Some items of note that flashed across our screen this week…

Cheap eats in Roma

It turns out we’re not the only ones blogging this week about cheap eats in Rome (read our post). Budget Travel’s blog is talking up cheap lunches in the Eternal City. Erica Firpo writes from Rome that we should say “Basta! to pasta” and reach for something a little less filling for lunch. She recommends picking up some triangular tramezzino. We’ll take two.

From Stansted for £4? 

Checking in with “Less Than a Shoestring,” poetloverrebelspy has landed in London and is full of Cheapo-advice. First off, book that coach trip from Stansted into the city early, and use either easyBus or Terravision. On easyBus it’s possible to snag a seat (booked in advance) for as low as £4.25 each way!

Furthermore, we’re reminded that the Tate Modern and Tate Britain are not only free, but they offer free guided tours. Join in!

Dinner in London for £5 

Meanwhile, Olivia from “High Culture on a Low Budget” is thinking London budgets, too. In this week’s installment of “Ask a Local“, she asks Mike from London where he would find dinner for £5 and £10. (Hint: The Best Turkish Kebab or an Amy Winehouse haunt.) Nice job with this series, Olivia!

Athens in 36 hours 

Sunday preview: The New York Times takes us along for “36 hours in Athens.” We’re impressed by how much Joanna Kakissis can fit into a day and a half, including museum hopping, brunch taking, ruin walking, sunset strolling, restaurant sampling, bar hopping… But we have some better ideas for affordable hotels in Athens.

And, regarding our “Name that celebrity” quiz on Wednesday: We still can’t figure out who she is. Stay tuned for the answer and our winner.

Happy Friday, Cheapos! Should we all just head to Athens for the weekend?

A reader asks:

“Do you have any advice for inexpensive, authentic Roman restaurants in the center of town?”

Annie Shapero responds:

Here’s the bad news: Rome is a gaping hell mouth of overpriced restaurants aimed at the hungry, innocent traveler.

The good news is that real Roman cuisine is actually a cucina povera, or poor man’s fare—a savory waste-not want-not approach to Italian cooking that utilizes the plant and animal parts you weren’t expecting. It’s hearty and filling, and like Southern soul food in the US, it’s tastiest at its cheapest… even in the center of town.

Near Piazza Navona, Da Francesco (Piazza del Fico, 29), Da Tonino (Via del Governo Vecchio,18 ), and just Alfredo e Ada (Via dei Banchi Nuovi, 14) offer no nonsense trattoria style dining that shouldn’t run you over €15 a person (including wine!)

In Trastevere, Da Augusto (Piazza de’ Renzi, 15) is the bonafide classic.

From Campo de’ Fiori, follow the scent of deep frying to Filetti di Baccalà (Largo dei Librari, 88), which is named for its specialty, fried slabs of salty cod served alongside puntarelle salad, a crispy curly hybrid of celery and romaine hearts, made from the stalks of chicory and garnished with garlic, oil, and anchovy paste.

In Rome’s grimier neighborhoods, you’ll spend even less. Testaccio and Garbatella (both within walking or busing distance from the Piramide Metro stop) have snubbed the made-for-tourists makeover and are well worth exploring for local “character.” Agustarello (Via G.Branca, 100) has been lauded by locals and the travel media alike as cheap and tasty. They do half portions too!

In Garbatella, Il Grottino del Traslocatore (Via delle sette chiese, 2) is best in the summer when tables spill out on the sidewalk. Otherwise, it’s a steamy basement setting serving huge portions of la cucina romanesca… which does include guts of all varieties in addition to the sumptuous spaghetti alla carbonara, matriciana, and gricia. This is not for the weak at heart.

Rules of the road:

1. At the Roman trattoria or osteria, portions are big and prices are low. You get what you pay for where service is concerned, but hey—you asked for authentic.

2. Order house wine only.

3. Ask for half portions.

4. Ask for their recommendations, not the menu.

5. Don’t ask for a receipt until they’ve quoted you a price. They often write it on the paper tablecloth.

Annie Shapero lives, writes, and eats in Rome. Annie wrote hotel reviews for EuroCheapo’s guides to hotels in Rome, Florence, and Venice. You can read many more posts by Annie in the EuroCheapo blog.

