I have lived in Rome for half my adult life, but there are still days when I round a corner and squee with excitement because it is just That. Damn. Beautiful. Jim puts up with me stopping every 2 minutes to take photos “like a tourist” because when I get THAT excited about this city, […]
Dear American Academy in Rome, Can I move in, please? xo, Natalie
For the first year I lived in Rome, something was missing. Of course I had moments of homesickness. I missed my family and my friends. And I finally realized that I also missed my pets. There was no cat cafe in 2010, but soon there was Bacon the cat. Just one cat. (I made do). We have […]
I was gone for a few weeks last summer. It seems that was all it took for the neighborhood to change. Screaming down Via Marmorata in a taxi on way home from the airport, I caught a glimpse of a modern space. Despite my attempts to rubberneck, I could not tell what it was or […]
I have walked by Babington’s many times. If you have been to Rome, so have you. With an unimaginably good location, Babington’s offers tea and light bites right at the base of the Spanish Steps. You know. Right there. Yep. There. The tea rooms were established in 1893, with the aim of catering to the […]
I sometimes hate on Trastevere. It is easy to see why it is popular: charming, central and well looked after. However, its strength is its weakness, and these virtues also means it is packed with hawkers of knickknacks, over-salted aperitivo buffets and throngs of international explorers. Sometimes Rome feels like it is divided into two […]
I have missed this stretch of the Tiber. This is where I notice the seasons change in Rome. On this same walk, I wistfully watched for the first green leaves in spring, and where I now crunch through autumn. My favorite thing about fall in Rome is clementines and olio nuovo. So in addition to […]
The first time I ever had supplì, I spit it out. I was mid-conversation, and I picked up a small fried ball and popped it into my mouth. Without breaking eye contact, I very quickly spit it back into my napkin with little to no subtlety. It was one of the most awkward, and also […]
