I discovered the author Elizabeth Gilbert in 2008 and absolutely devoured her book “Eat Pray Love” and BOY I’m glad I did because otherwise I would have never found this little piece of heaven!

After a review like that we simply HAD to go when we visited Naples in January 2009!

Armed with a poorly hand-drawn map we braved the noisy streets of Naples in search for this holy grail of pizza! The cobblestone roads, the crazy drivers and the weird and wonderful smells of Naples made the experience even more exciting – you REALLY know you are in Italy!

Finally (after a few wrong turns) we stumbled across “Via Cesare Sersale” a teeny little back road that no tourist (unless they were looking for it) would ever find.  The smell of fresh dough hit us first and then we spotted the queue outside and they were ALL locals – that’s when we knew we were DEFINITELY in for a treat.

We joined the queue outside Pizzeria da Michele and were handed a number which was great except that we don’t know ANY Italian so as they were calling out the numbers we were completely at a loss and just stood their hoping we weren’t losing our place in the line!

Finally after holding up our number with confused expressions many times it was our turn and THAT’S when the fun began…

Stepping inside the Pizzeria Da Michele was like stepping into an Italian dining room in the fifties when the whole family (and extended family) were over for a very boisterous and delicious dinner!

There were four men (of varying ages) crowded around an ancient-looking cash register yelling in Italian at each other, as only family can do, whilst simultaneously bidding farewell AND greeting new customers to their little pizza heaven.

We were hurried to a teeny table before the poor people that were there previously had even got their coats on, unceremoniously plopped down and offered a drink – or that’s what I thought he was asking at least!

There are only two options on the menu at Pizzeria Da Michele – Mozzarella and Marinara – so we ordered one of each with two cokes and waited for the magic to happen!

Sitting in the restaurant is an experience in itself as you watch these amazing pizza creations whipping by you at the speed of light while a team of Italian men work like a well-oiled (and LOUD) machine all around you! The smells are enough to make anybody fall to their knees and BEG for a slice  – luckily it didn’t come to that

I’d say within 15 minutes our wood-fired pizzas were plonked down in front of us and our life changed forever – ok this may be a slight exaggeration but only slightly.

This pizza was like NOTHING we’ve ever had before, EVER, and it puts Dominoes to shame – in fact they should just close up shop right now! We have never looked at pizza the same way after Michele’s pizza and probably never will!

The pizza dough was fluffy, chewy and crunchy at the same time. The sauce was made from scratch and there was just enough of it but not TOO much. And the cheese, well… it was ridiculously amazing! There was no meat, no fancy schmanzy toppings, it was just traditional Italian pizza heaven.

Safe to say, each and every part came together to create the most amazing taste sensation you could EVER imagine. My mouth is salivating just reliving it

Basically what I’m trying to tell you is that you simply CANNOT miss Pizzeria Da Michele’s if you go anywhere near Naples, Italy! This century-old restaurant is a true Italian gem and you should definitely get your behind there before its taken over by tourists from every corner of the globe! And like Elizabeth Gilbert said, If you go to Naples and don’t eat this pizza, please lie to me later and tell me that you did.’

You should definitely check out Pizzeria Da Michele at www.damichele.net

After a tip from my travel-wise brother-in-law I checked out Booking.com to try and find a bargain and boy did I stumble across a gem! Our travel experience has taught us that the hotel is merely where you rest your head so we weren’t looking for luxury – we were looking for location!

We ended up settling on Hotel Traiano for our 2 night stay in Rome, Italy and we were VERY impressed with our experience! At just $90 usd per night it was a bargain and the location couldn’t have been better!

I’ve put together a mini review of Hotel Traiano, Rome for you all to enjoy…

Location Location Location

Even if you’re looking for a cheap hotel in Rome you don’t want to sacrifice on location! A few extra dollars in your pocket is not worth the time and money you’d have to spend trekking all over town to the main tourist attractions.

Hotel Traiano’s location simply could not have been better for Andrew and I. Located on a corner of a quiet-ish street right in the hub of Rome, Traiano was a short walk to dozens of Rome’s prime attractions not to mention great restaurants and bars!

Strolling across the road you’ll immediately come across a charming alleyway that acts as a gateway to your first glimpse of the real Rome! Andrew and I gasped as we caught our first sight of the beautiful Roman buildings, amazing ancient ruins and the of course the iconic Colosseum – mere steps from the hotel doors!

Hotel Traiano is close to a huge number of major Rome attractions…

• Colosseum – 12 minute walk
• Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II – 5 minute walk
• Arco di Tito – 8 minute walk
• Trevi Fountain – 10 minute walk
• Pantheon – 15 minute walk
• Vatican City – 15 minute taxi ride/30 minute walk

Roman Rooms

Hotel Traiano is rated across the web as between a 3.5 and 4 star hotel and I think that’s a fair classification!

The hotel wasn’t overly fancy but it was very nice, clean and exactly what we were looking for during our stay in Rome.

The hotel has 42 rooms including single, triple and double deluxe styles – Andrew and I stayed in the double deluxe room for 2 nights and we totally satisfied with the choice.

Our room came with a queen-sized bed, huge bathroom (very clean), satellite TV, telephone and daily maid service.

The room was spotlessly clean, really roomy and really quiet despite the super central location!

Keeping The Wallet Happy

One of the main reasons we picked Hotel Traiano for our Rome stay (other than the location) was the price. As I mentioned earlier, Andrew and I were wanting to stick to a relatively low budget and this hotel definitely kept our wallets happy!

We parted with just $180 usd for the 2 nights we spent at Hotel Traiano and that was for the double deluxe room AND continental breakfast each day. Breakfast options included pastries (croissants etc), cereal, yoghurt, toast and spreads plus coffee and tea.

Free wireless internet was available in the lobby for guests.

Overall Verdict?

We were very happy with Hotel Traiano and would definitely stay there again if we were ever to return! The location and price are perfect for any couple or family traveling on a moderate Europe budget!

If you have any questions about Hotel Traiano feel free to leave us a comment

For more info you should definitely check out Hotel Traiano’s website at www.hoteltraianorome.com

Author: Elysia Brooker