If You Don't Like Reading About Food, Don't Read This Italy Trip Report
Dec 14th, 2004, 09:14 AM
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ellenem (OP*),
Just saw this thread for the first time and am savoring it. The more food detail the better (and recipes are perfectly appropriate, BTW). Looking foward to the conclusion.
* Yes, of course your the original poster, I just couldn't resist.
Just saw this thread for the first time and am savoring it. The more food detail the better (and recipes are perfectly appropriate, BTW). Looking foward to the conclusion.
* Yes, of course your the original poster, I just couldn't resist.
Dec 16th, 2004, 05:54 AM
#64
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bardo, as a graphic artist myself, your intentions are the same as mine.
DAY 15: Tuesday, 2 November 2004 - Rome
I chose the Hotel Colosseum based on its location, close to a few sights I wanted to visit on this trip. This morning I wake up, shower AGAIN, and head out to explore the neighborhood. My destination is San Giovanni in Laterano, but I wander a bit, exploring the residential neighborhood beyond Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. I stop at the Scala Sancta first where a number of the faithful are praying their way up the stairs.
In San Giovanni, a service is in progress. I think the honored man is graduating from bishop (pointed white hat) to cardinal (red beanie). There's an impressive procession of men in opulent vestments, fine choir singing, and a speech from the new cardinal. I wonder if someday I'll see this same fellow invested as pope. . . Much of the apse is off-limits because of the special service. I enjoy the interesting twisted columns in the cloister.
More neighborhood wandering to Santa Croce in Gerusalemme where I see the True Cross. Haven't I seen other bits of it before? All these relics are running together in my mind. In the neighborhood I come across normal Italian stores - Coin, Upim, Pam - so I stop in to see what the average Italian is buying this season. I haven't really bought anything on this trip and pick up a few items at the supermarket.
It's my last day and I am going to treat myself to anything I want anywhere. It's almost lunchtime and I'm not far from Trattoria Monti. No need to think twice. The same waiter welcomes me back, asking after my friend P. I begin with the same red onion tortino P and I shared - just as wonderful as before. Then I have the tagliatelle with zucchini and pumpkin. It is beautiful to contemplate and delicious to eat. Imagine the thinnest homemade pasta ever tossed with slivers of zucchini and cubes of al dente pumpkin, coated sparingly with a light, buttery pumpkin sauce seasoned with just enough black pepper to leave a tingle in the mouth. I enjoy watching the table of seven across the aisle. After a spirited debate about antipasti, the table orders all four tortinos and seven plates for sharing.
For dessert I choose the caramelized pear tart with crème anglaise. I put the first forkful in my mouth and almost weep. So caramelized that the brown color melts into the crème, very thin pastry, warm delicious pears. I follow this with a coffee. I take my time. I enjoy the dance of the three handsome waiters as they slide up and down the aisle, casual yet incredibly attentive to every customer. Somehow I spend 1 hour and 45 minutes over lunch. For food, a liter of water, no servizio included, 1 coffee (not on bill), the cost is 25.50 euro.
After a quick stop at the hotel, I decide to spend my final afternoon wandering the centro storico, visiting favorite places and shopping. I climb the Quirinale Hill along Via del Boschetto, the center of the Monti neighborhood, past cute shops just reopening for the afternoon. At Piazza del Quirinale, I get my fill of Italian uniforms, as guys in one kind of uniform play music while guys in other uniforms march and flip guns, and guys in other uniforms stand on the side and watch. Down the hill to the Trevi Fountain where I stop for a gelato at Della Palma (orange chocolate and tartufo) because San Crispino is closed. Yes, I know I just had dessert, but this is my LAST DAY. It was the smallest size cup anyway.
Continuing my walk across the centro storico, I stop at Sant' Ignazio. I want to illuminate the ceiling, but the coin slot in the illumination box is jammed with other coins. I try pounding it lightly, then more heavily, in an attempt to dislodge the coins. A man approaches and we have a broken-English/broken-Italian conversation in search of a solution. Finally, the fellow turns and speaks in Italian to an approaching priest. The priest answers, "I'm from Glasgow." A wonderful moment -- though we never get the lights to work.
