It is officially summer in Rome. That means outdoor dining, gelato every day and river bars: For 6 Euro, you can get yourself a plastic cup of beer and take a seat for some serious people watching. The bars set up near Trastevere, on both sides of the Tiber River. They extend a ways down […]
13
Jun
Jun
Data came out today showing that the 2010-2011 harvest put Italy ahead of France as the world’s largest wine producer. I wish that I had a bike so I could celebrate by buying this sweet bicycle wine rack. But I don’t have a death wish, and thus have very little interest in attempting to cycle […]
23
Apr
Apr
Brightly colored cellophane has been taunting me. Italian Easter eggs are large, in charge and unavoidable. Walking down the street, riding the bus, on the metro: it seems like everyone has huge Easter eggs peeking out of their bags. Giant, chocolate, eggs. The phenomenon seems on par with the panettone craze that struck everyone at […]
21
Apr
Apr
When I first visited Rome for 3 days in 2004, I had no idea the city would become my home away from home. Today, Rome turns 2764 years young! Rome and I happen to share birthday weeks, and the old girl’s incredible age makes my transition from twenty-something to older-twenty-something feel slightly less traumatic. Auguri […]
20
Apr
Apr
When it was finally time to get on a plane to Rome, I agonized over what to pack in my two suitcases. How could I pick just two bags worth of belongings for one year? I eventually managed, even though my poor mother was forced to cart home many pairs of shoes and bottles of […]
11
Apr
Apr
The good thing about Mondays is that they are no longer Sundays. That means the market, which is always closed on Sunday (the one day a week I seem to want to go), is back open. In an under-caffeinated beginning of the week haze, I almost went to the supermercato. I snapped out of it […]
11
Apr
Apr
For some reason, possibly because I am easily entertained, I think it’s hilarious to hear dog commands in Italian. “Vieni!” “Seduto!” I’m not sure why it never occurred to me that if you speak another language, you speak that language to your pet as well. But it’s strange not to hear: “Come!” “Sit!” “Good dog!” […]
07
Apr
Apr
Food. Food. Food. I was really unnerved by these hamburger vending machines in Amsterdam: That just ain’t right.