Preparations for Christmas at home

I haven't posted any photos of Australia as promised as I have been frantically shopping for Christmas stuff and cleaning the house.  Most of the family will be at our place for Christmas lunch & I've been out buying food etc. I love cooking so am looking forward to making lots of things.
It won't be too hot on Christmas day this year, the forecast is for 31C so it will be quite nice -a big change from the cold in Italy.

I'll post some photos asap. Hope that you have a great Christmas.

Poste Italiane update

Of the eight boxes that we posted, five have already arrived -just waiting on three from Rome. If you are prepared for different rules at each post office and fill out the dreaded bolletini with the minimum info required then Poste Italiane is pretty efficient and they have very speedy boats ;)  our sea mail parcels took only a few weeks.

Arrivederci Roma e ciao Australia

Siamo a casa in Australia.  Italia: spero che ritorniamo subito!! 

My Italian is still as bad as it was, I just sound a bit better :)   For friends and family in Italy, I'll continue this blog for a while to show you what some of the other side of the world looks like and maybe you'll come here one day.

Il nostro penultimo giorno in Italia 2011 :(

Our second last day in Rome was just spent wandering around revisiting favourite places as well as stumbling across a few new ones.   We walked into the city centre rather than taking the metro as it was a really nice day and no rain.  We have been so lucky with the weather over that past few months and have had hardly any rain and generally fairly mild weather.  We were sad that our holiday was coming to an end but looking forward to catching up with everyone at home.

It was a public holiday in Italy for the "Feast of the Immaculate Conception" and the city centre was packed with people because the Pope visited Piazza di Spagna in the afternoon and laid a wreath at the statue of  Mary and also the lights of the Christmas tree in Piazza Venezia and also the tricolore Christmas lights in Via del Corso were turned on.

What more could you want: the Pantheon and  Caffe' Tazza d'Oro :)

The Christmas markets were packed

This busker could play pretty well and was making a bit of money

Waiting for lunch

ASRoma rules :)

Castel San'Angelo

Doing the tourist thing -we'll be back anyway :)

Christmas lights in Via del Corso

There were so many people we had to stay close so that we didn't lose each other

Campidoglio, Cineteca Nazionale and wandering around

So much to see and do and so little time! It's difficult to choose what to see -this time we've seen heaps of churches as we seem to have been around when they've been open. Churched out :)

Musei Capitoline - we've been to these museums a few times over many years.  There are always changes to the collections and galleries and always something spectacular to see.

http://www.museicapitolini.org/

Courtyard in the Capitoline

The size of these pieces of sculptures are huge.  The complete sculptures would have been enormous

The original Marcus Aurelius -the copy is in the Campidoglio

This foot has Morton's toe :)

Excavations below the Cineteca Nazionale  Rome
http://it-it.facebook.com/pages/Cineteca-Nazionale-Cinema-Trevi/56922676511- very close to the Trevi Fountain.   Roman buildings were found when the cinema was being built http://storiaromana.blogspot.com/2009/08/cinema-trevi-visita-sotterranea-ai.html

Anfore for storing oil

Below Cineteca Nazionale at 25 Vicolo del Puttarella  Rome

Fontana di Trevi

I don't know how the blue car was ever going to get out of this parking spot, it was firmly wedged in -but not the worst we've seen.

Food in Rome

Many of the kilos that I'd lost before we left Australia have managed to find me :(  I'm not too worried though, we're enjoying the great food here and I'll diet when we get home.  We have been very lucky and have had some great meals and tried heaps of different things -more so than other times. Restaurants can be a bit hit and miss -places that you've been to before can have gone off or those that others recommend are not quite to your taste.  We have been to old favourites and have tried new places.  Our favourite place in Rome is still Taberna Recina in Via Elvia Recina 22-24-26 Roma
tel 067000413 

http://www.tabernarecina.it/

The only problem with this restaurant is that we eat too much - the food is fantastic and everything is always freshly made. We decided to not have dessert last time we went but just had to try a chocolate and ricotta crostata which had just come out of the oven :) -it was beautiful.  We hope to be able to go one more time before we leave.

Pasta and broccoli in brodo di arzilla (a type of fish), very tasty

Fettucini guanciale e carciofi -not sure who had the best pasta, both were delicious

Carciofio alla romana - so good

Brasato di chianina al vino rosso (braised chianina beef filet) -Very tender beef in a tasty wine sauce

Abbacchio al forno -the best roast lamb on the planet

Insalata mista -baby salad vegetables including fennel, rocket, lettuce and radichio -just perfect

Chocolate and ricotta crostata -so delicious

Yesterday we had lunch at 'Gusto Osteria which is just near Ara Pacis and the Mausoleum of Augustus.  It was  a busy time to be there -a lot of people out for Sunday lunch. We tried fairly typical Roman dishes and enjoyed our meal.

Frittata di cicoria e pecorino -very nice too!

Tonnarelli 'cacio e pepe' -one of Rob's favourites

Scarola con uvetta e pinoli - endive with sultanas and pine nuts. A combination which works well.

Maccheroncini alla carbonara - really tasty and well made but with hindsight it was probably a bit too rich for me for a lunchtime meal

Rob also had a tiramisu -quite a robust version.  Over all a very nice meal in a bustling environment -the Roma v Firenze game live on  TV was a bonus ;)

Today we bought some bread, cheese and prosciutto from "La Differenza di Paolo Stramaccioni" Largo Magna Grecia,4 Roma.  The prosciutto was beautiful, the nicest that we've ever had.  It was so sweet and nothing like the excessively salty prosciutto that we get at home -Italy keeps its best food for Italians whereas we export ours, we have got it all wrong!!

http://aziende.virgilio.it/19746547/stramaccioni-paolo

While I'm mentioning favourites, I may as well add our regular coffee places:

Alex Cafe Via Magna Grecia, 101/A Roma.  The guys that run this place are really friendly and make good coffee, a regular stop off on our way to the metro.

The Gallery Cafe, Via Del Tritone, 36 Roma

http://it-it.facebook.com/pages/THE-GALLERY-CAFE/267823803234736?v=info&sk=info

Another place for good coffee and spremuta. They also make great panini and are next door to the Gallery Art & Fashion

Tourists always head for Tazza D'oro 

http://www.tazzadorocoffeeshop.com/

and San Eustachio Caffe 

http://www.santeustachioilcaffe.it/it/

because they are mentioned in all of the travel guides.  They are there for a reason, they both make great coffee.  When tours turn up at these bars it can be really crowded but otherwise they are fine.  They each sell other coffee related stuff -snapped up by groups of tourists.

Our favourite pizza place is at Piazza Re Di Roma 19/20. Pizzeria  (Alvasis S.R.L.) make the best suppli, arancione, calzone, pizza etc.... I love their pizza bianca stuffed with spinach - can't remember what it's called but it's great.

http://www.ccnitalia.com/portale/13313/Roma%20IX%20Via%20Appia/pizza%20Alvasis%20Re%20di%20Roma/?q=dove%20mangiare&comune=Roma%20IX%20Via%20Appia 

Delfina Delettrez

Had to include the window displays from this shop near Piazza di Spagna
http://delfinadelettrez.com/