La Taverna Dei Fori Imperiali- after walking from the Colosseum to the Pantheon, walk across the wide street and amble along until to come to the third turning on your left, or right…I’m not too sure but its about ten minutes from the Pantheon, in an alleyway, I think everything in Rome is in some cobbled alleyway.
La Taverna Dei Fori Imperiali is a family run restaurant, father in the kitchen, kids out front bussing tables. The ambience is familial and welcoming. We were fortunate enough to make a reservation for a table because if you don’t you lose out. Its a small place and traditional with all the trappings of an Italian family home.
The food is sublime and by the time we were done my heart and my belly were full. Its rare that I eat lamb my mother has not made, judge me I am one of those people, but I took a punt and went for it. They make it to your taste; rare, medium well etc. Its juicy, gloriously juicy. The spinach succulent and I could dance all night just for a taste of that tiramisu. The service is excellent, they couldn’t be more attentive and helpful if they tried and they were mindful of the fact that we had my 2 year old nephew with us.
And now for Ice Cream!!
Listen I have a guy on the inside so to speak. His parlour is about ten seconds from the Trevi Fountain, which is under construction until the Autumn of 2015, Valentina, owned by Valentina who serves the best ice cream in Rome with an amazing policy; if you don’t like it he’ll refund your money and give you a fresh scoop of whatever flavour; he is that confident about his stuff as well he should be. As you know, I am something of a dessert connoisseur, ice cream is up my alley and this is the good stuff. My sister and I abandoned the family and went for a jolly to find this ice cream parlour we’d heard so much about, the locals directed us there. Valentina is a pokey little place with about two tables and six chairs, it was busy, but the service is rapid and the atmosphere fun. Its like your local off licence with all flavours of delicious ice cream. We sat there and had coconut and chocolate, which was heavenly, and then left with scoops of pistachio, hazelnut and Vanilla so good I wept. Valentina serves REAL pistachio ice cream, not the shit that’s coloured in pastel green food colouring, but real pistachio and pistachio nuts and the text is velvety smooth; AWESOMENESS in too little a word to describe this but this is one place you should definitely, DEFINITELY have ice cream when is Rome.