Tag: rome

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 3

by ginnyinshanghai

What is a visit to Rome without stopping at a few churches. We had walked past both of these earlier in the week and this day we stopped in.

Interesting exterior, a few details added to make a statement when the worshipers came to services.

I did find out that S. Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the neighborhood of Sant’Eustachio. It was considered one of the great 17th century preaching churches. Once you go inside, you don’t know where to look since there is so much going on everywhere! My shot below is the main alter area then part of the ceiling. I suppose you could stare at the ceiling for years and continue to find new things.

A small chapel displaying the Madonna & child was roped off for anyone wanting to pray in peace.

Looking up when exiting the building, their organ could be seen above with a small part of the half-dome apse in my photo.

As we continued walking the city a few steps away was the Church of the Gesu, it is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The facade is described as ‘the first truly baroque facade’ and served as a model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world especially in Central Europe and in Portuguese colonies.

Their design is such that there is no entrance or vestibule to linger, rather a visitor is projected immediately into the body of the church. The Jesuits relied heavily on the acoustics of the church having a single nave and dome. They wanted the faithful to clearly hear the words of the sermon.

Turning to leave I could see the organ pipes above the exit. Wow, that is a small organ. Reading later I discovered that the two ornamented walls on either side hide a great deal of it. Now that makes more sense.

Okay, only been to two churches and they are starting to look alike. Let’s do some more walking. We walked past the other side of the Forum and noticed a number of Julius Cesear statues. In case you didn’t notice, Adrienne and Eric are in the background.

We saw something odd on the next statue……….maybe rubbing the foot is good luck? Not sure about that, but guess what? We rubbed it. Ha!

Putting together ruins is much like putting together a puzzle, with really heavy pieces. These were well organized.

Eric had been given the name of a restaurant near the Coliseum. That’s where we were headed. Had to grab this photo. This was a site we visited on our last trip so no need to go inside again.

By the way………it is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is the largest standing amphitheater in the world. Good to know.

Our locale of choice for eating lunch. It was recommended by someone Eric worked with. Although it was in a ‘touristy’ region, it was still very good eating.

I’m sure you can guess which one is my drink. 🙂

We started with the buffalo mozzarella. This was the best we’ve had thus far. Okay, well this is only our second full day. 🙂 The mozzarella was very ‘fresh’ tasting.

They both chose pasta, while I had the pizza. That was a recurring theme. Eric could tell you that I’m always ready to eat pizza!

I was able to get a different shot of the coliseum on the way to our next destination.

Our destination was Circus Maximus:  ancient Roman Chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome.  It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire.  It could accommodate 150,000 spectators.  It is now a public park. Adrienne said she is going to run around it one of these mornings when she is out and about running before most of us are up.

Even at the height of its development as a chariot-racing circuit, the circus remained the most suitable place in Rome for religious processions on a grand scale.  The photo below is where the spectators used to sit. They were trying to shore up some of the buildings as age and weather were taking a toll.

After the 6th century, the Circus fell into disuse and decay.  The lower levels, ever prone to flooding were gradually buried under waterlogged soil and accumulated debris so the original track is now 6 meters beneath the modern surface. 

It was nice to get out, walk the streets of Rome and stretch our legs. We had beautiful weather! Before we left home, the weather forecast showed a number of days with rain. So far, they were wrong. In the evenings we usually needed our jackets but the days were gorgeous.

Reservations had been made for dinner at Il Gabriello.  They have continued a long family tradition, now with the fourth generation at the helm for over 30 years. Eric talked with the chef (father) as we were leaving telling him how much we enjoyed the food and the experience.

Upon arrival, we all had a déjà vu feeling, especially walking down these stairs.

Yes, we had been there before.  Our hotel had made the reservations on our first trip for this place therefore we didn’t know the name.  Even more ironic……..we were seated at the same table!

We started with the seafood crudo and octopus. I enjoyed both, but the grilled octopus was my top choice.

We had a variety of entrees.

