My Roman (Foodie) Holiday

by Bronwyn Jameson

I've been browsing through my photos from last week in Rome, looking to choose a selection to share here at LoveCats. This was a short, but very sweet, trip to spend time with family – including our bella grand-daughter – who live in London.  Rome proved to be a wonderful choice for many reasons: the Maratona di Roma, the history, the art, the splendid panaromas, but more than anything, the food.

This focus on food was immediately apparent as I scrolled through my photos. A few atmospheric scenes, an odd sunset, the occasional grand monument, and many, many family shots where we are invariably ordering, eating and/or surrounded by well-used plates and glasses.

So, my photo special on Rome features no scenery or monuments. It is all about the food...with apologies for all those occasions when I was too busy digging in to think about the camera!

We flew Sydney-Rome with Qatar Airlines and have nothing but nice things to say about the service and the food.

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup

Hot smoked salmon with pumpkin and goat cheese salad

Grilled fillet of beef with horseradish jus

Finding a stellar coffee, just how we like it, when travelling can be frustrating.  Not in Rome.  Add a flakey, buttery pastry and I'm in breakfast heaven.

At Roscioli Caffe

Artichokes make the tastiest snack food when fried.

Artichokes, pre-frying.

Gelato, the second best snack, no frying necessary.

Bella craves the creamiest gelati, from Fior di Luna

I love everything about aperitivo, especially the name.  So much sexier than "drinks with snacks".

Aperitivo feat. Aperol spritzes at Tiberino.

Photos do not do pasta justice but take my word, this was divine. At Trattoria da Teo.

Pasta with fresh tuna, olives, capers and tomato.

Bella likes banana; Bron prefers berra.

Pre-food at Gino 51

A place with All The Food (and wine.) 

1956: a fine vintage for husbands

Our return flight was with Singapore Air and, once again again, three letters you don’t usually associate with airline food. Y-U-M.

Pea panacotta with mint dressing

Salmon tartar with grilled pineapple and feta salad

Lobster thermidor

Delicious food is my favourite thing to discover when travelling.  What is yours?

La Dolce Vita - Italian Rooftop Living by Annie West

Earlier this year I had the good fortune to spend some time in Rome. Yay! I loved the place for so many reasons, in fact I've posted here at LoveCats DownUnder about that very thing, and I may even have shared this photo of a potted olive tree on the rooftop of our hotel. It was one of my favourite spots in the city. At sunset it was the perfect place to unwind, to put your tired feet up after a long day of tramping the streets seeing the sights, and enjoy a cool drink. Apart from that there's the view. Personally I love the fact Rome isn't home to a stack of skyscrapers. You can look out across the city and feel that it hasn't burgeoned any higher than it was a few hundred years ago, which gives it a rather relaxed, homey feel, despite the bustle and traffic. But of course, if you're on a rooftop terrace, one of the joys is that all of that is far away.

Speaking of the view, how's this? It's just the local neighbourhood from our hotel, but so appealing to watch the sun go down from here.

What particularly fascinated me was the range of ways the roof terrace was used. Like this. And yes, as well as flowers, these hydroponic gardens were full of herbs and strawberries. Yum!

And of course, where else would put your pool in a crowded city but on the roof? Especially given the fact it looks out on the Colosseum.

Do you like the idea of rooftop living? If you live in an apartment it definitely makes sense to install and use a rooftop terrace. Obviously a lot of Romans feel that way.

It seemed that the more I looked the more little tucked away terraces I noticed on inner city buildings. This one is right next to the Vatican.

I think you'd feel like the king of the castle at this one.

And this one reminds me of a wedding pavilion. All it needs is the swathes of bunting.

And I particularly like this one that I noticed when I happened to look up from a corner.

So, can you see yourself somewhere like this sipping a glass of something cool while the sun goes down? Or maybe with a mug of coffee while taking a break with a book, or hosting a family party? Where's your favourite place to unwind outdoors?

Clearly I'm having a LOVE ITALY month! As well as reliving my rambles in Rome I've also got a new Hot Italian Nights novella  AT THE ITALIAN'S BIDDING  out this month. Yippee!

A Roman Love Affair - Annie West

I'm in love - with Rome. It started early, watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in 'Roman Holiday' and then there were all those years when I studied the history and culture of the ancient city. But there's nothing quite like spending time there to turn an affection into love!

 

In May this year I was lucky enough to spend a week in Rome. The intention was to do some research for future books, but to take it slow, getting over jetlag ready to attend a readers' festival in Paris. But instead of taking things slow I found myself out and about from early in the morning till late in the evening, revelling in this marvellous city.

 

Here are just a couple of the things that appealed:

 

1. The view from the hotel room. How could you not love that? Added to that was that it was right next to a big park and from the balcony I could hear birdsong.

