Table for 12 in Rome, Spoleto, Parma & Milan

[jeffperez62]

We will be in Rome, Spoleto Parma & Milan. We would like to dress casually and we are looking for restaurants that serve food from these regions.

Any help is appreciated. We will have a bus & driver for the week so we can venture outside of the cities. We will be traveling from Rome (2 nights) to Spoleto (2 nights) Parma (1 night) and the final night is in Milan

Thanks!!

[Maureen B. Fant]

We will be in Rome, Spoleto Parma & Milan. We would like to dress casually and we are looking for restaurants that serve food from these regions.

Any help is appreciated. We will have a bus & driver for the week so we can venture outside of the cities. We will be traveling from Rome (2 nights) to Spoleto (2 nights) Parma (1 night) and the final night is in Milan

Thanks!!

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In Rome at least, yours is not a difficult request. Assuming by "casually" you mean cleaned up and reasonably spruce but without jacket, tie, silk blouses, jewelry, etc., almost any place in Rome will welcome you. Nor is it such a big deal to book for 12, especially if you don't wait till the last minute. Some restaurants have private rooms. Il Sanpietrino has a small one that might hold 12; Checchino's I think is larger; Paris, in Trastevere, has three dining rooms, so could put you somewhere out of the way. But lots of places could handle you.

If you want textbook traditional Roman food, I would recommend Checchino for the urban meat-based cuisine (e.g., coda alla vaccinara), including the Quinto Quarto and what I call the Gang of Four pastas (carbonara, matriciana, gricia, cacio e pepe), and good vegetables, depending on time of year, or else Paris, especially for the Jewish repertory, but also good coda and trippa alla romana, and fish. I know that Il Sanpietrino has been making its menu more traditional but I haven't been in a while; it's a very attractive, comfortable restaurant in the Ghetto. Checco er Carettiere, in Trastevere, could be another idea. If you go to Checchino, don't get the tasting menu. Choose your own, and don't miss tonnarelli con sugo di coda, square-cut spaghetti with the tomato sauce in which the oxtail stewed for six hours.

There are lots of places outside Rome. Traditional-based but individual cooking (wonderful) is La Briciola di Adriana in Grottaferrata. Osteria di San Cesario in San Cesareo is getting a lot of attention. We thought it was great the first time we went, less exciting the second time, but it does offer traditional dishes that can be hard to find in restaurants. Le Colline Ciociare is an upscale (don't worry about the clothes) fabulous restaurant (brilliant chef, somewhat minimalist dining room). There are many options outside Rome. If you're interested in fish, we can talk about that too.

Edited December 27, 2007 by Maureen B. Fant (log)

[cinghiale]

For Spoleto, I highly recommend Trattoria del Pescatore, about 20 minutes outside of Spoleto. Moreno cooks Umbrian fare with superb talent -- traditional yet creative. I assume you won't be there during warm weather, but the patio is located next to a small stream, and dining al fresco there is quite lovely. The dining room is very charming as well.

I'm arranging a lunch for 40 or so there next year. Moreno will gladly compose a menu for you with fixed price if you'd like. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

NB: The restaurant is difficult to find. It's located along a small drive parallel to the main road. Be sure your driver researches the location carefully.