Monti: Where to Eat

I often worry that I don't get out as much as I should. I love my cozy little office and am very happy typing away for hours. Once I do actually make it out the door, it takes even more effort to pull me out of my neighborhood. But when people find out where I live - in the Monti neighborhood in Rome - they start to understand my level of contentment. Although everyone thinks their neighborhood is the best, I know that many Romans have serious Monti-envy.
 
If you don't know it, Monti is the tiny neighborhood in Rome, tucked into the area between Via Cavour and Via Nazionale. Although Monti is not 'on the way' to anywhere, it is very centrally located. There are no big streets running through it, just around it. So it not only feels like a neighborhood, it is one in every sense of the word. When I moved here twenty years ago there were still a lot of artisans renting ground floor spaces. While many have had to leave, forced out by high rent, there are a handful left. And the stores and restaurants that have replaced them have given Monti a new - yet still authentic - feel. Small boutiques, antique stores and new restaurants make this one of the most comfortable, yet exciting, neighborhoods to explore.

In my next few blog posts I'll share my Monti with you.

Today: Where to Eat.
 
Restaurants:
As many of you know my favorite restaurant in Rome just happens to be in my neighborhood. Taverna dei Fori Imperiali (Via Madonna dei Monti 19) is our local joint, but is also one of the best family-run, old-fashioned restaurants in town. A step-up from a trattoria, Taverna produces traditional dishes, but puts their own spin on things. Their ravioli aren't just stuffed with ricotta, but with creamy buratta. The secret ingredient in the meatloaf is pistacchios. Don't bother looking at the menu, but listen to Aldo tell you about the daily specials. When things settle down, Alessio (the father) will probably come out from the kitchen to visit a bit. (if he has on a particularly snazzy apron, it may be one of the ones my mother gave him). Try to save room for dessert, which usually includes gooey apple strudel with a side of zabione. Make sure you reserve. Not only have I written about it several times, but so has Frank Bruni, who I brought here a few years ago. The place is always full.

Taverna Romana (Via Madonna dei Monti 79) is as famous for it's ultra spicy penne all'arabiata as it is for it's ever-cranky owners, Tonnino and Lucia. We used to go here all the time, but since they don't take reservations and there is always a waiting line of tourists, we just gave up. Very old fashioned style trattoria, but since Lucia doesn't cook anymore, it's not quite as good as it used to be. No credit cards. (UPDATE: Sadly Tonino has passed away and Lucia has sold the place to the owners of Cavour 313. It still feels the same, but the food has changed a bit).

Urbana 47 is newish to the neighborhood,(Via Urbana 47). The space is fantastic, very comfortable and shabby chic. They were one of the first 'Zero Kilometer' (locavore) restaurants to open in Rome, and get their goods from the same place that delivers my organic vegetables every week. The menu changes seasonally and is not large, but always great. Instead of traditional first and second courses, you can usually make do with one course, which usually comes with a side vegetable. If you can, come here for their extremely affordable (8euros) buffet lunch. UPDATE: October 2010 They no longer do the affordable lunch. They've changed it to a ill-thought-out, expensive, limited menu.

One of the only 'fancy' restaurants in Monti is F.I.S.H. (Via dei Serpenti 16) As you can imagine, it serves...fish. Equipped with a sushi chef, this is where fusion first came to Monti. It still is non-traditional, but extremely good. Expensive (fish always is in Rome). But worth the splurge.
 
Cavour 313 is Rome’s “historic” wine bar.(Via Cavour 131) History in this case meaning the 1970’s. This was one of the first non-traditional restaurants to open in Rome, with the emphasis on the wine as much as on the food. The great thing about Cavour, is that you can decide to have a full meal – wonderful soups! – or just munch on cheese and salamis. Very cozy atmosphere, more for winter. The daily specials are written on the blackboard.
 
A Tavola con Te (Via Boschetto 112) just opened this past summer, and is a really nice addition the neighborhood. The space was one of the best and most serious tea shops in town, until the owner had the nifty idea to open a restaurant that would focus on tea and food pairings. There is no 'kitchen' (due to byzantine Roman permit requirements) but that doesn't matter much. The menu includes rustic savoury tarts, smoked meats and fish, salads and soups. And, of course, sweets. Open lunch through 7pm, it's a great place to stop for a late afternoon tea and cake.

Lately I've been going to Il Piadinieria (Via Boschetto 98). Although it's part of a franchise, it's a great one. The Piadine (flat breads) are fresh, and each sandwich is made to order. My daughters love this place, and so do I.

Want a slice of pizza to take into the piazza and eat? Pizzeria Leonina (Via Leonina 64) has changed hands a few times, but the original recipes seem to have stayed. Some of the best pizza a taglio in Rome. My favorite is still the potato pizza, although the burrina - fresh spicy tomatoes - is a close runner up.

