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Central Rome Walking Tour - Part 1

Everyone is waiting to begin my Rome Walking Tour

If you do not join us on this short, but heavily sight-packed walk, you won’t get to meet these beautiful, smiling police ladies along the way!

And, the guys in the sunglasses are wondering what the hold up is…they’re ready to go, and NOW.

So, let’s get going!!!

Summary of Today’s Short walk

In today’s Central Rome Walking Tour article, we start our walking tour. However, we hit only three of its highlights today, as follows:

The Spanish Steps
The Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars
The Trevi Fountain

“A decision is needed by you as to whether you will want to see the first site of our walking tour. If you are particularly squeamish, then a decision definitely needs to be made.”

We will catch up with the remainder of the Central Rome Walking Tour in the next installment of my Italy, Our Italy blog articles.

Yes, today’s the day that we start our walking tour of the central part of Rome. Let me say at the beginning that this walking tour is based on Rick Steves’ “Rome” by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw. However, I will start us off in the opposite direction. I do that because we had our breakfast this morning only a few steps from the Spanish Steps. So, if you have not had breakfast, before we start our walking adventure, step THIS WAY to see a wonderful dining establishment.

And here is a one-photo refresher of our wonderful breakfast at the Antico Caffe Greco.

The pastry selection at Antico Caffe Greco

[Please remember that all photos can be viewed full-screen by clicking/tapping on the photo]

The Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are dead-center in the photo, marked by the red pointy-dot thingie.

The steps form a connection between the lower Piazza di Spagna, and the upper Church of the Holy Trinity of the Mountains. This church, which is seen in the upper part of this aerial Google photo, was constructed in 1502 by Louis XII of France.

By the way, if you are not familiar with how I got this aerial photo from Google maps, I will cover that soon in an article about the benefit of using Google maps for your trip planning. It can be both fascinating and informative.

And the Piazza di Spagna (Piazza of Spain) owes its name to the Palazzo di Spagna, the seat of the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See.

Here is my photo of the front of this Palazzo.

By the way…here’s the original snapshot that I had to transform for you to get the nicer photo of the Palazzo entrance.

One often hears people talking into their cellphone as they walk the streets of Rome, “We’ll meet you at the Spanish Steps". It is a very traditional meeting place, which is why we chose to meet there this morning after breakfast. It is within walking distance of anywhere in central Rome, which you will see as you continue to read below.

This is our view as we approach the Spanish Steps from just a few feet away at our Antico Caffe Greco dining place on Via dei Condotti…a shopping street for the well healed.

The fountain that sits proud on the piazza is called the Fontana della Barcaccia, or Fountain of the Boat. If you want to know more about the fountain than just what is looks like, you can check it Here.

Side view of the Fontana della Barcaccia

End-on view of the Fontana della Barcaccia

The Spanish Steps is not only a meeting place for us humans, but the equine folks like to gather here to horse around a bit.

(get it? “a bit”!

Here are folks of the human variety that you may recognize…

If you do not recognize these humans, they are from left to right: Jonathan, Sue, Jason, Marsha, Ellen and me, myself, and I

Here are a couple of photos of the sites of Piazza di Spagna…

And this beautiful column is to celebrate the Immaculate Conception, and is coincidently called The Column of the Immaculate Conception.

This marble column is 40 feet high and 5 feet in diameter. To say it weighs a ton is an understatement, and it took 220 firefighters to raise this marble column on December 8, 1857. This started a firefighters’ tradition of paying homage to the Virgin with a wreath of fresh flowers each December 8th.

At the top, that’s the Virgin Mary, who stands 13 feet high.

At the base you see two of these four biblical personalities: Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel and David.

I would guess that the gentleman to the right is King David, as he is wearing a crown, which none of the other three would dare to do.

On the left? My guess is a Ten-Commandments displaying Moses.

A BEGINNING-OUR-WALKING-TOUR DECISION

Yes, a decision is needed by you as to whether you will want to see the first site of our walking tour. If you are particularly squeamish, then a decision definitely needs to be made. We first visit the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars.

Recently, I brought to you a blog article titled A Significant Transformation - Involving "Danger of Death". In that article, we were not exactly sure what the danger of death was about. However, in our first stop on our walking tour, there is no mystery about the death aspects of this historical stop. The skeletal remains of 3,700 mostly monks’ bodies are artfully arranged for your viewing pleasure. Various rooms depict like skeletal parts artfully arranged.

