- 12 hours ago
Via vespa, trolley tracks, and by foot, Tony dives into Roman culture.
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00:00I'll tell you, I've been eating so much, my ass is, like, chapped raw.
00:13Oh, food is good.
00:15Oh, yeah, I'll eat that.
00:16Oh, yeah, I'll have that.
00:17Oh, man, that's good.
00:18You have no idea how good that is.
00:20Woo, that's good.
00:21You want it.
00:22You want it bad.
00:23Oh, yeah.
00:28Good or no good?
00:29Now, yeah.
00:30Yes, you're f***ing good, you know?
00:34I feel like I swallowed a f***ing beach ball today, by the way.
00:51It's 6 a.m. in Rome's Fulmincino Airport, about 20 miles from the center of Italy's capital city.
00:57But it might as well be another planet.
01:00This could be any airport in the world.
01:02Another bleary, early morning stumble.
01:05But the city it services, there's nothing like it in the world.
01:08It's important to visit Rome in slow motion.
01:17Slow motion.
01:18Absolutely.
01:19No?
01:19Absolutely.
01:20Piano.
01:21Piano.
01:22The famous walking room, passeggiata romana.
01:25Vaganze romane.
01:26Come Gregory Peck.
01:28Huh.
01:28Huh.
01:29Huh.
01:29Huh.
01:48Ideally, you visit Rome slowly.
01:50You sit.
01:53You stroll.
01:54You take it slow.
01:56And as it comes.
01:57You don't go to see stuff.
01:59You'll let it slip up on you.
02:01One piazza, one fountain, one amazing structure at a time.
02:05That would be the best case scenario.
02:11But if you're laid over for a day or two, or more likely on one of those f***ed up tours,
02:16five cities in ten days, well, there's no time to waste.
02:21Fulmincino Airport has the usual assortment of transportation options.
02:25The easiest, but pricier, would be a taxi straight into town to your hotel.
02:30That's a flat fare of about 60 bucks.
02:33There are shuttle buses for about 15 bucks, which should take about 40 minutes.
02:38But traffic can be unpredictable.
02:42I opt for the express train this time around.
02:44$20 and only 30 minutes.
02:47It's supposed to be fast, efficient, easy.
02:50But honestly, as I stare down yet another endless walkway, I begin to regret my decision.
03:00Take a cab.
03:03Especially if you have luggage.
03:06Plus, this means I have to go through Termini Station.
03:09Whatever you would like to take, a bus, a metro, also a tram, a train to cross the city, also to cross Italy.
03:18The consequence of this is that Termini Station is really near to be a hell.
03:26Termini Station is the massive transportation hub of Rome, and it's the center of suckdom, as far as I'm concerned.
03:34No parking, bad traffic, bad service.
03:38The train is always in retard.
03:40And there are many people who live around the station.
03:46It has all the charm of New York's Penn Station, which is to say, none at all.
03:51Where to stay, where to stay.
03:54I suggest the Centro Storico, or historical center of the city, so you're within walking distance of all the good stuff that you want to at least lay eyes on.
04:03Hotels are expensive, so book early if you're shooting for lower-priced pensiones, as they tend to fill up quickly.
04:08On the other hand, if you want to blow it out, and live large, and pay big time for the privilege, the Hotel de Russie is swankadelic, discreet, and it's right down the street, yet comfortably insulated from the Spanish steps.
04:22But again, it's expensive.
04:25You should know a robot.
04:27In a perfect world, we all would.
04:29I know Sarah Pampaloni, who takes me to breakfast in her classic 1970 Fiat Cinquecento.
04:34Let's ride.
04:50Along the way, I get the abridged tour.
04:53Via Nazionale is one of the main streets.
04:56Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Barberini, Circo Massimo, Isola Tiberina, the Sant'Angelo Castle, Via delle Quattro Fontanes,
05:03It's the Four Fontanes Street.
05:05This is the Canova Barberini, came here to have breakfast.
05:08Here we go, St. Peter's.
05:11Isn't it beautiful?
05:13Wow.
05:14So much for slow motion.
05:18This is Via del Corso.
05:20It might be interesting for tourists, because there are lots of shops.
05:24Right behind Via del Tritone, there's Fontana di Trevi.
05:26We can go in there with a car.
05:28And you have to see that.
05:29I mean, you come to Roma and say, you have to go see that.
05:32Even on a layover.
05:33This is Piazza Venezia.
05:35Mussolini does smoke from here, right?
05:37Yes.
05:37It's great.
05:38It's standing up there, right?
05:39It's standing up there.
05:40Yeah, there's a little balcony over there.
05:41And this one was built for the first king of Rome.
05:44That's pretty damn impressive and huge.
05:46They call it a typewriter.