I write my last two postcards while sitting in the Pantheon.
On to a coffee at Bar Sant'Estachio. Yikes - how do they do that to coffee? An amazing elixir. I even catch Sant'Ivo all Sapienza open and sit for a while enjoying Borromini's unusual plan. Along the way I purchase tassels at my usual store. (It's fun to hang them on doorknobs and furniture, a constant reminder of a wonderful travel day.) I also buy some chocolate for P at Confetteria Moriondo & Gariglio (Via Pie di Marmo 21-22) a fancy, old-fashioned chocolate shop.
Wandering across the corso to Campo dei Fiori, in and out the winding streets. Night is falling quickly. At Youssef Hallak's glass store (Via del Pellegrino) I buy 6 small handmade glasses for 10 euro. They don't look very Italian, but are perfect for grappa or limoncello. I'm wandering all over, now back through Piazza Navona for a few souvenir purchases and then over toward the Piazza di Spagna for gloves. Gloves used to be much cheaper in Italy than in the US. Not true anymore with the poor exchange, but it's still nice to know that the gloves you're wearing came from Rome. I'm not a fan of this area, but in full shopping mode I stop in some shops on Condotti and Frattina.
For dinner I return to an old favorite Settimio all'Arancio (Via dell'Arancio 50/52). I decide to eat old favorites, dishes I'll never find done as well at home. It's so warm, I sit outside and have carciofi alla giudia followed by spaghetti alla vongole veraci. The food arrives quickly, and soon I'm done and on the move again. I head back toward the Pantheon, passing a mozzarella bar along the way - chic décor, balls of mozzarella float in dramatically lit tanks - too bad I ate dinner already. Even I couldn't eat a mozzarella at this point.
What better "last" moment? Enjoying a gelato in Piazza della Rotunda. I follow Grinisa's advice and get a small cup of strawberry and lemon at Fragole e Limone just off the piazza. Wonderful moment made more wonderful as I watch other gelato-eaters staring in the windows of gelaterie, planning for their next cone.
It's been a long day and I covered many miles. I deserve a ride. I hail a taxi at the stand opposite Rinascente on Via del Corso. The cabbie checks his map for my location. I give him more guidance and for the rest of the trip he gabs (I think) about how he had to check the map because they keep changing the direction of the streets. I can't follow his fast talk too well, but am also caught up in our route: down Via del Corso, straight to the typewriter monument, then past the forum, Colosseum glowing ahead. Perfect. Even so, the cabbie misses the turn for my street.
Back at the hotel I pay the bill (110 euro per night for double as single). Now I have to pack. I've got to get a train to FCO at about 7:30AM. I turn on CNN. It's Election Day in the US, but it's still too early to know results, even when I finally turn out the lights.
DAY 16: Wednesday, 3 November 2004 - Rome and Home
My internal clock wakes me well before my alarm. Back in the US it's not even midnight, so CNN offers no presidential election results. It's a cool, clear morning as I drag my bag across the cobbles at Santa Maria Maggiore.
The Leonardo Express is uneventful. At FCO, the same cashier as last year short-changes me on my cappuccino and cornetto. He must be financing a second home with 50 centessimi coins gathered from unsuspecting tourists. The TVs in the departure area show entertainment news only, so I still don't know if we have a president when we board. I have no seatmate, so I can spread out and be comfortable.
The customs agent at Newark tells us we've chosen a president.
EPILOGUE:
Two months later, I hear P tell a friend that he liked Florence better than Rome. When asked what could have been better about the trip, he remarks that the breakfast at the Hotel Colosseum wasn't as good as at the Hotel Paris. Everything else was "great."
A friend who lives in Hoboken is incredibly impressed that I've visited Molfetta. Her landlady and most of her neighbors are Molfettese. It's true.
This was a really good trip.
DAY 15: Tuesday, 2 November 2004 - Rome
I chose the Hotel Colosseum based on its location, close to a few sights I wanted to visit on this trip. This morning I wake up, shower AGAIN, and head out to explore the neighborhood. My destination is San Giovanni in Laterano, but I wander a bit, exploring the residential neighborhood beyond Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. I stop at the Scala Sancta first where a number of the faithful are praying their way up the stairs.