We’ve been to this museum twice, and we’ve had no squeamishness at all. By the way, there is no odor at all, as these bones are hundreds of years old.

To help you make your decision, pictured here is a bit of the Crypt of the Skulls. If this photo offends you, then do not visit the Capuchin crypt.

More will be said below when I cover this first stop in more detail.

If you opt out, you will have no problem at all with finding your way without enduring this stop.

La Nostra Mappa di Navigazione di Roma

[Our Rome Map of Navigation]

I think that it is wonderful that the major sites of central Rome can be taken in within less than an hour and just a bit more than a mile. Of course, you have to add time to look at what you came to look at and not just stride by those sites. And having lunch in the latter half of the trip will be an enjoyment.

So, is it Capuchin, or no Capuchin? If it is “no” to the ancient bone art, then go below to The Trevi Fountain. If it is a “yes”, then follow the burnt-orange line above to the crypt of the capuchin friars.

What Was Your Decision Regarding the Crypt?

If you decided to take the Capuchin Friars Museum tour, then keep reading immediately below. If you’ve opted out, then you can skip down to “If You Skipped the Capuchin Crypt”…but, you might as well read until you get there, so you can see what you’ve missed…and perhaps when you go to Rome in real life and not just reading about it, you may decide to give the crypt a go.

The Museum & Crypt of the Capuchin Friars

In Italian, that would be “Museo e Cripta dei Frati Cappuccini”.

This is a good place to have a ‘Speaking Italian’ lesson. Notice that in English, we say “Capuchin”, where the ending of “chin” is just as we would say “chin”…that thing below your lips. Expressed in Italian, you see that the ending is “cini”. A “ci” in Italian is pronounced as ‘chee’. And, when you see a “chi” in Italian, it is not ‘chee’, but ‘key’. Zucchini is a good example of the ‘key’ sound as we say zoo-key-knee. And ‘cini’ is pronounced ‘chee-knee’.

Let’s Begin Our Walk to the ‘Museo e Cripta’

As we are at the Spanish Steps, let’s check out the steps themselves. We walk to the top of the stairs to the plaza in front of the church. Take a right at the church and we will immediately encounter a fork in the road. The left fork is Via Sistina, and the right fork is Via Gregoriana…we want the left fork of Via Sistina, which is a one-way road with traffic coming at you, but as we are walking, all is well.

Enjoy the sites and shopping along Via Sistina as you travel only 1/4 mile to Via dei Cappuccini…convenient, yes?

Here are just a few of the things you will see, like Ellen outside a shop of “Articoli de Regalo”, which simply translates to “Gift Items”. And then, there are the ubiquitous motorcycles and motor scooters of Rome.

At the first major intersection, you are suddenly walking with, rather against, the vehicle traffic…how does that work? The next street should be Via dei Cappuccini, and we take a left there. It is now just two short blocks to the Capuchin, with our destination building always visible ahead of us. That is our destination in this photo, which was captured using Google street view.

Just walk up the stairs and enter the building

The price of entry should be about 10€, which is much less than you wanted to spend walking down the Via Sistina. But, you did well not to make large purchases along the way, as you do not want to be carrying those things for the rest of your walking tour…come back later for those items…or maybe have them sent to your hotel.

Enjoy your visit to the museum. There is more to see than just the bones of friars. You can catch a glimpse of the exhibitions HERE.

There’s a current everyday use of the term “capuchin”, as in capuchino, as in a barrista produced coffee with a light tan foamy head of the Capuchin friars…yes, that’s the origin of the coffee treat’s name. See the tan hood of the monk below…now, enjoy your cappuccino knowing that 3,700 monks helped to create it.

All done now. As you exit the museum, walk left down the street (literally down the hill) along Via Vitorio Veneto. At the northeast corner of the intersection of Via Vitorio Veneto and Via di San Basilio you will see a nice little shell shaped fountain called the Bee Fountain. To see it in more detail, check out my older article HERE. Now keep going down a few feet to Piazza Barberini, where you will see this interesting fountain…but it will be daytime for you. Those fish seem to be upset about their day and night job of holding up that shell with their tails. I can sympathize with them, but not empathize.

