On The Town In Rome

We decided to steer clear of the touristy areas for dinner and try to find something more along the lines of typical neighborhood fare. The shuttle from the Hotel also drops you off by the railroad station, although I don't think it is the one we came into. This one does have a train that goes to the airport though. It is pretty small. No matter, we weren't going to be taking any trains. It was also near to a subway stop and along a trolley lines.

The neighborhood is a bit on the run down side with a lot of, not sure what to call them, places that cater to the commercial trade and things like that. Garages, whatever. There were a couple of bars that had gambling and billed themselves as casinos. I should have peeped in one but for some reason I didn't. Well, the some reason was the Equally Mysterious Sister who doesn't really feel comfortable in places like those. She didn't say anything, but I know her well.

There is a main drag, Viali di Trastevere. It runs a couple of blocks away from and parallel to the river, Fume Tevere. It then dead ends at the rivers edge where the river makes a bend. As you walk further along the street away from the train station the neighborhood becomes more residential with retail stores and little restaurants, many with outside seating.

We pretty much picked the first one we came to that looked nice, and we weren't disappointed.

Pancotto


Having worked up a bit of a thirst I decided to order a carafe of their house red. A nice little wine that they served in a stoneware pitcher.

A Picture Of Pancotto's Pitcher


Now I Feel Like I Am In Rome


I had a pork dish really good in a rustic way. The Mysterious Chinese Woman opted for a whole fish and she wasn't disappointed.

Not For Tourists


Somewhere along the way we also had gnocchi. I am not sure if it came with something or we ordered as a side dish. All I can say is that it was delicious. The best, by far, that I have ever eaten. It was fluffy yet chewy and not at all doughy like they so often are. The service was really good and very friendly. We chatted a bit with the owner and he was a riot. We really enjoyed ourselves and if we had the time we all agreed that we would come back again.

It wasn't too crowded when we arrived, but then we were early for Italy. By the time we were finishing up it had pretty much filled up though.

That's Me In The Back


We decided to walk along Viali di Trastevere to the river and then walk along the river for a ways on our way back to the shuttle. It turns out that this stretch by the river is the scene to a lot of night life.

Down To The Fun


Again, by Italian standard this was still very early so there weren't a whole lot of people here yet. But the walkway was lined with little bar areas and stages for bands. I bet along about midnight this place really rocks.





My opinion about Rome is starting to change a little bit now that I am discovering more and more interesting thing. In fact on our walk back to the shuttle we passed a real neat looking restaurant with an outdoor garden area. We all agreed that is where we should have our last dinner in Rome the next night.