07/06/2016
Occupying the former rear-entrance service rooms of Palazzo Valentini, seat of the Rome provincial government, this minimal-chic wine bar can – at lunchtime – feel a little like a bureaucrats' refectory, to the point where beating the suits to a table, or even a sipping-and-snacking perch at the bar counter, becomes an arduous task (so it's worth booking ahead). But there's a reason they flock here: this is a showcase for the best of the wine and food – from bar nibbles to full meals – produced in the countryside immediately around Rome. The prices are fair, the quality is high and the Enoteca's splendid position in a square adjoining centralissima Piazza Venezia, overlooking Trajan's splendid column, is unbeatable. You can experience the province's vinous output by the glass (€4-€6) or tuck in to a dish of, say, locally-fished octopus with potatoes so carefully sourced they practically tell you the name of the guy who sowed them. Combine your stopover with a tour of the magnificent Roman remains recently opened to the public inside Palazzo Valentini.
