Mangia! -- but not in Rome

We did not eat at this restaurant, but we took advantage of their photo opportunity.  Very cute way to get the attention of passers-by. 

Overall, the gelato (ice cream) in Italy was really good.  They come up with some interesting flavors/colors.  A friend here really enjoys the pistachio -- it comes in a whole range of green (some more appealing than others) depending on who makes it.

But let me tell you this about the food in Rome.  I have had better Italian food at a fund-raiser spaghetti supper than I had while we were in Rome.  I expected to be amazed by freshness and flavors but was always disappointed.  One lunch the pasta for my dish had stuck together while cooking, leaving areas that were tough and hard.  I know that it stuck together while cooking because the noodles were still glued together when they were served to me.  At another meal I ordered a green salad to go with my pasta.  I was served a bowl of torn iceberg lettuce leaves.  That was it.  No vinagrette, no oil and spices -- nothing.  And I wasn't offered any either.  Not even a dusting of parmesan.  Ever sit down and eat a bowl of plain iceberg lettuce leaves?  Blah -- blah, blah, blah -- blah!  With a side of blah bread.

The French make really great bread.  The Italians don't.  It tasted like flour.  Sure, you could drown it in olive oil, but that doesn't make it taste any better, it just coats the inside of your mouth with oil.  Now if I had had a flavored oil that may have made a difference.  Or some seasoning like oregano, garlic, rosemary, thyme, basil -- anything, I would have settled for salt and pepper!  Garlic bread must be an American invention because they sure don't serve it in Italy.

If you love pizza in the U.S. -- even thin crust pizza, but especially the hand-tossed variety (not even going deep dish here although that is good stuff too) don't ever order a pizza here.  I have seen flour tortillas that were thicker than some of the pizza crusts I have had.  Of course you can eat an entire 8" pizza by yourself when it is tortilla shell thin, but you really lose the enjoyment of the chew that pizzas back home have.

We did have some good meals in Italy -- with some really fresh, bold flavors and nice atmosphere.  It's just that none of them were in Rome.