05:47Oh.
05:49Yeah, because it looks like an old typewriter.
05:52And now we're heading to the Colosseum, which is, I think, one of the most famous monuments ever in the world.
05:58You know, one of the things I love about Rome is that, in a lot of ways, it's smaller than you think it's going to be.
06:03You know, I guess in the States, we're used to these big monuments and ancient buildings with a lot of empty space around them.
06:10Mostly, I mean, they just pop up at you.
06:12You're walking along, and there's something amazing.
06:16Yeah, you're right.
06:16It's like a cinema set.
06:18This car is so tiny, I feel like I'm driving in a clown car.
06:30Everybody's bigger than us.
06:32Yeah, but everybody respects the Cinquecento.
06:35Yeah.
06:35Oh, yeah.
06:36Because it's a symbol of Italy.
06:38Like, Vespa and Cinquecento are the major.
06:40Right, sentimental favorites.
06:42Yeah.
06:43Naturally, a 40-year-old car can be temperamental.
06:46Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
06:48No, we should do that.
06:49Oops.
06:50Sorry.
06:51Hold on.
06:51And, oh.
07:04Good girl, good girl.
07:04Okay, baby.
07:06Take us to Cappuccino.
07:11Cappuccino is like a coffee.
07:14You drink only during the morning.
07:16Please do not drink cappuccino after 11 a.m.
07:19It sounds strange and definitely you become a tourist.
07:36This is breakfast in Rome.
07:38No eggs, no pancakes, you save room for lunch.
07:43Here at places like this, Cafe Faggiani in the upscale Prati district,
07:47it's cappuccino and maybe a cornetto.
07:51That's it.
07:52There you go, cappuccino.
07:54What's important in cappuccino is the foam.
07:56It has to be perfect, thick, like cream.
08:01It's almost like the cream on the Guinness.
08:04You can write your name and you drink it and it stays the same.
08:07My wife eats hers with a spoon.
08:10She zips and then eats.
08:12It's good.
08:13I sip it and then I eat it with a spoon.
08:14I do it the other way around.
08:20Ah, that's good.
08:21Oh, yes.
08:22They know how to make it.
08:24Grazie mille.
08:28Good, perfect breakfast.
08:29Don't call it croissant.
08:30Oh, no, no, no.
08:31I know better.
08:32It's cornetto.
08:33If you're feeling over-caffeinated, maybe hit up Pascucci for the classic Roman frullati,
08:40their version of a fruit smoothie, right in the old center.
08:43The Misto Amalfi is the house specialty, and it's good.
08:47You could have that delicious, ubiquitous hotel breakfast, I guess.
08:51But you are seriously a idiot if you do.
08:54You will be needing that real estate for good food, not room temperature eggs.
08:59And now for the cream.
09:00It's not weird to make a noise in this case.
09:04So go ahead.
09:05Okay.
09:06Let's go.
09:07I'm good.
09:08Okay?
09:10Grazie, arrivederci.
09:11We're back.
09:12What's a Roman specialty you might have for, say, a light lunch or a snack?
09:20Well, one might head off to the pineto district.
09:23Score yourself some porchetta.
09:25This is E Porchettoni, and they are not around.
09:46In this corner, we can see Anthony Bourdain salivating in front of the porchetta.
09:53Oh yeah.
09:54How does it look?
09:55Hey, it looks damn good.
10:00What it looks like.
10:01Look at that.
10:14Looks good.
10:15Mmm.
10:16Mmm.
10:17The pride of Rome, porchetta, is a whole deboned
10:21The porchetta is a whole, deboned pig stuffed with herbs, spit-roasted, and generally served
10:26with a pitcher of ice-cold Italian beer.
10:29This is a Roman thing?
10:30Yep.
10:31It's absolutely Roman.
10:32I can't believe I missed this.
10:34You have it in other parts of Italy, but this is typical Roman.
10:41Most famous one is from Avicca, which is one of those little villages around Rome.
10:45People will go there just for the porchetta.
10:49What neighborhood is this?
10:50It's called pigneto.
10:51It has become fashionable among students and painters.
10:55Hipsters.
10:56Yeah.
10:57I hate hipsters.
11:00Oh, yeah.
11:02That's all you need in there.
11:05Salute.
11:06Salute.
11:12Beer and roast pig.
11:14They go together so well.
11:16Oh, and this was just a late morning snack.
11:19I still have a lunch date to attend.
11:20I still have a lunch date to attend.
11:22This is a late morning snack.
11:23ekin.
11:24It's a late morning activity.
11:25It's a late morning snack.
11:26Ehece in thepm-pagnet, that is the last night and the nighte,
11:29it's a late morning snack.
11:30It's a late morning snack.