Adrienne – black spaghetti with seafood
Ginny – ravioli with ricotta & spinach
Eric – grilled prawns

Desserts were enjoyed before closing out the evening.

Adrienne – pistachio cake
Ginny – fruit & custard tart
Eric – ice cream

So ended another day in Rome.  They called us a taxi to get us home. This was our last night of the first days spent in Rome. We started packing for the next leg of our Italian journey – Lecce.

Ginny

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 2

by ginnyinshanghai

The previous post referenced a food tour. Yes, we had a food tour, but not until 3pm. We needed to fill our day. We still had one of Rome’s historical highlights to visit. One that never made it on our itinerary – the Roman Forum. While I had heard of the spot for decades, I didn’t know (or remember!) a good bit of the history. I did some digging and found a few interesting notes. Here you go.

According to Roman historical tradition, the Forum’s beginnings are connected with the alliance between Romulus, the first king of Rome controlling the Palatine Hill, and his rival, Titus Tatius who occupied the Capitoline Hill.

Pottery deposits discovered in the Forum, Palatine and Capitoline demonstrated that humans occupied these areas in the Final Bronze Age (1200–975 BC).

Originally a low-lying, grassy wetland, the Forum was drained in the 7th century BC. This land had been used for temples, shrines, cremation burials, a public space and the list goes on and on.

The sacred trees of Rome are represented here – olive, fig and grape vines. Agriculture was considered the activity most befitting of the Roman citizen. It was seen as expression of the values of one’s ancestors and the prosperity of the nation.

Things went downhill after the Fall of the Roman empire. After the eighth century, the structures of the Forum were dismantled, rearranged, and used to build towers and castles within the local area. In the 13th century, these rearranged structures were torn down, and the site became a dumping ground.

In the 1400s a campaign of civic improvement and rebuilding in the city was decreed thus the demand for building materials consequently increased significantly, making the Forum a convenient quarry for stone and marble.

Regardless of it’s history for centuries, the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial and legal affairs.

Here statues and monuments commemorated the city’s leaders. The heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. And it still has room for a few more 4-legged animals today.

I think that’s enough history for this post. It wasn’t quite time for our food tour yet we were getting hungry. We stopped for some seafood as a ‘pre-game activity’. It was amazing. This was supposed to feed one – and we shared.

Those two wanted sardines and ordered this.

We couldn’t refuse dessert. Eric ordered the ice cream and we shared a poached pear – omg, it was the best. The pear melted in your mouth.

And NOW…………….it was time to meet for our Roman Food Tour.

A short distance away from the meeting spot was this place – Trapizzino, our first stop for eating.

Hmmmmmmm, what?

I was trying to figure out how to describe it and came across this explanation. It was better than what I could come up with.

We each chose different fillings.

Ginny – chicken
Adrienne – anchovy w/ cream
Eric – tongue w/ pesto

Since this was street food, no utensils were available. I could have really used a fork to eat mine – just saying.

Next stop was Essenza Wine Bar.

We each had our own charcuterie plate. She was very specific what to eat first, going for more delicate flavors initially and ending with the blue cheese in the top left corner. She had honey and jam for some of the cheese – it went great with the blue cheese, ha! Not my favorite cheese but add in some sweet and I can do it.

We ended with this parmesan Reggiano topped with balsamic vinegar.

One quick shot before heading to our next stop. I don’t think I mentioned……….there was a L.O.T of wine during this tour, basically bottomless pours.

This stop had a lot of things going for it. Yes, there was pasta, wine and pizza!

We each choose a different pasta and traded plates.

Pasta cacio e pepe
pasta amatriciana
pasta carbonara

But my favorite item was the pizza!!!!!! I got a corner piece and ate every bit of my portion including the crust.

But wait there’s one more stop to make. Did you think these streets are alleys? Nope, we had to step aside numerous times for cars and motorcycles to pass by.

Our last stop was the sweetest one…….

