Because you can.
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Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
4.15.2009
Dogs in Restaurants
Did I ever talk about how you could bring your dogs into restaurants in Italy?
Because you can.
(click for larger)
Because you can.
(click for larger)
3.26.2009
Italy: Final Days
Our last day in Florence we woke up with gloriously little to do. We slept in, then took our time getting ready for the day (and each had two cappuccinos at breakfast instead of one, just because we could!) We had heard that the Museum of Science had Galileo's Middle Finger on display, and both agreed we could NOT pass that up. We found the building, and were somewhat delighted that we were one of the few visitors there (I was getting a little sick of crowds by then!) And sure enough, there was Galileo's Finger (our photo sucked, so take my word for it).
Matt was totally digging all the sciency stuff, so we spent about 90 minutes in there. We then walked around and did some shopping, had some more panini's for lunch, and took extra time lingering over our 1/2 L. of wine. We headed back to the hotel, and on our way watched some street artists:
We took a nap and did our best to pack everything up, since we were leaving early the next morning and figured we'd be tying one on that night, as we were meeting our family friends again and HEY, IT WAS OUR LAST NIGHT IN ITALY!
We were ready a bit early so we headed back to Open Bar near the Ponte Vecchio, and I was served the largest glass of Campari EVER.
Behold the size of this glass:
Click for bigger, and imagine it filled to the top with drink.
I basically had to slam the last 2 ounces of it, which made for a very pleasant walk across the river to our friends apartment. After chatting over a plate of cheeses and a bottle of wine, we headed to dinner. We took their dog with us because as we learned, dogs are usually welcomed in restaurants. They took us to a place called La Vecchia Bettola that was is a residential area, and 95% locals. Matt and I were probably the only ones who didn't speak Italian, and the place was packed to the gills.
We started with some sort of grilled veggie dish (we trusted our hosts to order for us since we couldn't read the menu!). For dinner, I had what might have been the BEST Penne Ala Vodka that was humanly possible. I am not kidding you. I licked the plate clean. Matt got another Steak Florentine, that came with this delightful little flag in it:
We were told that means something along the lines if you put it in your mouth, it comes out your Culo. Lovely!
Anyhow, we managed to drink our way through almost 2 L of wine at dinner, and decided "HEY! We need a nightcap!" Cause nothing says "NIGHTCAP" after a massive glass of Campari, and about 6 glasses of wine like Prosecco!
Afterwalking stumbling back to the hotel, we passed out cold. At least I wasn't freaking out about the plane ride home!
Luckily, I woke up with only a moderate hangover.
Our flight home was MUCH better than the flight over. The plane was better, and we didn't have to sprint through an airport in Germany to make our flight. In fact, we had enough time in Munich to grab a beer.
Just what I needed for the hangover
My dad is 1/2 German, so I had to give some love to those roots. That's the only way I could legitimize drinking this beer feeling the way I did. You don't get a full size shot because I think I might still be a little green.
Over all, a completely amazing trip. I just adored Florence - I'd love to go back and spend an extended period of time there. We wouldn't have done anything differently except stay longer ;).
CIAO!
Matt was totally digging all the sciency stuff, so we spent about 90 minutes in there. We then walked around and did some shopping, had some more panini's for lunch, and took extra time lingering over our 1/2 L. of wine. We headed back to the hotel, and on our way watched some street artists:
We took a nap and did our best to pack everything up, since we were leaving early the next morning and figured we'd be tying one on that night, as we were meeting our family friends again and HEY, IT WAS OUR LAST NIGHT IN ITALY!
We were ready a bit early so we headed back to Open Bar near the Ponte Vecchio, and I was served the largest glass of Campari EVER.
Behold the size of this glass:
Click for bigger, and imagine it filled to the top with drink.
