It’s always tricky navigating an unfamiliar airport, especially when it’s not completely new (because you have arrived there before), but your memories are extremely vague.  A trickle of anxiety dampens all your decisions and a constant refrain of ‘Well, I don’t remember that at all’ clouds every choice.

However,  the train station for Fiumincino airport was easy to find from Terminal Three Arrivals and we did manage to find a toilet, purchase the correct tickets for Roma Trastavere, and board the (correct) train with a few minutes to spare.  That last was not difficult as there were only four platforms and they were quite clearly labelled, so no prizes.

After a 30 minute walk from Trastavere Station, with some struggling with the suitcase over cobbles (thank-you Roger), we located our flat. 

Being Halloween (and being Trastavere), it was busy.  Lots of children (most in fancy dress),  lots of adults (some wearing rather dubious costume choices), and lots of music (all of it loud).

The flat, rented from Sonder, was clean, warm, dry, well stocked and slightly stuffy – a bit sparse but perfectly comfortable – with a loft bedroom and bathroom.

We were expecting it to be noisy (the most common complaint) but as ours was at the back of the building it wasn’t too bad at all.

The company website had a few restaurant suggestions and given the lateness (and our hunger) we went with Osteria da Fortunata, across the river and next to Campi di Fiori. It was full of both non-Italians and Italians and there was a queue (mostly Italians). We felt that the mostly Italian crowd signalled decent food so waited for about 20 minutes before being seated.

Their ‘thing’ is strozzapretti pasta, made in-house, in front of a window. Our table was right in front of the action.

Last year I was in Rome with a school trip and we did a pasta making class that featured strozzapretti. It’s harder than it looks: everyone took ages, with much rolling and re-rolling of the dough, and most (all?) of what we made was grimly rubbery. This lady made it look incredibly easy and appetising.

Food was delivered: Carbonara (guess who ordered that) and Fiori di Zucca (courgette flowers). Both had small chunks of meaty guanciale (not as fatty as the guanciale I get in the UK) and both were delicious – as was everything else. The strozzapretti was chewy enough to avoid being slimy without being the consistency of rubber tubes, and its bulk stood up well to the intensity and saltiness of the guanciale. Well worth the wait.

As we walked back over the bridge, we saw St Peter’s in the distance.

A good start to our Roman experience.

And not a pepper grinder (of any kind) in sight.