Final breakfast at the Malaspina - we had the same things - bread with soft mild cheese, proscuitto, boiled ham, butter. Juice. Tea. Scrambled eggs with the same fabulous bacon. Spoonfuls of the marmalade and fig jam, which I'd taken to eating directly off the spoon.
Off we went to Rome directly after - a three hour drive from San Donato in Poggio.
On a whim, I wanted to do a quick stop by the Space outlet in Montevarchi to see if anything Prada was worth being ravished - it was about the same as the Prada at The Mall, couple of classic items, a Neverfull-esque canvas bag in several colours that I was tempted by, but vetoed in the end. The shoes were pretty good though, there was a kitten heeled pair in patent with a silver hard bow, in black, grey, beige. I didn’t succumb...Felt silly walking out with nothing again... especially when the Other Asians toted many carriers. Oh well.
Tried looking for lunch in town, there was a recommendation by a visitor to Space - finally hunted down the osteria and they were opened but said that they were out of food and we’d have to wait at least 30 mins (!). So... seriously starving and disappointed, we wanted to head straight to Rome to catch some time, as the sun goes down by around 4ish, and we were sure it would be challenging finding our way to the hotel, then car rental to drop off the car.
On the way to the A1 autostrada, Lo and Behold, there was a tempting looking sign pointing out an osteria, and we followed it, and a couple minutes later, ended up having a delicious late lunch - yay!
Lunch - Al Solito Posto
Di Ascione E C SNC
Via Dante
Terranuova
Tel: 0555/9199712
The restaurant was spacious and could easily have accommodated about thirty tables or more. Just 3 tables were occupied when we arrived. We ordered and gobbled down the tagliolini with gamberetti and zuchinn and risotto capesante e vongole. The pasta came smothered in a creamy, prawn-bisque sauce, with buttery zucchini, and a couple of small but fresh prawns. The risotto capesante e vongole was almost like wet-ish paella rice, fragrant with saffron and tiny clams, scallops and other seafood bits I couldn’t identify.
Dinner - Casella di Trastevere Ristorante
After literally hours of driving around Rome’s illogical roads that didn’t lead to where it said it would on the map and GPS, we arrived exhausted at the Hotel Santa Maria, another well regarded B and B by the TA community. It was in the restaurant and bar filled Trastevere area, one of the main reasons I chose for us to stay here.
After dropping our luggage, we dashed out to eat in the area. Augusto was an osteria that looked busy and crowded, and we wanted to go in there but decided to go for a quieter spot - and ended up in this other place perpendicular to Augusto in the same piazza.
Primi Piatti
Zuppa di Verdure (vegetable soup with chunks of chick peas, green peas, beans)
Penne Staccio something (this was the pasta of the day - good old tomato based with mozzarella)
Secondi Piatti
Pollo Peperoni (chicken in tomato sauce)
Spigola Fresca (grilled whole fish with lemon)
The meal was satisfying and more than above average - I got to eat big forkfuls of dear tomato and cheese pasta the old fashioned plain way, and it was nice to have a whole fish freshly grilled. J devoured the fish, picking through all the bones, and we shared the chicken. As it happens, Hong Kong is going through the chicken culling again... for H1N1, and no chickens will be on sale from now till mid January, so J said, we better have chicken here. 
I think I have been seriously disappointed by italian desserts, except for Gelato (Must Have Lots Of Gelato Tomorrow) - wasn’t even tempted to have a dessert, and I’m a huge fan generally. Always the same old chocolate mousse, creme caramel, creme catalina, panna cotta, tiramisu.
Casella di Trastevere Ristorante
Piazza de Renzi 31/A
00153 Rome
Tel: 06 58 00 158
casettaditrastevere.it
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