It is now about 1/3 mile to our next destination, which is the famous Trevi Fountain, site of the 1954 movie titled, “Three Coins in the Fountain”.

If You Skipped the Capuchin Crypt

I’ll let you in on the point of the crypt and bones. As you are gaping at the artistic assemblage of bones, there is a sign along the way that says something like, “As you see us now, you will one day be”…I don’t remember the exact wording. But, the friars point is that you will die one day as they have, and you should be prepared for eternal life by finding Jesus Christ, just as they did and are now experiencing. Fair warning, my friend.

As you head south from the Spanish Steps, you will pass to the right of the Column of the Immaculate Conception (the purple star on the map)
Bear right onto the Via di Propaganda.
Bear right after crossing Via di Capo le Case onto Via di Sant' Andrea delle Fratte
Turn left at Via de Nazareno
Cross Via del Tritone at the crosswalk and bear right onto the narrow Via della Stamperia
Continue straight until you come to the Trevi Fountain on your right

If You Went to the Capuchin Crypt

I hope you enjoyed the unique art of the crypt. Fascinating, wasn’t it? After you headed down the street as you left the museum and you then passed through the Piazza Barberini, passing through the piazza with the fountain on your left, you will come to a major intersection.

From Piazza Barberini, the street that you are looking directly down to the west is Via del Tritone and that is the street you want.
Walk Via del Tritone for a block-and-a-half and then angle left onto Via dei Serviti, which is a very narrow street with traffic coming at you.
At Via del Traforo, cross the street and continue straight onto Via in Arcione. This street, which translates to “Off on Horseback”, is a very narrow walking street, but you may encounter some vehicles.
As you cross Via della Panetteria, the green guard box to your left and up the hill denotes the street to the Italian equivalent to the US White House.
Keep straint on Via in Arcione, which mysteriously changes name to Via del Lavatore. About mid-block, you will see a very small park on the right. That is where I took the photo that you can see in my blog article titled, “Transforming L’Uomo della Pizza”. The restaurant has changed dramatically since I took the photo 13 years ago. It’s just a few more steps to the Trevi Fountain.

THE TREVI FOUNTAIN

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana Trevi) is iconic Rome. It is possible that no one has ever been to Rome without visiting the Trevi Fountain.

The plot-site of the movie “Three Coins in a Fountain”, it is obvious from this next photo why visiting the Trevi is popular.

You too can take a photo from this same vantage point…see how below

PHOTO TIP: To get a view like the one above where there are no people blocking your view of the fountain, here is what you do. Surreptitiously go up to the second floor of the United Colors of Benneton store and there you have it.

Thank you Sue Lee for that photo tip!

The Trevi Fountain is the terminal point of the Virgo aqueduct, the only ancient aqueduct in continuous use to this day

The Aqua Virgo was one of the eleven Roman aqueducts that supplied the city of ancient Rome. It was completed in 19 BC by Marcus Agrippa, during the reign of the emperor Augustus

It has been suggested that when the Apostle Peter baptized saint Mark, he did so in this Aqua Virgo

In 1732, Pope Clement XII announced a competition in which the greatest artists of the time participated. Among the various projects submitted, that of the architect Nicola Salvi was chosen .

So, what do you do at the Trevi fountain besides gawk at it? You toss in coins. Everyone does it, and you are part of that illustrious group. Here you see Jason and Marsha doing just that.

Here you see Debbie tossing in a few coins.

So, it’s not like the fountain at the mall with the sign that says not to toss in coins.

The other thing you do at the Trevi Fountain is have your photo taken. Again, Marsha and Jason are into it!

And apparently, if you don’t have friends there to take your photo like I did for those above, you might ask a nice policeman to do it for you.

OK folks, it will soon be time to move on to the Piazza Colonna to see a true marvel of ancient craftsmanship…please don’t miss it. But, you will have to wait until we get together next time at your Italy, Our Italy blog.

But, I give you one parting shot from the Trevi Fountain. I grabbed this photo while standing at the fountain. This undressed gentleman seemed to be reading his Sunday paper. I just couldn’t pass this one up.

So, once again it’s ciao for now…but I’ll figuratively see you next time right here, as we move on through the heart of Rome and its marvelous sites.