At EuroCheapo, we’re all about hotels with a little extra flavor. And when in Rome, why settle for a normal night’s sleep?

These three hotels in Rome have traipsed through history, from ancient history to 19th-century, but all of them today offer modern amenities so you can sleep comfortably. 

1) Casa Banzo
Campo de’ Fiori
Doubles from €110

This bed and breakfast, with just three rooms, screams, “location!” Housed in a 15-century palazzo near Campo de’ Fiori, this family-run establishment is far enough from the crazy Campo crowds, but close enough to easily walk to the Vatican, Spanish Steps and other Roman highlights.

Each of the Casa’s rooms are chockablock with vintage accoutrements. Think oil paintings, mahogany surfaces, and lots of marble.  And, we haven’t even mentioned the frescoes! Just keep in mind, book early if you want to stay here. With only three rooms, the hotel fills up quickly.

If you do stay here, tell Antoinette (the owner) and her husband we say hello!

2) Hotel Navona
Piazza Navona
Doubles from €135

If you’ve ever dreamed about sleeping in ancient Rome (and who hasn’t?), this is your chance. The ruins underneath the spick-and-span rooms and bathrooms at Hotel Navona are literally the baths of Agrippa and date back to 33 B.C.!

Stucco walls, terra-cotta flooring, a family-run feel, and plenty of 18th and 19th-century antiques (many taken from the family’s palace in Venice) give the rooms a top-notch vibe. Near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, you can start off your day by touring the hotel (whose main structure is a 13th-century palace). And yes, this hotel has frescoes, too.

3) Suore di S Elisabetta
Santa Maria Maggiore
Doubles from €64

The quiet Suore di S Elisabetta is a convent that offers low-priced rooms on a peaceful street south of Santa Maria Maggiore. If you don’t mind an 11 p.m. curfew or a bedroom ornamented in crucifixes and the like, then get thee to this nunnery!

Rooms are as simple as a nun’s habit. For example, none of them have televisions. But, the breakfast room sparkles under light of hanging chandeliers and a dome of painted frescoes. An added bonus? The rooftop terrace—with inspiring views of Rome—is quite simply, divine.

Also see:

Our favorite theme hotels in Amsterdam

Alas, with Roman hotel rates higher than ever and the dollar at depressing lows against the euro, it can be difficult to find any budgetary relief for tourists in Italy’s capital city. Or is it?

This morning we were doing a little research on the value of “all-in-one” tourist passes in Rome, when we realized that quite a few sights in Rome are actually free to visit… or at least free to gaze at from outside. After all, most of them are located outside and are just part of the Eternal City’s street scene.

Some of our favorite Roman freebies:

St. Peter’s Basilica - Visiting the seat of the Catholic Church is free, and the Pilgrim Tourist Information Center, located along the colonnade on your way into the basilica, offers free brochures and information. Note that if you show up in the summertime wearing shorts, you may have to buy paper pants from eager vendors in order to enter the religious site.

Spanish Steps - Nobody will charge you to waltz your way down (or up) the famous outdoor staircase, nap in the afternoon sunshine, or pose for that postcard shot.

Trevi Fountain - The city’s most famous fountain is overflowing with visitors night and day, and the most it will cost you is whatever coin you flip into it.

Pantheon - The oldest intact structure from the ancient world, this domed temple is an absolute must — and absolutely free.

Some other Roman freebies include the Baths of Diocletian, Capitoline Hill, and walking around the exterior of the Colosseum and the Castel Sant’Angelo. Of course the city’s famous squares are also free to hang out in, including the Piazza Navona and Campo De’ Fiori.

What do you need to pay to visit? Several big sights, including:

The Colosseum (interior) - €9
Borghese Museum & Gallery - €8.50
Vatican Museum (and Sistine Chapel) - €13
Capitoline Museum - €6.50

And, as of March 2008, the Roman Forum is charging admission (€10).  Certain all-in-one cards allow discounts to multiple sights (including the Forum), although it’s not quite as well organized as in other cities. For example, the city’s “Archaeologia Card” provides admission to the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatinum and Palatinum Museum, National Roman Museum, Terme Di Caracalla, Cecilia Metella, and Villa dei Quintili. It costs €23.50 for adults. For EU citizens between 18 and 25 years of age, the Archaeologia Card costs just €13.50 and is valid for one week.

