roma, take two

ben (aka mossimo) and i spent a fabulous four days back in rome this past weekend.  it was our second trip, and since we had explored all of the ancient sites on our last visit, we decided just to relax and roam the city this time (pun intended).  yet again we had great weather right up until the final morning, when it poured on our way to the airport... perfect!

on our first day we landed in the morning, checked into the hotel, and set out on foot.  we ended up at our favorite pizzeria, montecarlo (thanks rami!) for lunch.  the pizza was almost as good as we remembered.  the house vino did not disappoint.

we spent the rest of the first day just wandering around, happy to be back and enjoying the sunshine.

piazza navona

pantheon 

my new italian friend francesca is always talking about how much she misses her macchiato, so on this trip i decided we should explore a bit more of the coffee culture, and explore we did.

we happened into this bustling spot on our first afternoon.

overwhelmed by her choices

you could order and drink at the bar, a common choice for italians, and a good reason to go with the small & easy to drink macchiato.

we sat briefly outside before being told by the waiter that tables were for service only- oops!

this one is for you, dad... i was tempted to purchase your christmas present here, except of course i didn't know how to get it to turkey, much less the states.  i thought the rather austere looking dude in front would be perfect to guard your garden, no?!

beautiful, dramatic sculptured scenes on almost every street corner: another reason to love rome.  this was my favorite.

we found a couple of gardens within the city center that we hadn't noticed last time, too.  this one was especially inviting at night.

we came across this distant view of the basilica & felt it perfect for a photo opp.  ben amazes himself with his photography skills (really!).

and you can't pass by the trevi without taking some pictures & throwing a coin behind your shoulder & making a wish.  ben's folks did it when they visited this spot before he was born, so it's pretty special to us.

a nice american lady wanted to take our picture, we obliged

later on we happened by this beautiful chapel (they are everywhere in rome).  this was the first time we saw an actual service taking place, and they were singing a hymn.  ben and i both thought about how appealing it would be to stop in on your way home from work, if only to have some peace and reflect on your day in beautiful surroundings.  incredible.

the next morning we headed to a major grocer first thing.  this was on my list of to-do's, as whenever i travel i like to check out what the locals are buying and cooking.  this grocery store was huge and did not disappoint!  just check out that meat selection...

nevermind the prepared foods.  oh, the dinner parties you could throw!

and the produce?  fuhgettaboutit.  mushrooms are huge in italy (that's both literally and figuratively).

after we dropped our goodies back at the hotel we headed to a fantastic enoteca, cavour 313, for lunch.  this was another repeat from last year because we loved it so much.  this time the food & service were even better.  win!

me, enjoying some great vino

ben, befuddled by the food

right by our hotel was the piazza san bernardo... a beautiful spot, especially at night.

on our second night we ended up here for dinner... a fun spot, as you could watch the cooks prepare your dinner.  we were hoping to have the most amazing lasagna in the world (which we had here last year), but naturally they had removed it from the menu.  no matter, dinner was still delicious.

while wandering around a neighborhood near the vatican, we happened upon this fruit & veggie bazaar.  it was another opportunity to see what was in season, and what the locals were buying.  ohhh what i wouldn't give to have been invited to one of their houses for friday night dinner!

they even sold fresh pastas & local wines at the bazaar...

...and in the back were the butchers-- check out the meat cleaver in his hand!  he was pounding away. obviously the lady to the left didn't want me to know what she was having for dinner that night.

i loved the drying chilis.

in front of the bazaar was this tiny coffee bar, where some older folks had gathered to chat over espresso.

for lunch in the same neighborhood, we waited around for our 'special meal.'  during every vacation we usually reserve one lunch or dinner for this at a restaurant we've researched.  we tried to come here last year but they were closed-- this time we arrived at 12:30 (ben did NOT want to be late), only to be told they open at 1pm.  we came back shortly after that and were very glad we did!  not only was the food remarkable, but our waiter was probably the nicest man we've met so far in italy.

stewed artichoke

cheers!

my first course: fettucine with truffles

ben's first course: the house special of maccheroncelli with the house sauce

main course: roasted lamb with potatoes (we split a portion, it was huge)

dessert: the most amazing tiramisu i've ever had.  

the waiter had us pour espresso over it just before eating.

obviously after all that food, we did a lot more walking.  we ended up with another view of the basilica just before dusk.

our last stop in roma: a fantastic enoteca where i sampled prosecco and ben enjoyed... beer.  a great second time in rome, and hopefully not our last!