11:31I'm working on photops of a restaurant.
11:32This is my first lesson.
11:33It is the last hour, the rest of the night.
11:34It's a late morning snack.
11:35Oh, and there are a lunch.
11:36So that's a late morning snack.
11:37There's a late morning snack.
11:38A late morning snack.
11:39They are from here and there, from Tevere, but to turn on, with calmness and also to observe the particular minimum.
12:09The metro, for instance. However, there are only two lines. They cross the city like an X, beating, guess where? Termini Station.
12:18There's buses and trams above ground. Not a big difference, just depends where you're going.
12:35Me, I'm going with the tram.
12:38Generally in my life, I'm picked up by a Lincoln Town car and taken behind tinted glass everywhere I want to go.
12:46Isolated in a pod from humanity and any possibility of friendship or Congress with other human beings.
12:54But for the purposes of this show, I will pretend to take public transportation.
13:00Aren't you Mr. Ramsey?
13:02No, I'm much nicer.
13:08Conveniently, the tram takes me right here. The Ponte Fabricio, which happens to be Rome's oldest bridge.
13:21Deep thoughts.
13:22I'll tell you, I've been eating so much, my ass is like chapped raw. It's like steak tartare down there.
13:31Like a link. The toilet paper in this country is not the fluffiest. It's very abrasive, sitting on steel wool every time I sit down.
13:39Here's a traveler's tip. Bring your own double ply.
13:45Bonci.
13:46Tony.
13:47Ciao.
13:48Ciao.
13:49This is Gabriel Bonci.
13:50A rogue pizzaiolo who's got a tiny and unusually innovative pizza shop near the Vatican, which we'll try later.
14:03Going to a trattoria?
14:04Good one?
14:05Yes, going to a trattoria. This is my big friend.
14:08Beautiful.
14:09Right now, though, he's taking me for lunch on Isola Tiberina.
14:16A tiny island in the middle of the Tiber River, the island was once a dumping ground for the criminal and the sick.
14:23Now, it's a perfect spot for a stroll, or better yet, lunch at the famous Soralello.
14:28Good to meet you, Simone.
14:30Good to meet you.
14:31Ciao.
14:32How are you?
14:33Please.
14:34Good.
14:39Just over the bridge in a building that's over a thousand years old, Soralello is a classic family-owned Roman trattoria that has been here for over 50 years.
14:49Joining us for lunch is good friend of Bonci's, Chef Mauro Tribalza.
14:53The place is named for his grandmother, a famous Roman actress whose image is seen everywhere.
14:59Ron, Tony, and Soralello.
15:01Welcome to Soralello.
15:02Mauro's father is at the helm serving up old-school Italian dishes, starting with supli, Italian rice croquettes.
15:09Come on.
15:10You look.
15:11Enjoy.
15:12Okay.
15:13You look.
15:14This wonderful egg.
15:15Oh, nice.
15:16Carbonara supli.
15:17I'm a sucker for an egg yolk.
15:21Mmm.
15:22You have to make this fresh.
15:23Yeah.
15:24Carefully around the egg yolk.
15:25Exactly.
15:26Right away.
15:27Fry.
15:28Not too much.
15:29Not too much.
15:30Exactly.
15:31Nice.
15:32Then, polpette, a type of meepo.
15:34Veal, vitello, and mortadella.
15:36Yeah.
15:37And parmesan cheese, egg, and raisin.
15:41The philosophy of my family cooked with passion, with heart and originality.
15:48The philosophy is all food is good.
15:51Cucina del popolo.
15:52Quinto quarto.
15:53Quinto quarto.
15:54Quinto quarto is hotel, yes, offal.
15:57All parts.
15:58Yeah.
15:59Everything.
16:00Tripa.
16:01Tripa, coda, coratella.
16:02Coratella.
16:03They meet Vaticano city.
16:05And coratella, tripa, coda, and popolo.
16:08So, the states.
16:09Okay.
16:10There goes the Vatican city.
16:11Exactly.
16:12Traditionally.
16:13Yes.
16:14In the old days.
16:15The people, they eat the tripe.
16:16Coratella is a classic example of this.
16:19Lamb's heart, liver, and lungs.
16:21Sauteed with onions and white wine.
16:23This is the plate of the grandmama of Rome.
16:28But young people, they like it again.
16:30Sometimes.
16:31The new generation don't like.
16:34Look, Tony.
16:35Yes, sir.
16:36Scarpetta.
16:37Scarpetta.
16:38Scarpetta means little shoe.
16:39And it's what they call it when you wipe the plate clean with your bread.
16:42Now arrived my father's Croatian.
16:44The name is Caprese 3000.
16:46It's Mauro's father's take on Caprese salad.
