The privilege of staying with locals when visiting any foreign city is without doubt the best way to learn its rhythm and feel its heart. I had the pleasure of staying with dear friends during my too short stay in The Eternal City, and it was divine. During the day I would make due on my own as I plotted my course on the tourist circuit and in the evening I would release myself into their capable hands to enjoy local fare at some of Rome’s best restaurants. “Spectacular” sums up the experience in a word, but here it is in a few pictures:

Day One

Thanks to inclement weather in Paris which delayed my Ryan Air flight, I arrived several hours late to my friend Andrea’s wonderful flat in the quaint Trastevere neighborhood. Andrea greeted me not only with her sunny smile and embrace, but with a wonderful lunch of fresh fish and fried zucchini. Most importantly she popped open a bottle of chilled prosecco she had been preparing for us! The last time we saw each other was 3 years ago in Paris. One bottle would certainly not be enough to get completely caught up, but it was a start.

After a little nap it was time for our first dinner outing. Having family in northern Italy I assumed dinner time in Rome would be at a similar 7 – 7:30pm hour, but I was surprised to learn our reservations were at 9pm. Perhaps due to the warmer weather?  I don’t know, but I do know I thought it was brilliant! I think we eat much too early in the USA so I am always pleased when I find myself in a culture that delights in dining late like I do.

Our destination was the casual and cozy Trattoria Vecchia Roma to eat their speciality dish “amatriciana.” To enter we walked down a staircase into the underground restaurant. Inside it was abuzz with activity as groups of happy Italians enjoyed traditional, homemade fare.  The stone arches, wooden tables and cheery waitstaff were completely charming, and it was exactly the type of restaurant I would hope my first meal in Rome would be at.

First step in making the sauce for the speciality dish, amatriciana – flambé the pecorino!

The pasta, which is called bucatini – a long pasta, like a thick, hollow sort of spaghetti – is mixed with the sauce and served up!

Amatriciana paired with the delicious house red wine. I think it would have been impossible to find two more happy girls in all of Rome that night!

Roses (from my wonderful host) and wine with superb company in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Could it get any better? Why yes it could, and does….

The Braziliana and Americana with full bellies in the streets of Rome.

Prior to bed I was shown the city from a different perspective. We headed up Janiculum Hill, the highest point in the city, to get a panorama of Rome at night. Breathtaking.

Up on Janiculum Hill there was also an equestrian statue of one of Italy’s “fathers of the fatherland,” Giuseppe Garibaldi. I was taken by its detail.

Day Two

My one goal for Rome was to see the Colosseum (well, that and eat as much pasta as possible). The last time I had walked through one of its ancient arches was in 1995.  Twenty years seemed like a fair amount of time to pass for a reunion.

Il Vittoriano

The imposing Il Vittoriano, a monument dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy, greeted me when I got off my tram in Piazza Venezia. All the white marble was so mesmerizing I decided to detour to explore its interior.

The view from Il Vittoriano

The highlight was its terraces with views of the city. The say that the entire city of Rome is a museum and with Roman ruins like the ones in the above photo at nearly every turn, it was quite easy to see why.

Voila! Made it!

Eighty arches make up each level of the colosseum…I just had to find the right one to enter (ah, I jest…it was quite obvious).

Impressive even though dilapidated.

Construction of the “Colosseum” (its actual name is Flavian Amphitheatre which our guide kept reminding us over and over – “Colosseum” is just its nickname) began in 70 AD and is considered one of the greatest feats of Roman architecture. Clearly today it is just a shell of its original spender, but it was easy to appreciate the intricacies of the mechanics of the “back stage” (which is now the exposed underbelly) and detailed architecture. I would like to think that if I had lived in Roman times I would be have been seated in one of the two lower levels with the senators, emperor and Vestal Virgins. However, more likely, my view would have been from a bit higher :).  For certain though, I would have employed the use of the vomitorias (staircases) often. The name means “rapid discharge” in Latin, and is the base for our word “vomit” in English. The blood and carnage of the fights between gladiators and savage animals would certainly have had me rushing to the staircases and into streets to do my own rapid discharge.

It was a spectacular site and perhaps more impressive to me 20 years later.

A famous fountain getting a face lift.

*Sob!* This is the current state of the Trevi fountain.  The fashion house, Fendi, donated over 2 million Euros to restore the iconic 18th century fountain. That is certainly wonderfully generous of them, but it doesn’t make for much a view if one is visiting between now and the fall of this year (2015). However, tourists should’t completely despair. A makeshift fountain for all who wish to make the famous coin toss behind their back is ready to accept your loose change and perhaps supplement Fendi’s donation (BTW, I couldn’t bring myself to do the “fake” toss. I will just need to defy the myth and be back on my own!).  The poster hanging where Oceanus should be says “Ciao Anita.” It was placed there in tribute to the recently deceased actress, Anita Eckberg, and commemorates her famous scene in the movie La Dolce Vita.

Roman Streets.

How did I get over the disappointment of a scaffolded Trevi Fountain? I went shopping! I do love Europe in January.  The sales and minimal crowds make up for the less than perfect weather (although in Rome the weather always seems accommodating).

