This was our second trip to Italy, this time our trip included a return visit to Rome and a first ti
me visit to Milan including a couple of day trips. We started with three perfect da
ys in Rome and the beauty of second trips is that you don’t have a big agenda of site to see you have the opportunity to experience the city. There were a couple of things that we wanted to see that we somehow missed the last time we were in Rome; the Colosseum and Trevi fountain other than that we just wanted to wonder. Before leaving I consulted my friend, Brian Duncan from Bin 36, http://www.bin36.com/resta
urant.php in Chicago for dinning recommendations and he came through with two recommendations in Rome; Gusto and dal Bolognese.
After gelato we continued our walk and stumbled across a park where Eu
ro Pride was headquartered for the week, we strolled through the park looking at the people and the booths and felt right at home. Leaving the park we walked until we found a nice little café to sit and watch the world go by across the street from the cathedral of San Giovanni. It was really hot so we ordered beer; Charles decided to order for the both of us, a small beer for me and a large o
ne for him. I didn’t know what he was doing (we were after all still jet lagged) and I later learned that he didn’t know what he was doing either. We have been married for a lot of years and I have never seen him order a large anything. The waiter appeared at our table with what looked like a gallon of beer for Charles, the waiter smiled and the table of college girls across from us laughed when they saw the expression on his face when that gigantic glass was put before him. Needless to say he did not even attempt to finish the beer; we sat for a couple of hours enjoying the view. 
Sunday, day three we decided to be a little more focused and purposeful since it was our last day in Rome and since we were all pretty rested and adjusted to the time and rhythm of Italy. We decided to head off to Trastevere by monorail, “one of Rome’s classis neighborhoods located on the other side of the Tiber with a stopover on Tiber Island. Our plan was to end the day with a special meal, see the Spanish Steps at night and end a Trevi Fountain. It was mission accomplished, we got a little lost, walked a lot, strayed off the path, made some new discoveries and some familiar ones and had a memorable last day in Rome.
We found our self in the square in Trastevere where
we lunched at Ristoranti Sabatini; we soon realized that we were in that square and that very restaurant for dinner the last time we were in Rome. It was fun to stumble upon a place we had been before and to see it in the day light. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the square and the church. The food was really good and the perseco was oh so refreshing. After lunch we found our way to Tiber Island, walked and walked seeing ruin after ruin, we had no idea where we were so when it was time to go home we need to take a taxi. It is worth noting that getting a taxi in Rome is no small feat, there are taxi stands around town and you have to find one of them and stand there in hopes that a taxi will see you and stop.
Leaving the Hasssler, we descended the Spanish Steps and made our way to Trevi Fountain, I am happy we saw it at night. We strolled the streets for a couple of hours it seemed before returning to our hotel to rest up for our train ride to Milan in the morning.
me visit to Milan including a couple of day trips. We started with three perfect da
ys in Rome and the beauty of second trips is that you don’t have a big agenda of site to see you have the opportunity to experience the city. There were a couple of things that we wanted to see that we somehow missed the last time we were in Rome; the Colosseum and Trevi fountain other than that we just wanted to wonder. Before leaving I consulted my friend, Brian Duncan from Bin 36, http://www.bin36.com/resta
urant.php in Chicago for dinning recommendations and he came through with two recommendations in Rome; Gusto and dal Bolognese. We had an on time arrival in Rome Friday morning, June 9th where we eased through customs and retrieved our luggage. Our trip was off to a great start, the last time we were in Italy my husband’s luggage never ever arrived. Our good friends traveling from Chicago 
were scheduled to arrive on Friday but their flight was canceled and they arrived Saturday morning leaving us on our own for our first day in Rome.
were scheduled to arrive on Friday but their flight was canceled and they arrived Saturday morning leaving us on our own for our first day in Rome.The Donatello hotel was our home base for our stay. The hotel was position in the heart of Rome, between the Colosseum and the cathedrals of San Giov
anni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. The room was small and clean with marble floors with a balcony off the sleeping room; the bathroom was very nice and the shower was awesome. After checking into the hotel we took a shower and a nap before exploring the surrounding neighborhood - - we had no agenda!
anni in Laterano and Santa Maria Maggiore. The room was small and clean with marble floors with a balcony off the sleeping room; the bathroom was very nice and the shower was awesome. After checking into the hotel we took a shower and a nap before exploring the surrounding neighborhood - - we had no agenda! Refreshed after our nap we hit the streets 
strolling down Via Di Porta Maggiore and stumbled across G. Fassi , Palazzo del Freddo boa
sting to be one of the (or possibly the) oldest gelateria in continuous operation in Rome. It was a hot day and we were on our way to nowhere so we stopped for a cone, I choose chocolate and pistachio. It took a little while in the gelateria before we figured out how to place our order. We saw the ice cream and an unorganized grown of people standing in front of the counter, after a few minutes we noticed across the room a line formed in front of a cash register. So the deal is you pay for the ice cream, you get a little piece of paper and you join the crowd in front of the ice cream counter. Finally, I got my gelato, it was great and all was right with the world.
