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Rome

9 Famous Coffee Cities – I dare you to read it without coffee!

by gezielciniz January 11, 2016

Coffee is love, coffee is life! In some cities more than usual! I gathered 9 famous coffee cities for you and described their coffees. So get a cup of coffee yourself if not already and enjoy 🙂

I’ll argue that we, Turkish people, has a special place for coffee. I mean we even have a proverb saying “One cup of coffee is worth 40 years of remembrance”! But clearly it is not just Turkish people, everywhere it is part of daily routine. Whether you are starting your day or ending it, when chatting with friends or taking a break, the first thing that pops into our heads is coffee! Also it is widely preferred among us, travelers, as well, because when you are wandering in a city, one of the best options is to take a coffee break to refresh and feel the vibe of the city. Add to that a delicious dessert and there you are not tired anymore and can continue exploring!

However, as I mentioned there are some special countries / cities, where getting to know the local coffee is a part of feeling their culture. I have made a list of these cultural coffee capitals of the world for coffee-lovers and travelers. There are so many therefore I could not include all the coffee producers and special coffee having cities but I believe I have made a good list for at least a good portion of famous coffee cities.

Please note the order of the cities is random. The taste? All delicious!

Brasilia (Brazil):

Alright lets start famous coffee cities listing with Brazil. Why? Because for the past 150 years, Brazil has always been the producer of one third of the world’s total coffee production! Unlike most of the other producer countries, the consumption within the country borders is also high. Most Brazilians like the black hot coffee, called cafezinho, served in tiny (really tiny) cups the most. Normally, they like to drink this coffee very sweet but recently, you can also find less sweet versions as well. For Brazilians, cafezinho has become what tea is to Turkish people. It is served as a sign of hospitality as well as a treat after you have lunch or dinner at places, just as Turkish people serve tea for free at restaurants once you have done eating. Brazilians like their coffee simple and of quality. In this context, their coffee is rather plain and there are only some basic variety to it, meaning they do not have pumpkin blend cream coffee but they will have good black coffee. 🙂

Bogota (Colombia):

Of course capital of Colombia will be in famous coffee cities list! Because it is not a coincidence that Colombia is seen as the best coffee producer. There wasn’t a single coffee that I didn’t like drinking at this place and it actually took my “casual relationship” with coffee to a serious level 😀 The different types of coffee are plenty and all affordable. I especially suggest that you build a stock of the locals’ favorite brand Juan Valdez and bring it back home with you. The variety is wide, with different filtered and flavored types, which are all really tasty. However, pay attention to those on the menu that say “fuerte”… Normally, Colombian coffee is soft and balanced but “fuerte” means strong. Your heart might start skipping faster even if you are a veteran caffeine addict! I’m just saying… 😉

Rome (Italy):

evet canım bardan hızlıca kahvelerimiz içiyoruz ve ayrılıyoruz...

yes sweetheart, no waiting, drink it and hit it…

Obviously we are gonna add Italian coffee to the famous coffee cities list, but it is hard to pick just one Italian city so if I have to I’ll say Rome. But in general Italian coffee culture really surprised me as it contradicts with how Italians usually enjoy their food. Most of the time, people stop by at the counters of the coffee places and drink espresso or cappuccino in the blink of an eye and go on on their ways! It is strange to me that these people treat eating a meal as an art to be consumed slowly and yet enjoy their coffee in such a short period of time. Still, the coffee there is a true example of success. They mostly prefer espresso and cappuccino but they drink it less hot then you probably used to. Especially, if you do not mention that you want your milk coffee with warm milk, you may drink something extremely cooler that what you’d desire, just as I did! 🙂 In addition to local coffee shops, you will see plenty of the famous Italian coffee shops, illy and Lavazza, instead of Starbucks.

Vienna (Austria):

One of the first cities to recall when the subject is coffee. Vienna’s coffee is such a part of the Austrian culture is that it was listed among the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in 2011. In cafes, you will find plenty of classical coffee types, with cappuccino and espresso being the most preferred ones. For those seeking to try a local taste, I suggest Wiener Melange. It tastes a bit like cappuccino but as the famous coffee maker of Vienna, Julius Meinl put it: “An addition of a shot of espresso to milk foam in a large cup.”

Seattle (the USA):

This is where Starbucks was born, so it is not surprising that there is a special coffee culture in Seattle. Besides Starbucks, there are plenty of coffee tastes and cafes in this city, where people see coffee as “liquid sun.” By the way, the biggest Starbucks store (Area: 1400 square meters) is also located here.