I basically had to slam the last 2 ounces of it, which made for a very pleasant walk across the river to our friends apartment. After chatting over a plate of cheeses and a bottle of wine, we headed to dinner. We took their dog with us because as we learned, dogs are usually welcomed in restaurants. They took us to a place called La Vecchia Bettola that was is a residential area, and 95% locals. Matt and I were probably the only ones who didn't speak Italian, and the place was packed to the gills.
We started with some sort of grilled veggie dish (we trusted our hosts to order for us since we couldn't read the menu!). For dinner, I had what might have been the BEST Penne Ala Vodka that was humanly possible. I am not kidding you. I licked the plate clean. Matt got another Steak Florentine, that came with this delightful little flag in it:
We were told that means something along the lines if you put it in your mouth, it comes out your Culo. Lovely!
Anyhow, we managed to drink our way through almost 2 L of wine at dinner, and decided "HEY! We need a nightcap!" Cause nothing says "NIGHTCAP" after a massive glass of Campari, and about 6 glasses of wine like Prosecco!
After
Luckily, I woke up with only a moderate hangover.
Our flight home was MUCH better than the flight over. The plane was better, and we didn't have to sprint through an airport in Germany to make our flight. In fact, we had enough time in Munich to grab a beer.
Just what I needed for the hangover
My dad is 1/2 German, so I had to give some love to those roots. That's the only way I could legitimize drinking this beer feeling the way I did. You don't get a full size shot because I think I might still be a little green.
Over all, a completely amazing trip. I just adored Florence - I'd love to go back and spend an extended period of time there. We wouldn't have done anything differently except stay longer ;).
CIAO!
3.16.2009
Italy: Day 7
On Day 7 we got up bright and early, and walked back to the Train Station to hop a train to Pisa. We were headed to see the Tower, but more importantly, to meet my family that lives in Nodica, a small town just North of Pisa.
This was going to be quite an adventure, given the fact that they didn't speak English and we didn't speak Italian. We were all going to have to rely on my 15-year-old cousin to do all the translating for us.
My uncle had sent them a photo of us, and I was pretty impressed because they recognized us the minute we got off the train.
Our first stop was the Leaning Tower.
No, we didn't take the usual "hold up the Leaning Tower" photo (however, I will say that link is actually highly entertaining!)
The family then took us through the rest of the Piazza dei Miracoli including the Monumentale and Pisa Duomo.
The Baptistry of St. John was amazing. The building is actually a giant musical instrument. We have a video that I sadly don't have uploaded at the time, but I will add it when I get home tonight.
After walking around Pisa to see a few more sites, we headed to lunch (I had Pasta Del Mare and a breaded meat with marinara sauce). It was quite a strange experience to sit across the table from someone for two hours and not be able to communicate with them directly!
After lunch we headed to my families house in Nodica. I shared some family photos with my great-aunt,
and we were given some Port from the island that my other aunt's husband is from. After visiting for awhile and taking some photos, we headed up to the La Castella di Santa Ana, a former castle that is now a church in the region. There were great views of the entire Tuscan region.
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From there we headed to a few more sites around the region: Viareggio, where Carnevale is held each year, which we JUST narrowly missed on our trip. We then went to the home of Giacomo Puccini in Lucca on Lake Trasimeno.
By then we were STARVING and ready to eat! The family took us to a traditional Pisan restaurant. We learned that even though Florance and Pisa shared the same region (Tuscany), the two cities are actually rivals, and Pisa has developed its own dialect of Italian and way of cooking. The restaurant was a fixed menu, which consisted of about 15 small courses - LOTS of seafood! Matt and I agreed our favorite was a marinated octopus with Laurel (Bay) Leaf and Orange.
So 15 courses and 3 bottles of wine later, when we thought we were going to explode (beware when commenting out loud that you are starving while in Italia!), we were served this amazing concoction of Rum, Sambucca, and Cognac all simmered with lemon and orange peels and served in a coffee cup. Unsure if we were going to puke or get completely wasted, we both finished our cups and we AMAZED to find that out stomachs were settled and we were as good as new. GOOD GOD I LOVE THE ITALIANS!