strolling down Via Di Porta Maggiore and stumbled across G. Fassi , Palazzo del Freddo boa
sting to be one of the (or possibly the) oldest gelateria in continuous operation in Rome. It was a hot day and we were on our way to nowhere so we stopped for a cone, I choose chocolate and pistachio. It took a little while in the gelateria before we figured out how to place our order. We saw the ice cream and an unorganized grown of people standing in front of the counter, after a few minutes we noticed across the room a line formed in front of a cash register. So the deal is you pay for the ice cream, you get a little piece of paper and you join the crowd in front of the ice cream counter. Finally, I got my gelato, it was great and all was right with the world. 
After gelato we continued our walk and stumbled across a park where Eu
ro Pride was headquartered for the week, we strolled through the park looking at the people and the booths and felt right at home. Leaving the park we walked until we found a nice little café to sit and watch the world go by across the street from the cathedral of San Giovanni. It was really hot so we ordered beer; Charles decided to order for the both of us, a small beer for me and a large o
ne for him. I didn’t know what he was doing (we were after all still jet lagged) and I later learned that he didn’t know what he was doing either. We have been married for a lot of years and I have never seen him order a large anything. The waiter appeared at our table with what looked like a gallon of beer for Charles, the waiter smiled and the table of college girls across from us laughed when they saw the expression on his face when that gigantic glass was put before him. Needless to say he did not even attempt to finish the beer; we sat for a couple of hours enjoying the view. 
We ended the day with dinner at a nearby rest
aurant recommended by the hotel, Il Tempio di Minerva where we ordered too much food, a salad to share, the fish and octopus entrée. The fish was outstanding and really enough for two, the salad was enough for a family of 5 but good and the octopus entrée was so so, not bad for a first night. We met a lovely Dutch couple sitting at the table next to us; we struck up a conversation about travel, food and music and had a wonderful first night in Rome. Meeting this lovely couple reinforces the joy of travel, meeting fellow travelers from around the world.
aurant recommended by the hotel, Il Tempio di Minerva where we ordered too much food, a salad to share, the fish and octopus entrée. The fish was outstanding and really enough for two, the salad was enough for a family of 5 but good and the octopus entrée was so so, not bad for a first night. We met a lovely Dutch couple sitting at the table next to us; we struck up a conversation about travel, food and music and had a wonderful first night in Rome. Meeting this lovely couple reinforces the joy of travel, meeting fellow travelers from around the world. Day two, we woke up rested, had our “complimentary breakfast” con
sisting of coffee, bread and juice and anxious to see our friends. After breakfast we went exploring for a couple of hours in a different direction until we received a text that our friends had landed in Rome. We made our way back to the hotel to meet them; after we greeted them they checked into the hotel and took a couple of hours to refresh and to re
new while we went out for another aimless walk.
We meet up with our friends after their respite and headed off on a “15 minute walk” to the Colosseum , according to the guy at the hotel. ( Side bar: we later learned that everything is Rome is a “15 minute walk”, ha ha) After a little over a half hour walk in the hot sun the Colosseum revealed itself in all of its grandness, a sight to behold and better enjoyed at a distance. The closer we got to the Coloseum you soon realized you were at a major tourist trap, the beggars and the hawkers were on us from every direction. The hawkers were aggressive, they would not tak
e no for an answer (until my Chicago roots showed itself) and they were selling junk unrelated to the site. Although the hawkers were annoying they did not spoil the experience. We were like every other tourist, we took photo after photo. We had a light lunch of pizza across from the Coloseum before we started our “15 minute walk” back to our hotel.
sisting of coffee, bread and juice and anxious to see our friends. After breakfast we went exploring for a couple of hours in a different direction until we received a text that our friends had landed in Rome. We made our way back to the hotel to meet them; after we greeted them they checked into the hotel and took a couple of hours to refresh and to re
new while we went out for another aimless walk.We meet up with our friends after their respite and headed off on a “15 minute walk” to the Colosseum , according to the guy at the hotel. ( Side bar: we later learned that everything is Rome is a “15 minute walk”, ha ha) After a little over a half hour walk in the hot sun the Colosseum revealed itself in all of its grandness, a sight to behold and better enjoyed at a distance. The closer we got to the Coloseum you soon realized you were at a major tourist trap, the beggars and the hawkers were on us from every direction. The hawkers were aggressive, they would not tak
e no for an answer (until my Chicago roots showed itself) and they were selling junk unrelated to the site. Although the hawkers were annoying they did not spoil the experience. We were like every other tourist, we took photo after photo. We had a light lunch of pizza across from the Coloseum before we started our “15 minute walk” back to our hotel. 