16:49Panna cotta stuffed with buffalo mozzarella.
16:52Tomato aspic, pesto, and pine nuts.
16:55So traditional flavors, traditional ingredients, untraditional presents.
16:58Exactly.
16:59And the Italian flavor.
17:00Yeah.
17:01Of course.
17:02Finally, lamb alla cacciatore.
17:04Classic Italian cooking at its finest.
17:09Now granted, this is a large luncheon, maybe a picnic is more your style.
17:13If that's the case, find a place like Volpetti in the working class Testaccio district.
17:19These Italian deli groceries known as alimentari or salumeria are the perfect place to stock
17:25up on some of Rome's best flavors.
17:27Salami, prosciutto, cheeses, olives, wine, all in one place.
17:32Procured, stored, sliced, and sold with genuine passion and real craftsmanship.
17:37You pretty much can't go wrong with takeout like this.
17:40And of course, there are fountains and piazzas around every corner we can sit down and eat.
17:45Or you could grab some of the best fried codfish around at Feletti di Baccala, an unassuming
17:50place near Campo di Fiore in the old center.
17:53These women do one thing and they do it well.
17:56Fried zucchini is also available, but it's really about the fish.
18:03Back at Soralella, the conversation changes gears.
18:06And your business?
18:07Pizza.
18:08Just pizza.
18:09Rinovare la pizza a taglio.
18:11La pizzeria a taglio è stato sempre un food veloce e non di qualità.
18:16Penso che quando si cucina, si fa arte.
18:19E io sono un artista da strada.
18:21Street artist.
18:22Yeah, yeah.
18:23I like it.
18:24Talking about pizza with Italian chefs, I had to bring up something that's always bothered
18:27me, knowing for sure that they share my revulsion.
18:31Have you seen this Hawaiian pizza?
18:33You've seen it in New York.
18:35Yeah, no.
18:36Pineapple and ham.
18:37Yes.
18:38I cannot f*** with pineapple and ham.
18:40It's...
18:41It's...
18:42It is the most horrifying thing.
18:44Stasera, oggi,
18:46io ti faccio mangiare la pizza ananas e il presciutto.
18:50Uh...
18:51Tonight,
18:53Gabriele makes for you pizza with pineapple and ham.
18:57Oh f***.
18:58Shut up.
18:59Yes, shut up.
19:00Yes.
19:01Yes.
19:02Yes.
19:03Yes.
19:04Yes.
19:05Yes.
19:06Yes.
19:07Just one.
19:08Tonight.
19:09Okay.
19:10Have you ever done it before?
19:12No, no.
19:13My father.
19:14I'm sure this guy's good, but I will believe it when I see him.
19:18Hey, you.
19:19Yeah.
19:20Get down.
19:21If you are in Rome and it's really hot, the water that you can find in a nasone is the best water you can drink in Rome.
19:39In Rome, with a nasone, you can always have a pausa di freschezza, di calma.
19:48A long hot day in Rome.
19:50Maybe a little espresso, sit out in a cafe, hope to catch a bruise.
19:55For the glory that is Rome.
19:57Ah, that's nice.
20:00What a beautiful location.
20:02It's fantastic here.
20:04Good afternoon.
20:05Good afternoon.
20:05What do you want?
20:07Espresso.
20:07Let's see what witness facts you've provided me with this exciting episode of Interminable Layover.
20:25Where this fake guidebook keeps coming from in every show and why is something I will never understand.
20:30Do not make television when in Rome.
20:33It will really suck all of the joy out of the experience.
20:37Italy is not a tipping country, and Romans tip only when they're really pleased with the service.
20:42Sorry.
20:43No can do.
20:44I'm a 20% tipper.
20:45I don't care what land I'm in.
20:46Most Italian employees go on vacation in August.
20:50If you come to Rome at that time of the year, you'll find an almost empty city.
20:54Well, that's not true.
20:55It will be clogged with tourists.
20:58If you like watching the glamorous Romans, better to visit Rome in late spring or fall.
21:03On the other hand, if you like me, if you just like love watching ugly tourists waddle past slowly frying in the midsummer sun, you know, July is fine.
21:12We can always recognize if they are tourists or not from the way that they are dressed.
21:19I tourists che vengono a Roma li riconosce a volte per le scarpe.
21:24Quando vengono a Roma che, come dire, febbraio, marzo, che vengono i calzoncine, i calzoncini corti, insomma, e delle ciabatte da mare, diciamo.
21:34Not very smiley about the French or too much smiley about the Americans.
21:40Ed estate perché si bagnano nelle fontane.
21:44Summer can be very hot in town.
21:46If you want to find some cool relief while not interrupting your sightseeing, go visit a church.
21:51I don't approve of that, no.