Havana (Cuba):

The characteristic of Cuban coffee is its being strong. Plus, if you try the one named Cubana, you are in for a strong and sweetened espresso. Sometimes, this coffee is served without sugar, but with a sugar candy stick. This way, you take a sip from the coffee and enjoy the candy simultaneously. 🙂

Hanoi (Vietnam):

Vietnamese coffee is also among the strong ones. You can separate it from the others thanks to its texture and color. They mix components that you wouldn’t think would mix with coffee, so it is safe to say that they add their own touch to what was once a French colonials’ influence. And as for the component I mean unusual like yoghurt, eggs and fruits! As odd as it may sound, they do mix harmoniously. It is possible to find many local and old coffee shops on the Coffee Street in Hai Ba Trung district of Hanoi. You can order yoghurt coffee (sua chua ca phe), egg white coffee (ca phe trung), coffee smoothies (sinh to ca phe). The cold-served coffee, Ca Phe, is among the local tastes, as well.

Nairobi (Kenya):

Africa is one of the places where coffee is produced in high amounts and Kenya is the top trader in this regard. The number of people who go there just to taste the coffee at its origin is a lot! It can argued if it would be enjoyable to go to an always-hot climate and consume hot coffee. I don,t know about you guys but I can always enjoy a good coffee 🙂 Of course, as you may guess, the prices are quite affordable and the variety is plenty, so Nairobi has a place in famous coffee cities list.

Istanbul (Turkey):

It would be unfair to skip Istanbul in famous coffee cities list. Istanbul is one of the places where the oldest coffee shops in the world first opened. (The first one in the world opened around 1530 in Damascus). In 1555, the first registered coffee shop opened in Tahtakale area. Coffee started to appear in Europe years later, by 17th century. For the past two years, Istanbul has been the host of popular attractions such as Coffee Festival. There is a constantly developing coffee culture, latest development being the opening of 3rd wave coffee shops. Of course, Turkish coffee will always be at the center of the big picture! 🙂

So what are you waiting for, if you haven’t already while reading this, go grab a cup of coffee now 🙂 Also please let me know if you know different coffee cultures to be featured next in the comments!

January 11, 2016 0 comment

Travel Guides

Italy Guide 101

by gezielciniz August 13, 2015

written by gezielciniz

Italy –Florance-Rome-Venice-Milan-Bologna, 2013

There are tons of information about Italy that you can learn so much even if you spent little time. Lucky for me because even though this was my one of the “bought ages ago” trip and I had time I actually spent very little time doing my research before my trip. Now, research combined with my real time experience I will tell you what I liked and what I thought “wish I had known this before” kind of things. A brief summary is at the top as usual but do take a peek on the details because experience is talking 🙂

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Travel: Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world so you will find lots of tours, direct flights and many other ways to get there all year around. If you chose a less known location as your arriving-leaving point such as Bologna you can find even more cheap deals. Once in Italy travel by train is a really comfy and price friendly option. Of course the timing of your trip will be your first crucial decision because summer times are really crowded and prices are really high.

Visa: You should have a Schengen visa.

Food: I don’t even have to tell you right 🙂 All kinds of pizza, pasta, tortellini, risotto, panini, tiramisu, gelatino, coffee, wine… Since this is such a huge topic for Italy, I made another guide specific for cafes and restaurants of Italy, you should totally check out cafe guide to know more about what and where to eat in Italy.

Sightseeing landmarks:

Too much to mention all of it, and besides if your trip concept is cute coast cities or wine tasting it will be a completely different Italy experience but I will talk about major trio cities of Italy and two additions to that.

Florance: Duomo Cathedral and Square, Uffizi Museum, Michelangelo square where you can see the whole city, Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Signoria Square (Piazza della Signoria) which is like an open museum and David statue in Galleria dell’Accademia museum.

Rome: Collesseum (you will be shamed if you return from Rome without seeing this). Rome Forum, Trevi fountain, Gallery of Borghese (and I won’t speak to you if you return without seeing Daphne and Apollo statue of Bernini here), Pantheon and technically it is not Rome but you should definitely, most certainly visit Vatican the Holy City.

Venice: Just city itself 🙂 really, its beauty lies in getting lost in its streets but if you need a name San Marco Square, do a Gondola tour and if you have more time visit a nearby island.

