Too much food for one day!

The Jewish ghetto and Synagogue are just where we are staying, and this is a new area for us compared to staying in the Trevi area on past trips. 

We have found this area a little more gritty but has its own style.

Today we started by exploring the Synagogue and its museum, The history here goes back hundreds of years, and it was strongly apparent the Jewish in this area are proud of the history they have. It is a complex history, and the museum provides a thorough explanation to us non-Jewish people.

From there, we hung about the Jewish area. We replicated the visit to the bakery Katie mentioned yesterday, this time getting a slice of the ricotta cake and the other items we purchased yesterday also. 

It was then a short walk in the rain to Piazza Venizia, but after having some pub food at the Scholars Lounge Irish Pub, I had a Guinness Stew and Mashed potato, while Katie had some roast Chicken and vegetables. 

After lunch, we passed by Basilica di San Marco Evangelista and admired the amazing building and its decoration. 

Later in the day, it was on the bus and passed the Colosseum to Basilica di San Clemente, a church that was built over a pagan temple & Roman house.  The church was impressive, but as we stepped down through the levels and eventually walked into the roman House with natural spring. (unfortunately, no photographs were permitted)

Finishing the day was at the restaurant in our street, Bottega Tredici. it was a little pricy, but a great way for us foodies to conclude this trip.  The chef uses common Italian ingredients and puts a new modern spin on them.

Roman Artichoke’s Tarte Tatin: Roman artichokes with their cream smoked, stuffed with herb bread and parsley sauce

Fassona, mushroom, hazelnuts, bernese Piedmontese Fassona tartare sautéed mushrooms, crunchy hazelnuts, Béarnaise sauce, aromatic herbs from aquaponic culture

Cacio e Pepe

Roman-style cod ravioli, Ravioli stuffed with cod and lemon thyme on milk and pine nut sauce, tomato confit cream, parsley gel and raisins with champagne vinegar.

Duck, radicchio, orange, Grilled duck breast, with roasted radicchio, Cointreau sauce and fresh orange

Veal cheek, mashed potatoes, tarragon pistou Veal cheek stew, French purée, tarragon and chives mortar

Tiramisu

It is our final evening in Rome. After almost 4 weeks touring this wonderful country, it will be great to get home, see family see sunshine and our little mate, Frank. 

Ciao, till our next adventure, Shannon & Katie. 

Food, glorious food

Without any huge plans for today, it ended up being a great food day! Shannon had read about a very old bakery not far from our accommodation, so we made this our first stop this morning. Pasticceria il Boccione is not just an old bakery; it is the oldest surviving bakery in Rome's Jewish ghetto. It opened in 1815! We were here for their speciality, the crostata. The crostata has an interesting story. In a dark time in history, Roman Jews were forbidden from selling dairy products. To hide the delicious, sweet ricotta deliciousness inside, bakers used to disguise these cakes by deliberately burning the tops. It then became part of the recipe. As we approached the tiny bakery (blink and you'll miss it), we could smell the most amazing smells wafting down the street. It is so small there is only room for 2-3 customers inside at once. We patiently waited our turn. While waiting, we watched the bakers bring trays of crostata fresh from the oven out to the bench. No sooner are these goods baked, than they are eagerly purchased. We opted for the fruit and nut version and two other small pastries that looked a little like macaroons. The crostata was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. Perhaps it could be compared to fruit cake..but with a crispy exterior. The inside was very moist, and the combination of almonds and sweet cherries was delicious!

  

We enjoyed a coffee next door to balance out the sweet treat and watched a flustered teacher and her group of teenage students bombard the bakery we had just left. We spent time enjoying the streets and buildings of the Jewish Ghetto, a beautiful neighbourhood. We're glad we chose to stay in this area this time.

We wandered in the direction of the Pantheon. As it was so busy the other day, we had planned to come back. As it was drizzly and cold, fortunately for us, there was no queue today, and we walked straight in. This is another building in Rome that each time I visit, I feel like I'm seeing it for the first time. Its' size and beauty are overwhelming. Many people don't realise the Pantheon is actually a church.

  

The weather turned a bit nasty, so we went on the hunt for a good lunch spot. As the rain got a little heavier, we decided we'd even settle for a tourist-looking spot! For some reason, many places were closed today, so we had a little trouble finding something in the area we were walking. When we were about to give up, we spotted what appeared to be an entrance to a restaurant. No flashy lights and no signs out the front, but the lights were on inside, so we ventured in. There were only half a dozen tables inside. The staff didn't speak any English, and the menu was in Italian. This was when we knew we'd found a good one. We both ordered appetisers and primi's (first courses). Shannon enjoyed thinly sliced beef with parmesan and rocket, followed by pasta with cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), a traditional Roman dish. I had melon wrapped in prosciutto, followed by pasta with guanciale (pork cheek) A really enjoyable meal.

