Italy 2024: Prima Roma, poi Ischia...

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I am traveling in Italy for a few weeks and really enjoyed returning to Rome to start the trip. I wanted to expand my horizons a bit so I downloaded the Michelin app and looked for Michelin Bib restaurants near my planned walking tour ( I tried to do a Hop On, Hop Off but the traffic was so bad I hopped off and stayed off ) and stumbled upon Poldo e Gianna Osteria near the Basilica di San Lorenzo Lucina. It is set back off the main street a bit and I liked the look of the place from the start. I did NOT make a reservation but I showed up 10 minutes after they opened for lunch and both host and hostess were very gracious and got me to a table in minutes. I mentioned that I wanted to start with the Rigatoni di Gragnano alla Amatraciana and the waiter was off to get my order in and to bring a glass of wine.
I enjoyed the rigatoni though it was a step beyond my liking for al dente, a bit too firm, but the pork cheeks were rich and delicious and worked well with the wine.

My waiter would motor by every 5 or 10 minutes and smile but never stopped to take my order for the Secondi until I was done with the Primi, so things went at a glacial but friendly pace.

I ordered the Saltimbocca a la Romana and figuring it would be a trifle rich, I got the rosemary roasted potatoes with it. Loved this dish! Almost too rich, but it was outstanding.

I was still a bit jet lagged so I skipped the coffee and got a Lemoncello to nurse for a few minutes. My waiter flew by and dropped off the check so I got my card out and waited for him to return to get the card. And waited. And the host strolled over and quietly mentioned that I was to bring up the check to him at the exit. Which, in retrospect, explained why two couples had done just that while I was eating. I blame the wine and the lemoncello for my not spotting the modus operandi earlier.
All in all, a very good meal. Not my best in Rome but it was very good.
I then spent the afternoon walking about central Rome, which means I made a bee line to Scholars Irish pub for a Smithwicks.

After quenching my thirst I then climbed those steps I wanted to attempt last year and made it in one go, which is a marked improvement over my condition last year. LOL! 240 steps, though I may have lost count at one point.

Later I had dinner at a neighborhood local near my AirBNB, Restorante Piccolo Spazio. Al fresco dining on a cool night was a nice close to my day. I ordered the seafood risotto and the grilled sea bass with a side of green beans.
The risotto was good not great, the clams were only so-so but the shrimp and the mussels were rather good.

The grilled sea bass was well prepared, I really liked it. The green beans were a touch overcooked and lacked any prep to speak of. I used to dine with a Sardinian woman who made green beans into a great side, I wish I know what she did to them.

Again, I finished with a lemoncello and enjoyed the evening. The waitress was a jewel, very sweet and quick to respond to my questions about a few dishes.
I walked around a bit more and spotted my favorite wall art of my walk. If an ass could fly…

Then it was home to my room where I fell out and nearly slept the clock around.
I know nothing about Rome other than I really, really enjoy the place. The scale of it, the grandeur, the history, and the pride of the locals are a great combination. I have found, unintentionally, that if you mention one of the monuments, buildings, historic sites and show an honest sense of awe you will be promoted from “darned tourist” to “mildly intelligent traveler” in your host’s eyes. LOL!

Off to Ischia by ItaloTren next!

[GretchenS]

Oh I am so happy you are back on your travels!!!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Thank you! It is great to be on the road again! I am afraid that I brought rain and cold to Reykavik 5 weeks ago in late-summer and something similar this week to Italy in early autumn!
I arrived in Ischia this afternoon and it has been a rainy, cool day so far. But my room is beautiful and the staff at the hotel are great so hopefully the rain will pass!

It often goes without mention, but Italy really has a phenomenal train system!
300 kph is 200 mph! Woohoo!

And the ferries here in Ischia may be old, but the people that run them both ashore and at sea are pretty cool. I arrived at the ticket window 3 minutes before the ferry was scheduled to leave and I must have looked a bit anxious because the ticket guy said something along the lines of, “They see you, they will wait.” I am not sure if it was true or not, but the old pensioner shooting the breeze with him gave me some friendly advice with a wink and a smile.
In Italian.
So he could have been cursing me out, but he did it so cordially I like to think it was a welcome to his slice of paradise here.

[erica1]

Loving this!!! More, please.

[ninkat]

The one issue with the ferries that I found is that the smaller ones cancel at the drop of a hat, if the seas are rough, and even the big ones can have to cancel for days. I lucked out on this score as the ferries were all grounded the day before my scheduled sail, but I got out of Naples okay. Hope you have a great time. I found it a lovely, relaxing spot with excellent food at Cantinando.

[LulusMom1 (Kari)]

I’m headed to Ischia later this month, following along with excitement!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I have been relatively lucky with ferries, both in Italy and in Greece. But I did get “trapped” by high wind and rain on Santorini in Greece a few years ago. The ferries did not stop there for 4 days or so and as Senor Murphy would have it, my planned departure date was the beginning of the ferry drought.
This ferry trip we saw some wind and rain, but the skies never really got too threatening.

