Rome?

Hi all--

I have the good fortune to be going to a scientific conference in Rome in about 10 days. The conference hotel (Ergife palace) is apparently not very central, but not too far from a Metro station. It's in the Aurelio/Monteverde district.

Any tips either in this area, if it's even the kind of area likely to have good restaurants, or in more central locations that shouldn't be too hard to reach?

--Maple Leaf

Hi Maple Leaf,
I'm going to contact my friend in Rome who wrote a guide to Trattorie in Rome, and hopefully she'll get back to mewith some datapoints for your trip...

Seth

Hallo! Word from Rome is that the Ergife is not too close to anything that good:

Maureen Fant wrote:Ergife is not near anything, though it must have a neighborhood with the usual amenities. L'Antico Arco, at Porta San Pancrazio, is excellent. The Gambero Rosso guide lists a few places in Monteverde Nuovo. But Monteverde is not walking distance from the Ergife, so as long as he's taking transportation, he might as well go to the center or at least Testaccio or Trastevere. I'm sure the conference organizer has a list for the neighborhood. The hotel is not very near the metro except in the sense that there's a stop in the general area. It's an
awful location but is about the only place with facilities for conventions and large conferences. That's all I can tell you off the top of my head.

However, if you're in the mood, I can recommend that you hire my friend to do a walking tour of the Testaccio, including its market and other foodie stops. You can find out more info here:
Testaccio Walking Tour

The company I work for, Select Italy, has developed a relationship with several different restaurants in Rome, but we haven't yet packaged a product around a market walk or a specific restaurant for a wine tasting.

I can say, from personal experience, that it would be very worthwhile to make sure you go to San Crispino Gelateria for some superlative ice cream - they have location very close to the Trevi Fountain. And if you want some other ideas, take a look at my fathers collected works - a set of travel journals from his trips to Italy over the last several years, that pay close attention to meals he and my mother have eaten. This one in particular talks about food in Rome.

Also, if you haven't yet, get your hands on a copy of the SlowFood osteria guide, which is chock full of good options at every price point, including stores and wine-shops in addition to restaurants.

Hi Seth--

Thanks for the tips and info gathering. I had begun to gather from my own snooping that Ergife was in the Roman equivalent of Rosement and thus unlikely to be chow-worthy. Fortunately, the organizers will provide a shuttle to the Metro and therby to the culinary treasures of central Rome.

Thanks also for the link to your families travel journals. I'll mine them for tips as soon as I finish the slides for my conference presentation!

Ciao

Patrick