My choices were coffee & blackberry. Adrienne’s salted caramel was tasty along with Eric’s choice of amora cherry & vanilla.

Needless to say, we didn’t need any supper. In fact, grabbing a taxi back to our place was one of the best decisions that night.

Ciao!

Ginny

Italy, Rome 2026 – post 1

by ginnyinshanghai

It was time to head back to Europe. This time with a party of three versus only two of us.  We couldn’t find a direct flight to Rome, but I wanted to avoid Atlanta.  Next option was a connection in Miami – sold. 

Temps to expect – okay, a break from the heat of Florida.

Next flight got us overseas. Surprisingly I slept!  Not enough of course but more than in the past.

Woke up to this view of Italy.

Upon landing in Rome, we were prepared to go through a new Entry/Exit System (EES) that was mandated to start 4/10/26 – shortly before our trip. Everything I had heard was be patient, the first time it will take longer and future trips would be a shorter process since everything would be on file. As we prepared to go through Passport Control, we were suddenly directed to go up a flight of stairs, get in a line for ‘non-Italians’, to go down an escalator to the original entry point! Basically, they were making us form a queue since it was a compact space and a number of flights had landed. Yikes, this is going to take us awhile. After taking the escalator down, passengers with a US or UK passport were directed to the left side of the holding area. We were waved through a number of gates and OMG within minutes we were through and at the luggage carousels. No stopping, no stamping and no more interactions.

After a taxi ride with our talkative drive, we arrived at our first AirBNB. Eric had detailed instructions for the four keys needed for this place.  First a phone call that automatically let us inside the first door.  Then the actual keys in a mailbox, with the longest one needed to get through the iron portal doorway.  Another key was for the elevator – luggage and one person was all the space available.  Adrienne and I walked up two flights of stairs and met Eric outside of the door utilizing his fourth key to get inside.  Whew!

Two bedrooms, two bath rooms and a small kitchen. 

Then you had the world’s most uncomfortable couch.  Yikes! Minimal padding with a wooden frame – maybe it was a daybed? The red cover was hiding it.

First order of business – food.  At the end of our block was several options.  Restaurant 433 it is!

Drinks & bread before a quick photo.

Then the meal arrived:  Buffalo mozzarella, pasta de pepe and pasta carbonara.

Next order of business was a short nap before walking the streets of Rome.  We locked in our destination (Piazza Navona) and started walking.  It was the original site of the 1st century Stadium of Domitian.  The stadium was commissioned as a gift to the people of Rome and used almost entirely for athletic contests.  It was Rome’s first permanent venue for competitive athletics, seating approximately 30,000.

On our last visit, work was being done on some of the fountains.  This time all three were working.  The center one the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers.  The rivers collectively represent four major rivers of the continents through which papal authority had spread:  The Nile, The Danube, The Ganges and the Rio de la Plata representing the Americas. Below is one of the four sides.

Really liked the detail on some of the sculptures.

At one end is the Fontana del Moro or Fountain of the Moor depicting a nautical scene with tritons, dolphins and a conch shell. The basin was constructed in the 1570s, with sculptures added in the 1650s.

At the north end is Fontana del Nettuno or the Fountain of Neptune.  The basin was designed in 1574 without the sculptures for 300 years.  The fountain as it exists today was finally completed in the 1870s following a competition.

We continued walking and came across the Pantheon.  You might ask why we didn’t go in?  We did it on our last trip and that time we hit a few of Rome’s highlights. We were checking off a lot of things that time. I got a quick shot while the other two were looking at meats & cheeses.

All this walking worked up an appetite, and we found Vecchio Locanda down this tiny alleyway.

Octopus w/ potatoes along with some parma was a hit.

There is art everywhere, even in the alleyways. While eating, this was our view from our outside table.

The night was so nice, no rain and a comfortable temperature that we did some walking around our area.  We are near the Tiber River.

This spot is the meeting point for our food tour the next day – a hint about the next post.

We headed back towards our apartment, and suddenly you are looking at ancient ruins, surrounded by more modern architecture.

