When in Rome, I wanted to be like the Romans. I'm not the touristic type nor to I ever wish to be. I ate my first afternoon meal in Italy before dropping my bags and walking the city. It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so I JUST made the cut off before the restaurant closed until dinner. That is one thing about Italy; after Romans sit for a long lunch, the restaurants break for their own siestas. The meal was great and I made sure that I spent at least one hour sitting and enjoying it. Being by myself I would have found it difficult to take 2 to 3 hours just as a Roman might do. At the traditional Italian meal time you would start with an Antipasti (appetizer) of some sort, move onto the main dish and accompany it with the house wine. Often people then go somewhere else for a coffee and gelato to top it off. For this meal, I ordered the Buffalo mozzarella as my antipasti and the Gnocci in tomato sauce with a glass of red wine. It was thursday and the culinary calendar, initiated by the Catholic church in order to vary the nutrition of its flock, says it is the day for Gnocci.
The mozzarella was doused with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and accompanied with fresh bread of course. The Gnocci was not like I have every had before, it was lighter and chewier. The tomato sauce was delicious and I have found the same sauce on pizza as well. The fresh tomatoes make it quite nice and simple, the way it should be.
Needless to say this was a wonderful first meal and my only meal of the day including the gelato that I would have later that evening at the Spanish Steps. I have found that I have only needed about one meal a day besides a small roll and coffee for breakfast and perhaps a snack in the evening. Another of the come ways of the Italians.
After lunch, I walked the streets checking out the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon which were quite lovely but so jammed packed with tourists I could hardly stand it. It was not the Rome I had hoped for and I went to sleep that night hoping it would get better than this, and, of course, it did :)
The Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps - By the looks of this picture, you can probably guess that I didn't stay very long. Yikes!
DAY 2:
Breakfast is pretty much non existent in Rome. It isnt likely that you will find Romans sitting down for a meal. They are standing bellied up to a tall counter at a cafe sipping an espresso and eating a pastry or croissant before continuing on their way. Late lunch or dinner is where the food action happens. So the morning meal was just as Roman's would, I grabbed a coffeeandwent early to the Vatican exhibit to try beat the crowd. Today was the last of my tourist sight viewing days. Rome is a very easy walking city. It is quite large but extremely doable when you are staying within the city limits. I know many people take the subway and it is quite easy as well but I wouldn't recommend. You miss out on all the city scenery has to offer outside of the main stops of the city transportation. And let's face it when you are in Italy there isn't a shortage of food so a little exercise doesn't hurt right?
It took me about 50 minutes to the Vatican and I only waited another 50 minutes to get inside. That's really pretty good as it often takes some people over 2 hours. The Sistine Chapel, Saint Peters Dome and the Vatican Museums were beautiful. I recommend going to the Vatican or the Colloseum FIRST thing in the morning to save yourself a little time. Otherwise, you can always skip the lines if you want to pay an extra 30 Euro or more for a guided tour but I chose to save my money for more important things...like food!
Beautiful view of Vatican City on my walk to check it out
Outside Saint Peter's Dome
Inside the Vatican Museum. So much amazing art all over the walls, ceiling and floor.
After the Vatican, I stopped for my first Italian Cappuccino at a little cafe near Vatican City.
It seems as though Italians or evenmore, most Europeans, often have an afternoon coffee. I think I 've drank more coffee in Europe than I have in my lifetime :) I have found it difficult to find any cafe's with wi-fi but was lucky enough to run into this place so I could book a pasta making class for the next day. In America, you can find internet all over the place but while in Italy unless you find a Starbucks, which I saw NONE, you have to stop into "Internet Point" places and can pay up to 2 euro for only 15 minutes. No thank you!After my cappuccino, I made my way to the Colosseum and I decided to make a stop for lunch. It was an area, on the other side of the river, away from most of the tourist sites called Trastavere. Loved it! There, I found the quiet, narrow, beautiful streets of Rome that I had imagined and had hoped for; fewer people and beautiful quaint atmosphere. Scooters flying through, small quiet squares with colorful walls, slow walkers, and little ristorantes on small corners in courtyards draped in ivy.
I found one place in a small courtyard with no sign except for the name, Da Augusto, printed on the window of the front door. There were two men playing music to the dining customers which I have seen quite often near places that have outdoor seating. Here there were only a few tables outside and none were empty. Insistent on sitting outside on this beautiful sunny day, I saw an older man sitting alone drinking his wine after lunch and asked if I could join him. Fortunatly, he spoke very good English. He has lived in Rome for 29 years but was from Scotland and today was his first day of his retirement. His name was Tim and he was sort of a dark gray haired Santa Claus, with the stereotypical Scottish beard and longer thinning hair; a modern Braveheart; very kind and welcoming. He informed me that I chose a very non-touristy restaurant but it was one of the best traditional places owned by three generations of one family. JUST what I was looking for!
Friday on the culinary calendar is fish. So I ordered the Baccalà alla Livornese di Vernerdi (Cod with onion, olives and tomato sauce) only served on Fridays. 
It was served with bread and of course some red wine. It was devine. The sauce was not oily and it all tasted very fresh. One thing I have noticed here is that I don't feel like the sauces are super heavy with tons of oil and/or cream. It makes it easier to enjoy italian food with out feeling too bloated afterward. I say bloated and not full because yes, I still feel full ;)
It was served with bread and of course some red wine. It was devine. The sauce was not oily and it all tasted very fresh. One thing I have noticed here is that I don't feel like the sauces are super heavy with tons of oil and/or cream. It makes it easier to enjoy italian food with out feeling too bloated afterward. I say bloated and not full because yes, I still feel full ;)All and all, the food was delicious, the price was right and I absolutely recommend anyone to veer off the tourist path to this special dining spot. Tim and I had a wonderful visit and he ended up buying me lunch before taking me on a beautiful walk up on the hill above Trastevere and back over toward the Vatican where he resided. At the bottom of the hill, we split ways and I set off once again for the Colosseum.
On the hill above Trastevere with a beautiful view of the city.
DAY 2 continued on next post......
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