Wandering Loose in Italy: No more Pasta, please!

We arrived in suburban Rome yesterday, an area called Monte Sacro. After resting up we went in search of the afternoon gelato. No luck. Five places listed on Google no longer exist. At 6:30 we went out looking for a bar for a glass of wine before dinner, knowing the kitchens don’t open until 7:00 or at 8:00.

We finally found a small cafe which had a good beer and wine selection, and were allowed to have some while waiting for the kitchen to open at 7:00.

We were not in a tourist neighborhood, this was a real local place. The friendly waitstaff spoke little English, so we used google translate to communicate. We translated the menu with Google lens.

One shrimp, raw. About one pistachio nut, ground. Bland sauce. €14. Others had the carbonara, which was much better, although very rich. Pizza has generally been excellent, and ethnic food very good. Salads can be hard to find. But the fancy pasta dishes?

Today we walk to the Vatican and Saint Peter’s. It will surely be busy with tourists. I miss the villages already.