Roma

This is it!  The final stop on my 40th birthday celebration.  Now I’ve been to Rome before and it was a nightmare, everything from my travel companion to lost luggage for a week.  It was not a happy time for me, but I made one promise to myself and that was to return to Rome.  I mean after all, I did toss three coins into the Fontana Di Trevi, which meant I would return to Roma, find my love, and marry her.  Did it all come true?  Well, that I think is how we’ll end the story because no one wants to hear about icky love and stuff like that, you want to know about food!!!

My goal in Rome was to find the best Cacio e Pepe, translated means Cheese and Pepper, and is one of Rome’s traditional pasta dishes.  According to Anthony Bourdain, the restaurant Cacio e Pepe has the best in the city, as it should being named after the dish.  I however did not go here because I was there for only two days and was not interested in discovering new neighborhoods.  I was winding down from my great adventures, so I chose to look in the area, and I did discover exactly what I was looking for, and then some.  

I spent my day wandering the streets of Rome.  I even had the opportunity to meet up with Daniela from Cup of Local Sugar.  She was teaching in Rome and after work, we met up to see some sights and just hang out. I revisited some past sights and saw some new.  I was much happier this time, I think mostly because I knew that I had luggage back at my hotel.  It seemed people were happier, friendlier, and I know I was much more comfortable and relaxed.  

Daniela and I parting ways.

For some reason, during my two days in Rome, I wasn’t overly hungry during the day.  Could’ve been the caffe’ and cornetti for breakfast or I was just so preoccupied that I didn’t pay much attention to my hunger.  But I can tell you that throughout the day I worked up quite an appetite.  On my first day, I had dinner just down from my hotel at a little place called Hosteria La Vacca.  I was unable to get any photos of my meal due to the lighting, however, I can tell you that I did have the Cacio e Pepe and it was, ok.  I could definitely do a much better job, but right now, I was starving and this would have to do, plus it was close to the hotel and I wanted sleep!  Tomorrow promised to be a better day, I was sure of it.

You know, I could totally spend my mornings, waking with a cappuccino and cornetti and have no regrets whatsoever.  So, why change things on my second day in Roma.  Except this time, I added a little Arancia Rossa and as always, it was delicious.  You can never go wrong with blood orange juice.  And that started my day of walking, and walking and walking, with no where in particular to go, I just went.  I wanted to be a Roman, for a day.  Do what Romans do, when Romans do and I think I succeeded.  It’s really nice to travel without an agenda.  Really, no stress, you are never pressed for time, not constantly watching the clock.  And traveling solo has it’s benefits, with not worrying about the other person having fun or being bored.  All I cared about that day, was that I was going to have a great dinner, and I was going to revisit the Fontana Di Trevi, because tonight was the night!

Dinner time came and I found myself close to the Fontana Di Trevi at a nice little place called, Baccano.  It was perfect, dining Al fresco, close to the fountain, and in a very active area.  The people watching was great, with a combination of tourists and locals and not a soul bothering me while I enjoyed my glasses of prosecco while I waited on my food.  To begin the meal, I had Carciofi alla Romana, which is essentially poached artichokes, with olive oil, parsley, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I love artichokes and couldn’t find the Carciofi all Giudia, so this would have to do.  No regrets with this, clean flavor of artichokes, even with the dressing and it was so tender, you could cut it with a fork.  Next up was of course, Cacio e Pepe, and another glass of prosecco please.  This plate of Cacio e Pepe was incredible!  You can always tell when you are eating home made pasta as opposed to dry and this was definitely house made.  The color is a good sign that it’s house made.  The pasta had a yellow tinge to it and the pasta itself had body when you bit into it.  The cheese was full of flavor and added just enough salt.  When it was first brought to me, the cheese still sat, attached to each strand of pasta and the pepper, was fragrant and deliciously pungent.  It was almost like it wanted to jump from the pasta into my mouth, but the cheese held onto it, thankfully.  This is a pasta dish that was a peasant dish and very simple to make at home, however it’s also very easy to mess up.  If you don’t use the right cheese, if you don’t use fresh ground pepper, if you don’t use a cup of pasta water, or if you use too much pasta water, it could be disastrous.  This however, was perfect!  I took advantage of my surroundings, ate slowly, drank slowly, I was an Italian, a real home grown Italian for that night and I felt magnifico!   I took care of my check and made my way towards the Fontana di Trevi to sit for a while and enjoy my last night, plus I had to see if anything was going to come to fruition.  So I sat, and I sat, and I sat, and got really comfortable and didn’t really want to go back to the hotel, so I sat, for a few hours, people watching, listening to conversations, and waiting.  It was different this time, there was something in the air.  People were happier, the fountain looked cleaner, and the surrounding area was buzzing with energy.  None the less, I was flying out tomorrow and wanted to get to the airport early, so it was off to bed for me.  I made my way back to my hotel, not feeling bad about anything, no feeling of defeat, because I had accomplished quite a bit on this trip.  

Carciofi alla Romana

Cacio e Pepe

This was a life changing time for me, I learned how to live, how to eat, how to wander and discover.  I learned that strangers are only strange if you don’t learn about them, talk to them, make new friends in foreign lands, learn new languages, learn new traditions or make new traditions.  Live, live a good life, experience as much as you can because life is short and you don’t want your life to end with having regrets.  Thanks again to Cup of Local Sugar and Daniela for your assistance on this trip.  Your services were invaluable.  https://www.cupoflocalsugar.com

By the way, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  This time although it didn't happen, the Fontana didn't disappoint me, it was well worth the return visit.

Ciao, ciao!!