Milan: Milan Cathedral (Duomo) and Square, and near that Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Art lovers might wanna check out the famous Last Dinner .(but they should totally book in advance)

Bologna: Maggiore Square (Piazza Maggiore) and if you have awalk around this place you will come across Neptune fountain, Santuario di Santo Stefano Basilika and Asinelli and Garisenda towers.

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I made quite 2013 the year of “longer than I usually do” holiday year. and I bought tickets to Bologna 6 months ago since they were like super cheap. Because they were on November which is kind of risky time for the cold and rainy weather but luckily we had quite the sunny days and didn’t have to go through peak time crowded Italy experience.

Where to Stay: Italy will offer you many options. You are sure to find somewhere to suit your needs and budget. Below are my criteria for each of these cities and places I found accordingly;

For Florance, I preferred to rent an apartment so that I can pretend to be an art major living in this art everywhere Renaissance city, for Venice I felt like I should pick a place as close to the train station as possible to avoid dragging my luggage in a no taxi city, for Rome I thought number one criteria should be location close to center and please let the breakfast be included since I couldn’t do it in my other options, for Milan, after seeing the center hotel prices, I took the “ok we’ll find a way it doesn’t need to be that close to the center” approach and finally for Bologna I voted for the “go for the at least 4 star hotel” since it’s the end of the trip and I would likely to be in need of extra comfort.

Let’s get into detail of my picks according to these criteria!

So in Florance, I rented an apartment near Duomo from Think Florence. It turned out to be a super lovely house with every necessary utility from plates, forks, wine openers to hair blowers, ironing tools to kitchanware even including a microwave oven. Of course it had air conditioning and wireless. Bed was soft and comfortable with perfectly white sheets. It was like a fully functioning house where owners went away and we were happy guests. It was just the house in my mind. I mentioned many utilities here especially because it is usually not the case when you rent an apartment, you usually get the very basics, if you are lucky maybe a glass or two and a fork but this place has full dinner sets and separate lovely wine glasses. And it is not finished, this house had a really important thing, it had second windows when shut making the room go completely dark. I can’t stress enough how important sleeping is when you are travelling. Because it is the basic need you have to satisfy to fully enjoy your travels. Hence having sleeping place which can go pitch black with no sound is really important as it will make improve your sleep quality. Seriously I’m not over stating the importance of sleep quality. And if anyone thinks I might have exaggerated the pitch blackness in the room let me quote you the exact conversation me and my friend had in that room.

First time seeing Duomo makes you like this…

My friend who slept before me didn’t see later I closed the second windows and room became completely dark. I don’t think she was aware of such function too. In the morning, when we woke up around 9-10 am (a time where it should be very bright) since the room was completely dark I heard she calling me in a tone of panic and fear;

–Elciiinn, waaake up! Why it is not morning? Where is the sun?

I was paused for a moment since I couldn’t processed what she meant at first but seconds later I realized she didn’t know about the windows,

–It is alright darling; I shut down the windows after you slept.

-Noo, it is not alright, even if it’s closed there should be some light, did we not wake?

only way left to comfort her was to open the windows again to let the sunshine fill the room 🙂

To sum it up, I found just the place to feel like I’m living in a nice house in Florance experience. But for longer stays I’m not sure how the cleaning thing works, as we stayed for 3 nights only and I think it was after that cleaning is made. Also if you don’t check in between 2-6 pm you need to pay an extra fee, just so you know.

In Rome we stayed at l Dormienti which has a good location and a budget friendly alternative. Though at first it had a “seems too budget friendly so it can’t be any good” feeling to it, it was a decent choice which over delivered to our expectations. First of all cleaning was good which is an important factor and likely to be negative point for budget friendly alternatives but it wasn’t the case. They did daily cleaning and change of sheets once in every 3 days. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful, even helping us with using their phone to book a reservation at Borghese. And best part, breakfast was included but it was in the cafe below which was a cute little chain cafe of Illy’s. A coffee and a croissant may seem plain but it is what they usually eat for breakfast in Italy. There are too many things to do in Rome so a quick start with a decent breakfast is a good thing! I like to eat breakfast in different places enjoying new cafes too but if your trip is over a week you may want to include couple of breakfast included days as not thinking where and what to eat specifically for breakfast can be a good thing especially for busy sightseeing trips.