I wanted some dessert before heading back to our place.  Outside of a number of restaurants there was a ‘handler’ that approached, asked what you would like and upon mentioning dessert, we took up his offer of a table. 

Savory before sweet so we ordered fried meat-stuffed olives – quite delicious – and fried artichoke.

Finally we got to the desserts.  Three selections were made and shared.

L – pistachio cheesecake, M – tiramisu w/ caramel, R – berry cheesecake

Now it’s time for bed!

Ginny

Back to Rome

by ginnyinshanghai

Our time in Italy has truly flown by. We headed back to Rome before catching our flight to the states. One more ‘cool’ thing about those Bologna porticoes…….the sidewalk or terrazza. It was a smooth walk schlepping our bags to the train station.

Really hard to see, but there are a number of us all going in the same direction – to the train station.

Here are a few shots of the Italian countryside. Really hard to get great shots when you’re going +150 mph!

For our last night in Rome, we stayed at a hotel, Hotel Manfredi.

Interesting elevator to get to the 3rd floor for the reception desk. There were rules inside limiting people and/or luggage. FYI – one time another guest, reminded us that if all of us went inside, we would be over the limit. Ok. We followed the rules. One person stayed behind.

It was a very nice hotel, but after staying in AirBNBs the last 2 weeks, the space was a bit of a shock. Poor Adrienne ended up with a cot, a very nice cot, but a cot.

They packed a lot of things in the tiny space – remember there were 3 of us.

We were starving! The desk clerk recommended a walkable place for lunch: Dilla. He tried to make us a reservation, but no one would answer. We walked and got lucky! I believe we were the last ones to be seated with no reservation. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

Eric ordered tuna tartare and Roman-braised artichokes.

Our last chance for Buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes.

While the girls ordered cacio pepe (left) and pasta carbonara (right).

Two fabulous desserts were ordered and shared.

While walking off our food intake, we came across this sight……….the eyes were a little strange. No matter, kids were still running up for photos.

Our last dinner in Rome was fabulous. The desk clerk made us reservations and they definitely were needed.

Starting with the bread service, we have definitely elevated our dining.

We shared seafood crudo. OMG! We could have ordered one for each of us. As it was, we each picked items that interested us until all was gone. It was fantastic.

I ordered stuffed ravioli (no, I don’t remember what the stuffing was………..). It was very good – much better than my selection in Florence.

Adrienne ordered the seafood medley – lots of different seafoody things.

Eric was delighted with his whole fried seabass. It was brought to the table to ‘show’ him before she deboned it. It was lying on pan-fried potatoes – which were delicious.

Desserts could not be denied. Adrienne loved her pistachio cake, Eric liked his gelato, and I loved my chocolate cake.

This was one of the few places, we walked down into the restaurant.

This was a totally great way to end our last night and stay in Italy.

We had a fabulous meal, a fabulous vacation and a fabulous time in Italy.

One last note…………….arranging our taxi to the airport proved interesting. Apparently, there was a marathon race in downtown Rome the next morning. We had to leave by 7am or getting out would require walking to a station, transferring to another station that could take us to the airport outside of the city center. We had plenty of time at the Rome airport. 🙂

Ginny

Rome History – part 4, The Vatican

by ginnyinshanghai

Vatican City – a landlocked independent country gaining independence from Italy in 1929. At 121 acres it is the smallest state in the world by area and population.

After stepping across the ‘boundary’ into this country, we came across the double-helix staircase. Eric assumed we were going down the staircase – no. You can see him in the blue shirt and backpack. He had to hurry back up to join the tour.

We stopped at this balcony to get a photo of St. Peter’s dome before exploring the treasures of the Vatican.

Our first little portico we stopped at had these statues.

This twisted archway was different and interesting.

Leading us to this rotunda of statues, with the dome reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome.

Everyone is always looking up but artwork also abounds on the floor – like this floral mosaic.

One hallway was dedicated to tapestries.

