With a fearless (and manual-transmission trained) fellow explorer, we navigated the strange world of Italian car rentals and were soon on our way to Nemi, in the Castelli Romani.

Nemi has long been famous for its wild strawberries.  And perched overlooking Nemi lake, formed in an ancient volcanic crater, it’s an idyllic scene to wile away the hours eating strawberries.

The town itself is typical Italian adorable, decked out with flags and strawberry themed streamers.

I wasted no time getting into the spirit, devouring strawberry pizza and a wild strawberry tart in quick succession.

In addition to lots of strawberry deliciousness, there is also a flower show.

We went on the 2nd of June, which also happens to be Festa della Republica (a national holiday), so the Italian flags were out in full force. As were the adorable, I repeat, ADORABLE fiat campers filled with flowers.

Just one more and then I will spare you the 20+ additional pictures I may have taken of the same van.

After lunch, we lugged our crates of strawberries back to the rental car and set off to explore some of the other towns in Castelli Romani.

Lucky for you, the sagra is still happening this weekend. The 80th edition runs until June 9th.  More information is available on the Comune di Nemi website (but good luck navigating the creative web design).  If you can’t make it this weekend, keep an eye out next year in late May, when the festival usually begins.

Even without a sagra, Nemi is an easy day trip from Rome.  It is located about 30 km, or a 45 minute drive, from the center.  The town is small and cute.  It won’t take all day to explore, leaving you time to check out Frascati, Castel Gandolfo of Genzano on the same day.

Just remember to wear your comfortable shoes.

One such place to skip off to is the ancient volcanic rock town of Calcata.

When Calcata’s cliffs began crumbling in the 1930s, the village was condemned and abandoned. Slowly but surely, in the 1960s and 70s, hippies and artists began to reclaim the hilltop town.  The squatters revitalized the village and the city eventually reversed the condemnation order.

Today, the quiet piazze are the perfect place to lunch outside of the city.

And the best lunch to be had is at La Piazzetta (in other words, aptly named: The Little Piazza).

Lunch at La Piazzetta was the most delicious food I have had in quite some time. We were spoiled by Gianluca, his wife and daughter (caught in the picture above).  At the popular family-run restaurant we feasted on a Roman speciality- cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper).  The dish was made of strangozzi fatto a mano (hade made pasta), a dish made senza uova (without eggs- just flour and water).

As a secondo, we dined on sausages made by the restaurant owners themselves, served grilled to perfection and topped with fennel.

The zero KM restaurant (meaning it serves hyper-local foods), was constantly turning guests away. Best to call ahead for a reservation and request a table outside if the weather is nice.

After lunch, we happily continued exploring the narrow streets of the small town.  In addition to artists, Calcata is famous for it’s cats.

You arrive in Calcata after exiting the autostrada and continuing on for 20 minutes of winding roads through a lush green valley.  It’s about 40 km north of Rome and accessible by car.  Calcata is an easy day trip from Rome, and well worth the short drive to have lunch in this ancient town of artists.

I wouldn’t have discovered Calcata without the lovely Laura who organized a tour Scoprire La Tuscia- a trip designed to discover the ancient land of the Etruscans.  I’ll have more on the trip soon!

For lunch in Calcata:

La Piazzetta
Via San Giovanni, 47
Calcata (VT)
0761.588078 or 335.6682776
Closed Wednesday and Thursday 

But I could not. stop. staring. at this painting:

Really? Thong butt? That’s what I should gaze upon while dining?

Spotted in Milazzo.

A make your own pizza kit for the kiddies!

Unnecessary but adorable:

15% off so you better get it while the gettin’ is good.

This morning, I set off for the San Paolo neighborhood of Rome.  It was a surreal walk from the metro to my alma mater, where I had been invited to give a short lecture. As strange as it felt to be back at school, the lecture went well (I think), I met some great students, and I got to explore San Paolo once more.

The Negozio Leggero- La spesa alla spina has opened in the time since I graduated but I’ve been wanting to check it out since Marina wrote about it ages ago.

The store allows you to buy in bulk, without the packaging.  That means, you can bring in your own containers or, if you are unprepared like me, tote things home in small paper bags.

How it works:

Take a letter, and explore the store to figure out what you might need that day.

The letter corresponds to a product in the store. It also serves as your number to be helped, so listen for them to call it out.

Then, you can pick out a range of food, drinks and supplies. Like baking necessities:

Wine (vino sfuso):

As well as cosmetics and home goods:

I left with quinoa, orecchiette, and plans to return:

My second stop was the hippie house.  The hippie house is better known as the La Citta dell’Utopia.  On the third Saturday of the month they host a Mercato contadino terra/TERRA di San Paolo, from 9.30-16.00.

I was too early for lunch, but the merchants were already set up. Lucky for me because cherry/berry season has arrived seemingly overnight, so I obviously needed to stock up on local produce.

On my way back the down the stairs, I spotted a lone yogurt salesman.  I immediately recognized Yogurt Barikamà from The Rome Digest, which hosted a fundraiser for the small organic start up company last week.

So now I am on my way to the terrace to enjoy a light lunch and relax a bit after a hectic week.

Thanks to Marina and The Rome Digest for the gastronomic guidance!

If you want to try these places out for yourself:

Negozio Leggero
Via Gabriello Chiabrera, 80
00145 Rome

La Città dell’Utopia
Via Valeriano 3F
00145 Roma

It’s been one of those weeks…

I’ve earned myself a trip to the pasticerria (pastry shop).

But my favorite dolce will always have a sad face.

“Che casino” means ‘what a mess’. Or you can use it to convey something along the lines of: ‘it’s a madhouse in here’.

Really, I use it to mean: total cluster#$@%

This is the view from our old living room window.  We loved the house.

 …but the neighborhood was a total casino.

Long story short, it’s time to move.  Unfortunately, the act of coordinating a move in Rome is also a total casino. (Think: language barriers, euros, no elevators and broken down moving vans)

To leave you on a tranquil note, here is the view from the future living room:

Buona Domenica! (Happy Sunday)

And a shout out to med student Kim, who let me know the site was down when I got caught up in the mess.

The light on the terra cotta colored buildings is soft, the trees are in bloom, neighbors are smiling, the nightclub under my house has reopened.  Ah, wait. The last one is NOT my favorite thing about spring.

But at least I have friends with ridiculous terraces and views that make my troubles melt away.

Happy Primavera!

Spotted in Testaccio.

Buon weekend!