Dinner & A Show - Knife Fight In Rome

On the last night of our honeymoon, my wife and I sought an out-of-the-way "trattoria" for some good Italian food and a final quiet, romantic meal before we headed back to the States. Following a recommendation from our excellent concierge, we sat down at an outdoor table at a tiny little restaurant with red-checkered tabled cloths and a hand-written menu. Like most eateries in Italy, the dining area spills out onto the piazza and mingles with the other eateries nearby. Our particular spot was on the edge of the clusters of tables abutting the outdoor seating of a bar.

We enjoyed our vino rosso and amazing 4 course dinner, when about halfway through our segundi piatti an obviously intoxicated gentleman started jawing at our waiter. They exchanged words, and the argument quickly escalated with each man threatening the other. Since this was all happening in Italian, neither my wife nor I could really understand what they were arguing about, but they were both obviously heated.

Finally, our waiter walked over to an open area, took out his corkscrew and began motioning for the drunk patron next door to show us what he was made of. At one point, he even indicated he'd be using his corkscrew to uncork the man's head from the rest of his body.

Eventually other members of the waitstaff jumped in and separated the two. Our waiter went inside to cool off and came back out about 10 minutes later smiling again, taking pictures with patrons who both appreciated the impromptu show and also afraid to tick him off.

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Although I'm not eligible to win, I've included this vacation adventure as part of the "Dare to Share Vacation Contest" at http://groople.gather.com. Let's hear your travel tales!

Comments: 8

Elizabeth "I'm Pro-Accordion and I Vote!" B. Jul 19, 2007, 6:31pm EDT

Did you have to tip for this?

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Casey Dennis Jul 19, 2007, 8:47pm EDT

I didn't realize anyone in Italy could put their cellphone down long enough to have a fight. lol

Great story. I LOVE Rome, I also enjoyed a honeymoon there.

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JoAnn C. Jul 19, 2007, 9:31pm EDT

My dinner and a show story in Rome isn't as exciting as yours.

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Wendy W. Jul 20, 2007, 8:35am EDT

Thanks for sharing your dinner adventure!!

I'm struggling to decide whether I want to go to your trattoria or avoid it ... do you remember the name? Was the food worth the danger?

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Jeff Cusson Jul 20, 2007, 9:19am EDT

Elizabeth - I almost applauded when it was over, but that other guy was still sort of nearby and REALLY angry.

Casey - I think we Americans are far worse about having our cell phones permanently strapped to our heads. For the most part, we found the people in Italy to be extremely nice and helpful.

JoAnn - I guess you'll have to go back then!

Wendy - I can't remember the name of the restaurant. It was about two blocks north of the Pantheon in Piazza Coppelle. The food was excellent though. I went with a basic spaghetti with meat sauce while Laura had an incredible pasta with carbonara sauce that she's still talking about.

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Laura C. Jul 20, 2007, 12:06pm EDT

While entertaining, the exchange was also a bit disconcerting considering there were families with children around!

Had it not been for our carafe of vino rosso I think we would have been more concerned :o)

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