I got a free trial subscription to Sherman’s Travel magazine because I like their website and their weekly email of travel bargains.  I like the magazine so far; I think I will subscribe to it.

The best part was an article about a new trend in Rome that has recently migrated down from Milan:  the gastronomic “happy hour” at enoteche, or wine bars.  Apparently at a some of the coolest places in town, if you go at a certain time, you can partake of a buffet of gourmet snacks for the price of a glass of wine (which is a bit pricier than you might find at a typical bar, but this is good wine, and probably the price of food is factored in to some degree).

As you may know, one of my greatest delights in life is to partake in fancy-schmancy experiences without spending a lot of money.  This is great news, because it will probably satisfy my gourmet food cravings without having to drop a couple hundred Euros at a Michelin-starred restaurant.  Then the rest of the time we can eat take-away pizza and fruit from markets.  Best of all, the enoteche mentioned in the article are within walking distance of each other, so we can hit several of them in one night.  This is obviously reminiscent of tapas-style dining, which is lots of fun, so I’m very excited.

Not all the places in the article have websites, but here are the ones that do.  Warning:  splashy, Flash-y sites are obviously in style in Italy, so you may want to turn down your volume and steel yourself a bit.

• Enoteca Ferrara
• Crudo
• Femme Cocktail and Wine Bar
• Obika (I’m really excited about this one; it’s like a sushi bar, only they specialize in artisan mozzarella)