Rome is my favourite city.
There – I’ve said it. I love it even more than Norwich and I’m sorry!
I love its history, its people and its coffee. And yes, it is busy, noisy and bustling, but it has a personality you can’t help but like.
Hot in the city
Last week I visited Rome for the third time and think it was the best visit yet. Even though the mercury hit 30 and sightseeing was tough going, it was still beautiful with great atmosphere.
Because we had an early flight, we went in search of lunch as soon as we got to the historical centre and luckily we found a great little restaurant. It was teeming with people sipping at espressos and eating huge plates of pasta with all manner of sauces – it seemed like a good place to stop!
The restaurant/bar is called Miscellenea and is located just behind the Pantheon. They serve a wide range of sandwiches, pizzas and mains for very reasonable prices. As such, we each ordered a panini and were rather happily surprised when huge doorstop sandwiches came out, packed with filling – all for €4. I can recommend the tuna and artichoke if you go there!
As a result, we went back there for dinner too and were bowled over. Although my meal was delicious, I was actually rather jealous of my OH: he ordered lobster linguine and was presented with half a lobster, half a dozen mussels and linguine for €18! We were just expecting a little bit of lobster meat mixed in for that price!
We had wine with dinner too, which was very reasonable – €9 for half a litre of house white – and it tasted nice too! In fact, they even gave us a free bottle of their speciality ‘sexy wine’, or fragilino strawberry wine too, which I could drink until it came out of my ears.
It’s all about atmosphere
I’ve seen other reviews of Miscellanea online that say it’s a bit dingy, but I would disagree. Yes, the decor is a bit tired, but it’s comfortable and friendly – the staff are pleasant and don’t hassle you – and most of the time you sit outside. We sat there from about 8.30 until gone 11 at night and they were perfectly happy with that.
Miscellanea is located on Via Palombella in Rome, behind the Pantheon.