Then it was back home to dress for our 9:30 dinner reservations at one of the *best* seafood restaurants in the city, Assunta Madre.

Andrea and I after…waiting.

I do know that Italians love to linger at dinner, but it is less charming when I and my friends have to wait over an hour for our allotted dinner reservation.  Thankfully the wait was softened with glasses of prosecco and shortened because we were there with a regular. Had we not been our fate surely would have been similiar to that of the couple who arrived 15 minutes before us. They were seated as we were paying our bill at 12:30am! Despite the wait, being with wonderful old and new friends made the night fly by. The meal was also quite good, but let’s agree after such a long wait the food was no longer the focus.

We can laugh about it now!

Andrea, Maria Rosario, Slavika and myself (the “Italian Empresses” as Andrea called us) after an unforgettable evening – for both the right and wrong reasons.

Day Three

Cornetto and Cappuccino – My favorite Italian Alliteration!

Our morning routines included a walk do the corner cafe for a “cornetto” and literally the best cup of cappuccino in the world! This particular morning included a lesson in the animated Italian body language. If I am ever shaking my hand with my 5 fingers together you will know I am asking you, “What do you want?”  If I am emphatically doing the same with both hands you will know I am asking, “REALLY what do you want!?” And if you ask me how my friend, Luigi, is doing and I just place my hand over my face you will know he is in jail. Poor chap, but I did warn him about his mafia ways.

Holy Vestments!

Done with my cappuccino it was off to the Pantheon. Along the way I passed shops that sold clerical products and goods. Need a vestment for the mass you are leading on Sunday? Or perhaps you are looking for a replacement communion chalice for the one that went missing (along with that really good bottle of Bordeaux)? Look no further. The streets behind the Pantheon have the answers to all those prayers.

When in Italy one must move from one meal to another!

After exploring the interior of the Pantheon and ogling over the hole in the ceiling – the Oculus – and the ingenious method of capturing incoming rainwater, I decided to lunch with the 2000 year old building.  Not much can be said about her conversation skills, but she was soft on the eyes. And like the old saying, “when in Rome,” I too lingered at lunch. The bright day, priceless view and snuggly lap blanket given to me by my waiter were all much to hard to leave.  However, the setting sun cued me to head over to St. Peter’s Square for a mandatory visit to the smallest country in the world.

Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon

The obligatory tourist photo that proves I was at St. Peter’s.

I have been inside the Vatican museums and St. Peter’s Basilica twice before in my life, but after my last experience in 2010 I have no desire to visit the interiors again. Why? Jump over to this post for that answer (you will have to scroll down about half-way for the part on Rome). For now I am forever content just visiting the majestic square.

St. Peter’s was still all dressed up for Christmas!  Inside the square was also a life size nativity scene and Christmas music in every language was being piped out into the piazza.  It was a joy to witness.

Yep, I just sighed too. 🙂

Castel Sant’Angelo as seen on my walk home.  The still evening and calm Tiber waters helped to create a perfect mirror image of the “ponte” onto the water. The stuff dreams are made of, no?!

The next dreamy site – Piazza Navona.

More of Piazza Navona and visual testimony illustrating why evening walks while traveling usually elicit the most gasps from me.  🙂

Back home it was time to get ready for more PASTA! *Three Cheers!* In their quest to make sure I experienced the best of Rome, my dear hosts secured reservations at a favorite spot known for preparing the best example of a traditional Roman dish called cacio e pepe (chesse and pepper). The restau is so popular amongst the locals that reservations were made the minute they knew I was coming.  This time we were seated immediately.

The best cacio e pepe is served at Felice!

The handmade pasta was presented in its bowl at the table with the pecorino cheese and pepper piled on top. With a few skilled whips of my waiters wrists the ingredients were harmoniously blended creating a perfect balance of flavor with each bite. Bravo!

Clearly pasta makes me happy!

Cacio e pepe ready to get in my belly!

For dessert, the creamiest tiramisu I have ever had! I HEART Italy!

A handlebar mustache in Italy.

Our evening continued at a private party where bottles of Grey Goose were served by this full bearded barman (BTW – it seems that excessive facial hair has become a troubling trend over here on this side of the pond). It finished with glasses of chardonnay at a chic, upbeat after-hours club called Jackie O. It wasn’t until 6am that my head finally hit the pillow, yet somehow it still seemed too early to call it a night. Ah, Roma!

The exquisite Ratto di Proserpina by Gian Lorenzo Bernini at Galleria Borghese

The copious amounts of celebration the night before did not stop me from making my 1pm reservation at Galleria Borgese.  The collection of paintings, sculptures and antiquities, begun by Cardinal Scipione Borghese (the nephew of Pope Paul V) in the early 1600s, was impressive in the number of masters represented. Caravaggio, Bernini, Raphael, Titian and Boticelli were some of the geniuses whose pieces I had the privilege of gazing upon.  A must see for any history or art lover.

And then it was time for me to leave Rome.

Picture by Andrea – Captured after dropping me at Termini station to catch my night train to Sicily.

All good things must come to an end…but thankfully the memories don’t. Thank you, Andrea, for an unforgettable time in the Eternal City.  Both of you were dream hosts and because of it Rome was made even more magical, special and authentic. Big Kiss!

Ciao!