 

2. Speaking of hotels, there was the rooftop terrace and bar and the chance to watch the sun go down over the city before heading out for dinner.

 

 

3. The unexpected finds when wandering around the city, like a piece of beautifully carved marble, ignored by everyone as too mundane.

 

 

4. When they do spectacular in Rome, they really do spectacular. Here's the ceiling of a corridor in the Vatican that was just stunning.

 

 

5. The food. Sigh. This lemon and saffron risotto that was one of the best lunches I've ever had!

 

 

6. The museums. Yes, I'm a nerd but I loved them. Here's one of my favourite things - a glorious Etruscan terracotta sarcophagus built for a loving couple.

 

 

7. The sheer theatre of the place. Where else would you find a couple of Roman soldiers hanging around the street ready for photo opportunities.

 

 

8. The early evening stroll (passeggiata) and the opportunity to relax at an outdoor cafe and watch the people go by. In case you're wondering, the bright orange drink is an Aperol Spritz, something I've only had in Italy.

 

 

I'm hoping to visit Rome again sometime but meanwhile I have hundreds of photos and a huge store of happy memories. Plus I'll be revisiting the city as I write some future stories.

 

Is there a place you visited on holiday that you can't wait to return to? I'd love to hear!

 

And if you want a touch of Italian goodness, Annie has a new romance out. BOUND TO THE ITALIAN BOSS is (you guessed it) an office romance set, not in Rome but in the beautiful north of Italy. It's the 3rd book in her HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS e-novella series. For more details, visit Annie's website, or you can buy it at the usual places. Here's the link to it at Amazon.

 

This is Rome

by Bronwyn Jameson

I am writing this blog on the morning we leave Rome, after four beautiful nights in the eternal city.  Trying to not be sad because, after all, we're heading next to Castellini in Chianti and Tuscany can not be sneezed at.  Also, I have tossed my coin into the Trevi Fountain. Therefore, I will return.

Over our morning espressos we've been talking about what we're taking away from Rome (apart from tightly packed suitcases and even more tightly packed memories.)  For me the best part of Rome cannot be answered in a few words or in a favourite experience.  It's not the Sistine Chapel or San Pietro or Capitoline Hill or the Colosseum.  It's not one trattoria or particular plate of pasta or sipping prosecco as the sun sets over a spectacular skyline.

Rome is the melding of ancient and modern, the bustle of traffic and the dawdling of tourists, the brusque waiters who can be charmed into a smile on the turn of gamely offered Italian phrase.  Beyond the sites and the monuments it's the stories of the people who lived here, ruled here, slaved here, painted here,  died here that I take away.  I also take away several pounds gained but we will not talk of this.

Rome is the ancient…

The modern…

The art…

The food…

I take away a thousand images but this one manages to embody many of my first-time-visitor's impressions of Rome.

Around every other corner there's a glimpse of the unexpected, such as an elephant obelisk -- every piazza can't have a fountain, right? -- or the curved dome of a basilica (this is the Pantheon from a different angle.)  Not unexpected are the tourists, some passing through the square on a mission, others stopping to appreciate the buskers on cello and guitar.  They're playing something rousing and romantic and very, very Roman.  And of course we have the motorbikes and scooters, all the better for navigating the narrow streets and parking on the even narrower verges.

 This is Rome through my eyes.  Whether you've visited or not, what does the mention of Rome conjure up for you?

Still Learning

I don't believe we ever stop learning.  Even without consciously engaging in educational enterprises, we read, listen, watch.   There's that saying, which I firmly believe, about learning something new every day.  Just by living.

But this month I have started two structured educational exercises -- not writing-related, and not because I woke up one morning thinking "I need to expand my knowledge" -- but because of opportunity.   The first is a basic Italian For Travellers course, eight lessons one per week, at our local community college.   The fact they're offering Italian this semester is a happy coincidence as I'm going to Italy this year.  My first time and  I will, hopefully, know enough basic phrases to be polite to the locals...or to at least locate the appropriate words in my phrase book.

No sooner had I signed up for Italian than my sister-in-law asked if I was interested in Ancient History.  Our local high school offers HSC-based subjects to the community and they needed one more student for this course to go ahead.  Some arm-twisting ensued but after one lesson I'm so glad I signed up.  Not just because it will inform my Italy trip but because I'm enjoying the classroom, the reading, the subject matter.   I even enjoy organising my notes into a folder (there will be colour coding.)  And I've downloaded an audiobook on the History of Ancient Rome which is my listening while I walk.

So, that's what I'll be up to for the next few months (Italian) and the rest of the year (Ancient History.)  Is anyone else busy with learning at the moment?  Have you taken any classes recently?  Do you make a conscious effort to further your education or do you prefer to learn by living?