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The family dropped us off back at the train station and we got back into Florance about 10pm. Even though this was SUPER early for a Friday night, we headed straight back to the hotel.
It truly was a WONDERFUL day - how many people get the chance to meet some of their relatives from the country of their origin??? Needless to say, we hit the pillows HARD that night. Must have been the Sambucca....
This was going to be quite an adventure, given the fact that they didn't speak English and we didn't speak Italian. We were all going to have to rely on my 15-year-old cousin to do all the translating for us.
My uncle had sent them a photo of us, and I was pretty impressed because they recognized us the minute we got off the train.
Our first stop was the Leaning Tower.
No, we didn't take the usual "hold up the Leaning Tower" photo (however, I will say that link is actually highly entertaining!)
The family then took us through the rest of the Piazza dei Miracoli including the Monumentale and Pisa Duomo.
The Baptistry of St. John was amazing. The building is actually a giant musical instrument. We have a video that I sadly don't have uploaded at the time, but I will add it when I get home tonight.
After walking around Pisa to see a few more sites, we headed to lunch (I had Pasta Del Mare and a breaded meat with marinara sauce). It was quite a strange experience to sit across the table from someone for two hours and not be able to communicate with them directly!
After lunch we headed to my families house in Nodica. I shared some family photos with my great-aunt,
and we were given some Port from the island that my other aunt's husband is from. After visiting for awhile and taking some photos, we headed up to the La Castella di Santa Ana, a former castle that is now a church in the region. There were great views of the entire Tuscan region.
Click for bigger
From there we headed to a few more sites around the region: Viareggio, where Carnevale is held each year, which we JUST narrowly missed on our trip. We then went to the home of Giacomo Puccini in Lucca on Lake Trasimeno.
By then we were STARVING and ready to eat! The family took us to a traditional Pisan restaurant. We learned that even though Florance and Pisa shared the same region (Tuscany), the two cities are actually rivals, and Pisa has developed its own dialect of Italian and way of cooking. The restaurant was a fixed menu, which consisted of about 15 small courses - LOTS of seafood! Matt and I agreed our favorite was a marinated octopus with Laurel (Bay) Leaf and Orange.
So 15 courses and 3 bottles of wine later, when we thought we were going to explode (beware when commenting out loud that you are starving while in Italia!), we were served this amazing concoction of Rum, Sambucca, and Cognac all simmered with lemon and orange peels and served in a coffee cup. Unsure if we were going to puke or get completely wasted, we both finished our cups and we AMAZED to find that out stomachs were settled and we were as good as new. GOOD GOD I LOVE THE ITALIANS!
Click for bigger
The family dropped us off back at the train station and we got back into Florance about 10pm. Even though this was SUPER early for a Friday night, we headed straight back to the hotel.
It truly was a WONDERFUL day - how many people get the chance to meet some of their relatives from the country of their origin??? Needless to say, we hit the pillows HARD that night. Must have been the Sambucca....
3.10.2009
Italy: Day 6
On day 6 we woke up and walked to our tour of the Academia and the David. Since we couldn't bring our camera inside, you'll have to use the powers of imagination to picture us walking around in there. The tour was definitely worth it, since we didn't have to wait in line. Walking into the gallery and laying eyes on David for the first time really was a breath-taking experience. It really is an AMAZING piece of art.
Something else I found interesting from the tour was the process in which Michelangelo carved his pieces. He carved in a way in which the subject seemed to be "breaking free" of the marble, a process in which he believed he was freeing the art that was already contained within. It was fascinating!
After the tour we had some lunch near the Duomo. A plate of assorted Bruschetta's and Panini's. Prosciutto and Mozzarella for me, Gorgonzola and Radicchio for Matt.
I was so freaking hungry, I ate all of mine and about a 1/3 of Matts. This is why I love Italy. I ate like a horse and didn't gain a pound!
My hot husband demonstrating how to enjoy lunch in Italy.
