How does one leave Italy without having tried some authentically made pizza? On this cold and rainy evening, we followed recommendations on Tripadvisor and found what was supposed to be one of the best pizzerias in Rome, on a long side street between Cavour and Vittorio Emanuele metro stations (I would advise getting off at the latter station so as to avoid walking uphill). It was a very small and unpretentious locale overseen by two friendly guys at the counter. They didn't speak much English but we still managed to strike up a brief conversation about where we came from, whether we were enjoying the food etc. We took the table by the door as it was full inside - not the best location because of the constant draft and being nudged by customers coming in for takeaways, but we were just looking for a quick, comforting meal after a long day of walking.
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| 1,50 Euros per large slice chock-full of fresh toppings - unbelievably cheap and enticing! |
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| Our orders, freshly made and about to go into the oven. |
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| Wasn't expecting it to be this large! |
Pizza 'funghi': tomato, mozarella, button mushrooms. The freshness of the ingredients was obvious, and the sliced mushrooms had a lovely succulent bite about them. The crust was light, thin and crisp so we didn't feel overly stuffed with carbs. Everything was just right. The price? Only 5 Euros! If you find something cheaper and bigger/better than this, let me know!
Pizza 'boscaiola': similar to the above, but with chunks of sausage instead of tomato. A more savoury and substantial item, and really delicious too! Just 6 Euros for this gargantuan piece that turned out bigger than the plate itself.
Pasta 'genovese': pici (like Japanese udon, or a fat version of spaghetti) with a basil and pine nut pesto and copious amounts of olive oil. Pure comfort food on a chilly night - a generous portion of thick pici strands with an excellent al dente texture and soaked in olive oil were heavy yet wholesome; yes it was quite greasy but you know it's all good for you! The wonderful aromas of basil permeated the dish while crushed pine nuts gave a further bite to the dish. Completed with a fine sprinkling of parmesan for extra flavour. So simple yet so unforgettable. In hindsight I can safely say that this was one of the best pasta dishes we had during our Italian vacation. At 5 Euros, food really doesn't get much better than this!
Highly recommended, especially for those on a tight budget who still wish to experience a true taste of Italy. (No extra service/'coperto' charges for what is essentially a takeaway shop, I might add.) Go anyway even if you're not living on a shoestring - the food is truly excellent and well worth travelling a little out of the central area for.
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