Eating & gelato in Rome

Larry - I have a slightly slanted view since I'm Italian BUT - There is no bad food in Roma!!! And Gelato - Perfect everywhere!!! Especially by Piazza di Spagna - Grab a gelato by the Spanish Steps - sit and watch the people - It just doesn't get any better.
The Cafes by the Steps , on the side street are excellent OR , you can walk up to The Via Veneto and simply pick one - All Good

Ciao, Greg

My wife is vegetarian (Does eat dairy and seafood/fish, and while she does not eat eggs directly, will eat foods cooked with eggs) and she had no problem eating in Rome. Lots of pastas, Pizza, fish dishes, and of course lots of fresh veggies. You do need a menu decoder, and it doesn't hurt to ask, many Roman pastas use bacon in the sauce, even in vegatables, so check things out. If you are stricter, or vegan, then you might have to suspend belief for a while to survive.

Cremeria Monteforte is currently at the top of my Rome gelato list. It's on the right side of the Pantheon as you face the entrance. For a more decadent treat, try the tartuffo at Tre Scalini on Piazza Navona (expensive at a table, but a bargain as take away).

Actually, it's not difficult at all to eat vegetarian in Italy. Check out the following resources.....

http://www.happycow.net/europe/italy/rome/

http://www.romecentral.com/eating_vegetarian.php

http://vegans.frommars.org/rome/

I cannot remember the name of the gelateria, but if you face the trevi fountain, look to your right, and there is a shop with really good gelato very close. Enjoy! Jeff

One of my favorite place for gelato in Rome was Giolitti.

Il Gelato di San Crispino in Rome is the gelato shop that was mentioned in the book, Eat, Pray, Love. On our of our tours with Through Eternity, we stopped and got some gelato. It was very, very good. Enjoy your trip.

A great tip:

Gelato is infinitely cheaper even in downtown Rome if you step off the major tourist streets and look for smaller, more intimate gelaterie. My favorite was run by a man named Marco, and it is on the Via della Quattre Fontane just southeast of the intersection with Via del Quirinale. The first night I went in, I got two to three times more gelato in a small cup than I got for twice the price by the Trevi Fountain. Every night I went back, Marco kept piling more and more on my cup, to the point where I was probably getting a "largo" for the price of a "piccolo" on my last night in Rome.

The key, find a local who works the same gelateria night after night near your hotel on a side street, be friendly, and Italians will reward you.

For gelato in Rome, try my strategy...

To be sure I have the best one there is, I stop in every shop I pass and get one. I have at least 3 a day, sometimes 5 or more... [and, really, they are all awesome -- even the street vendor in the little trailer that works the area above the Forum]

Straciatella is my favorite flavor (sorry if I mis-spelled that...)

Some may disagree, but we loved BLUE ICE gelato when in Rome. There is one in Campo Fiori and another a few blocks from the Spanish Steps. (no way can I tell you how to find that one...we just happened on it - it's on a side street)

Blue Ice seems to be a franchise, but man...that gelato was great!

I agree with Jim, to make sure you have the VERY BEST gelato you should try many-every day and every evening. My personal best is 3, but now that I know Jim is up to 5+, my competitive streak (for gelato only really) will kick in next Italy visit.

Im with Elaine and Jim.I stop at almost everyone and have many small cones each day.I dont count because that way there are fewer calories.Giolitti is one of the best.