Hane and I with our heads huddled together, Tara and I at the Spanish steps (our poses in that picture remind me of Manet's Petit Dejeuner sur l'herbe!)
Rome is so expansive (and continuously expanding!) that we spent quite a lot of time with our noses in our map. This final leg of the journey was for our return flights home, so we only spent 2 nights in Rome. We took it easy, leisurely walking the streets, not neglecting gelato breaks of course! We had these incredible pastries called 'sorchetta' topped with cream and chocolate one night, after a night of socialising with my Roman friend Aurora, and our mutual German friend Hane (both of whom I'd worked with in Venice, oh that all seems so long ago now!) Where we'd usually get curry cheese chips, the Romans have delicious patisseries open into the the wee hours, and no anti social behaviour. I could get used to that way of life, my waistline wouldn't find it hard to adjust!
Aurora took us to a small family owned restaurant called A Casa di Alice on our last night. The menu had dozens of different spaghetti dishes, all the pasta being made fresh in the kitchen. She went to secondary school in the area our hostel was in (east Rome), so she was familiar with all the best social spots, luckily for us! It was all very reasonably priced and with plenty of choice for vegetarians, so different from home.
Rome was very touristy, but it has a charm of its own, the locals are well dressed like so many Italians are. There are many, many designer boutiques, which didn't interest us. One afternoon, I removed myself from the mania of Rome and the Piazza di Spagna and found refuge for an hour in the Keats Shelley House, located right beside the Spanish Steps. It was a peaceful haven in the heart of the ever pulsing Rome, Keats himself would appreciate that I think.
We stayed at the Papaya Hostel. We visited some of the main attractions in the city centre - the Spanish Steps, the Keats Shelley House, the Palazzo del Quirinale, the Via dei Condotti. However, we mostly just walked the streets, as we both had visited the city before, and we preferred to catch up with friends than fret about getting into the major attractions.
1: 1am 'Sorchetta mora', from pasticceria Lambiase, Rome
2-3: Home made spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pumpkin: 'Halloween' pasta from A Casa di Alice
4: Hostel selfie, wearing 1960s Dollyrockers velvet liberty print shift dress & murano glass stud earrings
5: Keats bed, in which he died on February 23, 1821 in Rome, at the age of 25
6: Locks of Shelley and Keats hair.
7: Silhouette (1823) of Fanny Brawne (1800-65) by Augustin Édouart at the Keats-Shelley House, Rome
8: Homeward bound over the Alps
All these wonderful photos were taken on my friend Tara's camera, the instagram pictures are my own.
1: Statue of Michelangelo's David (replica) in Piazza della Signoria // 2-6: The view from the roof of our hotel, (Hotel Medici) // 7: Cheeky fun with David // 8-9: Recalling that scene from A Room with a View // 10: Tara and I
I began this post last week, cup of tea in hand, as the rain poured down outside my window. Disheartened, I got distracted. This week couldn't be more different! The weather took a total turn around last week and we are enjoying temperatures in the mid-20s all across Ireland. So now I am recalling my Italian trip with fondness, and sharing some of our pictures! I had meant to blog about my Spring trip months ago, I did write a blog post on gelateria in Florence in March, if you're into that sort of thing!
Tara is one of my best friends, we met in our first year of university as we were placed in student accommodation together, and happily a firm friendship was formed. We took the same Art History classes and vowed to one day visit Florence. We fulfilled that promise earlier this year. Tara works in Dubai, so our rendezvous point was at Rome's International Airport. From there we took a fast train to Florence. I would advise that you book these in advance, or you can buy a ticket for half the price, but it takes closer to 4 hours to travel between the two cities.