After lunch we headed to the Beatrice Galli Yarn Shop, thanks to a recommendation from Kimberli. We learned she was closing up shop at the end of the month so her stock was realitvely bare, but I picked up some Adriafil sock yarn and a few other skeins of merino/silk (hmmm... no photos of those.... coming soon). Before leaving, she graciously gave me a large cross-stitch pattern of the Ponte Vecchio. Someday when I get around to stitching it, it will be a nice reminder of the trip!
We spent a few more hours wandering around downtown and bought a few more things (a leather wallet for Matt, a royal-purple silk pashmina for me), before retiring to the hotel for a siesta.
We decided to make it a low-key night since our friends got us pretty tipsy the night before. We had a drink in the hotel lobby (above) of you guessed it! Campari & Peroni! and asked for a dinner recommendation.
They sent us to this FABULOUS place (which I can't remember the name of at the moment. Helpful, huh? I know we have the card around here somewhere so if you want it, let me know). Seriously, this was probably our favorite dinner to date. We should have known this place was the real deal since each of the menus, INCLUDING the wine list, was hand-written.
We had the Tuscan antipasto of cured meats, a salad mista, and then I had Duck Ragu over cheese ravioli that was to DIE for. Matt had Eggplant Parmesan and he did everything but pick up the gratin dish and lick it clean. By this point we had also learned to stop messing with the wine list and just order a carafe of the house stuff which was a perfect compliment.
3.09.2009
Italy: Day 5
Day 5 was our travel day between Rome and Florence. We got up and ate our last Roman breakfast, checked out, and headed to the train station.
I finally had some time to knit!
Italian Countryside (click for full size - it's beautiful!)
After a quick 1:45 train ride, we pulled into Florence, hailed a cab, and went 1 mile to our hotel (yes, we felt silly too... but we had 2 massive suitcases with us!) We were both starving so we found a cafe and you guessed it, more pizza and wine. Well, Matt actually had this friend pork cutlet with marinara that was pretty yummy as well.
Some of our family friends own an apartment in Florence and were there during our stay, so they met us at our hotel later in the afternoon and walked us around town.
The Ponte Vecchio
We stopped at La Rinascente, a department store in Piazza della Republica. They have a roof-top cafe that was a perfect spot for sharing a bottle of wine!
After some more sightseeing and FINALLY landing in an Internet Cafe (where we SWEAR the computers from from 1998), we headed to dinner with our friends to a great local place in Piazza Santo Spirito. Matt got his first taste of Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and I had Gnocchi with Arugula Pesto. It goes without saying that this was all beyond yummy.
We finished the night having a cocktail at Open Bar, that had a killer view of the Arno River, and our friends told us all about the terrible flood in the 60s that destroyed many parts of the city.
I decided after Day 1 that I was in love with Florence. Maybe because my family is Tuscan and it seemed a bit more familiar, but either way, I was smitten!
I finally had some time to knit!
Italian Countryside (click for full size - it's beautiful!)
After a quick 1:45 train ride, we pulled into Florence, hailed a cab, and went 1 mile to our hotel (yes, we felt silly too... but we had 2 massive suitcases with us!) We were both starving so we found a cafe and you guessed it, more pizza and wine. Well, Matt actually had this friend pork cutlet with marinara that was pretty yummy as well.
Some of our family friends own an apartment in Florence and were there during our stay, so they met us at our hotel later in the afternoon and walked us around town.
The Ponte Vecchio
We stopped at La Rinascente, a department store in Piazza della Republica. They have a roof-top cafe that was a perfect spot for sharing a bottle of wine!
After some more sightseeing and FINALLY landing in an Internet Cafe (where we SWEAR the computers from from 1998), we headed to dinner with our friends to a great local place in Piazza Santo Spirito. Matt got his first taste of Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and I had Gnocchi with Arugula Pesto. It goes without saying that this was all beyond yummy.
We finished the night having a cocktail at Open Bar, that had a killer view of the Arno River, and our friends told us all about the terrible flood in the 60s that destroyed many parts of the city.
