Roman Holiday

We have found the most sublime bakery at the corner of our street. Forno Campo Di Fiori has a selection of the most delectable pastries, pizza and breads. For our breakfast today we purchased a number of pastries and a ham and cheese treat straight from the oven-the baker said it was belissimo and after tasting it we had to agree. From there we walked to the Jewish quarter for coffee, standing at the bar and luxuriating in the aroma and buzz of the little café. The Jewish quarter is a wonderful maze of streets and surprisingly empty of people considering how close it is to the city and the great coffee. We are always aware that Rome is awash with tourists and it must come at a significant inconvenience to the locals. Drinking standing up at the counter is an Italian tradition and reduces the cost of your coffee by two thirds-and this is how most Italians take their coffee. We then walked to the Capitoline museum to meet friends and visit one of world’s great museums. While waiting we ate the remaining pastries and sat enjoying the space and looking over the Marcus Aurelius statue to Rome. 

The Capitoline is a truly wonderful way to spend a day or more if you have the time. It is simply overwhelming taking in the centuries of Roman antiquities. Rome is a most magnificent pile of rocks. The original bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius, the collossal heads and feet, the Romulus and Remus bronze, the Dying Gaul statue, the view over the forum, the Caravaggio-the list goes on and on. And the building itself is a feast for the eyes. There was an exhibition displaying the tradition of the death masks. When we had finished looking, reading, photographing and drawing we took respite in the Terrace Café sitting atop the building with uninterrupted views over Rome and all the domes. Eating our paninis and freshly squeezed orange juice and reflecting on a great day.

We were lucky to have been invited to lunch with our friend’s Italian friend. He picked us up at the Sisto Bridge and drove us first to Trastervere and then onto Aventino when the restaurant he had chosen was not open. This area is a little out of the city centre and mostly residential. The treat we had when we stopped was absolutely sensational. The pasta, wine and desserts were superb. The speciality is a pepper and cheese pasta that the waiters mix at the table. Artery hardening goodness. The restaurant Felice A Testaccio, Via Mastor Giorgiio 29, was filled with Italians and impossible to find without a car and someone to navigate you there. It was without peer to the food you generally get in Rome wandering in off the street. Having a native speaker made the whole experience painless and gave us an opportunity of tasting a modern Italian cuisine-devoid of waiters in hand me down jackets and bow ties. No haggling was required to fill this restaurant. As always with new cities it takes a little research to truly identify the types of restaurants, cafes and bars you might want to frequent. And Rome is no different. Perhaps more so because of the sheer abundance of eateries. You can waste a lot of time trying to identify places of quality.

We are fortunate that we have friends in Rome (all visiting on their way elsewhere) at the moment to share the experience with. We all met at the Pantheon to catch up and hear all the travel stories and new experiences. The Pantheon with its six metre walls and stripped, decayed elegance is still an awe inducing site-no matter how many times you see it. In our haste to find somewhere to sit and talk we ate at a place that had English, German and Italian menus-indeed you needed to be careful what you ordered. On the whole though it was ok but the companionship was worth any price. In the evening wandering around-and Rome is a city that rewards evening exploration-we found a bar overlooking the Temple of Hadrian. What remains is a row of columns built into a more modern building-late at night over a cold beverage is an atmospheric delight to behold.