Steve

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Eat Here: Antico Caffe Greco

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Yes, let’s eat here…it is a very tasty, elegant, historic, and well-located breakfast place. Its location is just yards (or perhaps I should say ‘meters’) from the Spanish Steps (it is actually 263 feet/80.16 meters from restaurant to the Spanish Steps), which is where we will start our Rome walking tour in my next Italy, Our Italy blog article. Here is a simple map…

Location of Antico Caffe Greco

However, before we begin our walk to the Spanish Steps, we need to have breakfast. Also, though I have shown barefooted foot prints on the map, I recommend that you wear comfortable shoes today. If you entered the restaurant with bare feet, you will find these stores right there within a two-block area on Via dei Condotti: Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, Max Mara, Brioni, Sergio Rossi, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Hermes, Harry Winston, Celine, Buccellati, Patek Philippe, Loro Piana, Mont Blanc, Van Cleef & Arpels, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Cartier, Damiani, and Moncler. I have no idea which of those have shoes for you, but I know for a fact that Antico Caffe Greco does not have shoes.

Enough shop talk…let’s go ahead and get to the restaurant!

Here is the exterior of the restaurant…

Exterior photo of Antico Caffe Greco in Rome

A Bit of Restaurant History

Before we go in, let me point out a couple of signs that are very significant. First is this banner…

This banner tells us that Antico Caffe Greco is 250 years old…it was at least that old at the time of our dining in 2023.

Since it opened in 1760, that makes it 263 years old when we entered the doors.

And, it is well recognized for its longevity. Here is a plaque that documents its significance.

A plaque celebrating Antico Caffe Greco in Italian

Since you carefully read my recent article titled, “A Significant Transformation Involving ‘Danger of Death’”, you will know how to pull out your cellphone right now to pull up your Google app to get instant translation satisfaction.

Just in case you do not have your cellphone handy, here is the translation, as seen on my own cellphone, using the Google translation feature.

Breaking the Language Barrier

Here is something of interest regarding the alphabet used in the Italian language: You will see the letter “V” often, which in our English language is shaped like our letter V, but is actually our letter “U”. It stems from the Latin alphabet, from which our own alphabet comes. This is why the letter shaped as W, which we pronounce double-yoo is formed by two letter “Vs”…or double-yoos (which look like two Vs to us English speakers, yet they are yoos in Latin). Probably 99% of you already knew this.

This means that the date of the decree is July 27, 1953. I find it strange that Google did not immediately translate LVGLIO to July, though as I moved my cellphone in and out it occasionally popped in “JULY” for me. The letters “G” and “L: found together before the letter “I” in Italian is pronounced “lee”. For instance “garlic” in Italian is spelled “aglio” and is pronounced ah-lee-oh. and “wife” is spelled “moglie” and is pronounced “mo-lee-ay”.

So “LVGLIO” is pronounced loo-lee-oh.

To help you in your own translation, here are the months of the year in order:

Gennaio, Febbralo, Marzo, Aprile, Maggio, Giugno, Luglio, Agosto, Settembre, Ottobre, Novembre, Dicembre.

My Apology!

I must sincerely apologize…I told you that we were going to have a fabulous breakfast, but all I’ve done is talk about shopping and language. So, without further ado, here is what Antico Caffe Greco is all about…food!

Let’s get a closer look at these pastries. As always, please click on the first image below to get a full screen view, and then use your arrow keys or mouse to advance through these tasty treats. When you have seen the starting photo once more, click on the white “X” in the upper-right-hand corner (not the black “X” in the EXTREME upper-right-hand corner, as that will close your browser and you will miss seeing all of the treats).

From their menu:

Fresh Fruit Tarts
Sicilian Cannoli
Saint Honorè Cake
Grandma’s Cake
Peach Charlotte
Absolute Chocolate Cake
Caffè Greco's Baba Cake
Greek Coffee Cake
Mixed Fresh Fruit Cake

Are there non-pastry items available? Yes there are. Though I didn’t see it on their on-line menu, we had an egg omelet while we were there.

And where might you sit to eat? There is The Red Room, The Gubinelli Room, The White Room, The Gallli Room, The Szoldaticz Room, The legendary Omnibus room, The Hall of Roman Views, and The Rome Room with Giovannini's Works. So, take you pick…or just sit where you can find a vacant table.

Our Visit

Here is a photo of our pre-Rome-walk breakfast…

And, were we satisfied?

This photo tells it all!

