Let's start off with the crowds, shall we?? I still don't know if it was as MUCH as the Vatican (or maybe we were just getting USED to it at that point), but these calm and serene pictures of the BEAUTIFUL and STUNNING Coliseum....
...we're a STARK contrast to the chaos that ensued all along it's bordersJ You just could NOT believe the amount of people. But hey, I guess everyone is interested in seeing one of the world's best preserved monuments in history!
And in "we should have known better: Round 2" news, after having THE WORLD'S BEST PANINIS the previous day for lunch we were HOPING to find the same in the shadows of the Coliseum.
TALK ABOUT BEING SMACKED DOWN TO EARTH!!! We went from the BEST sandwiches to the absolute WORST OF THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!! Scott's prosciutto tasted like paper and as if it had been in the cart for AT LEAST 8 years (and people talk about NYC's "dirty water dogs"...at LEAST those are tasty!!!!) and my mozzarella & tomato tasted like WATER. NO TASTE WHAT SO EVER!!!!!! Should have known better than to pick up lunch from a push cart in front of a MAJOR tourist attraction!
The ONLY redeeming quality?? Sitting in the shadows of the Coliseum, finding a quiet corner to take in all the chaos! We almost didn't want to move from our little corner of peaceJ hahahhahahaha
But onwards we pressed! First to check out the ruins at the neighboring Roman forum...
...it's absolutely STUNNING to realize what stood where you were standing almost 2,000 years ago.
And then it was off to take in the breathtaking Coliseum...
Despite the chaos, Scott & I REALLY tried to process and comprehend where we were and what kind of history we were standing right in the center of. It's really brutal history and REALLY overwhelming to know what went on during those crazy days.
Gladiators fought elephants, alligators, lions, tigers, etc. to the death...all in the name of entertainment. It's really hard to wrap your head around. As Scott summed it up simply: "They were all nuts!"J
And after all that overwhelming history, gelato is just NECESSARY! So BACK to San Crispino we went for some honey, yogurt & stracciatella (chocolate chip)....
After the Nutella gelato, this honey & yogurt (and Day 1's caramel) all share the rank as being my combined #2 favoriteJ I just can't put into words how much flavors comes BURSTING out of this stuff once you taste it. It NEVER looses it's amazing tastes. Just incredible.
Scott picked up some tasty pistachio along with my "NO YOU HAVEEEEEEEEE TO GET IT" recommendation of that blissful caramel. I wouldn't have let him leave Rome without trying it! He was happy he took my advice J
And after wandering around to the Spanish Steps to rest our feet...
AND to take in the absolute INSANE crowd that surrounded the area!!!!..
(it was BEYOND hilarious to watch a CAR actually try to wade through those THOUSANDS of people jammed into a 2 block radius!)
...we headed to what turned out to be our absolute FAVORRRRITTTEEE dinner in Rome!
Not only was Der Pallaro a COMPLETELY unique dining experience in that they had NO MENUS!, they just served you whatever they had that day!!!...
...it also was WAY off the beaten path and out of the shadows of ANY monuments or attractions, so we were able to have a COMPLETELY peaceful and TRULY authentic Italian meal in what FELT like someones living room....
As soon as we sat down, we were asked "Red or White wine?" (to which Scott replied "no vino...bambino"J) and that was the last thing we had to figure out for the rest of the night because before we could blink an eye, dishes started POURING out of the kitchen!
THIS WAS JUST OUR APPETIZERS!!!!!!!
Mini rice balls, green olives, sliced fennel covered with olive oil, prosciutto & salami and what turned into my favorite: a dish of spiced lentils. Oh holy heaven it was all so good!!!!!!!!
Especially when we got to sop up every last drop & scrap with fresh baked bread....swoon!
Next up was our "secondi" or the pasta course. Let's just say "died and gone to heaven"....this simple tomato & a pepper, bacon and cheese pasta plate nearly brought me to tears. It was just the PERFECT pasta that you DREAM of when you think of Italy! So simple yet SOOO amazing!
Next up...yep: MORE ASSORTED FOOD!!!! This time our meat course with side dishes...
I say "meat course" cause I absolutely have NO CLUE WHAT THE HELL we were eating! (I've read up on "authentic Roman cuisine" and they are QUITE the "use every part" type of folks) Both pieces were delicious, but I found it a bit easier to eat the "slices." The others?? I just couldn't stop thinking what they COULD have been...tasty or notJ I'll just leave it at that! hahahahahhaha
The side dishes were MUCH less intimidatingJ Sauteed broccoli rabe, mini fresh mozzarella and HOMEMADE potato chips! Yeah...those were A LOT easier to handle!
And lastly...one of our most simple, favorite desserts of our whole trip: what tasted like a LIGHTER than air orange ricotta cheesecake on top of a cookie crust (which tasted JUST like my Grandmom's Italian homemade cookiesJ) A 'put your fork down and savor this moment' type of dessertJ
Complete with a shot of orange "digestivo", which I was assured (in fluent ItalianJ) contained no alcoholJ
Such an absolutely unique, delicious and outstanding dinner! AND THE TOPPER OF THE NIGHT?????????????? As we left the restaurant, the owner/Grandmother STUCK HER HEAD OUT THE WINDOW and yelled "GRATZI, GRATZI!" and BLEW US KISSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still shocked I didn't burst into tears at that momentJ hahahahhahahahaha....here's a quick picture I managed to sneak of her:
Looks like she could be YOUR Grandmother, right??
And YES....we just ate 4 courses of Italian heaven....buttttttttttt we just happened to have a long and CHILLY walk back to the subway that night, so I just HAD to pop my head into a pastry shop and get a cup of hot chocolate...
Ummmm...did I mention Italians don't "do" 'on the go' drinks?? The owner of the store LITERALLY said "look at this...Oh my God!" all while shaking his head as he poured the hot chocolate into a PLASTIC CUP so we could be on our way. HEY BUDDY! I DIDN'T HAVE A JACKET AND NEEDED TO SIP IT ALONG THE WAY FOR WARMTH! hahahahhahahhaha.....I was surprised to find this hot chocolate MUCH sweeter than what I remembered in Paris AND from our local Bent Spoon (which, honestly, my sweet tooth LOVED), but it had that same, amazing "hot chocolate pudding" quality. So deliciousJ
So anyway...that wraps up what turned out to be our LAST night in Rome. We had planned to stay one more, but my feet & desire for PEACE just couldn't take one more day of crowds and 10 hours of walkingJ We were HAPPY AND BLESSED to have seen what we had seen, but we were ready for some R&R. Life on the Amalfi coast starts tomorrow! Have a good Thursday, everyone!J
4 comments:
how was the weather?
Everything looks so amazing!
Thankfully, the weather was spectacular! In the low 70's/high 60's. I'm not sure if I would have done so well with the crowds and "direct in the sun" monuments if it had been any hotter!! :)
Wow, I'm loving these updates, I plan to go there in 2013 and take in a cooking class, I have been dying to go for years!!
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