I decided after Day 1 that I was in love with Florence. Maybe because my family is Tuscan and it seemed a bit more familiar, but either way, I was smitten!
3.05.2009
Italy: Day 4
Our final morning in Rome was spent at the Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica. And really, nothing you've read about or photos you've seen before can really prepare you for it.
This altar, called the Altar of the Confessio used 6,200 k. of metal. Seriously?!?
The Pieta, carved by Michelangelo at 21. Want to know what I was doing at 21? Oh, nevermind....
We decided to walk back to our hotel and hit the other major sites along the way. We stopped for some wine and pizzas at a place called "Friends Cafe" (which, after some Goggling right now, I learned was named for the actual American Sitcom...) They had this amazing gorgonzola, arugula, and grilled raddicho pizza that was to DIE for.
Recharged, we ventured on to the Pantheon, which is the oldest standing domed structure in Rome.
Seems very appropriate that from where I was sitting I was starring directly into a McDonald's, no? There were also like a gazillion teenagers sitting around that fountain, which limited out time there. So we headed inside.
This oculus, or opening at the top, admits the only light into the structure. Lucky for us it wasn't raining that day.
We continued on to the Trevi Fountain, and threw our coins in to ensure our return to Rome (yes please!)
(Had to steal this one from Google since I apparently didn't upload any of ours)
We did some shopping for the family and headed back to the hotel for a siesta, then showered and headed out for the night. First stop? Hard Rock Rome! It was nice to see something somewhat familiar, but we stayed true to our location and ordered Campari's and Peroni's.
We then walked down Via Vittorio Veneto and found a cute little outdoor place outside the Hotel Imperiale and settled in. We had some more Prosecco, and some cured meats to start. I had Pasta Arrabiata and I can't remember what Matt had, but it's a safe bet it was Veal. We finished with Tiramisu (for the 4th night in a row!) and leisured over our bottle of wine until almost 11pm. We fell asleep that night full and happy and a little sad to be leaving Rome!
***edited to add***
While in Rome, Matt and I were mistaken for locals NO LESS than four times. Two people even asked us for directions in Italian (my 1/4 heritage must have been screaming through ;) )
This altar, called the Altar of the Confessio used 6,200 k. of metal. Seriously?!?
The Pieta, carved by Michelangelo at 21. Want to know what I was doing at 21? Oh, nevermind....
We decided to walk back to our hotel and hit the other major sites along the way. We stopped for some wine and pizzas at a place called "Friends Cafe" (which, after some Goggling right now, I learned was named for the actual American Sitcom...) They had this amazing gorgonzola, arugula, and grilled raddicho pizza that was to DIE for.
Recharged, we ventured on to the Pantheon, which is the oldest standing domed structure in Rome.
Seems very appropriate that from where I was sitting I was starring directly into a McDonald's, no? There were also like a gazillion teenagers sitting around that fountain, which limited out time there. So we headed inside.
This oculus, or opening at the top, admits the only light into the structure. Lucky for us it wasn't raining that day.
We continued on to the Trevi Fountain, and threw our coins in to ensure our return to Rome (yes please!)
(Had to steal this one from Google since I apparently didn't upload any of ours)
We did some shopping for the family and headed back to the hotel for a siesta, then showered and headed out for the night. First stop? Hard Rock Rome! It was nice to see something somewhat familiar, but we stayed true to our location and ordered Campari's and Peroni's.
We then walked down Via Vittorio Veneto and found a cute little outdoor place outside the Hotel Imperiale and settled in. We had some more Prosecco, and some cured meats to start. I had Pasta Arrabiata and I can't remember what Matt had, but it's a safe bet it was Veal. We finished with Tiramisu (for the 4th night in a row!) and leisured over our bottle of wine until almost 11pm. We fell asleep that night full and happy and a little sad to be leaving Rome!