In San Giovanni, a service is in progress. I think the honored man is graduating from bishop (pointed white hat) to cardinal (red beanie). There's an impressive procession of men in opulent vestments, fine choir singing, and a speech from the new cardinal. I wonder if someday I'll see this same fellow invested as pope. . . Much of the apse is off-limits because of the special service. I enjoy the interesting twisted columns in the cloister.
More neighborhood wandering to Santa Croce in Gerusalemme where I see the True Cross. Haven't I seen other bits of it before? All these relics are running together in my mind. In the neighborhood I come across normal Italian stores - Coin, Upim, Pam - so I stop in to see what the average Italian is buying this season. I haven't really bought anything on this trip and pick up a few items at the supermarket.
It's my last day and I am going to treat myself to anything I want anywhere. It's almost lunchtime and I'm not far from Trattoria Monti. No need to think twice. The same waiter welcomes me back, asking after my friend P. I begin with the same red onion tortino P and I shared - just as wonderful as before. Then I have the tagliatelle with zucchini and pumpkin. It is beautiful to contemplate and delicious to eat. Imagine the thinnest homemade pasta ever tossed with slivers of zucchini and cubes of al dente pumpkin, coated sparingly with a light, buttery pumpkin sauce seasoned with just enough black pepper to leave a tingle in the mouth. I enjoy watching the table of seven across the aisle. After a spirited debate about antipasti, the table orders all four tortinos and seven plates for sharing.
For dessert I choose the caramelized pear tart with crème anglaise. I put the first forkful in my mouth and almost weep. So caramelized that the brown color melts into the crème, very thin pastry, warm delicious pears. I follow this with a coffee. I take my time. I enjoy the dance of the three handsome waiters as they slide up and down the aisle, casual yet incredibly attentive to every customer. Somehow I spend 1 hour and 45 minutes over lunch. For food, a liter of water, no servizio included, 1 coffee (not on bill), the cost is 25.50 euro.
After a quick stop at the hotel, I decide to spend my final afternoon wandering the centro storico, visiting favorite places and shopping. I climb the Quirinale Hill along Via del Boschetto, the center of the Monti neighborhood, past cute shops just reopening for the afternoon. At Piazza del Quirinale, I get my fill of Italian uniforms, as guys in one kind of uniform play music while guys in other uniforms march and flip guns, and guys in other uniforms stand on the side and watch. Down the hill to the Trevi Fountain where I stop for a gelato at Della Palma (orange chocolate and tartufo) because San Crispino is closed. Yes, I know I just had dessert, but this is my LAST DAY. It was the smallest size cup anyway.
Continuing my walk across the centro storico, I stop at Sant' Ignazio. I want to illuminate the ceiling, but the coin slot in the illumination box is jammed with other coins. I try pounding it lightly, then more heavily, in an attempt to dislodge the coins. A man approaches and we have a broken-English/broken-Italian conversation in search of a solution. Finally, the fellow turns and speaks in Italian to an approaching priest. The priest answers, "I'm from Glasgow." A wonderful moment -- though we never get the lights to work.
I write my last two postcards while sitting in the Pantheon.
On to a coffee at Bar Sant'Estachio. Yikes - how do they do that to coffee? An amazing elixir. I even catch Sant'Ivo all Sapienza open and sit for a while enjoying Borromini's unusual plan. Along the way I purchase tassels at my usual store. (It's fun to hang them on doorknobs and furniture, a constant reminder of a wonderful travel day.) I also buy some chocolate for P at Confetteria Moriondo & Gariglio (Via Pie di Marmo 21-22) a fancy, old-fashioned chocolate shop.
Wandering across the corso to Campo dei Fiori, in and out the winding streets. Night is falling quickly. At Youssef Hallak's glass store (Via del Pellegrino) I buy 6 small handmade glasses for 10 euro. They don't look very Italian, but are perfect for grappa or limoncello. I'm wandering all over, now back through Piazza Navona for a few souvenir purchases and then over toward the Piazza di Spagna for gloves. Gloves used to be much cheaper in Italy than in the US. Not true anymore with the poor exchange, but it's still nice to know that the gloves you're wearing came from Rome. I'm not a fan of this area, but in full shopping mode I stop in some shops on Condotti and Frattina.
