Vinaietto is just one of those places that carries a local charm and a feeling of truly blending in among the locals in Rome. After a long day of playing tourist in The Eternal City, I grabbed a small table in a corner and a bottle of Amarone to wind down the day. To sit, to write and maybe even observe a slice of life stirring around me that evening. What I got instead was a wonderful end of the day spent with a local in Rome who had wandered in to a very crowded wine bar and seemed to have the same agenda as I did, but couldn't find a place to sit. I invited him to join me at my table and share my bottle with me. He happily accepted. I spoke very little Italian and he spoke little to no English. But here was the interesting thing about Latin based languages, I spoke in Spanish, and he spoke in Italian, and somehow, we managed to have an amazing conversation about life in Rome, the changing tides of tourism and its effects on the local culture. One bottle became two. And at the end of the evening, as we stood to go our separate ways, I not only received an embrace and a kiss on both cheeks, but he also refused to allow me to even pay for one of the bottles of wine. In a wine bar in the heart of Rome, I shared an incredible evening with a stranger that slowly became an acquaintance, and then a new friend. We shared stories. We shared wine. And we shared a bit of ourselves with one another, making the evening just a little more special. And in the end, connection and conversation is what experiencing Rome is all about.
I agree. I'm British too but now live in Portugal and it's the same here. Although I did manage to find radicchio at a market recently which made me very happy!
The Italian appreciation of high quality ingredients and world-class olive oil turned me on to cooking during my first visit when I was 23. I loved reading about your exploration of Italian food culture from your post in Rome. Looking forward to more from you, Charlie!
What a fun article! I really enjoyed this. I also was smitten by Rome’s food culture and especially by the couple of famous old restaurants we found that looked to be something straight out of The Godfather: tiny, hushed, ancient, dim, dark, with sparkling white tablecloths and stellar dishes.
Vinaietto is just one of those places that carries a local charm and a feeling of truly blending in among the locals in Rome. After a long day of playing tourist in The Eternal City, I grabbed a small table in a corner and a bottle of Amarone to wind down the day. To sit, to write and maybe even observe a slice of life stirring around me that evening. What I got instead was a wonderful end of the day spent with a local in Rome who had wandered in to a very crowded wine bar and seemed to have the same agenda as I did, but couldn't find a place to sit. I invited him to join me at my table and share my bottle with me. He happily accepted. I spoke very little Italian and he spoke little to no English. But here was the interesting thing about Latin based languages, I spoke in Spanish, and he spoke in Italian, and somehow, we managed to have an amazing conversation about life in Rome, the changing tides of tourism and its effects on the local culture. One bottle became two. And at the end of the evening, as we stood to go our separate ways, I not only received an embrace and a kiss on both cheeks, but he also refused to allow me to even pay for one of the bottles of wine. In a wine bar in the heart of Rome, I shared an incredible evening with a stranger that slowly became an acquaintance, and then a new friend. We shared stories. We shared wine. And we shared a bit of ourselves with one another, making the evening just a little more special. And in the end, connection and conversation is what experiencing Rome is all about.
I envy that abundance of bitter greens so much. Our range of winter greens in the UK is so limited in comparison.
I agree. I'm British too but now live in Portugal and it's the same here. Although I did manage to find radicchio at a market recently which made me very happy!
All sounds soooo delicious!
The Italian appreciation of high quality ingredients and world-class olive oil turned me on to cooking during my first visit when I was 23. I loved reading about your exploration of Italian food culture from your post in Rome. Looking forward to more from you, Charlie!
Thanks Kaila! I'm dropping a guide of recommendations for eating and drinking in Rome later today, hopefully it will be up your street
Cool, looking forward to checking it out!
What a fun article! I really enjoyed this. I also was smitten by Rome’s food culture and especially by the couple of famous old restaurants we found that looked to be something straight out of The Godfather: tiny, hushed, ancient, dim, dark, with sparkling white tablecloths and stellar dishes.