When in Rome, do as the locals do and attend the city’s annual film festival, which kicks off this Thursday, October 18th. The opening night will be celebrated with a screening of Second Wind, a wild French film about bank robbers. We’re there.

You can snag screening passes for the 10-day event online or in person, with most tickets going for between €3 and €10. Dozens of screenings happen daily—with 11 premieres lined up—and are presented around town in fabulous venues. We took special note of both the temporary space erected by IKEA and the Byzantine-style Parco della Musica, which can seat one gazillion spectators.

This year’s film fest also celebrates Indian and German culture through series of special programs, screenings, and break-out discussions. Check out the festival’s official website for more information.

We always wanted to see Brad Pitt in lederhosen. We’d take him in a sari too.

We’re big fans of the city-wide all-night party trend in Europe. Paris seems to have come to the party first in October 2002 with its “Nuit Blanche” of performances, gallery openings, monument tours, and late-night shenanigans.

Rome followed the next year, launching “Notte Bianca” with great success. Indeed, according to party planners, the party has become an event the Italian capital “can no longer do without!”

Rome has just announced that “Notte Bianca 2007″ will take place the night of Saturday, September 8th (with some events happening the day before). This year’s show will promote a message of cultural difference and understanding, and will feature hundreds of acts performed by artists all night long throughout the city.

Which kind of events? According to the event’s website:

For Saturday September 8th the programme includes performances, concerts, plays, dance shows, magic and circus arts, contemporary art installations, fireworks, even a concert of church bells, all characterised by tradition and experimentation, merging together for one night an ensemble of artistic capabilities, cultural scope, knowledge, techniques and ways of expressing art and entertainment, all very different one from the other, and that is both multifaceted and harmonious.

We’re there. More information and event schedules: official site.

Meanwhile, Paris has only said that this year’s event will take place in October. For more info, the mayor’s office is already hyping it on their website.

Directly outside of the Saint Peter’s Metro station is the delicious Federici B&B. Aside from the fabulously convenient location, rooms are big and bright, ranging from €80 to €120 for a double.

Francesco and Roberta (an adorable couple) run the the place with their son, Fabio, who speaks a smooth Australian English. The hotel is located inside a giant palazzo, with an entrance from within an inner courtyard.

They’ve also got apartments at negotiable, reasonable rates near the Vatican and in Trastevere. Our recommendation: check Federici out!

It’s funny what Rome can come up with. Just when good old pub nostalgia gets the better of you, low and behold you discover places like Sergeant Pepper’s Pub, where juicy burgers, cold beer, and even baked potatoes are on offer. Best of all, prices barely cross the €10 barrier.

Opened by a pair of avid Beatles fans a decade ago, Sergeant Pepper’s is also the place to go for nonstop Beatles music and a museum-like collection of memorabilia. Located in the Prati-Vatican neighborhood, at Via della Giuliana 95, it’s an unexpected and delicious addition to your next Rome itinerary.

The Mercato Trionfale, in the Prati neighborhood, goes often without mention in the guidebooks. While it isn’t particularly charming, it’s one of the largest, cheapest, and most authentic city markets in Rome.

The market stretches up and down both sides of Via Andrea Doria. Clothing, housewares, fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, wine, and even breads are among the market’s offerings.

The best of the bargains are found at the first stand on the the corner of Via Andrea Doria and Largo Trionfale, where fruit is hawked by the kilo. While you’d never ordinarily think that you would need a kilo of celery, or two kilos of oranges, the €1 price tags might just change your perspective on bulk fruit purchase.

Photo courtesy by Annie Shapero

Romans don’t have a reputaton for eating light. The culinary canon—which includes bacon and egg pasta—leaves little room for light and lively noshing. The salad boom, however, has infiltrated the city’s foodie frontlines and the rare insalateria is a fine option for fresh and often cheap eats.

Trixie (Via Giulio Rocco, 9. Tel 3920632666) is located just off of Via Ostiense, a short walk from Saint Pauls Outside the Walls. €3 buys you a hefty lettuce base with your choice of three ingredients. Each additional ingredient costs only €.80. Fresh breads are also on offer.