For dinner I return to an old favorite Settimio all'Arancio (Via dell'Arancio 50/52). I decide to eat old favorites, dishes I'll never find done as well at home. It's so warm, I sit outside and have carciofi alla giudia followed by spaghetti alla vongole veraci. The food arrives quickly, and soon I'm done and on the move again. I head back toward the Pantheon, passing a mozzarella bar along the way - chic décor, balls of mozzarella float in dramatically lit tanks - too bad I ate dinner already. Even I couldn't eat a mozzarella at this point.
What better "last" moment? Enjoying a gelato in Piazza della Rotunda. I follow Grinisa's advice and get a small cup of strawberry and lemon at Fragole e Limone just off the piazza. Wonderful moment made more wonderful as I watch other gelato-eaters staring in the windows of gelaterie, planning for their next cone.
It's been a long day and I covered many miles. I deserve a ride. I hail a taxi at the stand opposite Rinascente on Via del Corso. The cabbie checks his map for my location. I give him more guidance and for the rest of the trip he gabs (I think) about how he had to check the map because they keep changing the direction of the streets. I can't follow his fast talk too well, but am also caught up in our route: down Via del Corso, straight to the typewriter monument, then past the forum, Colosseum glowing ahead. Perfect. Even so, the cabbie misses the turn for my street.
Back at the hotel I pay the bill (110 euro per night for double as single). Now I have to pack. I've got to get a train to FCO at about 7:30AM. I turn on CNN. It's Election Day in the US, but it's still too early to know results, even when I finally turn out the lights.
DAY 16: Wednesday, 3 November 2004 - Rome and Home
My internal clock wakes me well before my alarm. Back in the US it's not even midnight, so CNN offers no presidential election results. It's a cool, clear morning as I drag my bag across the cobbles at Santa Maria Maggiore.
The Leonardo Express is uneventful. At FCO, the same cashier as last year short-changes me on my cappuccino and cornetto. He must be financing a second home with 50 centessimi coins gathered from unsuspecting tourists. The TVs in the departure area show entertainment news only, so I still don't know if we have a president when we board. I have no seatmate, so I can spread out and be comfortable.
The customs agent at Newark tells us we've chosen a president.
EPILOGUE:
Two months later, I hear P tell a friend that he liked Florence better than Rome. When asked what could have been better about the trip, he remarks that the breakfast at the Hotel Colosseum wasn't as good as at the Hotel Paris. Everything else was "great."
A friend who lives in Hoboken is incredibly impressed that I've visited Molfetta. Her landlady and most of her neighbors are Molfettese. It's true.
This was a really good trip.
Dec 16th, 2004, 01:17 PM
#69
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Thanks for all our kind comments.
A client called today, asking if I knew anything about Rome. Someone in her office said she should ask me for advice on her last-minute trip next week. I emailed her the entire trip report. She immediately called back: "I just read your first day in Rome and I'm dying! Those artichokes!"
I enjoy infecting others with Italy-fever.
A client called today, asking if I knew anything about Rome. Someone in her office said she should ask me for advice on her last-minute trip next week. I emailed her the entire trip report. She immediately called back: "I just read your first day in Rome and I'm dying! Those artichokes!"
I enjoy infecting others with Italy-fever.
Dec 17th, 2004, 07:45 AM
#72
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LoveItaly, Thanks for your kind words. I often appreciate your thoughtful additions to threads, not just those you made here.
CORRECTION: Just noticed I called the gelateria in Florence "Giolitti." It was Vivoli.
Thought some might appreciate a handy summary of addresses.