We were (and are!) two twenty-somethings on a budget, so we took our trip in the down season (though is there every really a low tourist season in Italy??) We stayed at Hotel Medici, a 2 star hotel in the city centre. Our rooms were actually a 5 minute walk from the main reception, but we could easily walk to the hotel in the mornings for a simple breakfast. Italians are reknowned for their generous meals, but breakfast is an altogether simpler affair. Typically they may have a pastry for breakfast with a strong expresso, so they can enjoy a long, lazy lunch. We would eat heartily at lunch so we got used to our simple breakfasts. After breakfast, we strolled lazily along the characteristic Florentine streets to our first attraction of the day. On our first evening, we picked up a cheap bottle of Italian wine and sat on the balcony admiring our up close and personal view of the Duomo (see above). I can confirm that Italy does actually have a cold spell during the winter and spring, so do bring a warm jacket and scarf. We had 3 aran sweaters to share between the pair of us, so we were fine!
We visited all the major attractions - the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, the Uffizi gallery, the Accademia galleries, the church of Santa Croce (c. 1443), and Florence Cathedral (San Maria del Fiore).
As with any trip, if you want to save on admission prices, book in advance. You can get reduced rates up to 12 hours before your visit. In 2011, a tourist tax was introduced for the major Italian cities. This rate is paid daily, to your hotel, and varies depending on the star rating of your hotel. There is a cut off point (eg. 10 nights is the maximum charge for Florence).
1-2: Interior of the infamous Dome of Florence's catherdral. A feat of engineering, designed by Brunelleschi in the 15th century // 3: Italy's old restaurant signs // 4: Looking over the river Arno, after consuming the best panino I have and will probably ever eat again // 5: Facade of the Church of Santa Croce (c. 1443) // 6-11: At the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens
All these photos were 'borrowed' from Tara's superior camera. Thank you again!
GPOY: my gelato face
Three weeks ago, I went on holiday to Florence and Rome with my best friend Tara, who now lives and works in Dubai. We wanted to go somewhere before the tourist season got into full swing, and we both love Italy so a compromise was easy. Of course, the first thing I set about doing as soon as I'd booked my ticket was to search out the best gelato places in Florence, and Rome.
We had three full days in Florence, with one and a half days in Rome. I had read that Florence is the gelato capital of Italy, (and as such, the world!). The rest of the itinerary could wait - as I applied myself to the task of sourcing the best gelateria to visit while we there. Thanks to my wonderful friend Tara who patiently accompanied me on my quest.
I only got to four gelateria in the end, and I have ranked these in terms of my favourites.
Vestri Cioccolato D Autore
Borgo degli Albizi, 11 50122 Firenze
Picture this - a warm breeze on your face as you stand in a typical Florentine alleyway, uncertainly contemplating this cramped chocolate shop. We stepped inside and admittedly it was a little chaotic looking, the gelato counter was nowhere to be seen on first glance. The gelato counter is selective - they must only do certain flavours on certain days, as you are given a small menu card to choose from. The gelato is stored deep inside silver steel containers, and somehow this excites me more than the colourful pillows of gelato we see in many of the other typical gelateria. It's like you are being made privy to something sacred, a taste of something heavenly stored inside a gilded shrine. I had a coppa of Florentine vanilla and dark chocolate infused with Sicilian oranges. A Roman friend of mine advised me that you judge a gelateria based on how good it's basic flavours taste. I don't think there are any words to accurately describe the gelato here, I didn't want it to end. It was like I had come home and tasted vanilla for the first time, it was truly a transformative ice-cream experience that was incomparable to any that had come before it. The chocolate was rich with the subtle tang of the orange coming through, not cloying like you imagine Terrys Chocolate in ice-cream form to be.
It was so good that I had to go back immediately after, after shyly asking Tara if she wanted to try it again because I was sure that unless I was to return to Florence one day, I would never experience that euphoria again. To my sheer joy, they offered affrogato. In the winter months you can buy cioccolata calda, which is hot chocolate, but not just any hot chocolate, Italian hot chocolate, darling. So I had a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream with toasted almonds, and rich hot chocolate poured over the top, filling my cup to brim. Heaven, heaven, heaven. If I was proposed to with a cup of this, I'd accept right away.
