I spend two nights at this countryside home, and my bedroom window overlooks a beautiful lake, Lago di Vico, with the many walnut trees that surround it. When I arrive, the whole family (including the three sizeable dogs) welcomes me. Soon after, we turn on the soccer match on the television and enjoy a family […]
While in Rome, I am put in charge of making the dinner reservations for the family. Having had some practice navigating foreign cities and finding places to eat over the last many months, I feel ready for the task. In addition, in my previous visits to Rome, staying with two friends very involved in the […]
Our last day in Rome starts at the Galleria Borghese, a private collection of paintings, sculptures, and antiquities. Although in these last five months, I have been to many a museum, I still do not consider myself a museum person. That said, the Galleria Borghese is only two floors with about ten manageably sized rooms […]
Rome is old Rome is new It’s tale’s fold As times flew By this time of the family vacation in Rome, there is a clear morning routine of showering, breakfast, commenting on how lucky we are about the perfectly cool weather, and so on. For breakfast, Julie, I, sometimes George, and sometimes Mom would go […]
I have spent a fair amount of time in Rome over the last month, but it is not until today that I realize what I may have been passing on the street. Behind closed windows and plain facades, some of these buildings house ornate rooms with invaluable art collections. Today, we tour the Palazzo Colonna […]
Although in my previous visits to Rome I had been staying just outside the walls of the Vatican, I did not previously venture inside knowing that I would be doing so with my family. As per usual, I navigate the family to the meeting point with our guide, Alessio. One big advantage of having a […]
Appetizers: Filangee of Carrots in white balsamic vinegar with black sesame seeds Pancetta stuffed with prunes in Negroamaro wine sauce First course: Tagliolini with Guanciale and filangee of Roman zucchini on yellow pumpkin sauce Second course: Veal and pork “Straccetti” in the Pizzaiola style Eggplant a la “Parmigiana” Desserts: Ricotta cheese mousse with Amaretta in […]
Many moons have passed With much happening anew Since we had all amassed But now to Rome we flew. Early in the morn we start We’re on the road by six So that for Rome we can depart Where we’ll meet the other kids Tourists and cobble stones In a city hard to navigate Leave […]
We get back to Rome, again. Our plane arrives late enough so that we miss the bus back to the center of town. Cheaper than taking the train is sharing a cab among four people, which means that I try to find another lucky two to join Gabe and me in a taxi. The first […]
I sit down and am immediately overwhelmed by the selection of pizzas at La Pratolina, a beautiful hole-in-the-wall restaurant located at Via degli Scipioni, 248, Roma. To intensify matters more, the menu is written in Italian, but luckily I have Gabe and Sam nearby to translate. The rule of the game, however, is once I […]