ADDRESS BOOK
FLORENCE
Hotel Paris
Via dei Banchi (Near Santa Maria Novella)
Osteria Belle Donne
Via delle Belle Donne, 16/R (Near Santa Maria Novella)
tel 055.2382609
Trattoria Za-Za
Piazza Mercato Centrale 26/R (Near San Lorenzo Market)
tel 055.215411
Trattoria da Benvenuto
Via della Mosca 16R (Near Science Museum)
Acqua al 2
Via della Vigna Vecchia 40/R (Near Bargello)
Gelateria Vivoli
Via dell’ Isola delle Stinche 7R (Near Santa Croce)
ROME
Hotel Colosseum
Via Sforza (Near Santa Maria Maggiore)
Trattoria Da Luigi
Piazza Sforza Cesarini, 24 (off Corso Vit. Emanuele near Chiesa Nuova)
tel 06.6865946
Trattoria Taverna 40
Via Claudia 24 (Near Colosseum)
tel 06.7000550
Ristorante La Forchetta D'Oro
Via S. Martino ai Monti, 40 (Near Santa Maria Maggiore)
Hostaria La Danesina
Via del Governo Vecchio 125 (Near Piazza Navona)
Trattoria Monti
Via San Vito 13a (Near Santa Maria Maggiore off Via C. Alberto)
tel 06.4466573
Settimio all'Arancio
Via dell'Arancio 50/52 (Near Via del Corso)
Il Labratorio di San Crispino
Via della Panetteria 42 (Near Fontana di Trevi)
Gelateria La Dolce Vita
Via Cavour 306 (Near Colosseum)
Gelateria Giolitti
Via Uffici del Vicario 40 (Near Piazza Colonna)
Bar Sant'Estachio
Piazza Sant’Estachio (Near Pantheon)
Gelateria Della Palma
Facing Fontana di Trevi and Via Maddelena 20
Gelateria Fragole e Limone
Via Via Giustiniari (between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona)
CESENA
Tutto Gelato
Via IX Febbraio 30
MOLFETTA
Ristorante Isola di San Andrea
Via Dante 98
Pizzeria Franzese
Via Baccarini 141
Gelateria San Marco
Just outside the park, northeast corner
BARI
Ai Due Ghiottoni
Via Putignani, 11
CORRECTION: Just noticed I called the gelateria in Florence "Giolitti." It was Vivoli.
Thought some might appreciate a handy summary of addresses.
ADDRESS BOOK
FLORENCE
Hotel Paris
Via dei Banchi (Near Santa Maria Novella)
Osteria Belle Donne
Via delle Belle Donne, 16/R (Near Santa Maria Novella)
tel 055.2382609
Trattoria Za-Za
Piazza Mercato Centrale 26/R (Near San Lorenzo Market)
tel 055.215411
Trattoria da Benvenuto
Via della Mosca 16R (Near Science Museum)
Acqua al 2
Via della Vigna Vecchia 40/R (Near Bargello)
Gelateria Vivoli
Via dell’ Isola delle Stinche 7R (Near Santa Croce)
ROME
Hotel Colosseum
Via Sforza (Near Santa Maria Maggiore)
Trattoria Da Luigi
Piazza Sforza Cesarini, 24 (off Corso Vit. Emanuele near Chiesa Nuova)
tel 06.6865946
Trattoria Taverna 40
Via Claudia 24 (Near Colosseum)
tel 06.7000550
Ristorante La Forchetta D'Oro
Via S. Martino ai Monti, 40 (Near Santa Maria Maggiore)
Hostaria La Danesina
Via del Governo Vecchio 125 (Near Piazza Navona)
Trattoria Monti
Via San Vito 13a (Near Santa Maria Maggiore off Via C. Alberto)
tel 06.4466573
Settimio all'Arancio
Via dell'Arancio 50/52 (Near Via del Corso)
Il Labratorio di San Crispino
Via della Panetteria 42 (Near Fontana di Trevi)
Gelateria La Dolce Vita
Via Cavour 306 (Near Colosseum)
Gelateria Giolitti
Via Uffici del Vicario 40 (Near Piazza Colonna)
Bar Sant'Estachio
Piazza Sant’Estachio (Near Pantheon)
Gelateria Della Palma
Facing Fontana di Trevi and Via Maddelena 20
Gelateria Fragole e Limone
Via Via Giustiniari (between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona)
CESENA
Tutto Gelato
Via IX Febbraio 30
MOLFETTA
Ristorante Isola di San Andrea
Via Dante 98
Pizzeria Franzese
Via Baccarini 141
Gelateria San Marco
Just outside the park, northeast corner
BARI
Ai Due Ghiottoni
Via Putignani, 11
