Revealed Rome

No (Fiscal) Receipt? No Party: How Tourists Can Help the Campaign Against Tax Evasion in Italy

Everyone knows that tax evasion is one of the biggest issues facing Italy's economy. But very few tourists to Italy know that they have the power to do something about it.

And should.

That's because tax evasion in Italy doesn't just happen in accountants' offices behind closed doors. It happens every time a product, meal, or coffee is sold. Why? Because Italian stores and restaurants have a book of "fiscal receipts" issued by the government—and legally, they need to give the customer a fiscal receipt (ricevuta fiscale) for each interaction. Each time they use a ricevuta fiscale, the government knows about the purchase... and the interaction is taxed.

Without issuing that ricevuta fiscale, it's like the interaction never happened. And, therefore, it's untaxed.

And so, guess what: You hardly ever see fiscal receipts in Italy. Especially if you're a tourist.

Restaurants and stores know that tourists have no idea what a fiscal receipt looks like versus a non-fiscal receipt. They also know that tourists have a tendency to think it's "cute" when their waiter does something like, say, scribble the total on the tablecloth or a napkin. Guess what? That's not a fiscal receipt. And that's not cute. It means that your meal isn't being taxed. It's going right into the owner's pockets, tax-free.

My Three No-Fail Rome Restaurants

Sometimes, I feel like I'm slagging off on Rome's restaurants more than anything else.

However. There is fantastic food in this city, and honest people serving it. You just have to know where to go.

When I need a no-fail, top-notch, not-too-expensive Italian meal (like when guests are in town), these are the three restaurants I now turn to. The food is fantastic, the service good, the atmosphere untouristy, the prices moderate. And I haven't found something surprising added to my bill. (Yet).

My top picks to eat in Rome...:

With a group of friends or family: Flavio al Velavevodetto

I was a little late to the Flavio al Velavevodetto lovefest, having been preceded by, among others, Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini. But I'm so glad I arrived.

Rome's Best Bus... for Food: The Unofficial "Hop-On, Hop-Off" Dining Bus

If you want to eat at the best restaurants in Rome, you need to get out of the touristy center. And that's when most travelers to Rome balk.

But they don't have to. As overwhelming and confusing as Rome's public transport system can seem, there's only one bus you really need to know in order to hit nearly all of Rome's best food neighborhoods. Ladies and gentlemen... let me present:

The number 3.

Now, there are many things I don't like about the #3 bus. It makes lots of stops. It gets super-crowded around rush hour (avoid it from about 7am-9am and 5pm-7pm). And like any bus in Rome, it can be erratic, sometimes coming every 5 minutes, sometimes every 20.

But I find myself hopping on it again and again, just because, for the price of one euro, it takes me to nearly all of my favorite restaurants.

The #3 starts (or ends, depending on your point of view) at Thorvaldsen, a stop in the Villa Borghese right near the Galleria Arte Moderna. It then hits:

• Parioli, a well-heeled neighborhood that's starting to come alive with equally-upmarket restaurants
• San Lorenzo, a student quarter that has excellent, cheap trattorie and hip, grungy bars alike
• the Porta San Giovanni down to the Colosseum
• the Celian and Aventine hills
• Testaccio, one of Rome's best food neighborhoods for cheap, traditional cucina romana
• Trastevere, another great food neighborhood with both higher- and lower-end dining

But it's not just food that you can explore by hopping on and off the #3. There are sites, too—and (bonus) a lot of them are the slightly more off-the-beaten-path and, in my opinion, rewarding kind.

So... let's get on the #3 and see where, exactly, it takes us. (The neighborhood names are rough generalizations; I've just used them to make everything easier to visualize).

In Testaccio, a Brand-New Sicilian Bakery Ups the Cannoli Competition

With Sicilian bakery Ciuri Ciuri, I thought I'd found the best stop for cannoli in Rome. And then I discovered Sicilia e Duci.

The pasticceria opened less than two weeks ago in Testaccio, making the foodie-friendly neighborhood that much more of a must on any committed eater's itinerary. It's run by a Sicilian owner who, if his discussion with me about the finer points of cannoli shows anything, definitely knows his stuff.

But even if you're not in the mood for pastries (something I and my sweet tooth couldn't possibly understand, but I hear that it happens), pop your head in just to gawk. Because these pastries, from marzipan in stunningly-realistic fruit shapes to elegant cakes and pastel cassate siciliane, are simply beautiful.