Day two ended with a late dinner at Gusto, the restaurant recommended by our f
riend Brian. We ordered the Carpaccio di Salome, Ravioli di patate Con calamari and the gamberoni grigliati with a nice ottle of Rosso Di Montefalco Perticaia 2006 (recommended by the waiter). The food was outstanding, the highlight was the ravioli filled with pesto served under a delicate sauce of calamari. The calamari melted in your mouth like butter. After dinner we strolled through the streets of Rome near the restaurant until we found a taxi to take us back to our hotel.
riend Brian. We ordered the Carpaccio di Salome, Ravioli di patate Con calamari and the gamberoni grigliati with a nice ottle of Rosso Di Montefalco Perticaia 2006 (recommended by the waiter). The food was outstanding, the highlight was the ravioli filled with pesto served under a delicate sauce of calamari. The calamari melted in your mouth like butter. After dinner we strolled through the streets of Rome near the restaurant until we found a taxi to take us back to our hotel. 
Sunday, day three we decided to be a little more focused and purposeful since it was our last day in Rome and since we were all pretty rested and adjusted to the time and rhythm of Italy. We decided to head off to Trastevere by monorail, “one of Rome’s classis neighborhoods located on the other side of the Tiber with a stopover on Tiber Island. Our plan was to end the day with a special meal, see the Spanish Steps at night and end a Trevi Fountain. It was mission accomplished, we got a little lost, walked a lot, strayed off the path, made some new discoveries and some familiar ones and had a memorable last day in Rome. 
We found our self in the square in Trastevere where
we lunched at Ristoranti Sabatini; we soon realized that we were in that square and that very restaurant for dinner the last time we were in Rome. It was fun to stumble upon a place we had been before and to see it in the day light. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the square and the church. The food was really good and the perseco was oh so refreshing. After lunch we found our way to Tiber Island, walked and walked seeing ruin after ruin, we had no idea where we were so when it was time to go home we need to take a taxi. It is worth noting that getting a taxi in Rome is no small feat, there are taxi stands around town and you have to find one of them and stand there in hopes that a taxi will see you and stop. Our last night in Rome was magical we had dinner at Imago R
estaurant on the 6th floor of the Hassler Hotel, at
the top of the Spanish Steps. From the restaurant there is a panoramic view of the eternal city. We decided on the restaurant because of the view and because the food was supposed to be sublime. We did not know the price thankfully because had we known we may have made a different decision and missed out on this magnificent artfully presented meal in this beautiful restaurant with very attentive staff. Jazz music played softly in the background (so Charles was happy), elegant marble floors with an antique-wooden inlay, and the romantic play of light reflecting on the mirrored tables, all conspire to create a magical atmosphere, a sense of being in another time and space.
estaurant on the 6th floor of the Hassler Hotel, at
the top of the Spanish Steps. From the restaurant there is a panoramic view of the eternal city. We decided on the restaurant because of the view and because the food was supposed to be sublime. We did not know the price thankfully because had we known we may have made a different decision and missed out on this magnificent artfully presented meal in this beautiful restaurant with very attentive staff. Jazz music played softly in the background (so Charles was happy), elegant marble floors with an antique-wooden inlay, and the romantic play of light reflecting on the mirrored tables, all conspire to create a magical atmosphere, a sense of being in another time and space. A
fter we were seated we were served a glass of perseco and a playful amuse bush that looked like dessert but it was savory fish perpetration. We share an a
ppetizer of zucchini stuffed with tomato jam, quail, fish and more. We were to full to order dessert which was a good thing because we were served a piece of chocolate after our meal and given a small box of confections as a token after our meal. Sometime it pays to go blindly into an experience, our meal was expensive but worth every cent!
fter we were seated we were served a glass of perseco and a playful amuse bush that looked like dessert but it was savory fish perpetration. We share an a
ppetizer of zucchini stuffed with tomato jam, quail, fish and more. We were to full to order dessert which was a good thing because we were served a piece of chocolate after our meal and given a small box of confections as a token after our meal. Sometime it pays to go blindly into an experience, our meal was expensive but worth every cent! Leaving the Hasssler, we descended the Spanish Steps and made our way to Trevi Fountain, I am happy we saw it at night. We strolled the streets for a couple of hours it seemed before returning to our hotel to rest up for our train ride to Milan in the morning.
buona notte roma!
Stay toon for more Italy......
Stay toon for more Italy......
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