ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1019

$$ Hotel Gerber, set in a quiet residential area, is family-run with 27 well-polished,
businesslike rooms (Sb-€140, Db-€180, Tb-€200, Qb-€220, ask about discount with this
book when you book direct, air-con, elevator, Wi-Fi, leafy terrace; from Lepanto Metro
station, go one block down Via M. Colonna and turn right to Via degli Scipioni 241; tel.
06-321-6485, fax [phone], www.hotelgerber.it , [e-mail] ; Peter, Simonetta,
and friendly dog Kira).
$ Casa Valdese is an efficient, well-managed, church-run hotel that's popular with Ger-
mans. Its 33 big, quiet rooms are located just over the Tiber River and near the Vatican. It
feels safe if a bit institutional, with the bonus of two breezy, communal roof terraces with
incredible views (two external Sb-€58, Db-€130, Tb-€180, Qb-€210, discounts for 3-night
stays,air-con,InternetaccessandWi-Fi;fromLepantoMetrostation,gooneblockdownVia
M.Colonna,turnleftonViadegliScipioni,thencontinueforablocktotheintersectionwith
ViaAlessandroFarnese18;tel.[phone],fax[phone], www.casavaldeseroma.it , re-
[e-mail] , Matteo).
$ Casa per Ferie Santa Maria alle Fornaci is simple and efficient, housing pilgrims
and secular tourists just a short walk south of the Vatican in 54 identical, stark, utilitarian,
mostly twin-bedded rooms.Reserve atleast three months inadvance (Sb-€70,Db-€100,Tb-
€135, air-con, elevator; take bus #64 from Termini train station to San Pietro train station,
then walk 100 yards north along Via della Stazione di San Pietro to Piazza Santa Maria alle
Fornaci 27; tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.trinitaridematha.it , [e-mail] ,
Carmine).
Eating in Rome
I've listed a number of restaurants I enjoy. While most are in quaint and therefore pricey
and touristy areas (Piazza Navona, the Pantheon neighborhood, Campo de' Fiori, and Tras-
tevere), many are tucked away just off the tourist crush.
I'm impressed by how small the price difference can be between a mediocre Roman res-
taurantandafineone.Youcanpayabout20percentmorefordoublethequality.IfIhad$90
for three meals in Rome, I'd spend $50 for one and $20 each for the other two, rather than
$30 on all three. For splurge meals, I'd consider Gabriello, Fortunato, and Taverna Trilussa
(in that order).
Rome's fabled nightspots (most notably Piazza Navona, near the Pantheon, and Campo
de' Fiori) are lined with the outdoor tables of touristy restaurants with enticing menus and
formal-vestedwaiters.Theatmosphereissuper-romantic:I,too,liketheideaofdiningunder
floodlit monuments, amid a constantly flowing parade of people. But you'll likely be sur-
rounded by tourists, and noisy English-speakers can kill the ambience of the spot...leaving