And, we had a Coke Zero…no Diet Cokes in Europe anymore.

And yes, Jason was also impressed.

But, good thing we brought our pocketbooks…right Jason?

Ellen and I are not coffee drinkers, but we made good with the hot chocolate. In Italy, it is almost the consistency of melted Hershey bar.

Polish Regulars

You have probably been wondering if any famous Polish painters, novelists, or poets were regulars at Antico Caffe Greco. Well here is the answer to mollify your curiosity.

Images of famous Polish celebrities who were Caffe Greco regulars

Visting

I couldn’t tell from their website whether they take reservations. Here is the salient information for making a visit to this very historic and delicious dining establishment.

Antico Caffe Greco is open every day from 9:00am to 9:00pm
The address is: Via Condotti, 86 Rome 00187
Telefono: (039) 06 6791700
Email: info@caffegreco.it
Website: https://anticocaffegreco.eu/?lang=en

That’s it for today with this rather varied article on a fabulous dining experience…and the neighborhood. Stay tuned for the rest of this day’s journey as we explore Rome by foot, seeing many of the major sites in one wonderful day.

Until next time, I say…

Ciao for Now,

Steve

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A Significant Transformation - Involving "Danger of Death"

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While in Venice on our last trip to Italy, I found another door on which to perform my transformation and restoration duty. Remember that my goal is to give you a Venice of yesteryear…not yesterday. This one was a chore, and I had to bring in extra construction techniques.

And what’s that in the title about “Danger of Death”? Well, that’s exactly what I would like to know. We’ll see if you have any ideas to share.

(as always, you can click/tap on an image to get a larger view}

My regular Italy, Our Italy readers have seen many of my transformations from a blah modern-day snapshot within Italy, into a more refined fine art rendition of the scene. To see a few from the past assembled into one blog article, please click to see A Plethora of Transformations. Today’s transformation will not result in fine art!

The Original Image

Here is the rather blah snapshot that I made as we left the Rialto Market and headed to the Frari. As you can see, this facade has lost the gravitas that it would have once had.

There are several notes posted on the door, a few official, and some not so. There are many things that need to be cleaned up to get us back to an Italy of yesteryear.

Let’s Get to Work

As I start to work, I’m wondering if it will be worth the effort. But a challenge is what I’m looking for. I will let you know now that this effort will not result in a fine-art image. It’s mainly the mystery with which I am consumed.

First, I’ll get rid of that trash bag and broom.

And, while I’m at it, I note that there is a square block of stone mid-way up the right side of the door, but its mirror-image partner looks to have disappeared…so I’ll reappear it.

The trash has now been taken out, and a twin stone has been placed on the left side of the door.

The fact that the boards making up the two doors do not line up at the center really bothers me. So, I’ll get my board mover fired up to resolve that issue.

The boards now line up in a way that the original carpenter would have been pleased.

Did you notice all of the pock marks on each side of the door. They are especially prevalent to the right and top of the door. Though I’m not sure what caused those, I’m assuming that they are a flaw, and not a feature of the facade. They have to go!

Those pesky pock marks are gone. I’m still wondering what pocked them. It makes it look as though the stone work was just a thin veneer.

You will note that I worked a bit on the curved stonework of the door's archway. I’ll work a bit more on that in a moment.

Those pock marks are gone and the curved stonework has been spiffed up.

I happen to have some door knockers in my kit that I picked up in San Gimignano earlier in the week. I’m going to put those on the door now, also.

By the way, you may not have realized it, but I replaced that walkway in front of this building. It was simple for me to go down the calle just a bit and move a better looking stone pavement in front of this building

The Thing About “Danger of Death”

I haven’t explained what the “Danger of Death” thingie is about. See that small, horizontal sign plate in the photo. It says something in Italian.

What comes next is a bonus gift for you today. If you have never used the Google photo translation app before, it is wonderful…as a matter of fact, it is wonderful even if you have used it before.

Here is a screen shot of that plaque which says, “Pericolo di Morte”.

The Google Translator App

Now, here’s what the Google camera-based translator can do.

Go to the Google app on your phone and tap to open it. I you don’t have it, it’s free.

Here’s is what the icon for Google looks like.

Below is the salient portion of the screen that you will then see. The search box is where you would normally type in your query. To the right of the search text entry is an icon of a microphone…ignore that, as it is for dictating your query, rather than typing it.

