Favorite Spots in Prati Neighborhood

By: Ari Au

Living in the Prati neighborhood was essential for discovering my favorite breakfast and gelato place. On our first morning, my roommates and I found a café near our apartment called Il Giardino Dei Gracchi. This café had an array of pastries, and my favorite order came to be a café latte paired with a ‘bomba a la crema’, which closely resembles a custard-filled donut. Almost every morning, whether we ordered something or simply walked by, we would say hi to Pasquale, our friendly barista. Pasquale was an older Italian man who spoke no English. Despite our limited Italian, he always found ways to joke with us. On our last morning in Prati, we ordered from him for the last time and said goodbye to Pasquale. We all hope that the next time we find ourselves in Rome, we’ll see him again. 

Another Prati favorite of mine is Old Bridge Gelateria. On our very first night in Rome, we ordered gelato from Old Bridge. Luckily for us, it’s less than a five-minute walk from our apartment, and a cone with three flavors costs only €3. My go-to gelato flavors from here are crema, passion fruit, and pistacchio. Old Bridge became our usual spot. Eduardo, one of the workers, even came to know all our names within our first week of living in Prati. It was rare that we didn’t get gelato from here at least twice a week. To follow tradition, on our last night together in Prati, my roommates and I ordered our last gelato, walked to Saint Peter’s Basilica, and reminisced about our favorite Italy memories. 

I found other cafes and gelaterias, but becoming a regular at these two places and developing a connection with Pasquale and Eduardo is what made it my Prati favorites. 

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