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Dining in Europe > Rome The gastronomic offer is very varied and ranges from an exclusive high level cuisine, developed by some of the most famous chefs on the international scene, to traditional Romanesca cuisine in all its manifold variations, from jewish cuisine to testaccina recipes, from the specialities of Lazio to superb fish dishes, finally ending with ethnic dishes, represented by a plethora of restaurants offering delights from the five continents. The only way to really understand the soul and culture of Rome is by tasting its culinary splendours, in a popular restaurant allowing you to discover the tastes and flavours of traditional cooking through the ages. The delicious Roman cuisine stems from an era when people were unable to afford a meal made with a meat, and therefore had to use offal, which at that time was considered less 'prestigious' but definitely more affordable. Over the centuries, traditional dishes like coda alla vaccinara (oxtail cooked with wine, tomatoes and peppers), or la pajata, (veals offal cooked in a tomato sauce) or l'abbacchio alla scottadito or la trippa alla romana (tripe), are becoming more and more delicacies and are very refined. Testaccio is one of the areas in which to find traditional restaurants serving the Romanesche specialities, especially in the area surrounding the disused abattoir, places like Checchino dal 1887; there is also the district of Trastevere with restaurants such as Checco il Carrettiere, inside the Ghetto you'll find Giggetto and Il Portico amongst others, where you can find a type of cooking known as Giudeo-roman offering unique variations on traditional themes. For the gourmets amongst you, in search of high class food, Rome offers a great choice of quality restaurants. There are also elegant restaurants in the more exclusive hotels, such as La Pergola dell'Hotel Hilton, Les Etoiles dell'Hotel Atlante Star, la Terrazza dell'Hotel Eden or La Veranda dell'Hotel Majestic, it is possible to try the delicacies of creative haute cuisine in restaurants such as Quinzi e Gabrielli, Alberto Ciarla, La Rosetta, Il Convivio, Le Sans Souci and many others besides. Among the most popular places to eat, pizzerias definitely take pride of place. Informal, economic and with speedy service, they are home to pizza alla romana pizzas with a thin crust and a crispy edge. Don't miss the supplì al telefono, fried rice balls filled with mozzarella, potato croquettes, fried cod fillets, fried pumpkin flowers, and bruschette, (slices of toasted bread with tomato or oil and garlic). You'll find them in every corner of the city, but Trastevere offers a wider choice of pizzerias with wood fuelled ovens. Panattoni, Ivo, Dar Poeta, Roma Sparita, San Calisto, Gino in Trastevere, are just some of the names from a wide selection of high quality restaurants. Translated by T McFarlane Entertainment in RomeThere are excellent cinemas and theatres in Rome, which offer all kinds of original shows in more than 80 modern cinemas and nearly as many theatres. The season, in the theatres which are noted for their architectural design as much as their high standards of performance, lasts from October to May and often continues throughout the Summer months. Theatre - One of the characteristics of the theatrical panorama of Rome is the extreme diversity of the dramatic presentations in each theatre. The Teatro Vittoria, a comedy paradise, is an exception to this rule as is the Sistina, the undisputed home of musicals. The historic theatres, such as the Argentina, the Valle and the Quirino favour classical plays performed by famous actors and theatre companies. The numerous private, experimental and avant-garde theatres often host young artists and offer stimulating and quality works. During the summer Rome offers a number of cultural events, including lively theatre and dance festivals, enhancing the age-old beauty of the city. Prose - There are a number of historic theatres in Rome, such as the beautiful Teatro Argentina which was built to surprising proportional perfection and is now the home of the resident Theatre Company. Equally of note are the Valle, one of the most beautiful in the city, and the Quirino and the Nazionale, which are the prose theatres par excellence. These theatres are not the only ones to always offer extremely interesting artistic programmes of a high cultural level; quality works of prose are also shown in smaller theatres. The Teatro dell'Orologio is a smaller theatre which places a great deal of importance on the drama of the author, and the Teatro della Cometa and the Teatro Flaiano offer light, lively shows. Opera - The elegantly furnished, imposing Teatro dell'Opera, is the only theatre in Rome which offers a lyrical season of any importance. In summer, opera is performed outdoors in the enchanting Terme di Caracalla or the Piazza di Siena. Avant-garde - There are numerous independent and experimental theatres providing new cultural experiences of great artistic quality. The Politecnico is an example of this style, attentive to innovative, contemporary dramatic works and authors, as is the Colosseo, a space devoted to workshops, and the Abraxa Teatro, which is the residence