Monday, October 12, 2009

Rick's Roadshow: Rome The Eternal City

It’s so good to be back in Rome again. It occurred to us that in the past 12 months, we’ve taken three trips to “The Eternal City”. It has quickly become familiar and comfortable to us. Of course my command of the Italian language helps demystify it all (okay that was an inside joke for anyone who has heard me speak Italian). These are my people, so I understand the culture, particularly when it comes to eating. But more on that later. One of the nice things of having been here several times is that when we return there is no pressure to “sight see”. Instead we play things by ear, and just enjoy the city as local Romans would. Sunday was a nice and relaxing day; we had a very relaxing breakfast poolside, enjoying the most delicious coffee I’ve had in a long time. Afterward we strolled the grounds of our hotel. The Cavalieri is part of the Waldorf=Astoria hotel collection and certainly lives up to their standards. The Cavalieri sits atop a very high hill overlooking Rome, offering stunning views of this magnificent city.

 








We decided to spend Sunday in the Park, at the famed Villa Borghese Park. It was quite pleasant- mid 70’s and sunny, a perfect day to be out for a stroll. We came across a great dog park where there must have been a hundred dogs roaming around quite happily; mixing and mingling with other dogs, all barking in Italian. 
Below left: Entrance to the Gardino Zoologico (zoo). Notice the details of the sculptures on the entrance gate- there is an elephant head at the top.














 
This statue of the eagle was at the entrance to the park from the main road.
This waterfall statue is of a woman with water flowing from her water jug down into the lake. 
above & below: Picasso Lake. There were people rowing boats amid swans and ducks.
 
We stumbled on this cute cafe in the middle of the park called Casina Del Lago


At night we went to a nearby restaurant called Luciano’s for a dinner the locals would enjoy. Let me just say that I’ve never had a bad meal in Italy. This dinner was no exception. The photos don't do it justice...I didn't want to look ridiculous taking photos of my food because it was a local family restaurant. For a starter we had home made ravioli with spinach and cheese, in a butter and brown sage sauce, and also a home made fettuccine with fresh mushrooms. For the main course, we had veal Marsala with mushrooms, and Stuffed veal stuffed with prosciutto ham and mozzarella cheese. We also had a side dish of grilled vegetables. It was Molto Delicioso! After dinner we went back to our room, sat out on the balcony and enjoyed a bottle of wine while enjoying the  view of well manicured grounds and heard the sound of the dolphin waterfall flowing gently all night.
                                        Thanks for stopping by Rick's Roadshow: Rome, The Eternal City. We're in Rome another day, so more from Rome before we set sail on our fabulous Aegean Sea cruise. Stay tuned...
-Ricardo Rockhillo

10 comments:

Virginia Rockhill said...

I like the dogs barking in Italian!

Cheryl said...

I've spoken to people who didn't enjoy Rome. Found it to be dirty with lots of dogs roaming the city. It's so refreshing to hear from someone who knows the real Rome. Enjoy!

kenju said...

Excellent photos and a nice look into Rome - where I wish I could live! In that pool photo, I see the sculptured trees I fell so in love with when we were there.

We didn't have a bad meal there either; everything is so fresh and there are no preservatives. We ate like pigs! Plus, we walked all day long and lost 9 pounds in 9 days!

Anonymous said...

oooh, a sage brown butter sauce? yum!

Ben Wu said...

Are you sure you have never had a bad meal in Italy? Stay away from the shellfish!!!

KathyA said...

Oh Rick! I'm green with envy!! The food! The parks! The people!
And you bear a striking resemblance to the guy behind you in the first photo! Ciao!

Jeni said...

Thanks again for letting me sneak along with you as you toured Rome! I've said this before (to you, I think) or perhaps some other bloggers who get to travel and then post lovely pictures of their trips -this is a wonderful way for me to travel -if only vicariously -but anyway, to see, to learn, about so many fantastic places! Great post, beautiful photos!

Diane J Standiford said...

Barking in Italian, Lady and the Tramp, ah Rome!

Karelian Blonde said...

Looking good Mr Rockhill, the city looks good and the food looks gorgeous! Thank you for posting :)

OldLady Of The Hills said...

What a BEAUTIFUL Park that is and the Lake,,,perfection! THat meal made my mouth water, Rick...iy looked very very Yummy! I feel more relaxed just reading about your stay in Rome....What a GORGEOUS Hotel!

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