***edited to add***
While in Rome, Matt and I were mistaken for locals NO LESS than four times. Two people even asked us for directions in Italian (my 1/4 heritage must have been screaming through ;) )
3.02.2009
Italy: Day 3
Onto Day 3. We were able to sleep in a bit and have a leisurely breakfast. On that note, I need to pause and say that this is the best breakfast I have EVER had.
Cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, ham... seriously? I only wish that my life back here allowed me to walk 5 miles a day like we did in Rome so I could eat this way every morning.
Anyway, we finished up and headed over to the Spanish Steps (only about a 20 minute walk from our hotel). We stopped to watch a group of people who we can only assume were raising awareness of the Kyoto Treaty. They were dressed up like a heard of penguins and parading all over the steps.
Matt modeling Beau on the Spanish Steps
After ducking into a cafe for a Cappuchino (which we are now both addicted to), we headed back to Barberini Square to share some pizza, panini, and a bottle of wine for lunch. We scored a great table in front of the cafe/bar and met some fellow travelers from both Australia and Ireland. We also watched a crazy dude run around the square and try to scare people.
Around 2pm we headed onto our "Crypts and Catacombs" tour. The Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Catacombe di San Callisto were outside the city walls, and were fairly interesting. We then headed to the Basilica of San Clemente, which was a 12th century church built on top of a 4th century church, which was built on top of a common-living area from the 1st century.
Matt and I both agreed the common area was the most interesting - there is still running water leading into the ruins of old homes that no one knows the source of. All the floor tiles and walls of the homes were original!
The final stop of the tour was the Cappuchin Crypt. I'm not even going to explain to you what the inside of the Crypt was like. Just click here. Story of these guys here.
That evening we ventured to dinner at a place near our hotel that I read about in a magazine, Otte e Mezzo. The service and wine was fantastic, but we were just a bit disappointed in the food. Don't get me wrong that is a relative term, because I still think it was a great meal. Just a bit pricey and smaller portions compared to other meals we had consumed.
This was also an adventure because this was the one place we had been where they spoke pretty limited English. Our waiter tried pretty hard, but I think I ordered something I didn't intend to ;)
Cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, ham... seriously? I only wish that my life back here allowed me to walk 5 miles a day like we did in Rome so I could eat this way every morning.
Anyway, we finished up and headed over to the Spanish Steps (only about a 20 minute walk from our hotel). We stopped to watch a group of people who we can only assume were raising awareness of the Kyoto Treaty. They were dressed up like a heard of penguins and parading all over the steps.
Matt modeling Beau on the Spanish Steps
After ducking into a cafe for a Cappuchino (which we are now both addicted to), we headed back to Barberini Square to share some pizza, panini, and a bottle of wine for lunch. We scored a great table in front of the cafe/bar and met some fellow travelers from both Australia and Ireland. We also watched a crazy dude run around the square and try to scare people.
Around 2pm we headed onto our "Crypts and Catacombs" tour. The Catacombs of St. Callixtus, Catacombe di San Callisto were outside the city walls, and were fairly interesting. We then headed to the Basilica of San Clemente, which was a 12th century church built on top of a 4th century church, which was built on top of a common-living area from the 1st century.
Matt and I both agreed the common area was the most interesting - there is still running water leading into the ruins of old homes that no one knows the source of. All the floor tiles and walls of the homes were original!
The final stop of the tour was the Cappuchin Crypt. I'm not even going to explain to you what the inside of the Crypt was like. Just click here. Story of these guys here.
That evening we ventured to dinner at a place near our hotel that I read about in a magazine, Otte e Mezzo. The service and wine was fantastic, but we were just a bit disappointed in the food. Don't get me wrong that is a relative term, because I still think it was a great meal. Just a bit pricey and smaller portions compared to other meals we had consumed.
