Weekend Travel Inspiration: Italian "Food For Thought" in Rome

When you travel, how big a factor is the food?

I am most definitely a foodie,
 and I have to admit that food plays almost...
almost...
as much a part in my travel enjoyment 
as sightseeing.

My traveling companions on our trip to Italy
eight years ago (Junior Goo Shoes was only 6 years old!),
were at various points on the foodie spectrum...
with Mr. Goo Shoes -- on the lower end;
Aunt Goo Shoes (my sister) -- right next to me on the high end;
and little Junior Goo Shoes --  happily in the middle, 
as long as there was pizza and gelato
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What is astounding to me, looking back, 
is that I did not take a single picture of the food!
 Okay, I was not blogging then, but still. 
Not. One. 

Our first day in Rome was spent sightseeing around our hotel,
taking in the Roman Forum -- the heart of ancient Rome...

the Arch of Constantine...

and the Colloseum...

 
Exhausted and jet-lagged by the end of the day,
we asked the concierge for a causal restaurant recommendation.
He suggested Luzzi Pizzeria.

It was only a couple of blocks away, 
but at first we couldn't find it.
Finally, I noticed a doorway, 
which, upon entering, turned out to be the restaurant.

My recollection may be a bit fuzzy, 
but I seem to remember a menu on the wall 
with a short list of pastas and basic sauce options.
We placed our orders at the counter,
and they brought it to us at picnic tables outside in the street,
between parked cars and motorcycles.
  I was not a happy camper, and had a bit of a hissy fit,
due to the jet lag, and all.
I couldn't believe that we were going to 
waste one of our precious meals in Italy on this place.
How could the concierge have sent us here?

Well, wouldn't you know, it was the best 
linguine and white clam sauce that I have ever eaten,
and I'd go back there in a heartbeat for another bowl.
It's eight years later, and I'm still thinking about it.

That was my first lesson on dining in Italy -
the more unassuming the restaurant, 
the more likely the food would be outstanding.

Our second and final day in Rome 
was spent in the Vatican Museum...

with each ceiling... 

 more beautiful than the next.

The piece de' resistance, of course, 
 was the Sistine Chapel...

We walked through Vatican Square, past St. Peter's Basilica...

  through the Piazza Navona...

and on to the Pantheon.

All of that sightseeing made us hungry!

We had dinner at a little restaurant near the Trevi Fountain.
Aunt Goo Shoes and I thought we were being real sports
by telling Mr. Goo Shoes that he could choose 
any appetizer he wanted, 
and we would not not squawk about it.

When he picked an assortment of "salamis," 
Aunt Goo Shoes and I rolled our eyes,
and kept our mouths shut.

But, upon tasting the salami,
we had to eat our unspoken words,
because if you've ever eaten salami in Italy,
 I don't have to tell you how delectable it is.
Needless to say, we ordered it almost every night
during the rest of our stay in Italy.

Mr. Goo Shoes gloats about it to this day.

Do you have a memorable food experience
from your travels? 

*********** 

Just a little Italian food for thought...

Linking With:
Weekend Travel Inspiration
Sunday Traveler
Our World Tuesday