Showing posts with label Vatican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vatican. Show all posts

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Roll-mops.


As I sit here listening to Sounds of the Sixties (the best 2 hours of radio in any given week in my opinion). I look back to my third day in Roma*

16 June

Hopped on a bus.

Sat next to an Australian lady who had deep vein thrombosis.

Turned out she lived close to an old school friend of mine. She adopted kangaroos who had been orphaned, touching. Not that I asked, but I was treated to a slide show of said roo's.

Before I left for Rome, I was showred with advice, tips and recommendations. Il gelato di san crispin popped into every email and converation, so I steered the gaggle to sample. No dissapointment. Bloody fantastic. I chose pistachio, ginger and cinnamon, a wicked combination. As in 'down with the kids 'cool' and a dieters devlish delight.

We dodged a few tourists (understatement) around Trevi and stepped into Santi Vicenzo e Anastasio a Trevi. Considering it is merely a few metres from a throng of activity, it's a messianic and inobtrustive corner in an otherwise overcrowded spot.

Toddling back to the sweltering bus, we decided to take a look on the green route, the historic-rich catacombs tour. Kind of a snore.

Jam-packed day so far no?

Shuffled around the Basillica, shoulders covered, natch. Lost mother for 20 minutes (wanted poster fodder in the making)




When reunited she was charming some security officers into letting us in to mass. Man alive. It worked, and despite it being in italian, was very halcyon. However, this irked me to high heavens, if my nail sissors hadn't have been taken off me I'd have leant over to snip this rat tail off him. 

 

Being a Saturday night, & the air was getting hot (ta Whigfield) I was in the mood for a little jig. Heading to Trastevere, we found a square where those under 35 went, it was a hive of activity, sweeping along the river we perused the stalls and ate at a joint which was cheap as chips and can only be described as pulsing. 


I became tipsy merely on the atmosphere of the area (plus maybe a litre of plonk was involved), it was just so alive. If you want an entertaining, real night out, I'd recommend this area (around Via Della Lungaretta). However, I would not recommend wearing silk. One word, oil (see below).


In bed for 12, thrilling.

*I say Roma in homage to my Italian friend Mauro. Despite my best efforts, I could n'er get him to say Rome … as in gnome. 

Sunday, 8 July 2012

Roman Holiday.


14 June.

Many happy returns of the day to myself.
Coffee date at 8.30am, check.
Beauty treatments, check.
Passport, check.

Chortle in the pharmacy? Check.


2pm flight, tick tick boom.


Rome.

Greeted at the airport by a shabby looking, un-shaven/washed middle aged man who neither spoke English or posessed the the ability to drive. Still, he bore my name on a piece of card. I was happy enough with that*.

Jumped into his suprisingly modern BMW casual as you like, had a little bump on the way out, no bother. It's only when your driver is straddling the middle and outside lane whilst playing on his phone and seemingly playing chicken with every other road user that I found your nerves can get the better of you.

I'm no homing pigeon, but this chap wasn't either. I eneded up finding the hotel myself, yet paid him 5 euro more than quoted. I must've just been overjoyed that I remained unharmed.

Based on a busy street in the West of Rome (Domus Aurelia), we set about our relaxing jaunt with a nice gin & stroll around the foreign streets, relishing the warmer atmosphere.

A 15 minute ramble to the Vatican, Mother almost passed out with joy. Wittering on about Benedict, we eased her away to discover the Ponte Parione area, finding a Trattoria, cos we're really cultured. Course it was a great idea going to such a joint, considering not one of us can speak a word of Italian, understand a word of Italian, or read a word of Italian. As it turned out, the punt I took on my meal was victorious. Choosing Saltimbocca, I was presented with veal wrapped in parma ham and sage. Ironic as I'd thought my meal was a vegetarian dish and mother had specified one want/need only ... meat. Hers came in the form of plain pasta**.

With seriously delicious wine, a meal that translates as 'jump in your mouth and a buoyancy that comes with the first day of ones holiday, I felt a flutter of ebullience for the days ahead. 

We spotted this flag on the way, still no idea where it's from or why it's there ...


*I've always wanted to be picked up at the airport by sign. Stems from a lifetime of waiting around for those supposed to be picking me up being incessantly late. The record so far is 3 hours. I live 20 minutes from the bloody airport.

** I should've used this site for food-advice, clued up and amusing.