This was also an adventure because this was the one place we had been where they spoke pretty limited English. Our waiter tried pretty hard, but I think I ordered something I didn't intend to ;)
2.25.2009
Italy: Day 2
We woke up *somewhat* early on Sunday morning, and I was fighting off the Prosecco hangover from the night before. Regardless we hit the pavement and headed out for a lunch of pizzas which helped massively. On our way, Matt and I happened across the Armenian Church in Rome. Yes, we were there for less than 24 hours and Matt found the Armos.
We then headed to Barberini Square to catch the hop on-hop off bus. We took the full tour and saw the sites from the top of the bus.
Parking? Si!
Temple of Vesta - believed to be the oldest building in Rome.
We jumped off at the Colosseum and took one of the guided tours. It really was amazing to see this thing in person.
The tour also took us over to the Roman Forum, which was awesome as well. We stood up on Palatine Hill and learned about the stories of Romulus and Remus, how Rome was populated, and the wild parties that used to go on.
Looking down to the party spot. Did you know those who were of the highest social class would gather here for parties and then eat and drink until full to the brim, and would then stick a feather down their throat to puke it all out and go at it agian? Yeah, no thanks....
Here Kitty Kitty........ I was a bit disappointed that this was the only cat we actually saw. I had heard so much about how many cats there are in Rome!
After a long, LONG day, we headed back to our little bar in the hotel for Campari, and we were directed to this great little place right around the corner from the hotel by the bartender. Matt and I shared some Bruschetta and Pasta Cartoccio Frutta di Mare. For my second course I had some Veal Meatballs with a mushroom sauce that was to DIE for. And a nice bottle of Chianti, of course. Sadly, it was the one place we didn't pick up a business card for!
We crashed hard that night. Luckily we got to sleep in, but wanted to make sure we got up in time for breakfast. SO SO glad we did.
We then headed to Barberini Square to catch the hop on-hop off bus. We took the full tour and saw the sites from the top of the bus.
Parking? Si!
Temple of Vesta - believed to be the oldest building in Rome.
We jumped off at the Colosseum and took one of the guided tours. It really was amazing to see this thing in person.
The tour also took us over to the Roman Forum, which was awesome as well. We stood up on Palatine Hill and learned about the stories of Romulus and Remus, how Rome was populated, and the wild parties that used to go on.
Looking down to the party spot. Did you know those who were of the highest social class would gather here for parties and then eat and drink until full to the brim, and would then stick a feather down their throat to puke it all out and go at it agian? Yeah, no thanks....
Here Kitty Kitty........ I was a bit disappointed that this was the only cat we actually saw. I had heard so much about how many cats there are in Rome!
After a long, LONG day, we headed back to our little bar in the hotel for Campari, and we were directed to this great little place right around the corner from the hotel by the bartender. Matt and I shared some Bruschetta and Pasta Cartoccio Frutta di Mare. For my second course I had some Veal Meatballs with a mushroom sauce that was to DIE for. And a nice bottle of Chianti, of course. Sadly, it was the one place we didn't pick up a business card for!
We crashed hard that night. Luckily we got to sleep in, but wanted to make sure we got up in time for breakfast. SO SO glad we did.
2.24.2009
Italy: Day 1
After running through the Frankfurt airport at full-speed to catch our connector flight to Rome, Matt and I were whisked up by our driver @ the airport and driven down the crazy, CRAZY streets of Rome to our hotel.
My first view of the Colosseum.
Arriving totally wiped out and exhausted by the 24 hours of travel time, we were greeted by the sweetest sight ever: A bottle of Prosecco and chocolate cake.
We sank into the couch and ate 1/2 the cake and drank a glass of Prosecco, then promptly passed out for a couple hours (thank GOD dinner time is 830pm in Italy!) After we woke up we showered, drank the rest of the Prosseco, and headed downstairs to the bar for a couple of Campari & Sodas.
PS - Check out Matt wearing Cobblestone ;) His handknit sweaters got lots of use on this trip!
Our first night in Rome happened to be Valentine's Day, and we had this fabulous four-course meal already arranged for us. I fell in love with Italy walking through the streets that night!!!
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