Re visiting, Rome

 On our previous trips, we were like most other tourists, but now we prefer to call ourselves travellers. As tourists, it is more like ticking off bucket list items, but as travellers, it is taking in the sights, not rushing, not having a schedule and travelling like a local. 

Today was just like that. I handed the map (digital on the phone) to Katie and said to plot a course for the day. She wanted to visit the main sights in central Rome but also take the time to learn about them a little more. With the internet in our hands, there is no longer the need to carry large guidebooks, so as we reached each location, a quick google search directed us to a plethora of information.

The first stop was Campo di Fiori, where there was a daily market and an imposing statue. Here we noticed a slightly different market to previous visits. There was slightly less fresh produce and slightly more tourist souvenir items.  We could have also had about a dozen free samples of limoncello, but at 10:30, it was too early, and the salesmen were very pushy. 

Next was Piazza Navona and the three fountains. Again as self-guided, we could spend as long as we wanted in this piazza and learnt much detail about the three fountains' history.

Nasoni fountains, put your finger on the end, and it becomes a drinking bubbler.

Also, many squares have webcams, and I was able to take a screenshot of when we were there.

From here, it was across to the Pantheon, but only after stopping for a snack at the Pastecieria. 5 Lune.

This place has been in operation for over 100 years. It is all Italian but has the best cakes, biscuits and sweet things we have come across. These two items cost only 3.50 euros.  After our little sugar hit, we got into the Pantheon area, which was crowded, and chose to skip the queue and come back another time, so off to the Trevi fountain it was. 

This also was very busy but didn't distract us from the impressive fountain. Again guided by google, we were able to have a refresher on the history of the fountain. 

The Spanish steps were next, but rather than viewing from the bottom like we normally do, we snuck up on them from the top and looked down over Rome. 

Feeling the need to go even higher, we headed to the Borghese Gardens, where we took in the view of the city, saw a young man propose to his girlfriend (she said yes) and then strolled through the gardens and had a coffee and muffin. 

Heading back was simple. We hopped on bus 160 and in 30 min were back at our accommodation. 

The later part of the afternoon was spent resting, watching trashy television (believe it or not, Colombo), and then out for a simple dinner close by. 

The eternal city

 Buongiorno! This morning we left Bologna and boarded the high-speed train to Rome. In a couple of hours, we had reached the eternal city. I was so excited - Rome is my most favourite Italian city. Each time we visit is more beautiful than the last. It's the real combination of old and new that gets me. 

After finding our accommodation and settling in, we ventured out for a walk, stopping to visit a couple of our favourite sites, including the 'Turtle fountain', 'Elephant obelisk' and the almighty Pantheon. This afternoon we chose a cafe on the piazza that faces the Pantheon, so we could sit and enjoy a coffee and some people-watching. Tomorrow, we will revisit the inside of the Pantheon. Ordinarily, we would avoid cafes and restaurants close to monuments like the plague, as quite often they are tourist traps, overpriced and poor service. The cafe we chose was all of those things; however, we decided to make an exception. Because really, how often do you get to say you enjoyed coffee and tiramisu literally in front of the Pantheon? The coffee was ordinary, but the tiramisu we both ordered was delicious. Sometimes you have to break your own rules for the sake of being in the moment.

The narrow, steep staircase up to our apartment!

 

We left our coffee spot and slowly made our way to the meeting point of our guide. We had booked a tour 'with locals', to guide us through the wines of Italy. We met Daniele, and he took us to a wine store that locals shop at. Upstairs were shelves lined with various spirits and some wine on sale. Daniele told us the wine was downstairs in what he called 'the wine cathedral'. It took us only a short time to work out why. In this massive underground cellar stood rows and rows of Italian wines, divided into the regions they come from. There was also a small Australian selection! Daniele is an experienced Somellier. He talked us through the wines of every region in Italy, explaining to us the specialities of each region and his favourites of each region, recommending good purchases. We decided not to make any purchases, however. It would be a bit tricky getting wine home in our suitcases and expensive to send it home. However, we have picked up many tips about choosing a good wine. Many of the great ones Daniele pointed out to us were relatively inexpensive.

  

We wandered back to our apartment after the tour for a little rest and started thinking about dinner. After Daniele learned we were staying in the Jewish quarter or 'ghetto' area, he recommended a restaurant for us. I looked it up and found it was only 200 metres from our accommodation. We arrived at 'Giggetto', which was very busy and were lucky to get a table. The speciality of this restaurant and many in the Jewish quarter are 'Jewish artichokes'. Artichokes are in season right now, so we couldn't resist choosing this for our starter. I had tried them on a previous trip and was keen to have them again. Shannon was trying it for the first time. Artichokes have a unique taste, and I think you either love them or hate them. Shannon was not all that keen, but I once again enjoyed the taste. The Jewish version is to fry them, so the leaves on the outside become crispy. The roman version is to boil them until they are very soft.

  

We both enjoyed lovely pasta dishes for 'primi' - Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) and Arrabiata (spicy tomato and bacon). Our second courses were meat dishes. I had 'Saltimbocca' (thinly sliced veal with ham and sage), while Shannon had 'Scallopini' with mushrooms and peas. We were both left feeling completely full but very satisfied after a lovely meal. I can't wait to get out in the city tomorrow and revisit some of our most favourite spots.

The different side.