To the right of the microphone icon is a poor rendition of a camera. Tap that camera icon!!!

Next you will see that your camera is live and there are words at the bottom of the screen which say from left to right, “Search”, and “Translate”. Click on “Translate”. At the time I did the screenshot, there was also an option to click on “Homework”…and I have no idea what that was about…and it is no longer an option using my iPhone and Google.

Aim your cellphone camera at the text that you want to translate, and voila! There you see the English text live, instead of the Italian (in this case) words “Pericolo di Morte”.

Have you used the “Search” selection? I will cover that in another article when “shopping” is the subject.

It’s wonderful that the translator identified that the words were in Italian, as I did not tell it that it was Italian in advance, though I could have. So, you can select the language, if necessary. There are over 100 languages that you can translate just by aiming you cellphone at foreign words. They even have Hawaiian to English translation, so “aloha”. I just wrote “Aloha” on a piece of paper and it says that it means, “bye”. So, the words do not even need to be typewritten.

Need help with a menu in another language…now you have it.

The Final Transformed Image

As usual, I like to paint the door the transformed door. But what color for this image. I have opted for a red door. This goes along with the “Danger of Death” theme. So, here is a nice warning-red color for the door. I also decided to leave the warning plaque in case you happen to stumble across this building whilst walking the calle of Venice. One needs to be seeing the wonderful sights, drinking great wines, and eating the best foods in the world…you should not be dying whilst in Venice.

The completed restoration of a dull door

Again, that is not a particularly lovely door of Venice from yesteryear.

That just about sums it up…but, just about. We need to know more about this mysterious door with its ominous plaque.

So Where Is this Building and Its Door?

I went to Google maps (oh, so informative for trip planning and trip reviewing).

I knew the general area of the photo. I looked at the other photos taken just before and after this one. I noted Ellen and Sue looking in a shop window that identified the store as “Tommaso Giordano Designer”. I searched on Google Maps for that shop and when I found it, I went to street view (works all over Venice by the way!) and worked my way toward the Rialto Market. There was the door…but my of my how it has changed since I was standing in front of it taking my photo in 2023. Here it is today…

…sorry about the street-view quality.

And all of the papered graffiti plastered on the door? Not very charming. The original photo way back up at the top had a sign in red and white which requested that nothing be posted on the door. Some people just don’t listen, do they?! Or perhaps, they don’t read well?!

When I was looking at the street view (or maybe we should call it “calle view” since we are in Venice), I scrolled up while in calle view and here is what I found out about this “building” that I hadn’t noticed when I was there focused on the door itself. It is actually a tower, or campanile.

A photo from Google street view, having moused the cursor upward while looking at the street view

Now that I knew that, I decided to investigate a bit more and went to the Google satellite view. Here is what I found. The Googled label tells us what this structure is…or was.

And, by the way…those buildings in the upper portion of the photo are situated right on the Grand Canal.

Mystery solved: this is the “Chiesa di San Giovanni Elemosinario”, or “Church of Saint John Almsgiver”. If you want to see more about this church, click here, and then click here.

Now that we know that the door is an entrance to a tower, and that that tower may have been constructed in 1531, we can see why one should stay out of the stairway.

More on Google Street and Satellite View in the Future

Yes, I will soon be covering the power of using Google maps for your travels. There is a lot of help for you there as you are planning your trips to Italy. It is fascinating how much of the world has been digitally cataloged.

It is time for me to say ciao my friends. If you happen to be strolling by this very door while you are in Venice, you may see me there with wall-paper remover working to get the paper graffiti off of the door. And, I’ll have a bucket of red paint with me. And, let’s not forget the door knockers. But, the “Pericolo di Morte” sign stays.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Eat Here: Mistral in the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni

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“In my kitchen, the transformation of ingredients always prioritizes respecting their integrity, soul, and essence.”

— Chef Ettore Bocchia

Mistral Restaurant has been on our Bellagio agenda on each trip. We dined at Mistral with Judy and Mike, with Debbie and Scott, and now with Marsha, Jason, Sue and Jonathan. Each visit has been exemplary.

What can you expect for your evening…and evening is the time that you will want to dine at Mistral, as that is the time of romance.

A gated entrance is your first encounter with the Grand Hotel Serbelloni. This is a very private property, which makes it an exceptional place to stay. After being welcomed by the welcoming guard, here is where you approach the front door.