  

  

We did a little shopping as we headed in the direction of our apartment, and the weather got even worse. Our trusty umbrellas we bought in Florence weren't even coping with the heavy downpour! We were still at least a ten-minute walk from the apartment, so we retreated into a cosy looking cafe. We were glad to sit and rest for a while, and the cafe turned out to specialise in teas, lovely. 

The weather wasn't improving, so we knew we were in for a wet walk home. We dried out mostly and relaxed for a few hours before thinking about dinner. We have been craving Chinese food for a while, so we did a quick search and found a new looking place only 5 minute's walk away. Fortunately, the rain had stopped when we headed out. We ate at 'The Nest', on the edge of Campo di Fiori. If this place keeps producing high-quality food like we enjoyed tonight, they will do very well here. The prawn toast and steamed pork dumplings were delicious. We rolled home full and content after an enjoyable, albeit damp, day in Rome.

Dinner with strangers

 Highlights today included, unseasonal weather, visiting a villa, having a lovely lunch, getting rained on at the colosseum, mastering ATAC (Romes's bus network) and having dinner in a stranger's house.

The villa we visited was Villa Farnesina, on the other side of the river. An impressive building that also presented us with the history of Rome, the History of the river, how the river was changed and embankments were created. 

The villa consisted of gardens outside and inside, and a number of rooms which were decorated, both downstairs and up. 

From here, we caught the bus over to the colosseum and managed to rise above the crowds for some photo opportunities also got a little rained on. 

Lunch was close by, and even though we weren't expecting much, we were surprised.  We have found places that make pasta fresh makes a big difference. 

As the rain continued, we headed back to the apartment, watched a little TV, washed some clothes and then prepared for dinner.

We had booked a dinner "With Locals".  This enabled us to have a home-cooked meal and learn about local life in the City of Rome. We caught the bus to a pickup point and, on time, were collected by Gianluca and Claudia, who drove us away from the city to their apartment. We had a lovely couple of hours with them with a pasta and ragu dish, a meatball and tomato sauce dish with steamed and fried cabbage and finished with Tiramisu. 

The food was lovely, and the conversation was interesting too. At the conclusion, they drove us back toward the city, where we could walk only a few minutes back to our apartment. 

Another great day in the city of Rome

Hustle and bustle of the city

 One of the best things about Rome is it is such a walkable city. With the aid of Google maps, it is easy to reach the places you want to see by foot and by travelling this way, you also see unexpected things along the way. We had a leisurely morning today, leaving the apartment just before 11 and set off towards a neighbourhood known as Trastevere.

'Largo di Torre Argentina' - just around the corner from our apartment.

Our walk took us across the river Tiber. We stopped to watch the river running. It's not exactly a pretty river - a murky brown/green colour. But the birds flying and diving around was entertaining, and the bridges and surrounding buildings were charming. Being Sunday, many things are closed. Even more, places seemed closed on the other side of the river! We spotted a few bars open, but definitely no shops. Trastevere is what I would describe as 'grungy'. It is popular with younger people and apparently has some great restaurants. In the light of day, it looked a little dirty and rough around the edges. 

 

  

We decided this area wasn't for us, made a loop, and headed back across the river. I catch myself grinning from time to time when walking these amazing streets and am reminded of just how old this city is. When you stumble upon some ancient columns in the middle of nowhere, next to a boutique shop. We had a light lunch and spotted a nice-looking Gelati place. On past trips (in warmer weather), we usually indulged in gelati daily. But on this trip, we haven't had it often. The place was called 'Lucciano's', and you could watch the gelati artist at work through a window at the back of the shop. This is a big call, but it may just have been the BEST gelato I've ever had. It was incredibly creamy, and the pistachio and lemon meringue flavours I chose were spot on. After our sweet treat, we decided to take a rest in the apartment for the afternoon.

In the hustle and bustle of a big city like Rome, it is nice to have a quiet space to retreat to when it becomes too much. We took a bit of a gamble with our dinner choice tonight. We wanted to eat somewhere close to our apartment, so we picked a restaurant called 'Pasta e vini'. They are also open much earlier than standard Italy hours, so we decided to give them a go. It was busy, which is always a good sign. The staff were friendly, and the food was delicious! We shared a fried mixed vegetable plate for entree. It reminded me a little of tempura; the batter was light and crisp. Then we enjoyed pasta dishes. Spinach and ricotta ravioli with tomato sauce for me, and Shannon had a Carbonara with a twisted pasta we hadn't seen before. Another enjoyable meal. We decided we needed to walk our dinner off a bit, so we strolled back towards the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Both are equally as beautiful at night and tonight were less crowded.