Gelateria dei Neri
Via dei Neri, 22, 50122 Firenze
This was the first gelateria we called into, after a long day of exerting my optical senses musing over art in the Uffizi; I wanted to give my mouth an equally deserving sensory experience. This cosy gelateria has framed photographs adorning the walls, showing 'Gelateria dei Neri' cartons chilling out in locations around the world, a bit like that garden gnome in Amélie. They had a fine selection of chocolate ice cream here, you had 8 size options to choose from, which is quite common in Italian gelateria. I had pistachio and dark chocolate, both wonderful, the dark chocolate was particularly rich, the sort of flavour that lingers in your mouth afterward, in the best possible way.
Gelateria La Carraia
Via dei Benci, 24, 50122 Firenze
Having spent our first two nights in Florence, north of the River Arno, we went Southside to visit Palazzo Pitti. La Carraia is conveniently located beside the Ponte alla Carraia. I found this particular store the most reasonably priced of all the gelateria we visited, and the best value for money. I wasn't keen on the green and yellow colour scheme, but as we ate our gelato on a bench outside, a painter and decorator van pulled up outside and the man in the car disembarked to take a photo of the interior. If only most of my thoughts came to fruition as conveniently. Here I had the pistachio and hazelnut, both satisfying, I particularly liked the nuttiness of the hazelnut, it would be delicious with a dark chocolate.
Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40 00186 Rome, Italy
In my 'research', a few sources described this place as touristy. When we arrived in the early afternoon, this place was very busy. It is probably the largest gelateria I've been to, with a very elegant, wood paneled, old fashioned interior with a wealth of gelato flavours to choose from, I reckon there were at least 40. I expect this place gets a very high turnover of customers, as there was a very specific system in place - you paid for your gelato at a till inside the door, and presented your receipt at the counter when you made your gelato selection, after fighting your way through dozens of other customers. I got chocolate and pistachio con panna (with fresh cream), and I am sorry to say that it was the least memorable of all the Italian gelato I've had. The chocolate was strangely bland and in my disappointment I found the pistachio forgettable. I'd recommend going to the GROM around the corner, it's part of a chain - but they serve delicious, organic gelato.
I also found this retro (circa 2001) 'Gelato Tour' of Italy, with film photographs to illustrate the piece! Instagram is great in that in lets the user share the experience right away.
The Venetian island of Burano is reknowned for its colourful houses and its lace. The houses are painted in distinct colours following in a wonderful tradition, where the sailors returning from sea in bad weather conditions would be able to identify their house by its unique colour. This was in ye olden times before electric lighthouses (another tradition now becoming defunct due to radar technology).
I spent the best part of a day in Burano. We were in a daze walking around the tranquil alleyways, hardly believing this technicolour place to be real, it felt like the film set from a 1950s MGM movie. There were less tourists than the main island of Venice certainly, and it possesses a certain magic that I didn't find in Venice. I think that was because without the overwhelming hoardes of tourists I could see the locals, and actually interact with them and exchange camaraderie!
That awkward moment when you paint your house a different colour to your neighbours but you share a window.
Quiet streets! A rarity in Venice.
I went to the Lace museum (more on that later).
The leaning tower of a church, if you look closely at the churches in Venice, you'll notice that this is very common - it is the old foundations they're built on, these are all reinforced, so they don't tilt further.
Its almost as if the washing was specially selected to fit in with the colour scheme!
This house, Casabepi, has an interesting story. In Burano, locals have to apply to the council, to apply for approval of the colour they wish to paint their house. I suppose it matters to the aesthetic effect of the whole island, but knowing this information, and realising that the beautifully kept exteriors of the houses isn't down to the individual motivation of the community, tarnishs the magic slightly! In the 1950s, the owner Guiseppe 'Bepi' Toselli (1920-2002), a candy seller, turned film theatre owner, began painting his house in these geometric patterns. It has become quite the tourist attraction, there were a few people taking photos while I was there, and I didn't want them in my picture, therefore I don't have a full photo of the facade! A quick google of "casabepi burano" will turn up loads of results!
The vaparetto journey back to the main island takes around 40 to 50 minutes. In the evening, watching the sun set is a wonderful experience.