As we were a few minutes early for our meal, we made ourselves comfortable in the beautiful common area. Be aware that there is a dress codes, as shown on the Mistral website. “Please note that the dress code for our restaurant is Smart Casual, with mandatory long trousers and closed shoes for men. Short-sleeved shirts are acceptable”. As you can see, we did well with our garments…very well, indeed.

From left to right: Marsha, Jonathan, Sue, Jason, and Ellen. I’m behind the camera.

As we were seated at our table with a wonderful lake view, we found that even the table setting was special.

Check out the chargers.

And, then there was one of the most creative table setting that I’ve ever seen. Here is what I’m talking about.

If you’ve been to Italy before, you’ve been asked whether you want still or acqua frizzante (sparkling water). When it comes time for a refill of your water glass, the wait staff wants to be sure you get just what you ordered, so here is what you will find at the Mistral…

The blue babble secured in the bottom of your glass…acqua frizzante. The green babble…still water. A very creative way to avoid a refill mix-up.

Though one does need to stay hydrated in Italy (you can only drink so much wine during your day), it’s time for food now…right. Rather than trying to reproduce our menu for the night because it does change withe the season and executive chef Ettore Bocchia’s creativity, here is a direct link to their MENU. As the link to the menu may also vary with the season, HERE is the Mistral Restaurant’s weblink.

And, this next glass needs no introductions…and refills should be obvious.

Here is our group of six after we have gazed at the menu. That is Lago di Como (aka Lake Como) in the background.

From seven o’clock position and going clockwise: Jason, Ellen (wife), me, Sue, unknown waiter in background, Jonathan, Marsha.

Just below is a photo from the Mistral website. That’s the same premier table at which we sit…but ours is larger, isn’t it?

It looks like an amuse bush has arrived. Right now, I have no idea what it was.

Here our cameriere gives Ellen and Jason an explanation.

Was it delicious? Read on dear reader…

Yes, of course it was delicious…we are at Mistral Restaurant, we are in the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, we are in Bellagio, and we are in Italy. And just below is the proof of the deliciousness.

It looks like Jonathan has ordered an oyster appetizer.

I forget what this next one was, but it seems to involve caviar.

Next, how about a bit of “ethical” and “natural” foie gras? Yes, please.

A bit of something from the water has also been ordered.

Sue and Jonathan enjoy a French-style dramatic presentation.

Dessert is a peach melba with a homemade vanilla gelato…made right before our eyes using liquid nitrogen as the refrigerant. It was quite a show.

And, here is the final result.

Let’s not rush it. A pre-dessert toast with a delightful dessert wine is in order.

For Ellen and me, it’s a post-dinner Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni tradition to have our photo taken on the stairs of the common area.

Those of you who know Ellen and me well may notice that our photo was taken in the era of 2012. And, as Debbie and Scott were dining at Mistral with us that evening, we may as well add them to the portrait gallery, also.

Debbie and Scott from 2012

Dinner is complete. We are well satisfied, and we have had sufficient to suffice (a saying of my dear mother). It’s time to say arrivederci.

But Wait!!! Dinner is not yet complete, because we have not seen fabulous friends Marty and Tim Masters as they are dining at Mistral on April 17, 2025. They represent yet another satisfied couple who are dining at Mistral. So, here they are as they enjoy their martinis and go over their menus to decide what will be eaten tonight.

A beautiful evening awaits as we depart.

But wait, there’s more. When we arrive back at our Hotel Suisse [which is a restaurant masquerading as a hotel, and at least the restaurant portion of the place is decent] the desk clerk is in a mood for a dance with dapper Jason.

A fitting end to a wonderful meal at the Mistral Restaurant in the Hotel Villa Serbelloni.

I hope that you don’t mind having to watch us eat a wonderful meal in which you can’t participate…but alas, you certainly can…just as great friends Marty and Tim did just this past April.

If you find yourself dining at Mistral and you see us there, we will be happy to…let me think this through…let’s just say that I will be pleased to take you photo on the stairs as a souvenir of your visit.

But as always, I say ciao for now

Steve

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I'm Back!!!

Steve of Italy, Our Italy is back to writing articles on Italy travel, eating, drinking, and more. It’s been a bit over two years and he has lots to offer from a recent trip.