21:53God won't help you.
21:57When I'm in Italy with my daughter, 4 o'clock in the afternoon is gelato time.
22:01The quintessential summer snack.
22:04Something sweet between lunch and dinner.
22:07There are, of course, gelaterie's good and not so good everywhere in Italy.
22:10But it's worth looking for a great one.
22:13Gelateria dei Gracchi in the Prati district is probably the best of the best.
22:20Or you could make like the notorious dictator Maximus and grab a Grattachecca.
22:25His he had made with imported snow.
22:27They don't do that anymore, but you can get one of these sort of slushy snow coni treats
22:31with sweet syrup poured over shaved ice and mixed fruits
22:34at roadside stands like this one, Della Sora Maria, also in the Prati district.
22:39È una cosa differente o dal gelato o dalla pizza italiana.
22:44È fresca e dissetante.
22:46La consiglio a tutti.
22:48Grazie.
22:48Me, I'm sticking with the espresso.
22:51I'm meeting up with Banchi at his place.
22:58Pizza.
22:59Ubiquitous, as you'd expect.
23:01A lot of it, frankly, pretty bad pizza.
23:03Here, it's often served by the piece or slice.
23:06Al taglio.
23:07You pick your slice, tell them how much you want, and pay by weight.
23:11The toppings offered are pretty standard throughout Rome.
23:14But I'm not going anyplace standard.
23:29Maestro.
23:30I told you.
23:32Pizzarium, Banchi's place, is a departure from the classics.
23:36This little hole in the wall in the Prati district, right behind the Vatican,
23:39is where Banchi, in the last few years, claims to have invented 1,500 different takes on pizza.
23:47Clearly, he's not done yet.
23:49La pizza taglio è tutta ancora da inventare.
23:51It's constantly being invented and reinvented.
23:54Sì.
23:54I believe, because, you know why I believe?
23:56Because what?
23:57Yes.
23:58This is...
23:59Sia.
24:00È multicele.
24:01This is why I believe.
24:02Ok, questo.
24:03Oh, that's beautiful.
24:05Per il pane, per gli impasti.
24:06So, this is a multicele that we made every day.
24:09Sia.
24:10Beautiful.
24:14Here, as with all great pizza, it starts with the dough.
24:18A true and noble dough.
24:20The best pizza being the end result of an old and well-maintained bacterial culture.
24:26A starter.
24:27Banchi is using one that's 200 years old.
24:31This is magic.
24:33I can tell.
24:33Look at this.
24:34You can feel it, breathing.
24:37She's like a woman.
24:38This is number one.
24:40Yeah.
24:40It's all about this.
24:41Do you want to mangiare?
24:43Yes, si.
24:44Ok.
24:45At this moment...
24:47All right.
24:47Grande.
24:48Ok.
24:57Is that foie gras?
24:58Chiriche e foie gras.
24:59Cherries and foie.
25:00Oh, that's foie.
25:02Look at this.
25:04No, no, no.
25:05Oh, man, that's good.
25:07It's delicious.
25:08It's fantastic.
25:08The fat from the foie, the sweetness from the cherries, this amazing, amazing, amazing crust.
25:15Ok, you have to try this one.
25:17Raspberries?
25:17Raspberries with roasted potatoes, goat cheese, and then fresh meat.
25:21This is made one time in a year.
25:25It's amazing.
25:27Fantastic.
25:28Fantastic.
25:29Yeah, come on, yeah.
25:30Oh, fantastic.
25:32Never in a million years would I think this way.
25:34I'm looking at it, I'm thinking, no, no, no, no.
25:36I did?
25:36Three ingredients.
25:37One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three.
25:40No more.
25:41Just one, two, three, one, two, three.
25:42Oh, come on.
25:43Now, this is old school.
25:44This is pretty traditional, right?
25:45Yeah, pretty traditional.
25:46Mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, and zucchini flowers.
25:49Yes.
25:50With anchovies.
25:51This is typical.
25:52Okay.
25:53Oh, that's good.
25:54You want it.
25:55You want it bad.
25:56Your life would be so much better if you had this right now.
25:58Leave your family.
25:59Abandon your children.
26:00Touch yourself.
26:01You know you want it.
26:02If you're feeling a little bloated and gassy, belt tightening around your waist like a hangman's
26:05noose, and looking for something on the lighter side, there's alicotta con lindivia, an anchovy dish, and a staple of Rome's
26:20Jewish ghetto, which is, by the way, one of the city's most beautiful and ancient neighborhoods.
26:28Back at the pizzerium, I kind of hoped that Bonci would have forgotten the Hawaiian pizza challenge.
26:37Me in tucha.
26:40Ham and pineapple.
26:41Oh.
26:42Ham and pineapple.