Right before we walked through the map room.

No photos are allowed within the Sistine Chapel. I searched on the internet and found this shot which I liked. A lot of story-telling going on and our tour guide educated us on the different panels before walking through. While we were there, prayers were given in several languages, making it a bit more realistic and special. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescoes that decorate the interior.

One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke, which is created by burning the ballots of the election, appears, a new Pope has been elected. If no candidate receives the required two-thirds vote, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.

The last part of our tour was St Peter’s Basilica.  It is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure.

The dome was closed for touring, but I could get a shot without showing (much) of the scaffolding.

Most of the alter was also blocked but I could squeeze in a tiny photo from the side.

St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world” and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom. There is sooooooo much to this place. It was one of our last activities in Rome and took me quite a while to go through the large number of photos I took.

Ginny

A view of Rome from Vatican City

Rome History – part 3

by ginnyinshanghai

Piazza Navona – a public open space in Rome. It was one of several that popped up when researching our trip. Later this day we had a tour booked for The Vatican, so we had free time to wander the historic streets, grab a cappuccino & croissant and soak in the ambience of Rome.

The space was initially used in the 1st century as the Stadium of Domitians. Ancient Romans came here to watch games. Following the Fall of Western Rome, the stadium fell into ruins and was quarried for building material. Little to nothing remains of that. It was re-energized in the 15th century when the city market was transferred here.

The primary reason on this day and time to visit was for the (3) fountains. We turned the corner and this was the first thing we saw – fountain was drained and work being done.

Bummer – this was going to be a wasted trip.

Nope – only one of the three fountains was not working. This was the centerpiece of the piazza.

Called the Fountain of Four Rivers and designed in 1651 to be representative of the spread of papal authority. There was so many details wrapped up in this fountain. You could keep circling and find more things during each circumference.

The four rivers represented the Nile (Africa), the Danube (Europe), the Ganges (Asia) and the Rio de la Plata (Americas).

Loved the horse peeking out through the portal.

The group LOVES when I take photos – not. They’re good sports, most of the time.

The third fountain was in the north part of the piazza, the Fountain of Neptune.

Yes, we did some people watching while eating our croissants and cappuccino. Neptune fighting the octopus was in front of us. Hard life – people-watching, enjoying a pastry, listening to the fountain’s water and soaking in the Italian sun. I could do this for months on end.

So many things going on with these fountains. You could literally do one post on each fountain and all of the symbolism. It was hard to capture the many different components, but I did like this sea creature.

There was a building in the middle of the piazza that individuals kept going into and thus we did our own exploring. Many people come just for the three fountains and miss this worthy, hidden gem in Rome. It was fascinating reading about it. The little bit of info below only scratch the surface of its stories.

This was a 17th century Baroque church, built on the site of a much older church dedicated to St. Agnes with research indicating this was the location she was martyred.

There are so many things to look at once you enter, but your eyes move upward towards the dome in the sanctuary.

The dome was designed for individuals to look up to heaven. The fresco in the cupola depicts the Apotheosis of st. Agnes and the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. All other virtues fall under them and hinge upon them.

The alterpieces all take the form of bas-reliefs or statues rather than paintings. Below is the statue of St. Agnes when she extinguishes the flames at her feet with prayers.

This altarpiece represents the Holy Family with little St. John the Baptist, Joseph & Mary and baby Jesus. There is a lot more to this, but it started getting complicated.

The inside of the church was surrounded by marble sculptural Baroque masterpieces, dedicated to individual martyred saints. Below was one of the seven immortalized in statue.

There was a shrine inside of the church for Saint Agnes, containing her skull and a marble relief. She was martyred at 13 when she refused to marry a pagan. She was condemned to death. You can see her skull in the marble box below her statue. No lie, it was kind of creepy.

While the stories being told inside this church was gruesome, it was a beautiful church. My photos do not do justice for the beauty contained within.

I want to leave you with this small ‘fountain’ located within this piazza. I assumed it was for pets to drink and stay hydrated.