In Venice, I preferred a place near to train station since that’s how we planned to arrive and I knew there is no land vehicle to use. Even though I didn’t have a big or heavy luggage I didn’t want to drag it with me along narrow streets of Venice. And after visiting Venice, I stand by my choice 🙂 I booked a room in Ca’ Lucrezia, it seemed like a good option close to station and not a budget enemy. They underestimated how close it was to the station! As it took us literally couple of minutes to arrive from station and it was a real hassle saver. It was very easy to find and settle to our hotel. It was a small, heavy old style furniture kind of hotel at its own pace. Having internet and breakfast included in our price was a bonus and they did have little of variety in breakfast which was a pleasant surprise for us. Because even though we loved coffee and croissant it was nice to at least have the option to eat cheese, salami, butter and jam. Though they were one kind and in little boxes, it was the thought that counted! Reception leaves at 3 pm but they give you key so it is not problem.

You will find that in general Milan has higher hotel rates (unless you are going to Venice in festival time!) and Milan doesn’t have many hotels near center. So I found Hotel Perugino as a winner of money I’m willing to pay/distance from center criteria. According to the hotel’s page I seem to have caught a good promotion for 70 euros a night but I suspect it is a promotion repeated. Hotel was old and so was their staff but it gave a nice feeling as we took advice from a white haired Italian gentleman. This one has its own pub and transportation wasn’t a bother and I ate the best tiramisu of my life on my way to this hotel, so not likely to particularly chose again but it wasn’t a bad decision on my part.

So what’s left? Bologna.

Bologna Italy I went to Bologna as the base for cheap tickets and frankly didn’t expected much from the city. Since it was the last city we visited in Italy we were like “we already seen the basics of Italy” and were doubtful that we will particularly enjoy Bologna. However Bologna proved us wrong as it turned out to be a compact cute Italy with a bit of everything and we enjoyed our time there. As it was the end of our trip, I figured we could probably use a better accommodation so I booked a one star above our general travel accommodations and booked a 4 star hotel named Grand Hotel Elite. Again I used a promotion on their page and for a 60 euro it was nice. We didn’t spent much time in hotel so I can’t say much about it!

Food-Drink: Italy is like one of the best places to eat. Even if I don’t say anything you are already thinking about pizza, pasta, tiramisu…Just eat it. Unless you are extremely unlucky or really god at picking all the wrong places, you are likely to have a good eating experience in Italy. My only advice is try to find a family restaurant and try tiramisu there. And try a cheese plate because they really have good cheese and much variety. And needles to say, ice cream (gelato) for all seasons is a good dessert. Also there are pubs with small open buffets which you can also go for dinner and it is a good option for 5-10 euro choice. Overall start dieting before you go there!

Sightseeing:

Gee, there is just too much to see in Italy.

Let’s start with Rome, as tourist 101 do not come back till you have seen Colosseum , Roman Forum and before you throw a coin to the Trevi fountain. Colosseum and Roman Forum are very close to each other and it is the sensible option to buy their tickets combines as its discounted and time efficient to visit both on the same day. My advice is to visit Colosseum in the morning and then go to Roman Forum. Because Roman Forum is really huge and it will take good time to even just walk around. If it is your first time you might be a bit disappointed on how little left of them compared to their former glory but still thinking about the rich history and the fact that these places are over 2000-3000 years old really gives you goose bumps!

You “have to” take this shot when in Rome!

Around Trevi fountain, you will find many cafes and places to hang out. It will be very crowded so it may not be as “romantic” as you thought it would be but nevertheless it is stunningly beautiful. By the way you are supposed to throw your coin over your back and it is supposed to ensure you come back to Rome. (So it is not a couple love wish thing :))

As for the museums, like rest of the Italy you have many options but one of the most popular one is Gallery Borghese as it hosts many masterpieces. I liked this place very much not only it host one of my favorite masterpieces Bernini’s Daphne and Apollo statue but it is a villa and you visit it with reservation only so it was very nice visit since with reservation system they have crowd control. Also check out Bernini’s other works (ladies do not miss hnadsome David! no not the famous David- that one is Michelangelo’s and it is in Florance, this one is Bernini’s David). But in Rome, even if you just wander into a seemingly random church you might see a work of a master and it is really impressive and beautiful to say the least.

I would like to say for mythology lovers like me Pantheon in Rome will be interesting to visit, but it is not as it has been turned into a church thousands of years ago so only thing that will give you Pantheon feeling is the outside columns. But still, it is nice to see.

