Description: Home of one of Rome's most famous desserts, Ristorante Tre Scalini, is a gem in one of the city's most beautiful piazzas. Located in the bustling Piazza Navona, the tables outside the restaurant are always filled with guests enjoying the lively square.
Piazza Navona is known not only for its multiple monuments, like the Fountain of the four Rivers scupture and Egyptian obelisk, or for it's buildings, like the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore, but also for the never-ending activity within. People of all ages stroll through the square throughout the day making a seat at a restaurant like Tre Scalini well worth the price.
Originally opening as an inn in the 1800s, this restaurant serves full Roman courses through lunch and dinner, and is very popular in the evenings for dessert and coffee. The specialty is unmistakably the "Tartufo" dessert, which is a very rich chocolate ice cream ball with whipped cream, cherry and heart-shaped cookie on top. It's the perfect ending to a romantic evening in this ancient city.
Tre Scalini (literally, "three small stairs"), ironically sits in a section of Rome where one doesn't need to climb stairs to get around, like many of the sections of the city. The only stairs near the restaurant are those around the large fountains in the piazza. On these small stairs, though, sit children and adults alike, while couples stroll hand in hand, and many stop to share a sweet treat together at the outdoor tables.
The service is extremely friendly and welcoming. At first, we felt a little weird only ordering a small dessert to shard, but don't feel obligated to order more than you want, as we noticed many people just come for this famous treat. Be prepared to pay inflated prices for the restaurant's popularity and the privilege to sit in the famous piazza. Splitting a dessert and 2 coffees could leave at least a 20euro hole in your wallet...but it's Rome, It's chocolate, it's Bernini's fountain, and it's worth a splurge.
• http://www.3-scalini.com/en/
• Piazza Navona, 30
• Phone 066 879148
• Open Daily 11am-11:30pm
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