That is until you stop the downward flow and this happens……..

Nice!

Ginny

Rome history – part 2

by ginnyinshanghai

I need to get my steps in. How – the Spanish steps of course……..135 to be exact.

The steps were built to navigate a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti church, at the top.

Maybe you noticed the polizia in the photo above? There were fines for those sitting down (250 euros) and heavier fines for damaging or dirtying the steps (400 euros).

There was a competition for design in 1717 and completed in 1725. They have been restored and renovated a number of times. Travertine stone, brick, marble and plaster make up the steps.

Notice who is missing? Glad he brought along the blue jacket – he’s easier to spot.

Why the ‘spanish’ steps? At the bottom was the Spanish Embassy. I read that at certain times of the year, planned decorations line the steps. Around Christmas-time a 19th century manger is displayed on the first landing. In the spring-time, pots of azaleas can been seen. Not quite spring – yet. Dang.

Another fountain was found at the bottom. The pope commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629.

According to legend, as the River Tiber flooded in 1598, water carried a small boat into the Piazza di Spagna. When the water receded, a boat was deposited in the center of the square, and it was this event that inspired Bernini’s creation.

Can anyone come to Rome without seeing the Coliseum? I think not.

It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is still the largest standing Amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Contruction begin in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. It could hold anywhere between 50K – 80K spectators at various points of history.

Entrance portals were numbered in the archway as seen below.

Yes, we were one of ‘those’ tourists, following our tour guide with a flag.

Part of our small-group tour include the underground of the coliseum. We saw a short film in an underground alcove, and it truly put you in the mindset of the gladiator’s journey coming into the coliseum. While some were fighting for sport, others were fighting for their life and freedom.

The Colosseum was built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete.  It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles.

We had a bit of our own excitement during our tour. Notice the bouncing drops?


That’s right – hail. Below are some of the pellets that collected along our walkway. We were very lucky that when it started, we were heading underground.

Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome.

Before exiting the coliseum, our tour guide brought us to another part of the building promising us a good photo spot. Here was one of the remaining gates into the city with the Palatine Hill behind it.

Last stop for this post………Trevi Fountain ‘Taming of the Waters’

At 86 feet high and 161 feet wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous. It is located at the junction of three roads and marks the terminal point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to Rome for 400+ years.

As was common in Baroque times, a competition was held. Originally a Floratine won but public outcry gave the commission to a Roman, Nicola Salvi, who died before it was finished.

The work begun in 1732 and was finished in 1762. Four different sculptors were hired to complete the fountain and the majority was made from Travertine quarried near Tivoli, 22 miles east of Rome.

Behind the fountain is the  Palazzo Poli, a palace in Rome, altered in the 18th century to form the backdrop. There continues a tradition of coin tossing, using your right hand over the left shoulder. Estimates are 3000 euros are thrown daily into the fountain. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s poor.

A few more posts are coming before we head to Florence.

Ginny

Rome Eats – first post

by ginnyinshanghai

We ate well and continue to find awesome food establishments. Here are three from the first part of our week in Rome.

Four words describe the essence of this restaurant: Tradition, Family, Quality & Artisanship. They are committed to the culinary culture of the Emilia region.

We started with these two and OMG – they were talked about throughout our week.

Adrienne’s choice

Ginny’s choice

Eric’s choice

Desserts shared:

When in Rome – eat pizza! Emma is a restaurant-pizzeria.

Emma was born from a basic concept: to use only raw materials of the highest quality as ingredients of traditional Italian cuisine. Without compromise.

While we’ve had a number of starters with buffalo mozzarella, this ranks the highest – possibly due to the grated Muggine bottarga, or the olives or the tastiest tomatoes. Any and all of those ingredients make.the.dish!

They elevate the thin-crusted Roman-style pizza to a gourmet level with prestigious flours, long fermentation and high-quality ingredients.

No room for dessert, but a bit of dolce to end our meal.

