THE IDEA
In the last few years, tourism in Rome has been very much on the increase, and a growing number of the people who visit the city are attracted both by its artistic treasures and by its wine and cuisine traditions. Actually, Rome is not particularly famous for the quality of its restaurants, and besides, tourists often find themselves all eating in the same restaurants that cater specifically to them: restaurants that have very little in common with the more authentic places where Romans eat out.
That’s why we decided to draw up a critical guidebook of the capital’s restaurants and pizzerie, to offer you a list of addresses that are normally frequented by the people who live in Rome. It is the word critical that I’d like to explain, as we feel it’s the key to this little book. We decided we would be an independent voice outside of the larger chorus (our publishing house is called “The Black Sheep”…) and that we’d write for our readers. To do this, we felt the only way would be to avoid all possible forms of conflict of interest with the world of restaurateurs. Indeed, you won’t find any restaurant or pizzeria advertisements here, and we also avoid consulting with any Chefs who we could find ourselves appraising in the future. As a result, we feel free to give you top ratings for some restaurants, and totally insufficient ones for others, if that’s the opinion we’ve reached.
As to its actual contents, you’ll find critical opinions on 150 restaurants and 51 pizzerie. In the first pages we have listed the best (number one is La Pergola of the Cavalieri Hilton Hotel, with Chef Heinz Beck), and the ones we recommend, that are not necessarily the ones with the highest ratings, but those we would recommend hands down to friends for particular occasions or for certain types of cuisine. We have also added a list of 258 shops in which you can buy gourmet specialties (wine shops, delicatessen, bakeries, cheese shops, ice cream parlours, pastry shops, chocolate shops, and shops for kitchen accessories).
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY EATING OUT IN ROME !
