Restaurant recomendations in Italy

[Mimi19510]

We are using private tours in Florence, Rome and Naples. Would love recomendations for restaurants as we will be eating lunch off the ship those days. We are doing full day in Florence, full day in Rome and in Naples we will be doing Pompeii and Amalfi coast. All suggestions welcome!:)

[paul929207]

You are looking at large cities. Don't you want to get recommendations for the area where you will be at lunchtime? I don't think you want to spend an hour or more driving across town.

[cruisemom42]

Your private tour operator will likely have suggestions based on timing (quick vs. leisurely) and area where you will be at lunchtime.

[KirkNC]

In Naples get pizza, the best in the world!

[CathyCruises]

We always rely on the tour driver to recommend a great local spot--never been led astray yet and we have had some wonderful meals. We also always invite the to join us--usually they don't but if they do, it's extra fun!

[Chloe1500]

If you end up near the Pantheon at lunch, one of our favorite places is Enoteca Corsi (Via del Gesu 88), family run business only open for lunch, usually filled with many locals. Traditional dishes, great selection of good wine, free shot of their limoncello after lunch. They just leave the bottle on your table.

[CathyCruises]

If you end up near the Pantheon at lunch, one of our favorite places is Enoteca Corsi (Via del Gesu 88), family run business only open for lunch, usually filled with many locals. Traditional dishes, great selection of good wine, free shot of their limoncello after lunch. They just leave the bottle on your table.

 

Wait! Did you copy my post?? That sounds identical to my recommendation!!!;)

[Chloe1500]

Wait! Did you copy my post?? That sounds identical to my recommendation!!!;)

 

Ha ha no, I was there last year and the year before ... Read about it in Rick Steves' Italy. Love the place.

[Chloe1500]

Hey, CathyCruises, since we think/eat alike, have you been to Il Leoncino in Rome? It's rustic pizza like no other. It's on Via del Leoncino 28. I bet you already know about it. Love this place too. Favorite is the white bean and sausage. Not too far from the Spanish Steps.

[Lissie62]

The tip would be to get your tour co. to suggest right now a couple of places in each city that will be convenient for the tour, based on some preferences you might have, eg. pizza, seafood, a view, little and cute, not too touristic. Then, before agreeing to one, check it out on Trip Advisor. These are huge cities and you only have one day. My suggestion would be to eat and run, as there will not be a moment to lose!

[cdnishk]

Hi, I read the tripadvisors reviews. Most of them were great but (when reading reviews) I ususally read also the not so good ones and they somehow all written by the tourists. Comments were all similar - that the place seems to hate tourists! They were ignored, given the wrong dishes etc.

 

Actually, we have an Italian friend in HK who runs a very successful (meaning busy and v expensive) italian restaurant. Whilst it's absoutely our favourite each time we visit HK, I have to admit he's the same. He (italian) and his staff (Hong Kongers) can be and are usually quite to very rude to walkin customers.

 

We are now travelling in Beijing and went to this La Pizza two night ago on tripadvisors recommendation. The pizza was indeed great but I also noticed the Boss (Italian with a gigantic tummy) really couldn't care less. We stood and waited at the door for five mins without being greeted by anyone. A few waitresses passed us by without saying a word. The boss looked at us a few times without any expression on his face or a single word...

 

I wonder if this is some kind of pride or arrogance in Italian culinary culture...

[Lissie62]

yes, you've got to take TA reviews with a grain of salt. And read between the lines to see what sort of cusomer the reviewer is. Some just seem to be plain picky or inflexible, so give bad reviews. Their behaviour can influence the sort of service they receive.

We were in Beijing last August and had a great time touring for 16 days. Didn't try eating pizza there - like to keep to the local cuisine as much as possible. Hope you enjoy your China trip as much as we did.

[CathyCruises]

Hey, CathyCruises, since we think/eat alike, have you been to Il Leoncino in Rome? It's rustic pizza like no other. It's on Via del Leoncino 28. I bet you already know about it. Love this place too. Favorite is the white bean and sausage. Not too far from the Spanish Steps.

 

No, I haven't been there but will add it to my Rome restaurant list now!

 

The thing I liked about Enoteca Corsi was how friendly everyone was. My DH and I refer to it as "The Happy Place" because that's how we felt when leaving. The girls were just delightful.

 

Right across the little square from there is one of CruiseMom's favorites, La Pigna. I had amazing veal al limone there; not the same friendliness, but a delicious dinner with good service, and very reasonable. In general, my dining experiences in Rome to this point had been mediocre, so I was happy to find these two places.

 

Another long-time favorite of ours is Ristorante Alla Rampa, 'behind' the Spanish Steps. We love their self-serve antipasto bar, and the pear, gorgonzola and walnut pasta is to die for!! Lots of locals there. Also their vanilla gelato in orange sauce is delicious--we have tried to replicate it at home.

[Chloe1500]

No, I haven't been there but will add it to my Rome restaurant list now!

 

The thing I liked about Enoteca Corsi was how friendly everyone was. My DH and I refer to it as "The Happy Place" because that's how we felt when leaving. The girls were just delightful.

 

Right across the little square from there is one of CruiseMom's favorites, La Pigna. I had amazing veal al limone there; not the same friendliness, but a delicious dinner with good service, and very reasonable. In general, my dining experiences in Rome to this point had been mediocre, so I was happy to find these two places.

 

Another long-time favorite of ours is Ristorante Alla Rampa, 'behind' the Spanish Steps. We love their self-serve antipasto bar, and the pear, gorgonzola and walnut pasta is to die for!! Lots of locals there. Also their vanilla gelato in orange sauce is delicious--we have tried to replicate it at home.

 

Thanks so much for those tips! I can't wait to go back and try them --our favorite city!

 

Yes, the folks at Enoteca Corsi are very friendly. On our first visit, we stood just inside the door, feeling a little awkward since it seemed very local. One of the young women came to welcome us in and introduce us to twin older ladies sitting at the table next to where she seated us. The twins didn't speak English but started talking to us anyway. We took turns taking photos of each other and exchanged pleasanties with just the few Italian phrases we knew. We ended up with four bottles at our table--water, wine, desert wine, and the limoncello (and I should say we did not drink full bottles of the desert wine and limoncello, of course.) What a lunch! We did not get much sightseeing done that day, but it was one of our favorite times.

[CathyCruises]

Thanks so much for those tips! I can't wait to go back and try them --our favorite city!

 

Yes, the folks at Enoteca Corsi are very friendly. On our first visit, we stood just inside the door, feeling a little awkward since it seemed very local. One of the young women came to welcome us in and introduce us to twin older ladies sitting at the table next to where she seated us. The twins didn't speak English but started talking to us anyway. We took turns taking photos of each other and exchanged pleasanties with just the few Italian phrases we knew. We ended up with four bottles at our table--water, wine, desert wine, and the limoncello (and I should say we did not drink full bottles of the desert wine and limoncello, of course.) What a lunch! We did not get much sightseeing done that day, but it was one of our favorite times.

 

That sounds exactly like them! I was so surprised to read on TA afterward that people said they weren't friendly! Sounds like such a fun and memorable day!

 

OP: sorry for the hijack!!;)

[Mimi19510]

Thanks for all the suggestions! All sound great. My tour company did give me some suggestions. Decisions, decisions!!

 

 

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