Eric discovered this was ranked fourth for pizzerias in Rome. He made a good choice.

This was a recommendation from our AirBNB host – literally 1/2 block away from our place. That was a good thing. While we were waiting for our desserts to arrive, I got r.e.a.l.l.y sleepy and started to crash. In fact, we left Eric to pay the bill. As you might expect……Eric made friends. They had him taste other types of wine from the region. He enjoyed himself.

These were recommendations from our waitress and they did not disappoint. I was a little sketical of the anchovies, but as long as I choose the smallest and crispiest pieces – I was good. The eggplant cake? Eric needs to make this at home. I don’t like eggplant, period. I loved this.

fried anchovies
eggplant cake stack

Dinner:

Adrienne’s choice – pork w/ratatouille

Eric’s choice – Pasta Bolognese

Ginny’s choice – thinly sliced beef w/potatoes

Shared desserts:

chocolate lava cake

tiramisu & zabaglione

Very delicious meals – and only the start of our trip. I can’t wait to see (and taste) the many meals that are remaining.

Ginny

Rome History – Part 1

by ginnyinshanghai

Staying in the city center had so many advantages. Walking to historic sites was the main one. Soooooo much history in this city and you never knew when you turned a corner if you were going to find more Roman ruins – we did, a lot.

We were headed towards the Panthenon and came across this church.

In the 8th century there was an oratory on this spot, but it wasn’t until the Dominicans took final possession of the property that a church was built in 1280. It was one of the very few examples of Gothic architecture in Rome. It was in the convent adjacent to this that in 1633 Galileo adjured his scientific thesis to save his life from the condemnation of the Holy Inquisition.

It was quietly beautiful inside. Since this is considered a minor basilica, there were no hordes of tourists.

In 1628 two almost identical organs were placed above the choirs. The one in my photo was looted then set on fire. The other organ was removed and used in a basilica elsewhere in Italy. Eventually both organs were replaced in the 1900s.

Below the table on the high altar is a 15th century sarcophagus of St. Catherine of Siena, minus her skull and a finger found in a basilica in Siena. Eric is in the foreground.

Notice the statue to the left of Eric above? It caught Eric’s attention with the amount of detail.

‘Christ carrying the Cross‘

Totally was not expecting this. There was a bit of rope stanchioning this off, but truly we were within a few feet of the statue.

This ‘find’ was so unexpected, it was a highlight of our time in Rome.

Leaving the church, we were presented with the back side of our next find.

The Pantheon

The date of construction is uncertain and debated. It was built on an earlier temple on private land, fire burnt it down (several times) and the present-day building was ordered by emperor Hadrian 126 AD. In 609 AD it became a Catholic church.

It is one of the best preserved Ancient Roman buildings in large part due to continuous use throughout history. That’s not to say pieces and parts weren’t removed for other purposes or metalwork melted down for armory.

Since the Renaissance it became a fashionable burial place for painters, composers and even two kings.

The dome of course is one of most amazing feats. After 2000 years it is still the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world, at 142 feet in height and 142 feet in diameter. The thickness varies from 21 feet at the base to less than four feet around the oculus. Various materials were used as aggregate and could be travertine, terracotta tiles and pumice or tufa (volcanic rock) at the top.

The top of the oculus has never been covered allowing rainfall through the ceiling onto the floor going into floor drains to promote runoff.

The oculus and entry door are the only natural sources of light.

The history of the building pulled me in and I spent way too much time on the web going through links to find more info.

Occasionally you needed a break from history, and we found some great spots to do just that, as you’ll see in my next post.

Ginny

Italy – a new journey begins

by ginnyinshanghai

Ciao! As you might have guessed from the previous post……..we were packing with purpose. Another trip to Europe was planned and the time for departure was upon us.