Luckily, though, the taste lived up to the looks.

Sicilia e Duci is located on Via Marmorata 87/89, a stone's throw from that other (if overpriced) foodie haven, Volpetti.

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How to Ruin the Perfect Meal: An Open Letter to Rome Restaurants

I had lunch today at a Rome restaurant I'd never eaten at before: Divinare, a chic (and cleverly-named) wine bar in Testaccio. The food was delicious, from a pasta with fiori di zucca and guanciale (above) to a super-fresh and gourmet salad.

But I can't recommend Divinare to hungry travelers. And boy, is that frustrating.

It's not that they did anything that I haven't seen a hundred times before. But I'm just too sick of it by now to put up with it any more, even the smallest instances of it.

Familiar with Rome's food scene? Then you know where I'm going with this.

Where to Eat in Rome's Most Touristy Areas

I've said it before: When you're looking for good restaurants in Rome, get thee away from the city's tourist centers. The farther from the Colosseum, Pantheon, or Spanish Steps you are, the better and cheaper -- in general -- the food is going to be.

That said? Sometimes, after a day of sightseeing, your feet are just too tired, or your stomach too darn loud, to walk the extra 20 minutes, or wait for the bus, that's required to wind up in a less hit-or-miss food zone like Testaccio. But that doesn't mean all is lost.

Here, suggestions for where to eat in Rome's most touristy locales. Even if they won't all blow your mind (although some will), they're reliably good food, good value, and within a 5-minute walk from the given site. (Just to make sure, I used the ever-objective Google maps to see how long "walking directions" took).

To help you visualize how close these really are to Rome's major sites, here's a helpful map of them all. Print it all out to save your feet, and your stomach, when you're in Rome.

This post covers where to eat when you're at the Spanish Steps, Colosseum, or the Pantheon. (Above: An awesome mozzarella-di-bufala-egg-combination thing from Palatium, a top spot near the Spanish Steps).

Look for an upcoming post on where to eat when at the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, or Piazza Navona!

Where to eat at... the Colosseum

Taverna dei Quaranta. Via Claudia 24, a 3-minute walk from the Colosseum. I didn't quite believe it when a friend of mine said that this place was any good. But then I went. And it is. Despite being located just 2 minutes' further down the road than all of the terrible, touristy places that directly overlook the Colosseum, Taverna dei Quaranta is a different story. The cacio e pepe here is fantastic, the spaghetti alle vongole tasted super-fresh, and a pasta alla norma (with eggplants, tomato and salted ricotta) decided my next return for me. The restaurant also offers traditional Roman secondi (oxtail, fried baccalà), a pizza menu, and, my friend says, a kick-ass tiramisu. At about €8 for a pasta, the prices are also good for the area. +39 06 7000550, www.tavernadeiquaranta.com/en. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Artisanal Beer, Pizza, Fritti and Steak -- In One Place

It's hard to find a good fiaschetteria, or steakhouse, near Rome's center; it's even harder to find an artisanal birreria.

The little-known restaurant Al Grottino is both a fiaschetteria, birreria... and pizzeria. (No, I couldn't believe I hadn't discovered this place until a couple of months ago, either).

Located a 10-minute walk from the San Giovanni metro, Al Grottino looks, at first glance, like any average Roman pizzeria. It's got the red-and-white checkered tablecloths, the bustle of locals, the anything-but-impeccable service. (Don't come right when the pizzeria opens, or you might have to wait nearly an hour for the oven to heat up and your pizza to be made, like I did on my first visit).

And yet... Al Grottino isn't quite the same. For one, they're trying -- maybe a little too hard -- to seem techno-savvy. Instead of a normal beer menu, for example, you get an iPad to flick through. And, yes, it's a little gimmicky. And, no, there aren't enough iPads for every table, making it a bit less convenient than, I don't know, a real menu. Still, in a town where most menus are still handwritten, it's an interesting (albeit expensive) way to try to set a place apart.

The real reason to go to Al Grottino, though, is for the (cheap!) food. The pizza has fresh ingredients and a thin, charred-just-right crust. The fritti are done like Japanese tempura, a nice alternative to the heavier fry-ups you usually see at Rome's pizzerias. The steak was thick, juicy, and cooked rare, just as we'd asked. Plus, it came with Argentinian-style chimichurri sauce, rarely seen with steak in Rome. Heck, even the salmon-and-pesto bruschetta (a special of the day) was better than we expected.