My first impression of Sant’Angelo was one of clouds and wind, but it was still a beautiful scene.

The big downside to getting stuck on Santorini was that the fishermen did not go out, so after 2 or 3 days almost all the seafood available in the cafes was frozen, not fresh. No octopus, either.
“The horror!”
I do not think Santorini could feed itself (let alone all its tourists) for long, but I could be wrong about that.

[shrinkrap]

Thank you so much for sharing! I’m really enjoying this. Maybe not as much as you, but really!

[erica1]

Me, too…I never considered a visit so late in the year.
I went to Ischia third week September and had “iffy” weather…when exactly were you on the island (what week in which month?)

We spent a week there and that was not really enough time to truly explore without a car…bus service was great and easy but I would like to return, maybe in off season…

I wonder if you even got to Da Peppino di Renato? I have such wonderful memories of that restaurant, even with that steep uphill trek with the barking dogs in the dark of night… I was sad to learn that Renato had passed because that was one of my best restaurant memories in southern Italy.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to give us your comments and photos!
Even after so long, I think that Ischia is an "ignored’ island for persons from the USA.

I think I mentioned earlier that we had planned about five nights there followed by about three in Anacapri. We were so happy on Ischia that we cancelled our trip to Capri and I think we did the right thing even though we had to pay for the Capri lodgings, understandably, after a last-minute cancel.

[digga]

@ZivBnd

Senor Murphy

His laws stink!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I am glad that you enjoy my ramblings.
On the season aspect of it, normally I travel when it is viciously cold at home in Montana, so I usually hit Japan and the Philippines in the Christmas to mid-January timeframe, Thailand in late-January to late February, then Greece and Italy after I leave Thailand. I used to do 10-11 month round the world trips every 4 years, but lately I just give myself 3 to 4 months to make the trips now but I do them more often.
I have always tried to go off season, whether it was to the Lake District or to Naxos. I like going to popular places at unpopular times.
Sadly, I have been checking Da Peppino for over a month now and it still supposedly temporarily closed. I noted the street that climbs the hill to it as my bus drove by today. I may go by later this week just to see if it is open. I find that recommendations here on HO are almost always more accurate than any GoogleMaps or TripAdvisor reco’s will ever be.

[shrinkrap]

@ZivBnd

but lately I just give myself 3 to 4 months to make the trips

Poor you! My heart bleeds.

I totally get it and am totally joking.

[honkman]

@ZivBnd

My waiter would motor by every 5 or 10 minutes and smile but never stopped to take my order for the Secondi until I was done with the Primi,

Isn’t that how it should be done (especially in Europe) ?

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I did not know that. In my very limited experience here in Italy, I have ordered the two or three courses at the same time so that they followed relatively quickly one after the other. My lunch at Poldo took a little over two hours. It was very chill, but the wait between the first and second courses seemed to take forever.

[honkman]

@ZivBnd

did not know that.

When we visited Italy this year some restaurants have changed to a more US rushed dinner/lunch experience unfortunately but in general any sit down restaurant visit is considered a slow, relaxing visit. Beside the few rushing restaurants most restaurants visits were normally between 2-3 hours with significant breaks between courses (other countries aren’t different as there is much less emphasis on turning tables multiple times each night)

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I am settling into Sant’Angelo and liking the mellow feel of the place.
I am staying at Hotel Casa Celstino which has rather nice views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. I had dinner at the hotels restaurant my first night there and it was a hit and a miss. View is great, service is good, the amuse bouche was a sea bream puff of some sort, very nice.

Then i had avery nice aubergine starter, a tuna crudo in rigatoni primi that i failed to photograph, or enjoy. And I finished w a fish in pomodoro that was mediocre at best. Not my best meal so far.

But walking around Sant’Angelo is a nice way to wind the day down! And a well prepared Milano-Torino quaffed at Bar Ridente while watching the boats return to the marina is a plus as well. Great wait staff at Ridente, not so great at the Pirate spot next door.

My biggest issue that day was 9 large pieces of styrofoam got blown off a fishing boat and were floating around the marina. I could not find anywhere to stow the litter so it would not blow away and sadly, I walked away.
I should have taken as many as I could back to my hotel…
One of the things I found amusing was that the Italian Coast Guard station here has an office ashore. It is fairly well lighted with two colored lights. Green and red, with the red on the right as you look into the entrance of the marina. Red right returning.

Almost no animals to photograph so far. Just one little guard dog, snoozing outside his owners shop.

[erica1]

Ziv, all wonderful reporting, and photos!

Did you notice: Are many people swimming in the sea now in first week of October?

One thing I found difficult to find were shops selling local foods (the jarred and canned types that I could bring home). I did buy some spicy peppers but apart from that, did not find much. But this was so long ago and surely we did not get around as much as we might have done…

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

It seemed crazy to me but i saw kids swimming in the Flathead Lake in Montana and some adults swimming here in Ischia! The latter got in and out rather quickly, i saw more than one guy look like he was saying “the water is fine!” but when the women were having none of it the guys got out of the water rather rapidly. So not much swimming, just a quick trip into the water and right back out.
I hit a winery today that i will talk about tomorrow but they had honey, lemoncello flavored w honey or fennel or basil, fig preserve, pesto… I bought a bottle of a young white wine and a bag of what looks like Calabrian chilis, plus i got some olives that were supposed to be local but i have my doubts.

