Two discoveries and one lucky find - all on the same day!

If I did have an “agenda” for this visit to Rome, it came from two ex-pat American food bloggers. I have been following them for several years now, and there were many places I’ve read about that I would like to try. I knew that a week was not enough time, but I was going to try to see how many I could visit. In some ways, this visit to Rome was a kind of gastronomic pilgrimage.

Part of my old running route

On my second full day, I decided to retrace some of my first steps in Rome by walking out towards the Via Appia, perhaps as far as the Catacombs of Callixtus. I first wanted to visit the early Christian basilica of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus. I remember visiting the church on my very first trip to Rome in 1975. The antiquity and the spirit of the place had made a great impression on me.  My way there led me past part of the route that I generally ran when I was a student in Rome. This was near the Baths of Caracalla. I stopped and watched the athletes training at the track that is there. Although I wasn’t technically supposed to use it, I would sometimes take the chance and run sprints on it. Ah! To be young again. I pushed on and reached the church, which, of course was locked. A sign on the door indicated that it would be open on Thursday, so I could come back.

Parco di San Sebastiano

One of the things that I still love about Rome, is that one can often make new discoveries. Some of that is because so much of Rome is behind closed doors and walls. I made just such a discovery as I reached the Via Appia Antica. I saw a gate opened on the right hand side and beyond that a swath of lush green. I walked inside the gate and, to my delight, discovered that I was not trespassing but that I was actually in a city park, the. Parco di S. Sebastiano. This was definitely new to me and I set off to explore. There were trails leading here and there and I walked uphill as far as I could. The other side of the park was the Via Cristoforo Colombo, a major artery. In the end, there was not all that much to see. Still, making a discovery is always exciting. I continued my trek. The sun was high now and I regretted not having bought a hat. I tried to stay on the shady side of the road as much as possible.

Via Appia - the nice part

I passed under the Aurelian Walls and onwards towards the catacombs. The road has real traffic in this stretch and the shoulder is very narrow. Walking isn’t that pleasant. I reached the church of “Domine Quo Vadis” and went inside. I am sure that I had been inside here before, but I had no recollection. I sat in the cool quietness for several minutes. When I went outside, a sign indicated that the catacombs were almost a mile ahead. I decided that was more than I wanted to undertake. So, I decided to turn around. I walked back to the bus stop and decided I would get on whichever bus came next (there are only two). I knew that both of them travelled through a neighborhood known as Appia Latina. This was an area that developed after WWI and was a fairly middle class neighborhood. I suspected I would find some good Roman food.

The bus came and I got on board. I started using the TripAdvisor app to search for nearby restaurants. I found several interesting options along the bus’s route. But just as we were approaching the stop I wanted, the bus came to a halt. Right where the bus was supposed to turn left, someone had hit a motorcycle that was still lying in the roadway. The bus driver leaned out the window and had a conversation. Soon we resumed our trip, but not on the prescribed route.

Fettuccine con ragu in bianco

One of the pleasures of traveling without a plan is that one can more easily go with the flow. I wasn’t sure where this detour would take me, but since I didn’t really have a destination, it did not make that much difference – except that I was hungry and wanted to find lunch. Eventually we came to a promising area, so I got off. I used my TripAdvisor app again; and, to my surprise, I was within easy walking distance of a restaurant on my “to try” list. I had read about it in a NYT article some years ago and had put the name on my running list that I keep in my computer. 

I knew there was a chance that I might not get in; but, since Fate had dropped me practically at their doorstep, who was I to argue. I arrived and went inside. It was so quiet that was afraid they might be closed. The restaurant has two levels and they were only using the upper level. To my surprise, there were plenty of free tables. The restaurant is called “Da Roberto e Loretta” and I assumed that it was Loretta who seated me. She handed me a menu and went off. There was the regular menu and a sheet of paper with the “Piatti del Giorno”, dishes that were prepared for today. There were so many wonderful choices, I did not know how to choose. When she came back to take my order, she mentioned that they also had stuffed zucchini flowers as an appetizer. I hadn’t planned on an appetizer, but I succumbed and ordered two. My pasta was fettuccine with ragu in bianco (that is a meat sauce without tomato) and gathered wild herbs. 

My main course

My main course was turkey roasted with chestnuts served with roasted potatoes and and a side of sautéed greens. Needless to say, everything was fabulous. Roman cuisine tends to be somewhat “underwhelming”. Its focus is on the quality of the ingredients and the ones in my dishes were all first-rate. The zucchini flowers were the best I have ever eaten. As I was paying the bill, I mentioned to the person I assumed was Roberto, that I had read about the restaurant in the NYT. He seemed genuinely surprised and said that no one had ever informed him. If that is true, seems like quite an oversight. I was a happy camper. I had made my first visit to one of the shrines of gastronomy. I took a different bus back to Sant’Anselmo and realized that I was only about 12 minutes away by bus!

Pizza and beer- Roman style

By rights, I should not have needed to eat again for several days, but by 8:00, I was thinking about food again. I had passed a new place on the way to the market that seemed to offer a wide range of lighter dishes, charcuterie etc. I figured that a glass of wine and a nibble would be perfect. Unfortunately, the place was packed. As I was walking back, I noticed that this new bakery was still open and that there was still some pizza a taglio, pizza by the piece, available. That was my back-up plan anyway, so I nipped in. I ordered a big hunk of the special pizza and grabbed a bottle of artisanal beer from the fridge.

I was intending to take it back to my room; but, when the girl asked whether I wanted it for there or to take away, I changed my mind and said “for here”. The room at Sant’Anselmo was just too depressing. While my pizza was being heated, I open the beer and took a sip. ”Wow” I thought,” that’s really good.” I immediately thought of one of my food bloggers, Katie Parla, a NJ native now living in Rome. She has written a lot about the craft beer boom in Italy, but, being such a wine enthusiast, I never paid much attention, Clearly, though, they were doing something right. Then my pizza came. It, too, was a revelation. The bakery advertises that it uses only “lievito madre” which is natural fermentation. The bread part was so tasty and the topping was quite different, almost Germanic, with cabbage, onions and speck. It was soooo good.

Checking on ingredients

Once I finished, I began to clear my things and the woman who had been sitting at the other end of the counter, told me to leave it, that she would do it. I don’t remember how it happened, but she asked where I was from. I told her that I was from “near NYC”, which is usually what I say. She went on about how much she loves NYC and I told her how much I loved Rome. We chatted for quite a while and I learned that she was one of the owners, etc. I asked her about the beer and she told me that they have a brewery in Campania that makes this beer just for them. Then I mentioned Katie Parla; and, how, I thought, she should would love this place. My new friend said excitedly that she also followed Katie. She hoped that Katie would write about them. She asked me to post about them on Instagram, which I did. We parted and I went home and e-mailed Katie Parla. I may have actually scooped one of my foodie heroes! My second discovery of the day.

If you want to know more about Katie Parla, here's a link to her webpage: 

https://katieparla.com/