Rome Travel Guide

Rome Architecture, History, Art, Museums, Galleries, Fashion, Music, Photos, Walking and Hiking Itineraries, Neighborhoods, News and Social Commentary, Politics, Things to Do in Rome and Environs. Over 900 posts

Friday, March 27, 2009

Search Inside Rome the Second Time...

On amazon.com, you now can preview Rome the Second Time through the search-inside-this-book feature - includes the table of contents, index, parts of the first chapter, and "surprise me" (hey - we were surprised!).

Kindle... Rome the Second Time

Rome the Second Time is now available in a Kindle edition... As they say, you can be reading it in less than 2 minutes... a perfect way to try out Rome - from your armchair or your seat on a plane. And you can sample Rome the Second Time free on your Kindle or Kindle for iPhone. Go for it ("dai... dai...!").

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Restaurants in Rome

Who doesn't enjoy the vicarious thrill of reading about eating in Rome... but $50 per person as frugal? We don't think so!

The New York Times titled its column Sunday on Rome trattorias ("trattorie" is the plural in Italian) - "Let the Debate Begin"... and we'll take the NYT writer, Danielle Pergament, up on that.

We think of frugal as $50 (or less) per couple - yes, with wine and with more than a pasta dish.

Among those in Rome the Second Time are Pigneto's L'Infernotto [via del Pigneto 31/33; tel. 06.7030.4040, closed Mondays]- up the street from Quarantuno and absolutely marvelous and less pricey, and in the decidedly non-touristy Appio Latino section outside the city walls, Bill prefers the bustling and family-run La Zingarella (Gypsy Girl), which specializes in seafood pasta and is definitely for the frugal [via G. Capponi, 61/63, just off Piazza Scipione Ammirato; tel. 06.781.0687, closed Mondays].

Dianne says go for the romantic, tiny Mithos - La Taverna delll'Allegria [via Benedetto Varchi, 3 – across the piazza from La Zingarella; tel. 06.784.0034, closed Wednesdays] – more a specialty restaurant than trattoria, but definitely trattoria prices.  Mithos  has expanded and is on the nearby Piazza Scipione Ammirato at #7.  Same telephone.  Email - info@mithostaverna.it.  We plan a lengthy post on this, our favorite restaurant in Rome,  soon.

For what could be the cheapest meal in Rome, and yet still of excellent quality, there's nearby Ada e Mario, where you can still get a pasta alla boscaiola for under $7 [Circonvallazione Appia, 81, closed Sundays].

All 3 of these are in the Appio Latino neighborhood and less than half a mile from stops on the A (Red) Metro line. Open only in the evenings.

Bill is so cheap we have to find these places! Want to join the debate??

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Available Now!

Rome the Second Time: 15 Itineraries That Don't Go to the Coliseum

By Dianne Bennett and William Graebner

Designed for the tourist seeking a fresh, authentic, Roman experience, this intimate, stimulating guide explores Rome’s bustling close-in neighborhoods, its splendid modern architecture, and its rivers, magnificent fountains, and aqueducts. Itineraries take the reader to Fascist and occupied Rome of World War II, the nearby Alban Hills, and the Eternal City’s lesser-known green spaces. Innovative chapters feature cultural and artistic Rome, including art galleries, jazz clubs, film locations, and rooftop bars--even places that offer a sumptuous (and free) vernissage of wine and hors d’oeuvres. With Bill and Dianne as guides—their voices part of the experience—the curious traveler will discover a housing project built under Mussolini; ascend a little-known holy Roman road on the city’s outskirts; spend an evening in the out-of-the-way, artsy neighborhood of Pigneto; enjoy a trattoria where only Italians eat; and, among the book’s many informative, creative “sidebars,” find in one the troubling story of Rome's Jewish community, and in another locate sites in Angels & Demons. 16 maps, 70 photos, an index, and detailed directions and instructions make this “new” Rome easily accessible. For the frugally-minded, at times adventurous (at times armchair) traveler.

Publication date: March 15, 2009

ISBN-13 978-0-61527-998-5 ($14.99)

CAN $18.49 ₤10.49 €13.90

Inquiries, copies for review consideration:

716.353.3288 to 4.1, after 6.23

011 39 333 9368 331 (Rome, Italy) 4.2-6.23

info@curioustravelerpress.com

“Surprising, moving and extraordinary….Makes me want to move back to Rome tomorrow.”

Patrizio Nissirio (Roman), International Correspondent, Ansa-Italian News Service


“Passionate and intelligent—a rich and wonderful guidebook to unknown and under-discovered sites. Even after living in Italy for over 25 years, I found new information, new walks, and new discoveries in Rome the Second Time.”

Dana Prescott, Executive Director, Civitella Ranieri, Italy, and author of Rome with Kids


Foreword by Walter Veltroni, Mayor of Rome, 2001-2008