Most who come to Italy stick to the big cities, Rome, Florence and Venice. Some venture to other places, Naples, Bari, Cortona or Genoa, as we also have.  

Visiting these places is amazing and seeing the history in the central areas is often breathtaking. I do believe that it does not show a correct representation of Italy as a whole. 

Outside the Centro Storico (central city area), there is a different perspective.  Please don't think I am being disrespectful, but I don't believe it is acknowledged by tourists and travellers. Today we travelled to a suburb of Bologna on bus #30 to a shopping plaza - Lame Plaza.  No, this is not what we called it; it's the name of the suburb. I would suggest it is pronounced Laa-Mey.

This plaza was the size of Corio Village, had about 40 shops and was the biggest Coop we had ever seen. 

On arrival, we went to the bar and had due (2)  Cappuccini and due (2) croissants. It is also a place where you can get your supplies like our favourite Pocket Coffee and the like.

From here, we circled through the plaza, and yes, there are common stores, ladies' fashion, jewellery, men's clothes, mobile phone and technology shops. 

We ventured into the Coop, a large store like Woolworths, but much bigger. It was almost like a Costco. It had a pharmacy, bakery, sushi store, buy in bulk and save section and three aisles of pasta!

We made a number of purchases, and most items we later posted home, yes, it is expensive to post items like chocolate and wine home, but it is little treats like these that we appreciate much after this journey has finished. 

Some standouts are pictured below. 

I wish we could buy prosciutto like this at home.

Not sure; unrefrigerated in a box

So, we have been under the impression people wouldn't normally go home for lunch across Italy, well may be the case in the centre of the city. Still, here in Lame, we saw workers from all walks of life come to the Coop with colleagues and order from the Bai Marrie hot food, cooked vegetables, pizza, pasta or anything else.  The queue was long and moved well. It also appeared the staff behind the counter knew the workers and continued healthy banter with each of them.

The Coop also had a coin-to-note converter; however, it took about 10% of the coins as a fee!

The area we were in was what we would call typical suburbia, the same as suburbia at home but different, with more tower blocks (8 stories high), gardens in public areas unkept, and not too much rubbish around but much more graffiti than expected. 

The people looked more determined to get where they were going, to get a better/best deal while shopping, or to make the most of the time they had while having a coffee. 

Leaving after lunch at the Lame Shopping Plaza, we caught bus #30 back to the central city. However, this time it was also school finished time, and the bus was full of students. Meaning there was no way for us to enter the bus from the front like we should have, so we followed the local lead and entered through the exit doors. This also meant no sitting, being packed like sardines and no way we could ever get to the front to validate our tickets. So along with the others who got on, we had a free ride. 

Today is our last day in Bologna. It has been a great place to explore and relax. Tomorrow we catch the fast train to our final destination. 

Do as the locals do

Today wasn't about hitting the 'must see sites', but about relaxing and enjoying the city. As the Italians would say, 'La dolce vita' or Live the sweet life. This is a reminder to slow down and live in the moment. So, we took the opportunity today to have a leisurely morning, catching up on laundry and reading before we ventured out in the late morning. We were peckish but didn't feel like a huge meal for lunch. Our wandering led us to a narrow street lined with bars and restaurants. We came across a tiny place with high tables outside that literally served one type of dish - 'Tigelle'. Tigelle are a typical Bolognese snack or light lunch dish. They are small, round toasted sandwiches, shall we say, filled with various toppings. Shannon and I both chose Mortadella from Bologna, along with asparagus cream, soft cheese, and a tomato/onion relish. Simple and delicious and exactly the kind of thing we were looking for. They also paired nicely with a glass of Lambrusco.

  

We left our lunch spot and headed off on a slow walk around the city, watching people on their daily business, gazing in at windows of shops and enjoying some sunshine. Most businesses close between 1 and 3:30pm, particularly in the winter, which means window shopping only if you're out and about this time of day! We drooled over parmesan and tortellini sold fresh, meats and vegetable dishes available to 'take away', fresh flowers and bread. We could picture life as a local here - purchasing different goods at smaller places rather than the larger supermarket.

Parmesan cheese shop!

Local butcher - tongue anyone?

  

On the way back to our accommodation, we stopped at a little cafe two doors down from our apartment that we had walked passed several times a day. I needed a little coffee hit, so we ordered Macchiato 'grande' (espresso with a dollop of foam and make it big). I asked the cafe owner if she had cake, and she enthusiastically pointed out the Baclava in the glass case. Turns out she is from Morocco and making a living running a little cafe in Bologna. We got back to our apartment and spent some time reviewing the next week's activities and prepared a simple dinner.

We headed back out after dinner in search of Gelati. Yes, it's winter, but gelati is practically mandatory daily. We returned to a little place we had been to a couple of days ago, where they had some creative combinations of flavours. Shannon chose a chocolate fondant and milk and egg, and I had tiramisu and nocciola, which is hazelnuts. Delicious! 

It was getting chilly, so we started walking back in the direction of our apartment but stopped when we came to the main square. A large group of people formed in front of the cathedral, some with instruments and they started singing. You can imagine the joy this brought to this choir singer! So rather than go straight home, we found a wine bar on the piazza where we could sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to the singing. Our glass of wine turned into a tasting of three different wines and a purchase of a bottle to take home. Another delightful day.

Wine tasting and a 'snack' - gnocco fritto and mortadella