By frenezeder
For those who did not know, I am absolutely enthralled with Elizabeth Gilbert and her work. This affection towards Gilbert is not only due to her famous post-divorce journey recorded in the book Eat, Pray, Love, but mostly due to her outlook on life and writing style. I never truly planned on making the pilgrimage to Italy, India, and Indonesia, but when I was in Rome I somehow ended up doing a full Eat, Pray, Love journey. While my intention to go to the restaurants and cafes Gilbert frequented during her stay in Rome was purely to experience the food and espresso, I found myself becoming a super fan. For those of you who read my last post, you know that I spent most of my time in Rome alone just marveling at the city and consuming mass amounts of pasta. During that time I unintentionally found myself learning how to enjoy being alone just like Gilbert did during her post-divorce find herself stay in Italy. So during my four days in Italy I found myself EATing insane amounts of carbs and gelato, not PRAYing because that is simply not my thing, and falling in LOVE with my pasta. So here are some of the restaurants and cafes both Gilbert and I frequented during our mini find-ourselves-abroad stay in Rome.
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CAFFE SANT'EUSTACHIO
Located just a few blocks away from the Pantheon is the home of my favorite espresso in the entire world. Not only is this cafe is featured in the movie Eat, Pray, Love, but it brews home-roasted 100% Arabica beans blended with ancient aqueduct water. While the espresso is a bit pricey, it is hands down one of the best espressos I have ever had in my life. I would recommend getting the Gran Caffe, which is what they are known for. It is the epitome of an Italian cafe as it is crammed, old-school, and insanely busy. I promptly made my way to this espresso Mecca after getting a life changing haircut, so yes my opinion may be skewed, but I promise you this is the best espresso you will ever have in your lifetime.
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SANTA LUCIA
Next we have the first restaurant I have ever dined alone at and happens to also appear in the film Eat, Pray, Love. This restaurant and outdoor garden is just around the north corner of Piazza Navona and offers insanely mouthwatering food and great people watching views. I started off with an appetizer of mozzarella and prosciutto, which was crafted by the food gods themselves. While I pride myself on being a pescatarian, I knew I would never forgive myself if I limited my food consumption in Italy, so I ate all the dairy, meat, and gluten without an ounce of remorse (which happens to be a theory of Gilbert herself). After my appetizer, I demolished a bowl of fettuccine pasta covered in butter, roasted artichoke, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. One of the best meals I have ever had in my life and I was able to savor every moment of it because I was a grand old party of one.
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CYBO RESTAURANT
I stumbled upon this gem while aimlessly walking around the streets of Rome and I am so happy I did. Typically when I travel I have a generally loose plan of action as I have places I want to go and experiences I want to do and for Italy I knew I had to eat melon and prosciutto, but I had no idea where I wanted to eat this divine dish. Luckily I quite literally stumbled upon this restaurant (I fell into the door as I am incapable of walking on cobblestone). I was able to be seated in the coveted outside tables on a sunny day and experienced the best appetizer of my life while reading one of my favorite books. I then finished off the meal with the biggest bowl of Cacio E Pepe I have ever laid my eyes on. I would highly recommend this restaurant as the outdoor seating provides for excellent people watching and a perfect Italian scene.
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ANTICO CAFFE GRECO
This caffe is not only home to the single most expensive coffee I have ever drank, but also the place where Keats and Byron frequently drank coffee. While this means absolutely nothing to me, I thought I might include this as it could mean everything to someone who stumbles upon this post. Fair warning: this caffe is absolutely grand in the best and worst ways, so expect wonderful service, but a large bill as well.
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GIOLITTI GELATO
Finally the shinning star of this post, the best gelato place in Rome! Giolitti is renowned for their wide array of flavors and artisan craft, thus making it my favorite gelato place in the world. You could not even attempt to try all of their flavors as some change by the day, thus appealing to all people. They have a large array of both fruity and chocolatey flavors that go perfectly together. Being the gluten I am, I went twice while in Rome - the first time I got blueberry and dark chocolate and the second I tried banana and dark chocolate. If you choose to head absolutely none of my advice, please at least try this gelato as it is truly life changing.
This next week I will be traveling to Hungary, so until then I may post another one of these, but if not - until then!