Oddly enough Monti has always been heavy on ethnic restaurants, and I'm not sure why. One of the first Japanese restaurants to open in Rome, Hasekura, is in Monti. (Via dei Serpenti 27). It is excellent. Just on the border of the neighborhood is Doozo, an art gallery/Japanese restaurant. (Via Palermo51) I love going here in the summer since they have a hidden garden in the back. Daruma Sushi, (Via dei Serpenti 1), is the fast food version of sushi. Not bad for take out.

Monti has four Indian restaurants! Maharaja, Il Guru, Mother India and Sitar. I won't review them all (since this is a positive post). The best, in my opinion, is Sitar (Via Cavour 256) . Anu, the owner, is a charming hostess, and the food is excellent. My favorite is the Ginger Chicken, a new addition not even on the menu yet. If you aren't quite sure what to order, Anu is happy to help.

Pizzeria alle Carette (Via Madonna dei Monti 95) is where we go for pizza at least once a week. The massive wood burning oven turns out crispy thin pizzas. In winter I usually get the Brocoletti with Sausage. For a less cheesey alternative they will make a Marinara with any topping: onions, mushroom, broccoletti. In the summer try to get one of the outdoor tables in the back.


Bars:


All Roman's have their favorite bars, where they go for coffee or a quick snack. I almost always head to Er Baretto (Via Boschetto 132.) They are known for their wonderfully prepared cappucinos (with the foam artfully decorated) but also have a good selection of sandwiches and salads. The outside tables are even better now that Via Boschetto has limited traffic, and the wooden tables inside are a cozy place to hang out and - if you are so inclined - check your email (they have wifi).

On nice days my friend Sienna and I head to 'the bar in the piazza.' A word about the Piazzetta: A gorgeous piazza, the center of Monti, the square is blessed with a stately Della Porta fountain. Surrounding the piazza are three bars and one restaurant. The best bar is Bottega del Cafe, and is where I go. Great for a outdoor breakfast, but just as good for lunch, cocktail or dinner. The piazza is so beautiful and the Bottega del Cafe so well situated, that it has become quite a scene and is sometimes hard to get a table. But the food is good, especially if you want a light lunch. (About those other bars in the Piazza? I hate saying bad things about anyone, but...I never go to them.)


And, finally, ice cream. Sadly, none of the truly great ice cream places in Rome are in Monti. But, we make do with the very good Gelatone (Via dei Serpenti 28). While they aren't artisan ice creamers by any means, the ice cream is really really good. I usually play it safe and get Nutella since....well, you can't go wrong with nutella, can you?


Next week: Where to food shop in Monti.

UPDATE DECEMBER 2012: So much has changed since I first wrote this post in 2010. For a complete and up to date listing of all that's good to eat in Monti, please see my app, Eat Rome

One Book Press

 












I’m taking a break this week, from talking about Rome (don’t worry - the Minchilli guide to Monti will start posting next week - promise) to write about my new baby, One Book Press. As many of you know, my sister and I just launched this new company and are barely talking about anything else. To be expected, since we are so excited about it!
 
But I wanted to use this blog to talk about exactly why we decided to start One Book Press. As many of you know I've been writing and producing beautiful coffee-table-style books for the last fifteen years. I've also been writing about design, lifestyle, travel and food to almost all the top magazines. At the same time my sister, Robin Helman, has been designing for all the same magazines and publishing houses. The dire financial situation of the past year means that the big publishing houses are finding it difficult to produce gorgeous, image-driven books. And magazines, with next to no ads, are unable to commission image-driven stories like they used to.
 
So, what’s a girl to do? I love my work: finding gorgeous homes, gardens, collections, hotels and restaurants and then writing about them in books and magazines. While many were crying gloom and doom in the past year, I instead saw this as an exciting opportunity for change. Taking advantage of new advances in printing, distribution and communications my sister and I decided to create a new type of publishing company: One Book Press.

You see, I believe that there are still beautiful stories out there to be told, through word and image. Homes, gardens, food, art collections...you know, the stuff that fills the pages of those gorgeous coffee-table books we love so much. But maybe the audience has changed? At least that’s what I think. I believe that the people who are behind these projects - architects, designers, home owners, collectors - would very much like to see their passions captured in the pages of a book. And that’s where we come in.
 
One Book Press will take any topic, and turn it into a professionally- produced book. We will send a photographer and stylist to capture the objects and spaces at their best. We will then research and conduct interviews as the basis for a compelling text which we will write. A designer will pull it all together. The result will be a beautiful, image-driven book that frames any subject you have in mind.
 
