When in Rome

How are you all doing? I hope that your weekends went okay and that the dark cloud that feels like it’s hanging over all of us right now lets a little bit of light in. I, like so many people, am still struggling with the Newtown school shooting and having a hard time feeling normal. This weekend was nice; we visited close friends with a beautiful new baby boy, had a dinner date at Cinquecento, a get-together with friends at The Reserve, and finally, some quiet time by the Christmas tree, fully participating in the prayer service in Newtown. The weekend was about being with people, truly being there, and we continue to cling to one another, grateful to be home at the end of the day despite both enjoying our work. I’ve been trying to live my own advice and living and healing one precious moment at a time.

Revisiting travel photos helps. It reminds me (and I shouldn’t need to be reminded) how lucky I am not just to have all of my basic needs met, but to have the opportunity to see the world with someone I love so dearly.

We ate well in Italy; as I mentioned in an earlier post, the best food we had was while visiting family. There was definitely some amazing food and wine consumed in Rome though, between traipsing around the ancient city, staring mouths agape at ruins and architecture. What an amazing city.

One rainy night in Rome, we stumbled upon Mercato Hostaria in Campo de Fiori. There we were met with plates of antipasti and bruschetta.

{Olive tapenade bruschetta at Mercato Hostaria}

{Bruschetta at Mercato Hostaria}

And I sipped on a perfect aperitivo, Campari and soda.

{Campari and soda at Mercato Hostaria}

A little more wandering brought us to Al Bric whose cheese display was one of the most impressive I have seen.

{Cheese at Al Bric}

Somehow we made our way back to Mercato Hostaria for Chianti and Carbonara with views of the sparkling, rainy Campo de Fiori. Heaters made for cozy outdoor dining, and we loved the bustling outdoor space.

{Back to Mercato Hostaria for carbonara with a view of Campo de Fiori}

After hours of wandering Vatican City, lunch was found out a spot filled with local working men, some in suits, some in city worker uniforms, all in a hurry, grabbing espressos and cappuccinos and pizzas as they went. It’s always a good sign when a restaurant is full of locals, so we grabbed an outside table and lingered over a long lunch that started with a perfect Aperol Spritz.

{Aperol Spritz at Caffe Castello}

{The Diavalo Pizza, Caffe Castello}

Spicy thin crust pizza and a mixed salad topped with burratta, followed by espresso fueled some more walking and was absolutely delicious.

{Ensalata Misto, Caffe Castello}

{Espresso, times 100}

Gelato is a staple in Italy; I tend to go for a mix of hazelnut and chocolate, and it was warm enough that we had to eat it quickly.

{Gelato near Vatican City}

{Wine in the Christmas market in Piazza Navona}

Traveling in Europe in November and December means Christmas markets, and we stopped at a wine cart to enjoy some local wine for a Euro a cup. It wasn’t the best wine ever, but it was fun to wander around with.

Our final dinner in Rome was our most indulgent, complete with the largest cheese board we had ever seen, lots of pasta, and wine, followed by some wine from our visit to Masciarelli, back in our lovely hotel room.

{Cheese board at Barrique Enoteca}

{Penne Arrabiatta at Barrique Enoteca}

{Gnocchi in four cheese sauce at Barrique Enoteca}

There’s so much more to tell about our recent visit to Italy and Ireland, and I look forward to getting to live it all again through the blog.

Until next time, take care