Also other than these landmarks, Spanish stairs and many lovely streets of Rome waits for your visit as well. I also liked Via del Governo Vecchio street as it was full of particularly nice cafes and restaurants.

And last but not the least, when in Rome, except behaving like a Roman do, visit Vatican. No excuses. Seriously you will be amazed, it is so splendid and extravagant and it really is a sight to see so many valuable artworks of all kinds together with a presentation that matches their values. Not to mention it is a spiritual place even if you are not a Christian. I would strongly suggest buying your tickets online though to avoid long queues that exist even in non-peak seasons.

Florance is very easy and deligthful to wander around as it is considerably small compared to Rome. Your first stop will likely be Duomo Square where the famous Duomo Cathedral stands in its glory. Even though I considered myself a veteran for visiting cathedrals around the world, the sheer size of it was a surprise for me. Duomo will charm you with its size, and details of its door. think about it, it is so massive and required so much work that even the grand children of masters who started working in Duomo worked for Duomo until its finished. Entry inside is free but real charm is outside. You can climb the tower if you are willing to take 400 steps and pay 10 euro. Also we didn’t have any problem but even my friend living has experienced it that apparently the area in front of Duomo is a very good spot for thieves looking for easy prey. So please be mindful as you adore this majestic structure.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge is the sight you will probably come across on many Florance themed pictures. It is an old structure and colorful from the outside and little craft shops on it are nice to wander around. Michelangelo Square is where you go to see a good view of the city and a fake David statue resides. It is where you take “I was in Florance picture” place.

Florance is such an art loving city you can easily tell why it is one of the leading cities of Renaissance. Signoria Square is like a open air museum (Piazza della Signoria) but do not miss Uffizi Museum. I have visited lots of museums but I don’t remember seeing a museum so full of artworks. They have so many paintings that their walls are full up till the ceiling and some are so high that you can’t even see them. Also Florance is where you can see the famous David statue by Michelangelo, you should visit Academia Gallery for it. Seeing the original is impressive, do not the fakes everywhere took your motivation!
Also we went to a restaurant which is formerly a prison, and it was a different dinner ambiance. I wrote about it more here, but if you just want to check it out the name is Ristorante Le Carceri.

I arrived Venice by train and the moment I stepped out of train station I was stunned! I felt like a country side villager that came to the city for the first time, I knew it was going to be beautiful but I just loved the city built upon canals. Maybe since our time was limited here it looked even more beautiful to me but every corner is a shot for a photo masterpiece. Walking around on the narrow streets that twists and turns like a labyrinth, taking a look at mask shops, all the other small souvenir shops and restaurants… Of course our timing was good enough to avoid peak time tourist season so I was able enjoy a piece of serenity on the streets of Venice instead of crushing with many people around me. Also at night, streets looked even more charming but in a sense of a good vampire city feeling whatever that means. but seriously if there are vampires, Venice is one of their favorite places I tell you! You will also see the main square and there is also Juliet’s house (which I haven’t visited) but another popular activity in Venice is to visit close by islands which are famous for their glass artworks. Also if you are around February do attend Venice festival as you will have a chance to experience the true magic of Venice masks!

I added Milan to my route especially to get a more modern Italy feeling. Because usually for starter Italy trips Rome, Florance and Venice take the spot lights.

Update 2017: I couldn’t enjoy Milan much in my first trip because of having less time and cold better but I understood its beauty on my second visit -which I’ll write soon! Until then, major headlines for Milan would be:

The Duomo in Milan was a gorgeous site for sure, seeing the smallest details of such a massive building you can’t help but think “of course it will take you 600 years to finish if you pay this much attention!” And old style shopping center nearby and large shopping streets were nice as well. Milan was a city of fashion in my mind before I visited so I may have expected people to go around in noteworthy outfits all the time 🙂 I didn’t have time to visit Last Supper painting too, so I can’t say I had a chance to indulge sufficiently in Milan’s charms.
As for my last stop Bologna, I liked the city center a lot. Walking through old structures between nice restaurants and shops surely felt nice. Weather was quite cold here during out trip here but once we get a hot wine from one of the street sellers, we immediately cheered up and find strength to venture more. Bologna reminds me a lovely city in Turkey, named Eskişehir. As both cities gives me the friendly feeling of nice places with good cafes but without the hassle of big city problems such as traffic or over crowd or stress… And as you might have thought yes Bolognese sauce is originally from here. We ate in a lovely place named Bar Il Calice which I wrote in more detail on second part of this Italy guide.

