Well it’s been a couple of days and as I’m in Rome aka one of the greatest places on earth, I thought it was time for an update. Possibly the best part of my time in Rome, other than the amazing sites, architecture and food, was having company. Enjoying aperitivo, eating out, having a glass of wine and sharing experiences is so much better when you have someone with you as solo drinking just isn’t a particular favourite of mine.
Nice snap of Ben and I!
Ben arrived on Thursday so I had one day to explore Rome by myself, which I ended up re-doing again with him but unlike movies, where I can’t stand to watch the same thing twice, with Rome I could actually walk the same walk a good few times without getting bored. Averaging 15 miles a day, we’ve covered a lot of ground this week, visiting all the best attractions – the Vatican City, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon (the list goes on) and getting lost in the back streets of the city. Probably not helped my wearing flip flops the majority of the time, but my feet have definitely taking a battering. It hasn’t been all walking though, we’ve also sampled a lot of delicious Roman specialities and have eaten a lot of pizza!
One of the many pizzas I’ve tried
I’ve decided I love roman pizza, it’s one hundred times better than the Sicilian one. It has a thinner base, a crisp crunch and tastes a little more like ciabatta due to the air pockets found throughout the crust. With the exception of our pizza at Pizzarium, the toppings tend to be a lot less generous than other Italian regions, but with such a thin base, this compliments the roman pizza well. In the rest of my time here, I’m going to aim to either going to sit and watch the pizza being made in a pizzeria, or seek out a course so I can become a pro in making the springy roman pizza. However, the latter is easier said than done, as the majority of pizza courses in Italy are based on the Neapolitan base.
Our view whilst enjoying a bottle of red and cheese board!
In terms of eating out, we’ve focused on finding aperitivo (when in Rome!) and found two fantastic places. On Wednesday we ate at Bacchanal in Campo di Fiori and last night we went to a highly recommended cocktail bar called Salotto 42, located near the Pantheon. Owned by a Swedish model and serving a crazy concoction of cocktails to the more respected public (possibly the best way to say that?!) it did have a completely different scene. It also served sushi in the buffet! You might be thinking ‘she’s in Italy, why would she want sushi’, but after 10 days of eating purely wheat based things, the sushi and crudites were a more than welcome addition. I’m writing a review on Salotto 42, so hold out for that! We continued the night at a couple of wine bars within the main area but then decided to grab a taxi to Travestere as the night life is better there.
And, wow was I happy with where we ended up! In the backstreets of Travestere, we found a lovely little wine bar, so busy that we had to stand at the bar while we drank our drinks. With wine from every region of Italy and at very reasonable prices (averaging 5 euros a glass) we were beginning to think we’d settle for the night! We settled on 2 glasses of Frascati and I browsed the food menu. A mistake on my part as I found truffle a LOT on the menu, and it’s been a while since I’ve last had a taste so I ordered scarmoza con tartufo nero e porchini, also known as smoked mozzarella with porcini and black truffle. Anyway, I’m not going to go on as I’ll be writing a review but oh wow, it was possibly the best thing I’ve eaten since being in Italy!
Trevi Fountain
Back to activities! Other than exploring the city and seeing all the main attractions, visiting a local beach has been on my itinerary for Rome, and as our feet and legs were aching from all the walking, we took the metro and train to Ostia. An hour from central Rome on public transport and a further 15 minute walk from the station, beach was not a quick find. And to be honest, it wasn’t really worth it, maybe if it’d been less windy, we would’ve stayed a lot longer but for such a long journey, I don’t think visiting Ostia is justified, unless you really want to see the sea!
So, that’s my time in Rome so far! Ben’s leaving today and Steph’s arriving so no doubt I’ll be doing exactly the same things all over again but my focus now is on finding out how to make the roman pizza. Also, I’m hoping with Ben’s departure, the level of drinking will die down and the diet cokes will begin to make more of an entrance. Anyway, that’s it from me!