Several years ago, I started a tradition for myself, if we are at least gone for 2 weeks. Adding an ‘unnatural color’ was not allowed in my workplace and it will eventually fade with continued washings. Just a bit of unexpected whimsy I like to add to my trips. As a fail-safe, I only add the color to the tips – JUST in case it doesn’t wash out quickly enough (oops 2023) and I’ll get my hair trimmed before going back to work.

Okay, let’s get back to the real story………

As with most trips, we stopped at the MCO Lounge for some refreshment.

We’ve been fortunate to grab the same 3 seats at the bar and caught up with the morning bar-tender we had met before.

It wasn’t all about the alcohol, some light refreshments were available. The protein bowl on the right was something new on the menu. LOVED the pretzel – possibly there were several ordered during our time inside. It was the perfect size for one.

There are some areas that are self-serve and they had a great coffee machine – push a button and you had a multitude of options. It was gone. Sadness. Until I found it in another corner of the lounge. Yep, that’s my cappuccino. Okay, now I’m ready to travel.

We started noticing the flight board inside the lounge was being updated with flight delays – but not ours…..yet. And then it was our flight. 😦 The lounge got r.e.a.l.l.y crowded at that time and went on a waitlist. Yikes!

The terminal wing was a total zoo. All were Delta flights and all were delayed due to lightening. Planes couldn’t land, planes couldn’t be serviced, no one could deplane so therefore we couldn’t fly out and everything stacked up.

At least our flight crew was here. That wasn’t the case for other flights.

I think everybody wanted to cheer when the flight arrived – but were too tired. Four+ hours later we headed to Atlanta for our connection.

We were so lucky (not) and got the chance to spend a night at the Atlanta Westin. No surprise, we missed our connecting flight. Crazy lines existed in Atlanta when we arrived due to all the flight delays in the South. I got on my phone trying to reach Delta, Eric got on a house phone to talk with Delta while we went through a (very) long Delta queue line to get a voucher for a hotel. Heavy sigh. Fortuitous that we didn’t check our bags – we normally do. We had our clothes and toiletries to make the stay-over a bit more comfortable. Small miracles do exist.

Good news – they re-booked our flights. Bad news – connecting through JFK New York before heading overseas. Best news – upgraded to first class for the overseas flight.

Finally headed to Europe. Interesting time-lapese video, catching some of the lights of New York before clouds blocked the view.

Eric convinced the gentleman next to me to trade seats. Adrienne was on the other side of the plane – she’s in the photo below. The flight started with a glass of prosecco. Okay – I like that.

The food was better in this section, no surprise there. My chicken was some of the best I’ve tasted. Eric liked his spinach ravioli.

Chicken with a smoked tomato sauce, Parmesan risotto, green beans and potato salad.
Spinach ravoli in white wine butter, roasted butternut squash and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Before landing in Rome, we flew over the European Alps.

Landing at Leonardo de Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Rome’s Airport) we were still 35KM away from the city center and our apartment. The taxi ride to get there………….something special. So many cars, so many motorcycles combined with skinny streets. Parking is wherever someone finds a piece of pavement, slightly off of the street. Crazy!

Our 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment was along one of the tiny side steets. Our place was on the 4th floor up 5 flights of stairs. Or……….squeeze into the teeny, tiny elevator.

Cute window with a view of the nearby rooftops and courtyards.

Small kitchen, just enough space to store drinks & water in the fridge, bread, cheese and yogurt & fruit for breakfast.

First order of business was lunch. We’ve never gone wrong with suggestions from the owner of our lodging and today was no exception: Enoteca Corsi.

We started (and shared) the fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomato starter – oh my goodness, their mozzarella is so much better here.

My lunch selection was Cacio e Pepe: freshly-made pasta with parmesan cheese, butter and black pepper – one of Rome’s famous dishes.

Adrienne’s selection was an octopus salad.

Eric started with farro soup……….

………before the artichoke – Roman style arrived (braised and stuffed with garlic and herbs) sitting in a pool of olive oil. It looks prettier (only in my opinion) before being cooked.

Way more exciting things are coming, but we all crashed for an afternoon nap so we could keep going.

Ginny