Overall, it was one of my most memorable trips; I enjoyed seeing many beautiful sites, historical places and truly had delicious meals. What could I want even more? Oh yes, I will certainly be back for wine theme tour to other places of Italy I haven’t seen and a coastal Italy tour… You can’t go wrong with any kind of Italy tour 😉

August 13, 2015 0 comment

Food-Drink Travel Guides

Italy Trip Volume 2: Restaurants & Cafes

by gezielciniz August 4, 2015

written by gezielciniz

Italy means food. Period. So no travel article about Italy is complete without suggesting some place to indulge in what Italy kitchen offers. Italy restaurants and cafes offer you many options, so it is hard to just decide one.

yes dear, you just drink your coffee fast at the bar and leave the place, no waiting!

I usually research before I go to a new place, get advice from my friends who have been there and use offline resources like trip advisor to choose where to eat. But of course when I’m hungry and/or tired or when I see a place I want to try I just dive in. So here are some cafes and restaurants I visited in Italy. Some were good some were meeh, but if you come across just a couple of comments…

First let’s talk about eating culture in Italy. Breakfast is usually a coffee with a croissant or if you have more time maybe a panini. Coffee culture is to randomly enter a place drink coffee on the bar standing and leave in two minutes. Yeap, we saw it all the time. In fact in most places if you sit down you pay a bit more to your coffee and your order. Lunch seems to be skipped or fulfilled with a piece of pizza or panini. But dinner, is where the magic happens. They eat late and they really took their time at the dinner table.

Roma

Pepper and Cheese Spaggethi ,simple but delicious choice

Here is my favorite in Rome, Cantina e Cucina. This lovely place is on a street which is Via del Governo Vecchio in Italian. This street has lots of good restaurants and coffees so you will definitely enjoy a walk through it. We passed the streets once and decided to sit this one which caught our eyes more. Service was full of smiles, decor was cozy and food was really good, especially considering price vs performance. They even serviced us shots two times on the house which made us love them more!

By the way same street supposedly has one of the best ice creams in Rome but frankly I’ve eaten better gelatio even in random places of Rome. Bur their cookie flavor comes with a full cookie on top so there is that and if you want to try they would make a good dessert option after your meal. La Gelateria Frigidarium.

So for a restaurant a bit more classy than average and has an extensive wine menu, we choose to eat our last dinner to eat in Matricianella. You will notice that wine menu is even thicker than the food menu and that is always a good sign! They offer classic main dishes and pasta. They are a bit pricey than your average restaurant but they are still in good price range, you can always choose fool proof options of Pepper and Cheese Spaghetti or Penne Arabiata as a backdoor of the menu. Food was good but wine was even better. With a menu like that even me, self-proclaimed wine lover, was lost since it contained many local regions which I haven’t even heard. But sommelier brought us just the wine we described; easy to drink, not sweet and not young that can accompany our foods for just 16 euro.

Next is a cozy cafe we coincidentally stumbled upon after caught in a sudden rain.
Even its name is cute Café Café. Since we were still in Collosseum area I thought all of our options are most likely tourist traps but we choose this place since it was close to us and seemed to be offering a good selection of teas which was just what we need in the cold weather. Inside is very warmly decorated making you feel instantly cosy and it is a perfect stop for a small coffee and dessert break after your visit to Collosseum .

Hosteria La Vacca M’briaca, this place looked so inviting while we pass by so we decided to dine here. We couldn’t find a good table on our first try but we found an outside table on our second try. (It was close to where we stay). It was just like what we thought, a local good place for a classic Italian dinner. You can tell this by amount of local people dining here. Food and prices were good, if you are near Urbana street you might wanna take a look.

Seriously, does this look like no 1 pizza in Rome?

Pinsera Roma , this was the number one place of restaurants in Rome on Trip Advisor at the time I visited Rome. And it is still one of the most visited places in Rome because its reviews are over 2 thousand. And most of these comments say it is the best pizza in town. So I had to try it myself. Well it was good for the price but it was eat at the counter type of fast food service where you eat while standing. And it certainly wasn’t the best pizza in town. Guess it is one of those “self-fulfilling prophecy of Trip Advisor”, like someplace which is just over average get attention and everybody goes and try that and it gets more attention than it actually deserves. If it wasn’t for the huge expectation of best pizza in town I would have enjoyed it more but it seems like a place to enjoy an afternoon snack and nothing more. They have different choices of pizza and they are small, not like restaurant size pizzas. You don’t need to deliberately search this place out but if you are around you should pop up for a bite. Prices were cheap.

