Ah Rome. I have just returned from a ten day research trip to Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Umbria. As usual, I intended to blog my way through this most recent trip to Italy….but sigh, life got in the way. I was so busy meeting up with old friends, meeting great new friends, eating, drinking wine, driving a stick shift again, strolling, sightseeing…..the list is really endless. Suffice it to say, I was busy. My morning alarm went off at 7a.m. every day, but I wasn’t going to sleep until between midnight and 1 a.m. every night! With all those waking hours, you’d think I would have had more time at the computer. But I did not. Oh well. Here are my “better late than never” blog posts:
Whenever I arrive to Rome, my routine is basically the same: Drop bags off, shower, and hit the streets on foot. Rome is a wonderfully walkable city, and the best way to get over jetlag is to just get out there in the fresh air. I always arrive hungry (because that's usually the state of my life), and in need of a coffee (which coincidentally, is also the usual state of my life). I had a lot of appointments in Rome during the first three days of my trip. However, I always leave time to just stroll the streets of the city either alone or with friends. Walk along with me, won’t you?
In the top photo, you see a selection of pizza by the slice. It was all so delicious, and look how fresh that basil is!
The luscious whipped cream concoction you see above is one of my very favorite treats in Rome. It is called a caffe granita con panna and it is a surefire jetlag cure. The barista places some unsweetened whipped cream in the bottom of the cup, tops it with two scoops of coffee granita; a sweet, frozen, caffeine-laden concoction then tops the whole thing off with more unsweetened whipped cream. It is so delicious, so refreshing, and so delicious! Did I say that already?
Below, a few street scenes:
Whenever I arrive to Rome, my routine is basically the same: Drop bags off, shower, and hit the streets on foot. Rome is a wonderfully walkable city, and the best way to get over jetlag is to just get out there in the fresh air. I always arrive hungry (because that's usually the state of my life), and in need of a coffee (which coincidentally, is also the usual state of my life). I had a lot of appointments in Rome during the first three days of my trip. However, I always leave time to just stroll the streets of the city either alone or with friends. Walk along with me, won’t you?
In the top photo, you see a selection of pizza by the slice. It was all so delicious, and look how fresh that basil is!
The luscious whipped cream concoction you see above is one of my very favorite treats in Rome. It is called a caffe granita con panna and it is a surefire jetlag cure. The barista places some unsweetened whipped cream in the bottom of the cup, tops it with two scoops of coffee granita; a sweet, frozen, caffeine-laden concoction then tops the whole thing off with more unsweetened whipped cream. It is so delicious, so refreshing, and so delicious! Did I say that already?
Below, a few street scenes:
Are these not the most adorable dogs? They were all blissfully napping in the sunshine. I was thinking I should join them, but there was so much more to see.
Yard art anyone? I love this outdoor shop. I wish I had bought something from here when I lived in Rome, so I could have had it shipped back to the U.S. with all my other household goods. Instead, I stop in here once in a while to do some wishful shopping.....and leave empty-handed.
Yard art anyone? I love this outdoor shop. I wish I had bought something from here when I lived in Rome, so I could have had it shipped back to the U.S. with all my other household goods. Instead, I stop in here once in a while to do some wishful shopping.....and leave empty-handed.
Okay, I had to do a double take when I saw this street performer! He appears to be floating in mid-air! Street performers want you to toss a few coins in their bucket to have your picture taken with them. They are in every city, but usually it's the same old tired golden mummy or creepy Statue of Liberty. Kudos to this guy for coming up with something new.
One of the things I love most about Rome are its neighborhood covered markets. The produce and other products available are amazingly fresh and delicious. Here are a few photos compiled from several markets I went to:
One of the things I love most about Rome are its neighborhood covered markets. The produce and other products available are amazingly fresh and delicious. Here are a few photos compiled from several markets I went to:
And last, but certainly not least, I always try to set aside a day for cooking with my kitchen cohorts. We made an amazing lunch of a spaghetti carbonara, homemade gnocchi with amatriciana sauce, a spring vegetable dish called vignarola alla romana, carciofi agrodolce and agretti. Delizioso!
Do you see now why I had no time to blog at the computer?
After Rome, I headed off to Naples.....what fun! I can't wait to tell you all about it. Stay tuned for the next post-trip blog. A presto!
After Rome, I headed off to Naples.....what fun! I can't wait to tell you all about it. Stay tuned for the next post-trip blog. A presto!
RSS Feed
