Did Ya Miss Me?!? (Rome, Part I)

I was in Rome! Yup - Rome!

An old friend (as in for a long time!) called to say he was going to be in Italy and would I please join him. After I hem and haw because I'm pinching centimes in a record-breaking currency crunch, I finally give in (give in and go to Rome...puhleeeze!) but plan to leave one day before him.

Then he cinches the deal with: "When you are lying on your deathbed you are not going to say, 'Whew! I'm sure glad I shaved that one day off of Rome!' " (He knows me so well!) And then he sits me down upon my arrival and tells me that my money's no good in that town...I'll tell you, that kind of thing can make a girl living in euros absolutely swoon!

So, there I was: in Rome.

We really made the most (read: "did only and exactly what we wanted to do") of our few short days together in the generous lap of this city at the knee of Italy's boot.

Take a look...

St. Peter's Basilica became the landmark for us to find our way to and from our Bed and Breakfast not far from there... (Atelier St. Pietro)


...and the piazza at St. Peter's received us daily as we made our treks to other parts of the city...


...once over the River Tiber...

...we would wind our way through narrow cobbled streets touched with a familiar charm...

...past ancient residents like Pasquino. He became the first talking statue of Rome and is still used for posting messages and claims...from political to poetic and things falling in between. (reference from http://www.romeartlover.it/)

...then on to the Pantheon, where we were guided through the intricate details of the history of this structure by a friend of Greg's, an art historian who happens to be on sabbatical in Rome from his teaching position at Middlebury College in Vermont to work on his book on the Pantheon. Always good to learn the history of a place from one who offers it up with expertise and passion!

With each turn of a corner, we discovered a new piazza - each with its own character and activity...


After the first night had dawned into a new day, we headed to Campo di Fiori for a look at the marché and breakfast. We planned for rain but never really had to deal with anything more than a dramatic looking sky and a soft mist...

Once in the marché, we spent some time playing in the colors and light...


...until the need for a good Italian coffee got the better of us!

With just enough of a morning break, we headed back into the market.

Who knew that this magical slicer/dicer was also a bubble pipe?!?




When food becomes art...

...and for a few moments in golden light, our lives blended with those of the locals. (It made me think of my own daily market experience as I dodge the cameras of visitors!)


On the second morning we found the famous Italian bakeries that had recently been talked about in Mark Bittman's New York Times blog, Bitten...




They are not to be missed and made me want to eat pizza for breakfast every day!

Rome, Part II to follow...


(Blog biz: this is a transitional post as I change the publishing day from Monday to Thursday...a sign that I do pay attention to feedback from my faithful readers. To follow the weekly updates, please subscribe to La Fourchette using the link under the profile toward the top of the right sidebar or email me to be added to the email list...or simply show up on Thursdays starting next week!)

Ciao!
Leslie