The sun had set at 7pm and by 8pm we were awake and ready to eat. But where? The square was ringed by restaurants and they were all doing great business. Carol came up with the idea of asking at the hotel and Ferrucio was working there. Where would he eat tonight?
He had a favorite to recommend- Virginiae, but it was over 10 minutes walk away. He gave us a map and highlighted the route. "Simple Roman food" he said and that sounded good to us. They had outdoor seating which was good as it was a warm night. Ferrucio called ahead and reserved an outdoor table for us.
I waited for Carol outside the hotel....
With map in hand we set off through the square. We would pass through Pizza Navona along the way.
We'll spend some time there later as it was such a lively place.
Off that square we found some narrow streets and found our way to the restaurant.
Using my best Italian (which can only get better with practice) I told a waiter by the door that we had a reservation from Albergo del Senato and he showed us to our table and brought menus. We were in a very narrow street which small cars would drive down, close to our table.
Drinks were brought quickly. I chose a bottle of Pinot Grigio for under E20 and sat back to relax and enjoy the people watching. This part of Rome is a walking area and many people were strolling by, not in any particular hurry as it's Rome and a warm night and each step is to be savored.
Wonderful smells came from the kitchen within and we had no problem finding tempting dishes on the menu.
To start, for me, when I see Spaghetti alla Carbonara on a menu I have to order it. It was the first pasta dish I ever ate, back in 1972 when I was briefly living in Germany and visited an Italian restaurant in Nuremberg many times. Simple-spaghetti with pieces of prosciutto and egg mixed in, with salt and pepper to season.
On the other side of the table Carol was enjoying Artichoke alls Romana, as only the" Queen of Vegetables" can.
Carol's Secondi Piatti-her entree-was Osso Bucco which sadly I forgot to photograph. She was very happy with her dish and the smell from my side of the small table was wonderfully aromatic.
For me, veal saltimbuco
All the while the waiter attended to our needs and between courses we spoke to him. A very nice fellow indeed and good at his job. A professional.
I took some video of our first evening in Rome. We didn't do much besides have dinner then visit Piazza Navona and get to bed by 11pm as we had been up since 5.30 and had been busy seeing the sights all day.
Here's the video...
And a couple of photographs before bedtime...
And so to bed for a long-awaited sleep. What would tomorrow bring?
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