050 Völs a. Schlern/Fiè allo Sciliar
Tel:  0039 0471 725014
Fax: 0039 0471 725474
turm@romantikhotels.com
www.hotelturm.it
www.romantikhotels.com

MOST SOCIALLY CORRECT SOUVENIR
Orphange Africa Love Beads
Sexy e Solidali
By Missoni
Made in Ghana, all profits from this lovely necklace or belt (if your waist is small enough) go to an African orphanage. Made from thin, flexible tubes filled with colorful little beads, each piece of jewelry also has three bells inside in accordance with some African superstituion. You can buy this jewelry in any Missoni store or at
www.oafrica.org

Madelyn’s favorite Italian wines
Rosa Regale by Castello Banfi
Prosecco
Brachetto

ROME
RICK STEVE’S ROME 2004
Avalon Travel Publishing
www.Ricksteves.com

SHOPPING IN ROME
Insights Guide
www.insightguides.com

INSIGHT GUIDE INSTANT ROME
www.insightguides.com

ACCESS ROME
By Richard Saul Wurman
HarperResource
www.harpercollins.com

INSIGHT FLEXIMAP ROME
Laminated for durability
www.insightguides.com

Wear your favorite city on a scarf! Tasaram's 100% silk Map Scarves feature detailed street plans of London, Paris, Rome, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. with more cities coming soon.
www.mapscarves.com

BERLITZ City Guidemap
www.berlitzpublishing.com

WHERE TO STAY
Rome Cavalieri Hilton
via A. Cadlolo, 101
00136 Rome, Italy
tel+39 06 35092233
fax+39 06 35450331
www.cavalieri-hilton.it
www.hilton.com
This is one of my favorite hotels in the world. Be sure to stay on the concierge floor and take advantage of a fabulous lounge serving non-stop food, offering computer access and worth every extra euro.
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December04/1039PrincessInRome.htm

Girosol BandB
www.girasolereale.com
info@girasolereale.com
MOBILE PH +393476204172
HOME PH +39065084265
FAX PH +39065084265
http://www.travellady.com/Issues/November04/1041LivingArtistRome.htm

WHERE TO EAT
Try brunch at the Cavalieri Hilton or dine in their rooftop Garden which has two Michelin stars
Rome Cavalieri Hilton
via A. Cadlolo, 101
00136 Rome, Italy
tel+39 06 35092233
fax+39 06 35450331
www.cavalieri-hilton.it
www.hilton.com

L’Olimpo is a rooftop restaurant above Ber…….with a fabulous view of Rome. Enjoy a wonderful panorama over the town from a very central location
SINA HOTELS -Piazza Barberini,23 - 00187

Gui dal Ponte
Il Ristorante Galleggiante
335 231119 or 349 679651
Lunch 12:15 to 2:30 Pm
Dinner 7:45 to 10:45 pm

My best Roman buddy, artist and entrepreneur Barbara Reale, is a frequent diner here and she shared this favorite with me. An award winning international chef is running the inspired kitchen. Fresh fish that tastes like it just jumped out of the water and exquisitely presented pastas are followed by some of the best desserts I have had in Rome. Don’t miss the crispy sugar basket filled with lemon cream and garnished with raspberries.
You can get there by car or take the glorious river boat Tevere Green.

Antica Trattoria Trilussa
Via di Ponte Sisto, 80
Roma 00153
Phone 06 5883411
My friend Rose Lee Hayden who lived in the Trastevere area took me to this local favorite. Reasonable prices, great food, and friendly service. Sit outside on a nice day.

