If you were a celebrity in Italy and wanted to dine out incognito, last Monday evening would have been a good time to do it. According to a gossip columnist, Pope Benedict was one of those taking advantage of Rome’s empty streets and attractions during Italy’s first World Cup game to enjoy a quiet restaurant meal.
The Pontiff is rumoured to have dined at Al Passetto di Borgo, a restaurant near the Vatican which he liked when he was Cardinal Ratzinger.
A waiter at the restaurant “hinted” that he was there but the restaurant’s owner has denied it. As Cardinal Ratzinger the Pope is said to have preferred German dishes and the restaurant’s version of spaghetti alla carbonara but the gossip columnist, writing in Il Foglio, claims that on Monday night Benedict chose fish.
Vatican sources say that there is nothing to prevent the Pope from dining out if he wants to but that the rumour just is not true. Al Passetto di Borgo is normally closed on Monday evenings.
Do you like spaghetti alla carbonara?