While there have always been book packagers who did this type of work producing content, the final result was always a traditionally-published book, printed and distributed by big publishing houses. With minimal print runs in the thousands, this was - and remains - a prohibitively expensive undertaking. What makes a new approach possible today is the advent of digital printing-on-demand. Once we have designed a book, we are able to provide you with as many - or as few - copies as you’d like. (Hence the name: One Book Press!) At a surprisingly affordable price.


What makes our books different from books you make yourself on sites like Blurb or Lulu or with a Mac? Well, unless you are a professional book producer working with professional designers, writers and photographers, these books always look like what they are: photo albums. Which is great if you want a photo album. But if what you have in mind is a book, which weaves together word and image in a compelling way, then we’re your girls. We don’t do albums. We produce professionally-designed books that capture your story. In other words: content.


We are already working on several projects and you can see one of our recent books, Pergolaccio: A Home Restored, here. This book features our own home, which my husband, Italian architect Domenico Minchilli, restored. Titles we are about to be publish include a monograph on an Italian architect (mmm...I wonder who that could be?), portraits by a Rome-based artist, still lifes by an artist in New York and a look at a New York-based interior design firm. We are also talking with several clients about cookbook projects.
 
I’d love to hear what everyone thinks. So far, response has been enthusiastic. The most exciting part about this venture is that the subjects are limitless. So, if you have an idea, we’d love to hear it.

Going to Deruta: Thinking about Books

I’m so focussed these days on promoting Italian Rustic and One Book Press that I haven’t had much time to think about anything else. But this past week I’ve been talking to the owner of Bellezza, in Boston, about coming to town to talk about Italian Rustic. If you don’t know about it already, Bellezza is an incredible source for Italian ceramics. And while I’m thrilled that I will be visiting there at the end of March, to talk about Italian Rustic, it also made me kind of sad since I would have loved to sign copies of my first book, Deruta: A Tradition of Italian Ceramics. This book,which I wrote for Chronicle in 1998, is just about the only book available on Italian majolica. Or I should say was. It is out of print, and at the moment Chronicle has no plans to reprint it. And that's why I'm sad.

There are a few wildly expensive, out-of-print copies of Deruta available on Amazon. But since what so many people want to know where to shop once in Deruta, (there are over 300 stores and workshops!) I thought that it was time I devoted a blog to this. And these gorgeous photos? They are from the book, and were taken by the extremely talented Susie Cushner, who

photographed Deruta under the expert

guidance of designer Melanie Doherty.

Many of my friends freely admit to having a Deruta addiction. These cravings usually date from the time they bought their first small dish. To those of you who are about to be introduced to this highly seductive craft: be forewarned. The descriptions you are about to read and the photos you will see may cause deep cravings, severe fantasizing and an un stoppable urge to bring these objects into your home.

I remember the first time I heard the word "Deruta". I had come to Italy to research a dissertation on Renaissance gardens. While diligently digging through mountains of dusty sixteenth century documents in Florence, I would daydream about weekend getaways. When a friend suggested we head for Deruta - a small village, just south of Perugia - I naturally assumed we would visit a church or two, admire some frescos, and make a stop in the local museum. Only years later, when I finally made the pilgrimage to this small Umb

rian village, did I realize it wasn't high-minded sightseeing my friend had in mind, (although that was part of it) but rather some serious ceramic shopping!

Still, history is an integral part of the Deruta experience. Those familiar with Italian ceramics will have already heard of Deruta. Along with other small towns throughout Italy, like Vietri and Grottaglia, Deruta is one of the biggest producers of the glazed Italian ceramic ware known as majolica. Deruta, however, stands out, since unlike other centers of this age-old craft, it has been producing majolica of high quality for over six centuries without interruption, and continues to do so today. It is this continuous and ever-developing history that informs the majolica from Deruta and distinguishes it from

other cities. It is this sense of history that is acquired when we bring a piece of Deruta ceramics into our homes today.

While the apex of the town's production was in the sixteenth century, Deruta's kilns, once lit, never went out. The craftsmen that first developed the brilliant glazes in the fifteenth century passed on their knowledge and innovations in both form and patterns to future generations. One of the most attractive things about

contemporary Deruta pottery is this sense of history. There are more than three hundred ceramic firms in Deruta today, making it one of the biggest ceramic producers in Italy. But if quantity may ring of impersonalized industrialization of a craft, the briefest of trips to Deruta dispels this view. This little town is a place where the human touch is always in evidence. The hand-crafted element conveys itself in the shapes, textures, and colors of the finished works.

