Rome. So much to tell.

Rome: just so darn pretty everywhere you look.


So let me get right to it. The wedding was fantastic and I think I was a rather calm bride if I do say so myself. Rome was the perfect place to unwind after all that craziness. I don't know if it was the time of year, but gee those Romans sure are laid back. You'd think that with all that super strong coffee there would be some kind of frantic buzz about the place. But there wasn't. And if there's anything that G and I love, it's relaxing. Rome is our kind of place, I tell you.


The Colloseum

I don't even know where to start. I could rant for hours about how much there is to see in that city and how beautiful it is. Then I would spend another hour or two telling you about the food we had: fabulous gelato, spaghetti all'amatriciana, arancini, and pizza bianca..
Oh dear.
I tell you, it's a good thing the honeymoon is AFTER the wedding because I would probably have trouble with the zipper on my wedding dress if it were the other way around.

Because I was so busy with the wedding stuff I really didn't take any time before our trip to do much research. I had a few things in mind, but as a backup I went to a trusted source and carried a print out of his Roman favourites with me.
So let's not beat around the bush here, the man knows his gelato.
San Crispino is so teeny tiny that you probably wouldn't even notice the door if you weren't actually looking for it. We circled the block about 10 times just waiting for the shop to open. G was a real trooper, and though he thinks I am nuts most of the time, even he had to admit that this gelato was definitely worth the wait. I mean really, meringue with hazelnuts? Have I told you how much I love hazelnuts? (a shot of hazelnut syrup in my coffee is one of my favourite indulgences.)


Gelato: Meringue with hazelnuts and a side of Chestnut


We didn't stick to the list for everything, sometimes you need to just play it by ear. Unfortunately, this resulted in 2 out of 4 of our pizza experiences being rather disappointing. I don't seem to have the luck that some people have where no matter what place they walk into they seem to stumble upon the best of the best. One pizza in particular left me with a bruised finger from pressing so hard on my knife just to cut through the doughiness of it. I walked around with that purple pizza finger for the next 2 days. But I'm such a sucker for a little candlelight and ambiance. Come on girls, you know what I mean, right? Thank god the wine was good (not to mention the super cute husband sitting across from me) because it totally made up for the craptacular pizza.

And then there was the coffee. Let me tell you! Those Italians sure know what they're doing when it comes to coffee.


The best coffee in Rome, or so they say. And roasted chestnuts from a street vendor.

With my trusty map in hand I dragged G to a cafe where the coffee is considered some of the best in Rome. And it was damn good, even if the location was a little dismal--off some side street with nothing to look at but the cars parked in front of you. Normally this ambiance loving girl would be deterred but since I had done my research we settled ourselves in and watched the excitement of parked cars while we enjoyed our coffee. (Nice rims. His tire is kinda flat. And so on and so on..)

I did have a redeeming pizza experience after a trip to a deli/food shop called Volpetti --a tiny little place that was filled with customers both times I went. The staff there are so charming even if your Italian is so bad that all you can do is point at what you want. I pointed successfully at the zucchini blossom pizza and we took it back to our hotel room with yes, of course, a bottle of wine. And I'm happy to report it tasted just as good as it looked, even if the picture does not do it justice.


Zucchini Blossom Pizza from Volpetti


Listen, all this talk of the fabulous food we ate in Rome is making me crazy. I need to take a deep breath here. There is just so much to tell I feel a bit confused about how to get it all in. I guess I'm just going to have to get working on a second post...


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Il Gelato di San Crispino
Via della Panetteria, 42
Rome

San Eustachio (for the coffee)
Piazza Sant' Eustachio, 82
Rome

Volpetti
Via Marmorata, 47
Rome