Rome proved a wonderful venue for tagging along to a work conference Mike had. Its bustling roads spill over with people and whizzing traffic. Trattorias, pizzerias and gelato shops appeal from every street with curb and alley-side tables for watching the world go by while dining on scrumptious fare.
Everywhere you look antiquity is in full bloom -- some things are from as early as 2 B.C. (and we were thinking the buildings in London were old!)! It's fascinating and awe-inspiring to literally be walking and standing among columns, buildings and artwork that has existed for centuries.
Happily, we'd previously enjoyed exploring the biggest tourist attractions there when traveling with the kids, so we ventured elsewhere this time. Here are some of the highlights of the "new" places we experienced:
* The Rome Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! One of the project managers and a construction manager we chatted with at church on Sunday told us a little more about it than we'd heard -- like it's going to be at least two more years before it's completed -- and then one of them offered to drive us out to see what's done so far.
It's just beautiful, built in the shape of a fish -- a symbol of Christ. The area will feature a large visitor's center and amazing sculptures of the first 12 of Christ apostles, patron housing and a new stake center. . . . The other pictures here are of one of the wards in Rome we were able to attend.
* An open-air market in the cobblestone plaza of Campo de' Fiori featuring oodles of types of pasta, balsamic vinegars and glazes, fresh fruit and vegetables, every type of cheese, spices and nuts, Italian leather, flowers and on and on.
* The Musei Capitolini: A wonderful museum and home to famous pieces such as the Capitoline Wolf, Bernini's Bust of Medusa, Caravaggio's work "The Fortune Teller," an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and ancient sculptures and works found during excavations in and around Rome. It also features the remains of the Temple of Jupiter. My favorites were the chariot (captivated by this piece, even with the wood parts - like the wheels - redone) and the detailed mosaic from 2 B.C. with pieces the size of a sixth of a pencil eraser.
* A splendid Fall-day walk along golden-leafed, tree-lined paths along the Tiber River took us to the delightful town of Trastevere. We were smitten with its charm, narrow alleys with colorful buildings, laundry blowing in the breeze, cobbled streets and flowers & vines.
We explored a real-life neighborhood, away from the city hustling and found a wonderful respite. Favorites there:
- the tiny, alley cafe we dined at amid strings of lights, hanging vines, and Italian chatter
- meandering through picturesque, winding streets
- Santa Maria in Trastevere Basilica -- one of the oldest churches in Rome with lovely, large mosaics from the late 13th century
* San Luigi dei Francsi Church: Wow! This fairly unassuming-looking place from the outside features treasures within -- three Caravaggio paintings, all relating to St. Matthew, in the Contarelli Chapel. Each work is phenomenal, all so moving to view! The late Renaissance master, Caravaggio, is becoming one of our favorites; his use of light and color and his focus on mood and figures rather than background give his work power.
The rest of the church is so pretty and ornate. A gem on a side street!
* Cooking Class in Nonna's Kitchen! What a terrific experience it was to be invited into the world of a true Italian lady for some authentic home-cookin'! Four other American tourists and one Scottish-born Italian translator shared our evening being taught by our non-English speaking Nonna ("Grandma" in Italian), on how to make -- from scratch, mind you, -- the best pasta!
Our menu also included learning to make antipasti, beef and celery stew in a divine tomato sauce, and tiramisu (minus coffee for us and rum for everyone -- Romans don't use it in that recipe)!
We sifted, rolled, cut, minced, stirred, sautéed, and whipped it all up under Nonna's happy-hearted tutelage. And then dined on our creations while we chatted away enjoyably with our teachers and learned more about Italian cooking and their great love of pure ingredients and simple, quality meals. It was a fantastic experience!
(Funny note: even though Nonna has grown children in their 40's, she's not actually a Grandma, and neither was anyone else in the class except yours truly. Who knew our "Cooking with Nonna" class meant with "me"?!? haha!).
* THE FOOD!!! Okay, Italian food is simply put: MARVELOUS! Yeah, I'm a major fan -- and not just because our last name is Molinaro! ;) Impossible to select a favorite, but this trip's best (in order of when we ate there to keep 'em straight for me):
- Taverno Lucifero: a tiny, family owned, off-the-beaten-path place recommended to us by Ashley and Chris. THE best tortellini (gorgonzola and walnut), veal Marcella and melt-in-your-mouth Parma ham. The owner chatted with us quite a bit and when we left, told us "now you're family!"
- II Gelato di San Crispino: an artisan ice cream heaven with unique flavors like fresh walnut and fig, and my favorite there -- ginger & cinnamon.
- Rosciloi: a trendy, fun place with a cool and artsy market at the entrance. THE place for carbonara, a meat and cheese tray that was amazing and a mozzarella hamburger with balsamic and pesto drizzles! Justin recommended this winner!
(Crack-up moment here: at the restaurant when they asked our name to verify the reservation, Mike must have pronounced "Molinaro" and then "Grazie" so authentically, they thought he was a native ?!? so they brought us menus in Italian. Then they were very surprised to hear us speak American English and asked if we really needed menus in English! haha!)
- Giolitti Gelato: The oldest ice cream parlor in Rome and still owned by the same family! How did we not know about this place before? It's no wonder it's still around -- delish! Best flavors: the nougat and the dark chocolate.
- Pizza almost everywhere! The margarita with fresh tomatos and fresh basil is fantastic!
- Italian pasticceria cookies - lighter, buttery version of shortbread with jam or chocolate filling.
- There were bunches of other taste treats, but those were the not-to-be-missed ones for us!
Rome has so many enchanting alleyways, and such scenery & history at every turn! Here are some pix from our wanderings. . . a little local flavor!
No comments:
Post a Comment