of a company in search of new ways to express oneself and communicate by using their bodies. The Spazio Zero offers shows marked by multimedia contaminations, and the Teatro degli Artisti focuses on the work of the actor. Classical Music - High quality musical institutions present a varied and highly popular concert season. The Accademia di Santa Cecilia offers a season of symphony and chamber music, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia puts on chamber music and ethnic music concerts as well as classical dance shows; and the Gonfalone organises vocal polyphonic baroque music concerts. The Teatro dell'Opera has a Symphonic Season which is performed in the Terme di Caracalla in summer; and the Associazione Il Tempietto offers classical music throughout the year. Cinema - In the last few years the cinemas in Rome have greatly improved. Many new cinemas with several screens have been built whilst others have been completely restored. The cinema scene in Rome today is characterised by a fair amount of small, independent cinemas and many large, modern multi-screen cinemas. These multi-screen cinemas are mainly run by two distribution groups, Finivest and the Cecchi Gori Group and screen almost exclusively commercial films. Some of the better known independent cinemas such as the Greenwich, the Intrastevere, the Quattro Fontane, the Pasquino and the Labirinto have recently united to create Circuito Cinema, a distribution circuit interested in quality and innovative films in an attempt to confront the supremacy of the large distribution companies. Moreover, the experimental cinemas of the capital offer a varied, diverse programme recommended to those in search of unusual and refreshing works. Nonetheless, the most romantic time to enjoy a film has to be the summer. From July to September, many outdoor cinemas are set up showing themed programmes and all the winter box-office hits. The Cineporto, near the Olympic Stadium, is undoubtedly the most famous, and Massenzio, is also notable, which screens three films every evening, with a common theme, be it genre, author, subject or country of origin. For some years now, films from the Cannes and Venice film festivals have been screened at the same time as the competitions, in the cinemas which support this interesting initiative. Nightlife in Rome Things really get going in Rome on a Saturday night when the young Romans go out to enjoy themselves in all kinds of discos, pubs, beer gardens, laid back bars and late night restaurants. Many of the nightspots offer a surprisingly huge variety of choice. It is relatively easy to find cocktail bars, which serve beer or which also have a dance floor or offer the chance to surf the Internet, as well as discos that offer live music evenings and also have a selection of games. Café - Many of the cafés are open until late at night, giving the opportunity to spend a relaxing evening there chatting over a drink and listening to background music. The most popular and liveliest cafés are in Via Veneto, in the area around the Pantheon, in Piazza Navona; Bar del Fico and Bar della Pace are recommended, and in the lively, colourful Trastevere quarter. There are also many late night wine bars, which tend to be laid-back, informal and welcoming. These are great places to have a snack while sipping some excellent wine, which is always available at the Trimani Il Wine Bar, at the Cul de Sac in Piazza Navona or Cavour 313, or Spiriti at the Pantheon. Pubs and beer gardens - Always popular, the style and furnishings of the numerous beer gardens in Rome are mainly inspired by English, Scottish and Irish pubs. The enormous variety of beer, food specialities from Central Europe and across the Channel, as well as the live music, attracts a huge number of customers of all ages. There is also the chance to play darts, listen to good music or live concerts and involve yourself in a role-playing game, in places such as the Marconi beer garden, the Four Green Fields, Fiddlers Elbow, the Santi Apostoli beer garden and the Victoria House. Live Music - There are an increasing number of places offering live music from Italian, American, English and African and South American groups. The most successful venues are concentrated in certain areas such as the Testaccio quarter, which offers the best choice of live music in places like Akab, Caffé Latino, Caruso and Radio Londra. The Trastevere quarter is the home of the historic Big Mama and the Alexanderplatz and Berimbau in Trionfale are also recommended. Discos - Rome offers all kinds of nightclubs and discos for all tastes. Discos such as Gilda, Jackie O' and Alibi are typical 80s style clubs, popular with an elegant, formal clientele made up of VIPs, politicians and actors. There are also a range of places that attract a young crowd who want to listen to music, dance and have fun without constraints. As for the rest, Circolo degli Artisti offers live music and original theme evenings, the Locale hosts live, new-wave, Roman bands, Frontiera plays trendy music and the no-holds barred Muccassassina night is at the Alpheus club. Throughout the summer many discos relocate for two or three months to the shore, on the beaches of Fregene and Ostia. Dining in Europe > Rome |