Roma – la dolce vita

Before we left our beloved Italy, we thought it would be fun to prowl around Roma for a couple of days. We took the train from Florence to Termini Station then hauled our luggage by hand to Bellesuites on Via Modena – about a six-minute walk if you know where you are going – took us about 10 minutes which was not too bad!

Going from the wide open spaces of the Tuscan countryside to the congestion of Rome was major culture shock. It took us several hours to adjust to the noise, cars, litter, and the tourists!

I still can’t explain what happened to Ralph and I while we were in Rome but we were lost the entire time. We never got our bearings. Usually, I am bang on with directions and if I can’t figure it out, Ralph always come to the rescue. It did not happen in Rome. A ten minute walked morphed easily into 45 frustrating minutes. Finally, we stopped the anxiety by realizing that even while we were lost everything we were looking at was spectacular! The architecture, the people, the food –  ooohhh the food… Romans put a whole new spin on fast food!

With our limited time, we opted to do ‘street stuff’ as opposed to tours of the Vatican and other Roman treasures. We have done a lot of the major sites before but have never gotten to Campo di Fiore – the famous flower, vegetable and fruit market. This time we made it our mission!

Our time in Rome was fast, furious and wonderful! I did not scope out any restaurants before we arrived so it was luck of the draw. All of our meals were delicious but lunch on our last day was absolutely the ‘find’ of our holiday.

Once again, we found ourselves wandering aimlessly. We were near Piazza Navona looking for the perfect spot to have our last lunch. It’s important to understand how traumatic the thoughts of leaving Italy can be to us…

Ralph poked his head in a small doorway and then called me to have a look. It was delightful! –  almost as if we were stepping back in time – maybe to the 1920’s?? In we went to be greeted by a most gentle woman. She took us to a lovely table adorned with all the majesty of a private home. After enjoying a lunch of fresh artichokes braised in white wine, garlic and mint followed by fresh egg pasta tossed with green tomatoes and shaved truffles, we asked our delightful hostess, Daniella, about the restaurant. It has been in her family for 80 years. Her grandfather, Giovanni, for whom the ‘osteria’ was named opened the establishment. Today the restaurant is run by Daniella and her parents. If ever you find yourself in Roma, this osteria is worth the whole journey!

Roma was a perfect way to end a wonderful holiday – la dolce vita!

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