BEST MEAL DEAL IN ROME
I ate my last super here, and I was frustrated I had not found this wonderful local restaurant sooner. The trendy graphics and lighting caught my eye. I wandered in for a pizza, and found they had a free buffet of pasta, pizza and salad if you ordered a drink. I had a sweet red bubbly wine (5 euro) and gorged myself on pizza. They have a salad and do it yourself sauce pasta at lunch plus an inexpensive breakfast buffet. Right near the train and not far from the metro, this is a bargain in a city where there are not many dining bargains. When coke costs 4 euro in a nothing special place near the Vatican, it is hard to believe you can get a good glass of Brachetto and a whole dinner for only a Euro more. Be sure to go downstairs (the steps are see through glass) to see the trendy bathroom and wine cellar.
The name means Double Zero.

Doppiozeroo
Vis Ostiense 68
06 5730 1961
www.doppiozeroo.it
info@doppiozeroo.it

WHERE TO SHOP
The God Store
If shopping is your religion, you will worship this store. It has nothing to do with the Vatican, but sells many religious items and great souvenirs at absolute bargain prices. I bought two necklaces for five Euro each (just over Six dollars). Scarves were less than four euro. This could be a wonderful one stop shopping place for gifts to bring home.
Brunelli Dr. Armando
Vicolo del Quartiere 7
06 5895690
info@brunelliarmando.com
www.brunelliarmando.com

MOST RELAXING WAY TO SEE ROME FROM TIBER
Take a scenic riverboat ride down the Tiber on specially designed boats that are quiet and do not disturb the local animals. Imagine hearing the birds chirping and fish jumping out of the water in the middle of Rome. This is a great morning tour for weary travelers who will be refreshed by the fresh air and interesting commentary on the historic journey Romans took down this river at different times in history. The boat tour goes to Giu dal Ponte restaurant where you can get a wonderful meal. Once a month there is an evening romance cruise.
www.teveregreen.it
info@teveregreen.it
335 231119 or 349 679651

BEST GUIDE
If being a guide runs in your blood, Angelica Vinaccia has the best genes. Like her father, she has been  a guide her whole life and her English and Spanish skills are exceptional. She is very knowledgeable and charming and so beautiful I would hate her if she weren’t so helpful.
Agelica Vinaccia
Angelicavin@tin.it
347 9109704
068602795

BEST CHOCOLATE SHOP
If you tire of Italian gelato, the next best indulgence is always chocolate. Try their delicious pralines with peperoncino and the sacher torte.

VALZANI
Via Del Moro n. 37 a/b
06/580 3792
Fax 06/580 3792
valzani@tiscali.it
www.valzani.it 

ITALIAN LITERATURE TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD
VENETIAN STORIES
By Jane Turner Ruylands
Pantheon Books
www.pantheon.com

The thoroughly engaging characters who are the focus of these stories are from different backgrounds and various Venetian neighborhoods, but their lives—and the stories—overlap and intersect in surprising and playful ways.

CASA ROSA
By Francesca Marciano
(author of Rules of the Wild)
Pantheon Books
www.pantheonbooks.com

A mesmerizing story of three generations of a twentieth-century Italian family who lived in a farmous in Puglia.

JOHN PAUL II
A personal portrait of the Pope and the Man
By Ray Flynn
St. Martin’s Press
www.stmartins.com

BEHIND LOCKED DOORS
By Frederic Baumgartner
The author is a former president of the American Catholic Historical Association and takes readers behind the scenes and offers an insider’s view on the highly secretive Papal Conclave.
Palgrave Macmillan
www.palgrave-usa.com

DANCES WITH LUIGI
By Paul Paolicelli
A moving an intimate memoir of award-winning television journalist Paul Paolicelli’s ancestral search.

UNDER THE SOUTHERN SUN
By Paul Paolicelli
Stories of the Real Italy and the Americans it Created
Part Travelogue, part journalism and part sociological study, this book follows Paolicelli as he explores Southern Italy dealing with the concept of heritage.
Thomas Dunne Books
A division of St Martin’s press
www.stmartins.com

VENICE AGAINST THE SEA
A city Besieged
By John Keahy
In a few years, much of Venice may be under water..can this beautiful city be saved?Thomas Dunne Books
A division of St Martin’s press
www.stmartins.com

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