26:43Okay.
26:44No.
26:45Have you tasted it?
26:46Never.
26:47Never.
26:48Never.
26:49I want to see you eat it.
26:50Okay.
26:51Yeah.
26:52I and you, eh?
26:53Meet together.
26:54Okay.
26:55All right.
26:56Here we go.
26:57Okay.
27:02What do you think?
27:05First time you made it?
27:06First time you made it.
27:08Just a moment.
27:09Needs heat.
27:10Some pain.
27:11It needs some pain with this.
27:12Just a moment?
27:13Exactly right.
27:14For onion?
27:15This is exactly what this needs.
27:16Is this chef, my friend?
27:17Now it's a sort of...
27:18Okay.
27:19Good or no good?
27:22Now, yes.
27:23Yes, you're f***ing good, you know?
27:25Before, now, perfect.
27:28Now, what was that?
27:29Fried onions and 12 kinds of different peppers.
27:31Totally changing.
27:32Oh, yeah.
27:33Okay.
27:34Okay.
27:35All right.
27:36No good pineapple in them.
27:38Pineapple and onion.
27:40It's wonderful.
27:41Okay.
27:42That should not have been good.
27:43That absolutely...
27:44That should not have been good.
27:45It was really, really good.
27:47It was good, but it arrived at a certain point.
27:49With the fried cipolla and the pepper totally changed.
27:52Holy monster!
27:53Let me say again, the crust is amazing.
27:56Amazing.
27:57Sadly, I must move on.
28:00As much as I'd like to just stay here eating the pizza,
28:03drinking the wine, shooting the s***,
28:05I have a show to do.
28:06I've always felt fortunate to be born in this city.
28:17The city of the empire, of the imperators, of the papes.
28:21I think it's the most beautiful city in the world.
28:23And I always think that the foreigner can see it for the first time.
28:27Rome is a museum.
28:30It's a museum.
28:32It's a museum.
28:33It's a museum.
28:34It's beautiful to live a life today
28:37in a situation of 2000 and many years ago.
28:49Trastevere is like so many hipster magnets,
28:52a former working class neighborhood.
28:54Freni e Frisoni, or Brakes and Clutches,
28:57is an auto repair garage turned bar.
28:59There's a free buffet for the college students
29:01to fill up in between drinks.
29:03And unintended pregnancies.
29:05Halfway through my layover and the clock is ticking.
29:08Look, you can see it in the corner somewhere.
29:10Some kind of creative graphic trying to give you the impression
29:12that something world-changingly important is going on.
29:15Who knows?
29:16Will little Timmy get his new kidney on time?
29:18F*** it.
29:19And f*** little Timmy.
29:20I hope he dies.
29:21I'm sitting down and relaxing and having a Negroni.
29:24Actually, I'm gonna have a bunch of Negronis.
29:26That's good.
29:27You need the orange.
29:28Not a lemon.
29:29Orange.
29:31By the way, when making Negronis at home,
29:33one-third high-end gin, one-third Campari,
29:35and one-third sweet vermouth.
29:38I don't really like gin.
29:39I don't really like Campari.
29:41And I don't like sweet vermouth.
29:42But together, you're a friend.
29:44The Count Negroni, it is said, invented this fine cocktail in Florence.
29:48Unsatisfied with the level of alcohol in his Americano cocktail of Campari and sweet vermouth,
29:53he suggested his waiter ratchet up the danger level with the addition of gin.
29:58Thus was born a classic, and many incidents dimly, if at all, remembered.
30:03If this is not your scene and you're feeling an uncontrollable urge
30:06to parade your banana hammock while drinking, there's Angelina's,
30:10a swank swimming pool bar located on the Tiber near Ponte San Angelo.
30:27Me, I'm ginned up and looking to indulge my obsession with classic Italian sunglasses.
30:33It's sort of interesting.
30:37If shopping is not what you're into, how about dead people?
30:39Known as the Protestant or English cemetery, you can channel your inner Byron
30:44by moping around the graves of the poet John Keats or Percy Shelley,
30:48composing perhaps a few verses while the afternoon shadows grow longer from the Coliseum.
30:53Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.
30:58Gian Nicolo, I see from my guidebook, makes for a nice scenic vantage point at sunset
31:03from which to see the whole city.
31:05My producer says you can bring a date or even a prostitute there.
31:08Ah, city of love, city of PDA.
31:14Only Samantha Brown looks at the camera and starts dabbling about, like, romance.
31:19Romantusk, there's really no place like it, is there?
31:21Ooh, romance is in the air.
31:22No.
31:23Should be wistful after the fact.
31:24Looking back on that moment, I realize, though I may not have been able to appreciate it at the time,
31:28even then the air was redolent with the stench of amore.