[erica1]

If you can without any difficulties, see if you can find out if DA PEPPINA is still going strong after the unexpected demise of Renato…

Thank you again for a marvelous report!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Well, it has been an enjoyable couple of days since I posted. I had two places I wanted to go and was unable to order at either of them, and it worked out pretty well regardless.
Yesterday I wanted to have lunch (coniglio Ischiana) at Bracconiere but I got a late start, missed my bus by a minute or two and ended up getting to Serrara Fontana around 2. Then it took 20 minutes to climb up the hill… The host at Bracconiere told me I was too late that they closed for lunch at 3, so I trekked halfway back down the road and took a left to Cantina Raustella instead of going back to Sant’Angelo. The host there, Francesco, had a large party of Italians that were overdue but he gave me a tour of the wine cave and the garden, very chill. Then he left me under a cupola with a friendly cat with and two bottles of wine, a white and a red. The white was rather good, young but decent nose and not overly sweet. The red reminded me of a beaujolais nouveau, oaky and tart with a cloudy look to it. Good, not great. Then Francesco brought me a nice tray of salami, cheeses, and bruschetta covered with pesto, tomatoes and basil. Just delicious! The rain clouds came and went as did my view of Capri to the east. I finished with a chocolate thing that was outstanding, well I actually finished with a handful of green grapes from the vinyard but they do not count.
Just a great lunch!

I missed my bus at SF, again by a couple minutes so I got a pressed orange drink and chilled there looking out at the view of Sant’Angelo to the south. [The circuit bus on Ischia appears to have changed to CS for counter clockwise and CD for clockwise, they used to be 197/198]

By the time I got home with my bottle of white, I was tuckered out so I had one more glass and fell out.

I have not mentioned the breakfasts here at Casa Celestino, they are nice with a choice of eggs, cakes, fruit and cereals, but the cofffees are only ok, (too much spice). My favorite part of breakfast is the rosemary water. Not sure what all goes into it but it seem like it is a mix of still and gas water, rosemary, lime and maybe orange. Just delicious!

After breakfast I went to find the water taxi because I was going to get me some rabbit at Stallino up in the hills above Molinta. The water taxi is a blast but my mission in trying to find Stallino failed, miserably. There is a rockfall west of where the taxi dropped me off so I walked around trying to find a way around it and could not find one. So I went to Columbaia for seafood instead. 4.6 on Google maps, if memory serves. Great people! Outstanding view! Decent lager! But I have no idea either the MO involved in the death of my spicy mussels or the instrument used to do the dirty deed. I had more shut mussels in one dish than I have had in any 2 or 3 orders before and the spicy mussels were bathing in what looked like dirty bath water. They did not have fresh calamari or squid so I got a local fish, Lambucca? Mediocre at best. Not a good meal. I enjoyed it for the view and the staff, but I would not go back. Finding a taxi boat was a bit of a challenge because I refuse to ask directions but I eventually found one to take me home to Sant’Angelo.

So after my not so good lunch I figured I really wanted a decent coniglio Ischiana so I climbed the hill a whopping 300 yards to Sirena where I was treated to a beautiful view, great staff and three outstanding courses. I started with the grouper ravioli which was very well done, just slightly al dente and the fish was fresh.

The rabbit was a small portion but it was delicious, mildly spicy and totally messy. I definitely want to try this dish again before I leave the island! The Hugo is my new favorite drink! And my rabbit dish looked better than my photo seems to indicate. I hate to use a flash while dining.

Unusually for me, I finished with a desert, a salted caramel ice creamy thing that was outstanding!

Two deserts in two days, i am treading on dangerous ground!

Talked to friends by phone on the verandah outside Sirena, very cool juxtaposition of home and abroad.

Now I am sitting on my balcony at the Casa Celestino, finishing the bottle of white that Francesco spent so long describing to me yesterday. No label so I may never know the grape but it is a nice wine.

But the morals of my tale seem to be, first, even if things do not work out, you can usually enjoy the day if you keep going. Second, it probably would not hurt to ask for directions or making reservations, if you are capable of doing so. Third, I have yet to meet a bad orange crush. Fourth, if it rains, keep the cat at bay because he has muddy paws.
Honkman, it is funny but after you explained how to order I have just paused a little and the waitress has taken off to order my primi and left me the menu to look at what I want for the secondi and/or desert. Funny that I was unaware of how Italians generally order food. Thank you!

Erica, today was a touch cooler but the sun came out and so did the swimmers! Lots of people in the water on the south facing beaches, still few on the western facing beaches though. Both beaches are small gravel sorts but the south facing ones are brown with black smallish stones and the western facing one is smaller black round gravel.