And when I say the food was cheap, I mean cheap. A pizza margherita is €5; bruschetta, €2.

The real draw, though, is the beer. Al Grottino has more than 40 kinds, including lots of Belgians, and bottles come with a snazzy ice pouch to keep them cold in the Rome heat.

Al Grottino: the trendiness of artisanal beers and iPads, combined with old-school Roman prices, pizza, and (hmm) service. It might not make sense, or feel cohesive. But when you don't want the gruff traditionalism of, say, La Montecarlo, or the trendiness of Open Baladin, Al Grottino strikes a nice middle ground.

Al Grottino. Via Orvieto 6. Click here for a map of Al Grottino's location.

The Best Gelato, and Best-Kept Secret, in Rome

  

After more than a year of silence, I'm going to let you in on Rome's best-kept gelato secret: Rome's best gelato isn't at Grom, at San Crispino, or even at Ciampini (although that's still my favorite on-the-beaten-track gelateria, for when you just don't have time to make a voyage out to, say, Vice).

Instead, Rome's best gelateria is a little place in the centro storico's business district, a short walk from Repubblica.

Its name? I Caruso.

If you haven't heard of I Caruso, you're not the only one. So far, it's escaped notice even by Rome's myriad foodies and gelato lovers, never mind guidebooks. In fact, it didn't even make it onto any of the recent lists I've seen of Rome's best gelato shops (including these otherwise-great round-ups by Tavole Romane, Katie Parla, and NileGuide).

That said, if I Caruso is a local secret, it's one of the most popular local secrets I know. Every time I go, the place is crowded with Italians. Men in suits fresh from their work at one of the nearby banks, families, well-heeled women -- they're all here. And with reason. 

Rome's Newest Artisanal Gelateria Opens... Right Near the Colosseum

Sweet relief -- in the form of homemade, artisanal gelato -- has just come that much closer for those sightseeing in the Colosseum area. Right across from the entrance to the Roman forum, on Via Cavour, is "Flor," Rome's newest gelateria.

Flor just opened in the last month, and I've already taken (several) tastings. The good news: It's definitely good gelato. And it's made fresh on-site, always a absolute must huge plus. It's also a welcome addition to an area that previously, Sicilian pastry and ice cream shop Ciuri Ciuri aside, didn't have very many gelato options at all, never mind artisanal ones.

That said, it's not the best gelato I've ever tasted. Some of the flavors don't have as much "kick" as I'd like, particularly the fruity ones (is pear really that hard to turn into gelato? Because time after time, I find gelaterias failing to deliver on their pear flavors). But others are definitely worth trying. My two favorites: the variegato all'amarena, a mix of creamy vanilla and cherry, and the fondente, a super-rich dark chocolate.

Even if it's not Rome's best gelateria, Flor is still pretty darn good. Oh, and they have 3-euro milkshakes, too. You can bet I'm going back soon to try one.

Flor. Located at the bottom of Via Cavour, just above where it meets Via dei Fori Imperiali, on the left. I'll go back soon for the proper address, but if you head up Via Cavour from the Roman forum entrance, you can't miss it.

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Rome's Most Convenient Beach (And It's Pretty)

Romans often say that the beaches near Rome just aren't that nice. Maybe it's the New Englander in me, but after visiting Santa Marinella, I beg to differ.

The beach at Santa Marinella, a seaside comune just outside the city, has a couple of things going for it. First off, it's free. Although that might sound odd if you haven't sunbathed in Italy before, most other beaches cost you. Stretches of sand are covered in cabanas and chairs, the use of which costs some €10 to €15 for the day -- and no, you can't just park yourself on a towel nearby the chairs and hope nobody will notice. (Che brutta figura!).

Secondly, Santa Marinella's beach is convenient. Really convenient. You don't need a car to get there, or to take a train and then a bus, like you do to get to the (admittedly prettier) beach of Sperlonga. Instead, you just hop on the train in Rome from Termini, Ostiense, Trastevere, or San Pietro; 45 minutes and €3.60 land you in Santa Marinella. From there, you can follow the crowds on the 5-minute walk to the beach.