Photo from Leandro's World Tour 

Lisbon is a city of hills – seven steep ones with winding streets and inspiring views. To reach the top, however, one need not ever break a sweat. Because every summit in town can be scaled by some sort of motorized transport. My favorite is the elevator.

The Elevador Santa Justa rises straight into the center-city sky. It connects the low-lying Rossio district with the hill-top Largo do Carmo. It may have been designed with practical intentions (in 1902 by a student of Gustave Eiffel), but the elevador exists today as one of the best drink spots in town.

A crowd is always cueing to enter the polished wooden cage at the base. The ride costs two subway tickets and is included in the price of a 1- or 3- day transport pass. Once inside, an old-school conductor throws a switch and soon you and 20 friends are ascending through the air.  The doors open onto a very small terrace, with drinks – both coffee and cocktails – provided by a café.

Photo from Anna Pichard

For me, this was the perfect place to have before-dinner drinks before moving on to a nearby restaurant. From our perch at the top, we watched the sky change colors before deepening into a dark backdrop for the city lights below.

While most people seem to ride or walk back down, we walked over the bridge from the terrace to the hill top. Looking back at the elevador, I thought “thank goodness these Lisboans are lazy!” They really have a knack for making public transport sexy.

Elevador Santa Justa, Lisbon 1100

Go further: Also Francis in Stockholm has a soft spot for giant elevators. Read about his visit to Katarina Hissen here.
 

It’s not difficult to find a good restaurant in Rome. But it’s nearly impossible to find one that’s not filled with foreigners. I arrived in the Eternal City with the dream of finding the virgin trattoria – a charming place not yet covered by tourist fingerprints. That dream, I soon realized, is mathematically improbable. With the Eternal City now clocking 100,000 daily visitors, almost every threshold, no matter how “insider,” has been crossed.

The only hope for those who yearn to eat among the locals is to walk far away from the center into a neighborhood not on most maps. San Lorenzo lies just outside the walls to the east of Termini train station. It hosts a university, affordable housing, and very few tourist attractions. It’s where we found our longed-for trattoria.

There were no guidebooks in sight when we arrived at Tram Tram for lunch. To celebrate our success in finally evading the horde, my friend and I decided to really go for it, ordering a bottle of wine and plate after plate of delicious food. The orechiette alla Norma was abnormally good, and my simple veal dish made me stammer.  Even our contorni (the vegetable side) was remarkable – a puree of fava beans in grassy olive oil with the sharp taste of sautéed chicory.

This wholly satisfying feast, topped off by espresso and dessert, was ours for less than 50€. There’s no doubt I’ll be back the next time I’m in Rome, and other dreamers (who aren’t afraid to work for it) are advised to follow suit.

Tram Tram (06-490416) via dei Reti 44/46, Rome

 

The foodie world was buzzing in January with news of Pierre Jancou’s new wine bar. The man who transformed and then sold La Crèmerie - a well-known haunt for left-bank wine lovers – was starting something new in the city’s oldest covered passage.

I went to Racines with a friend during its opening week, before they had even turned on the gas.  It takes a special kind of place to prepare a memorable meal without even having a stove.  A spell was nonetheless cast, primarily because of the wines – all untreated, small-batch beauties that come from trusted organic producers.  These were accompanied by crusty baguette, farmhouse cheeses, rillettes, and a salad of vegetables from Alain Passard’s famous organic garden. Were we tipsy, or was this a nearly perfect lunch?

I returned yesterday with the same friend to explore that very question. With gas and a working stove this time, Jancou prepared festonati au ragoût (pasta with an authentic bolognese sauce), joue de cochon (pork cheeks), and a tartare (raw beef) with hand-cut fries. We had one of each, after revisiting his delicious salad and rillettes.

The Racines rematch found me (again) tipsy and completely won over. The complexity and unpredictability of the wine is a major reason, but I also love the care that goes into selecting each ingredient, the simplicity of preparation, and the obvious love that Jancou has for what he’s doing now. Be advised, however, that he also loves his family and spends his weekends at home with them. So book ahead (you won’t get in otherwise) for lunch or dinner Monday through Friday.