Let’s do brunch in… Rome

Time to take a break from Berlin and fly off to another European city for  brunch!

This month’s guest blogger is someone who I’ve been delighted to get to know online—not just because she’s a fellow Filipina, but because she’s a creative soul who’s generous with her inspiring work and creative finds.

Kat Conte has a knack for discovering artists and artisans, and shares their stories and portraits on her blog Zero the One. She teaches a Video Portrait workshop on Skillshare, and her workshop was a huge hit at this year’s The Hive conference in Berlin.

So I’m happy to welcome Kat here to share another kind of find—a foodie find. Loosen your belt a notch as she takes us for an Italian-style Sunday brunch, il pranzo della nonna, or grandma’s lunch… in Rome!

We just moved house and, having a child, we’re always on the lookout for spaces we can hang out and where our son can play. One of those lucky spots is Rosti, great food and style with a wide outdoor space and a little playground… perfect.

What makes this place special is that you don’t really expect to find it here, in this specific area in Pigneto, Rome. It feels a bit like a secret oasis tucked within the rough exterior of this neighborhood.

This quote says it all about Pigneto:

“The historically working-class Communist neighbourhood is not postcard pretty like Rome’s historic centre, but it has shrugged off its reputation as a refuge for hoods and pushers to become the city’s latest alternative hot spot, a haven for young professionals – artists, directors and architects – who are fast outnumbering the older residents.” (Gourmet Traveller Australia)

It even mentions Hobo, a music shop (no longer existing) by friends who now do vegan catering at Zeitgusto. This sheds a bit of light on the constant change and movement in this neighborhood. In my own words, Pigneto is a vibrant and edgy multicultural ghetto. A different side of Rome and one that people least expect.

Sunday brunch here is called Pranzo della Nonna or “grandma’s lunch”, the classic Italian Sunday tradition where family gathers around the lunch table to dine for hours enjoying plate after plate the great food of nonna (or whoever is chief in the kitchen) and, of course, not without the exchange of stories and emphatic hand gestures.

Here in Rosti, you have the option to sample different kinds of food like the staple Sunday lasagna with ragu and the vegetarian alternative with zucchini, roast chicken with herbs, a variety of salads and contorni (side dishes) using in-season produce sourced locally.

And dessert, with coffee. Definitely the only meal you’ll have on Sunday.

Another great perk is the free children’s activities they offer for Sunday brunch.

I highly recommend this place if you want to meet with your friends for an easy outdoor lunch in a unique nieghborhood in Rome – without excluding your friends with kids too!

ROSTI
Via Bartolomeo D’Alviano,
65  Rome, Italia
Open daily from 11 am to 2 am
Mondays from 4 pm to 2 am