31:30F*** this.
31:31I'm alone.
31:32F*** this.
31:33I'm alone.
31:34La serata può continuare anche un po' in periferia.
31:35Da dove si trovano trattorie, ristoranti che forse sono un po' fuori dagli itinerari turistici,
31:37che forse sono un po' fuori dagli itinerari turistici.
31:38Ma offrono una cucina genuina.
31:39Da dove si trovano trattorie, che forse sono un po' fuori dagli itinerari turistici, ma offrono una cucina genuina.
31:52La serata può continuare anche un po' in periferia.
31:56Da dove si trovano trattorie, ristoranti che forse sono un po' fuori dagli itinerari turistici, ma offrono una cucina genuina.
32:05Back to Pignetto neighborhood, where I had porchetto earlier, this time for dinner.
32:11Sarah and her friend Lucio are taking me to Beto e Mary, an unassuming, typically Roman
32:16and definitely not touristy neighborhood place.
32:19This place is packed.
32:21People seem really into it, man.
32:23These guys are doing months of business.
32:25From the street, it doesn't look like they're doing much.
32:27You come back here, it's...
32:28Yeah, but you can smell it from outside.
32:31I'm watching the food go by to the other tables, and it's like, oh yeah, I'll eat that.
32:35Oh yeah, I'll have that, yeah.
32:36This is the place where you can find the quintessential Roman cuisine without compromising for the
32:43taste of tourists.
32:45We are far from the center, we are in a suburb, and basically you can find the hardcore Roman
32:50cuisine.
32:51Hardcore.
32:52Yes.
32:52Cool.
32:53I'm curious to see what that is.
32:57No menus.
32:58The owner, Beto, sits down like an old friend and tells you what they got.
33:02Ask what we feel like, and soon there's antipasti of fried broccoli and mushrooms, eggplant with
33:08olives and peppers, roasted red peppers with pignoli nuts, and nervetti, which is tender,
33:13tender, veal tender.
33:15Next, a very old school dish that's certain to get us mail.
33:19Svilacci, shaved horse meat with arugula and parmigiana.
33:23Oh, stop it.
33:23We may not eat horses in the U.S., but we kill them by the droves and sell the meat to
33:28Canada.
33:29Hypocrites.
33:31Tasty.
33:32Horse meat, for example, is something you won't find in a restaurant of the center.
33:38You try to sell this in New York, you'd have picketers out front of your restaurant.
33:43You'd have hit these with signs, accusing you of murder.
33:47But is it different to murder a pig or a horse?
33:51Well, exactly.
33:52Oh, yes.
33:53Rigatoni with oxtail ragu.
33:55Pretty much mention oxtail and ragu, and I'm ready to slit somebody's throat for a bite.
33:59Oh, and this.
34:00Fettuccine with artichoke and sweetbreads.
34:03Nice, nice, nice.
34:05Mmm.
34:06Finally.
34:09All right, oxtail.
34:10Good.
34:11Dry.
34:12Mmm.
34:12Hard, lemon, and long.
34:14Mmm.
34:14Lemon tested.
34:16Yep.
34:16Sweetbread with art.
34:19Well, tell you my source.
34:20Perfect.
34:23If you're looking for less challenging, maybe more familiar ground, you could head over to
34:28the just as authentic Ristoro degli Angeli in the residential Garbatella neighborhood.
34:33Great pastas, great seafood dishes, and a specialty, and it's excellent, a fettuccine with butter,
34:51parmigiana, and toasted sesame seeds.
34:53This place is awesome.
34:56Sometimes it's very hard to find the right restaurant.
34:59A lot of places change their style to sort of accommodate what they think are Western
35:05tastes.
35:06So, how would you know?
35:07You know, it's not a matter of being in the center, because even in very turistic areas,
35:12you can find tourist traps and very good restaurants.
35:15In Rome, every good place has a line in front of it.
35:19The Romans tend to stick with the place they like very much, and they don't mind staying
35:23in line waiting to be served.
35:25If there's a line, it's a good sign.
35:28Stay away from restaurants with a menu in English and in Italian.
35:33Mi sognerebbe sempre di rimanere nell'ambito delle trattorie, dove c'è la possibilità
35:38di avere anche un prezzo giusto, un cibo molto buono.
35:42If you go to visit here for any period of time, better make friends with a Roman.
35:46Roma è completamente diversa di notte, è completamente deserta, è ben illuminata
35:58ed è veramente suggestibile.
36:05It's a beautiful summer night, and like I said before, when in Rome, you walk, whenever
36:10convenient.
36:11Lucio and I take a stroll over to the Spanish Steps from the Piazza del Popolo, the so-called
36:15People's Square.
36:17Ah, it's pretty, huh?