At first glance there seems more that unites the diverse potters of Deruta than differentiates them. To the untrained eye, the stores start to look dismayingly familiar after a while. One aspect that does lend an overall homogeneity t

o the production is the trio of patterns which show up in just about every bottega, be it big or small. Most

firms, whether they concentrate on one-of-a-kind collectors pieces or simple sets of dinner ware, tend to keep in stock a good

selection of pieces featuring some variation of the patterns Arabresco, Gallo Verde

and Raffaelesco. All three patterns are descendants of patterns from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Although many of the same patterns are produced by most firms, there are subtle differences. Differences in the quality of both the material (glazes and clay) as well in the skill in design and draftsmanship are reflected in the finished product. The more amount of time spent on a piece is naturally reflected in a higher price.

No matter the size of the studio, most are able and willing to accept special orders. In fact, one of the joys of visiting Deruta is the chance to sit down with a maestro and work out your own special pattern, whether it is simply a color variation of a traditional model, or a set of plates incorpora

ting your family coat of arms. And all but the smallest firms are well versed in the complexities of shipping things back home.

It is very difficult to single out specific studios to visit... but of course I have my favorites!

Most trips to Deruta begin at the turn-of-the-century Grazia factory.

The Grazia factory is the only one to still work it's own clay, from powder to the finished product and the large and airy decoration room is the training ground for many of the artisans who later strike out on their. While Grazia's repertoire includes richly colored and intricately painted patterns such as Ricco Deruta, which carry on Renaissance rhythms, my personal favorite is the pure white Uva Bianca. But be forewarned: Grazia’s prices are astronomical and the waiting list for a set of dishes is sometimes up to two years!

Franco Mari,down the road, has developed a unique set of patterns based only loosely on sixteenth century motives, and spiced into lively new combinations with patterns and colors seen during his travels. "Anasazi" takes American Indian sand paintings as its cue, tracing them on exquisitely formed coffee and tea sets. A distinguishing characteristic of Mari's work are his glazes. They are always rich and saturated with a smoothness and brilliance, and an almost glasslike finish, that is unique to his ware. This final transparent glaze is a family secret, which Mari inherited from his father. And don't fear if you can't decide on a specific pattern for your dinner set do what my friend Ruth did: make up a set where each setting features a different pattern!

One of the great masters in town is

Antonio Margaritelli. From the exterior, Antonio Margaritelli's store looks like many of the other low-slung, new buildings that line the Via Tiberina. Located just past the only stoplight in town, the modern

building is fronted by a sloped parking area. But once you step through the glazed doors, the differences from the other shops around town are immediately apparent. No Gallo Verde pattern here; in fact, the first display cabinet contains a collection of antique objects not even for sale. Revealing his inspiration, the most prized of Margaritelli's enormous collection of Renaissance fragments are proudly displayed, many rivaling those on view in the museum nearby.

Margaritelli sets out to capture the fascination and beauty of these sixteenth century fragments. Through painstaking research and experimentation, he has

rediscovered the old formulas for glazes, using pigments he digs up himself, in the surrounding hills. His exquisite production is extremely low, and he produces only a few hundred pieces per year, each one unique. All are rigorously based on antique patterns and are often hard to distinguish from the real thing. While his larger plates, meant to hang on the wall, require a

substantial investment, I have started a collection of his coppe amatorie, or loving cups. Traditionally given to each other by lovers, these small plates bear the initial of the giver.

If it's a set of mugs you want, or a brightly colored setting to use at breakfast, without worrying too much about chipping, then Sberna is your best bet. Located across the street from the more imposing Grazia, the Sberna sisters, Anna and Franca, are more than willing to help you choose from the almost overwhelming stacks of merchandise. While most of the designs are classical Deruta, they offer a refreshing array of more contemporary designs, developed by visiting designers from the United States. Of all the places in Deruta, this is where I come, again and again, to buy serving dishes, gifts and - as my sisters well know - complete sets of dinner plates as wedding gifts!

Sources in Deruta

There are over three-hundred ceramic studios in Deruta, reflecting a wide variety of styles, merchandise, and quality. A full listing of the firms in Deruta can be obtained at the tourist office in the main square. The following are my personal favorites:

Ceramiche Chiucchiù

Via Umberto 1, 19

Tel: +39 075-971-0747

Exquisite one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

Grazia Deruta

Via Tiberina Centro 181

Tel: +39 075-971-0201

Ceramiche Sberna

Via Tiberina Centro, 146

Tel: +39 075-971-0206

Antonio Margaritelli

Via Tiberina 214

Tel: +39 075-971-1572

No web site! He barely has a telephone. Just go! But if you can't make it, Bellezza carries his work.

Franco Mari

Via Tiberina, 236

Tel: +39 075-971-1224

He has a useless web site, but you can see (and buy) a lot of Mari's work at Biordi.

PHOTOGRAPHS: The gorgeous photographs were taken by Susie Cushner, and are copyrighted by her. They originally appeared in our book, Deruta.