When in Rome

 

Rome is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.  Each time we come, I am grateful that we are able to travel and to enjoy this beautiful, chaotic, delicious and noisy place.  We are here with our son and his girlfriend and they are touring the "must-sees" like the Colosseum and the Vatican, while Dr. C. and I are nursing jet lag.  We leave tomorrow for Spello, and can't wait to reunite with friends, and friends who are family there.  

Eating our way through Rome is my favorite pastime, going to old favorites and taking a chance on new restaurants we've not been to.  Breakfast is coffee and cornetto at the local bar.  We have been the only non-Italians in this place the entire week.  

                      We call this the breakfast of champions!  It will get you started for the day. 

After walking for a few hours it's time for lunch.  On Wednesday after a long walk through the Borghese gardens, we decided to come back to the apartment which is located in the Prati area near the Vatican museums, regroup and find a place for lunch.  

Ryan and Madelyn had found a place on google near the Vatican museums and we set out.  We were welcomed with open arms by the owner Giulio and his sister Maria.  By the end of the day, we'd met everyone and came back the next day for lunch again.  This time it was a four hour lunch, with non-stop talk, wine, prosecco and digestivi.  Giulio, Maria, our waiter Mario and the entire crew became family in 4 hours.  

Lasagne made in house

Pasta Amatriciana

Saltimbocca

Before all this came to the table, there were huge chunks of Parmigiano, Calabrian salami, Prosciutto, and a small portion of pasta all' arabiatta.  Add to this a liter of white wine, and a few gallons of water, and we were happy campers, but the food kept on coming!  And the conversation with Giulio and his sister Maria.  Maria makes an amazing tiramisu, the photo doesn't do it justice, but I hope to replicate it in San Diego when I get home at the end of October (and that's another story for another time!)

Maria makes the custard with amaretto and uses amaretti cookies instead of ladyfingers, then sprinkles in toasted hazelnuts and chopped chocolate---this is heaven on a plate.  

After this came the digestives, Limoncello, Amaro and Strega (saffron liquor)  I passed on the saffron and Amaro, but a nice chilled glass of Limoncello is always welcome.  

Giulio pouring the prosecco

Espresso, and then more conversation, and prosecco, and more wine, and they rolled us out of there 4 hours later.  Since we were so close to St. Peter's we took a stroll over there, it's best to go later in the afternoon, when the tour bus crowds are gone.  

Grazie Giulio, Maria, and Mario for making our day in Rome so much fun.  Delicious food and great conversation made Ristorante dei Musei an amazing experience.  

If you are in the area of the Vatican museums or St. Peter's we highly recommend this place, it's awesome.  

                  At the end of the day, it's the people of Italy who are its treasure.  Grazie Mille!

Good Night Rome

On our second to last night in Rome, we toddled down the street for an apperitivo before meeting our car and driver for a night time tour of Rome  If you haven't done this it is a lot of fun.  

I'm absolutely in love with the Aperol Spritz; Apreol an orange bitter and prosecco, lots of ice and a slice of orange.  Mama Mia!

Our tour started at 8:30 and it doesn't really get dark until about 9:30, so we headed out towards the Coliseum.  This is in fact Piazza Venezia, or as the locals call it the wedding cake.  A memorial to the soldiers who died in war, and to King Vittorio Emmanuale.  

The balcony in the middle is the balcony where Mussolini would stand and address the crowds.  Now a museum.

Although it wasn't dark, the light was really interesting here, as was a tour bus that pulled up next to our car.  It was a tasting Rome tour, and the bus had a kitchen where the food was being made.  

Next up was the Aventine Hill, and the Orange Garden.  This is a beautiful park, where the views are spectacular.  Unfortunately, they were closing about 10 minutes after we got there.  Right down the street is the Keyhole where you can look through and see 3 countries, Malta (since the keyhole is at the entrance to the Maltese embassy) Italy, and the Holy See.  

Our driver brought us back by the Forum, and we snapped away.  By this time, street lights were on, and the sky was cobalt blue.  

Having just gone through a multi-million Euro restoration sponsored by Fendi, the Trevi fountain is gorgeous, the problem is you have to go  in the early morning since there will be about 10,000 of your closest friends taking selfies all day long.  

On to the Spanish Steps which have also had a restoration courtesy of Bulgari.  You might ask why these fashion houses would pay for the restoration of public places and it is worth asking.  The fashion houses retain the exclusive rights to use the monuments/squares in their advertising.  I'd say it's a win-win.  

When my cousin took us to see Piazza Navona the first time, I was in love.  The Bernini fountain, the beautiful church, and the street scene were amazing.  Over the years though, it has lost a bit of its charm, due to the crowds.  It was still gorgeous at 10 p.m.  

I'm particularly fond of the Tiber at night, where else could you get these gorgeous views of the Dome of St. Peter's and Castel St. Angelo?  During the day the Tiber is a sluggy, green river of slime, but at night, it becomes magical.  

My all-time favorite spot in Rome is St. Peter's.  If we come to Rome I have to visit a few times, it is so big, and beautiful.  At night it becomes magical.  

After St. Peter's we headed up the Janiculum hill, where Dr. C. and I had lived last year when I was at the American Academy of Rome.  We stopped at the Garibaldi statue at the top of the hill (where they shoot off a canon at noon everyday---no joke) and then headed to the fountain half way down the hill. While I was snapping some not so great photos a Citreon roared by and I got a few shots while it was being filmed either for a video or print media. Only in Rome.  

Our last stop was really fun.  Our driver took us to a point above St. Peter's where when you look over at the basilica, it looks far away.When you drive away from the basilica it gets larger, an optical illusion which we all enjoyed.  Keep in mind these photos were taken in a moving car, sorry about the Blair Witch jiggle.  

Rome is a beautiful city, filled with art, history, culture, and amazing food.  This night time tour gives you a great perspective, and it is a lot of fun.  Ciao for now.