36:18The little statues around.
36:19The statues around.
36:20The drawings that are made in the obelisk, you know.
36:23Right, the hieroglyphs.
36:24Ah, yes.
36:25It's the details.
36:26God is in the details, as somebody said.
36:29And I said, this neighborhood's a whole different animal late at night.
36:33It's undeniably gorgeous.
36:35No one could not be susceptible to how gorgeous.
36:42What a town.
36:44Wish I could stay here another week.
36:45If I had the time, and I don't, I might head over to the Belvedere Chiderna, an open-air
36:52terrace with a view of the Colosseum.
36:54During the summer months, they show movies.
36:56There's even an outdoor cocktail lounge, the Elefunc Kitchen Club.
37:00So, really, what else do you need?
37:08See, isn't that nice?
37:10I've never actually climbed the Spanish Steps.
37:12There's no point unless there's, like, sausage at the top.
37:16Speaking of which.
37:16All right, as much as I enjoy a beautiful Vista, and this is a beautiful Vista, I feel like
37:22some f***ing sausage.
37:23Let's go.
37:24Come on.
37:27I feel like I swallowed a f***ing beach ball today, by the way.
37:29But I have about this much room left for sausage.
37:31Sadly, our first choice of mystery meat vendors was closed, so we ended up at another one,
37:41outskirts of town, where the owner was, at least at first, less than thrilled to see
37:45us.
37:47Yeah, we're not f***ing running here.
37:49We're beef's vendors.
37:49Oh, yeah.
37:50Not just me, but all my friends.
37:53So, what does one eat at this hour?
37:54I will get a rostigini.
37:56It's like a sheep on a...
37:59Lamb on a stick.
38:01Cool, let's do that.
38:02That's nice to get my beer in and out of that truck, yeah?
38:05You did not, Nero?
38:06Oh, no.
38:08If you have any concerns about mystery meat, there are these cocomero stands where you
38:12can indulge your need for healthy fruit, like melons or berries or some f***.
38:17Whatever.
38:18Me?
38:18I'm sticking with the street meat.
38:20I think it's only appropriate at this moment to quote Lord Byron.
38:23Is there anything more glorious than meat on a stick?
38:27This place is called Lotzotzone, which means the dirty fat guy.
38:33Really?
38:34Yeah.
38:35He's living up to the advertising.
38:36Exactly.
38:37No, he's a nice man.
38:38He's smiling now.
38:38He's happy now.
38:39It's a little bit harsh, but in the end, he took care of us.
38:43Right.
38:44You know, it's 11.30 at night.
38:45You can get meat on a stick and beer.
38:47Cheers.
38:48Cheers.
38:48I'll tell you, this burger is a pretty sinister.
38:53Cheers.
38:54Cheers.
39:03Cheers.
39:04C'è un segreto di Roma che forse non tutti conoscono e che si può scoprire soltanto
39:09all'alba.
39:10All'alba, quando il sole ancora non è sorto, per le strade della città vecchia, della città
39:16antica, si respira un'aria e un profumo che durante il giorno non si trova più e facilmente
39:23si sente cantare. Chi canta sono donne che magari svegliano il loro bambino. Questo è
39:29veramente un segreto che dà un'emozione molto forte a chi vuole provare a scoprirlo.
39:46Just a few hours left until my flight. For me, if there's really one absolutely essential
39:54thing to do when briefly in Rome, it's this.
39:56This is the way to get around Rome.
40:16So you can speed through traffic, you're out there in the world, you can actually smell
40:24it, feel it, wind in your hair. Okay, it's a little more dangerous. Think about it, you
40:28can also pull over as the instinct or impulse strikes you. You know, it's not a big commitment
40:33to park. It's cheap. It's the most totally awesome way to get around Rome. Five times
40:38as fast, five times as flexible, five times as much fun. Why wouldn't you do this?
40:46With that out of the way, I have just enough time for a very important final bite.
40:52Oh, here we go. That's, oh, that's nice. Look, it's so pretty. Cacho e Pepe. You can get
41:02it anywhere, but you want it good. This place, named strangely enough, Cacho e Pepe, does
41:09it good. Love this. Looks like just some plain pasta, right? A little black pepper and cheese.
41:15And it basically is, but you have no idea how good that is. You know you want that.
41:23That's Pecorino, by the way, that's not Parmesan. Look at that. Just a vision of loveliness.
41:29Looks like just nothing. It is in fact everything. Mmm. Happy. Very happy. If you do one thing
41:42in Rome, one thing. Forget about Vatican City, all the rest. One thing. Find a place that
41:48is guaranteed by locals to make good cacho e Pepe. Get yourself a nice jug of wine and eat.
41:57one thing.
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