Since it was close to where we stay we tried couple of other places in Urbana street, and another one was Non C’e Trippa Pe Gatti. Again this place has mostly positive comments on the internet and I would say food and prices were ok. But I wasn’t really in sync with the cat pictures on the wall and hearing an English pop song in the background in an Italian restaurant. I guess I expect playing Godfather’s music in the background 🙂 They offer their own daily menus but we preferred ala carte. They charged extra for the bread they brought.
This places made us stop because of beautifully lined up desserts on their glass window. Strabbioni Pizza e Cucina. We tried couple of their small desserts and coffee. I wouldn’t try to find this place a second time but if you came across you can have a quick bite and they sell chocolates for souvenirs.

Dante’s Bar, this is a cafe near to main attractions and with a name like that definitely getting attention. Though it looked and felt like a tourist trap we needed a break in cold weather and they claimed to have best tiramisu in Rome. Well they didn’t but they had a very good strawberry tiramisu. though a bit pricey then your usual cafe being able to seat on one of the main streets certainly deserves it and frankly it was a tolerable tourist trap since we got what we wanted, good dessert and coffee with a busy street view.

Floransa

This was one of my unique dining experience in Florance, Ristorante Le Carceri. Located in a beautiful courtyard with a buzzy atmosphere its main charm was that it was previously a prison. Yes, they turned a real prison into a restaurant so inside decor feels really authentic. Walls are filled with graffiti and writings of former owners and sometimes they are separated with steel bars. Inside was also filled with many locals which we took as a good sign. But since it was a very busy place we could only find a table by promising to leave before 21:30. Except for the fact that the room we sat has also a large table of Italian guests which had 6 children who are really great speakers it was a pleasant evening. I liked the food and wine and atmosphere. But since they are too busy as I saw from the online comments your experience might change greatly so proceed with that in mind 🙂 I think it is a good unique place to eat.

Yellow bar, this place looked like a cozy and nice place. Inside seemed busy enough and menu showed good selections with good price. We ate a good dinner here and atmosphere was just the taste of a good local Italian restaurant with a retro American food chain style which I’m using as a cosy indicator.

Milan, well I totally failed sightseeing in Milan but I was satisfied with my food choices in Milan. But I’m really regretting not taking the name of the place where I ate the most delicious cheese plate and tiramisu of my life. It was a gem find in a remote street on our way to our hotel, I wasn’t expecting anything and obviously with shock I didn’t took any pictures.

Any way but I do remember a seemingly tourist trap but turned out to be good value cafe Bar Ba del Corso. Located on one of the main streets to Duomo, this place is perfect to sit down and watch passerby. Obviously you expect less great food and more expensive price from such place but prices weren’t that high and they brought us small pastries and chips on the house which totally covered any extra euros on the price of our coffees. Seriously they brought about 3 piece per person and chips and coffee was 3 euro. So with that nice surprise I decided to eat a risotto here after all we were in Milan. Well it was mediocre but you know what I say, there is no bad food in Italy just less Parmesan cheese and luckily I think they grow it on trees in Italy because they brought it in portions more than your actual meal here.

Venice

Even though it wasn’t high tourist season we could tell it was a good place because it was busy. Trattoria Alla Ferrata. Seemed like a local place for a good classic Italian dinner and it was. Owner was cheerful and pizza was very good. (not the all vegetable one though)

Bologna

We didn’t had much time to explore but if you are in same position I can suggest you this nice and cozy place we stumbled upon; Bar II Calice. We were looking for a good above standart restaurant but not too pricy around center and we found this place. Entry seems like a cheerful pub but second floor is a decent and cozy restaurant with delicious food. Also they offered traveller menu which included main dish, one drink, coffee and water for 16 euro which was exactly what I was gonna order anyway and if I did it separately I would have paid over 25 euros. I ate Tortellini Bolonese and I absolutely recommend it. Also we ordered dessert as well and I can’t remember the name but the second one in the menu with creme something was the most delicious thing. Also if you happen to visit here on a cold winter night they sell hot wine outside so it is just what you need before you leave this place to wander in cold night streets of Bologna.

August 4, 2015 0 comment