Italy: Part 2 Rome
Stop one on our Italian adventure was the eternal city, Rome! We were soon to be immersed in a world of paintings, sculpture, architecture, quaint cobblestone streets and amazing food! As people who are not very educated in Roman art and architecture, we had a lot to learn. Thankfully, there were wonderful tour guides and sites to see around every corner.
We spent 2 full days and nights in this beautiful city. We stayed at the Cosmopolita Hotel Rome, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. It was newly remodeled and in a phenomenal location, easily walkable to all the tourist sites. It was clean, modern and everyone there was very friendly and helpful. I would say, however, that the rooms were VERY small with no real place to unpack. My husband joked that he could sit on the toilet and shower at the same time! There was no dining in this hotel, but there was a small market across the street with water, fruit and a variety of gift items.
We arrived at our hotel at about 9:30 am on day one and had a tour starting at noon. We got settled and set out to explore the city and get a bite to eat. The concierge at the hotel recommended Venchi for gelato. I had done my research and found several pizzerias that served GF and DF pizza. We passed Pizza on Trevi which had been on my list so we stopped in for a quick slice. They only had GF pizza in the restaurant whereas we were at their walk thru specifically for pizza by the slice. I was not too hungry so I held out for gelato while my husband had a slice and LOVED it! We went back for dinner so that I could get my GF pizza! Next stop Venchi! The concierge was SO right about the best gelato! They did not have GF cones, but other places, like Fiocco di Neve did. If you are a cone lover, you might prefer that. Venchi did, however, have plenty of choices of GF gelato and even several that were DF as well! They are known for their chocolate hazelnut fountain. They will drizzle the mixture into the bottom of your cup or cone to add to the decadence of your gelato. They have milk or dark chocolate varieties and the dark chocolate is dairy free!
How did we fill our days other than eating you might ask? We toured the Trastevere neighborhood along with the Jewish Ghetto, we toured the Vatican museums, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel as well as an evening tour of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Navona Park, Marcello Theater, the Pantheon, the Imperial Palace on Palatine Hill, and Circus Maximus.
We learned from our tour guides about architecture: ancient Roman, Renaissance and Baroque. We saw sarcophagi and paintings from ancient Rome, Byzantine mosaics, Gothic paintings, and our favorite, the Renaissance art of Michelangelo followed closely by Bernini and his Baroque style. There was so much spectacular art I can’t begin to describe it. I had no idea that the Vatican museum contained such an enormous art collection! That evening we watched the sunset from Giardino degli Aranci (orange tree garden) which was spectacular.
In fact, we were so busy touring that we didn’t eat anything other than pizza and gelato in Rome! No complaints! I will share with you the places I had highlighted before our arrival and what I had learned about each. Understand that most restaurants in Italy can provide you with gluten free options. If you have Celiac, I would suggest sticking to those with AIC certification. Learn more about dining in Italy in Part 1 of this series, "Italy: an overview"!
Salumeria Roscioli - plenty of options
La Soffitta Renovatio - GF menu and plenty that is DF
Mama Eat Lab - GF and DF menu, very extensive menu which makes me concerned, good reviews though the ones that are bad say poor quality with high prices - in Trastavere
Il Secchio e L’Olivaro - GF pizza
Ciao Checca - “slow” street food, good for casual lunch near Pantheon
El Maiz - Venezuelan Street Food - arepas and empenadas
Pizza In Trevi - near the Trevi Fountain, good lunch spot where most everything can be made GF
Voglia di Pizza - GF and DF pizza options near the Pantheon
Fatamorgana Gelato - celiac owned gelato shop
Grom - GF gelato
Fiocco di Neve - one of best GF gelato shops
Celiachiamo - GF supermarket
Il Viaggio - most everything can be made GF: pasta, fish and meat
Where did we actually eat? Pizza in Trevi twice since it was so good and they did such a great job at both GF and DF, Pantharei which was not on the original list but on “Find Me Gluten Free” and was convenient to where we were that day. The people were very nice and helpful, the food was good, but not as good as Pizza in Trevi. They did a great job with GF though! Both Pizza in Trevi and Pantharei were AIC certified. As for gelato, we tried Venchi and for GF cones Gelateria Fiocco Di Neve. It was a toss up since one had GF cones and one had dark chocolate hazelnut sauce. I’m more of a chocolate person so let’s just say we went to Venchi in multiple cities in Italy!
From Rome we went to Siena in Tuscany, Florence and Venice. Be sure to see parts 2-4 of my Italy series to see the highs and lows from the rest of our trip!