I would love to be able to grow my own basil, but I kill every green thing that has the misfortune of crossing my doorstep. There’s something about the daily watering that makes something in my brain click and go “Whoa. Plant. Look. That’s a major commitment that you seem to be looking for. I’m […]
Author Archives: Natalie
The next person that tells me the best way to learn Italian is to get an Italian boyfriend, is gonna get smacked. The first 40 times I heard this, I laughed it off, pretending each time that it was somehow funny or original. Don’t get me wrong- Italian men are beautiful. They wear beautiful clothes, […]
The most famous church in Trastevere is by far the Basilica di Santa Maria. Santa Maria is beautiful, but my favorite is Santa Cecilia: On my way to dinner once, I wandered past Santa Cecilia just as the bells were ringing. They stopped me in my tracks, and I joined a small crowded that had gathered […]
Cacio e pepe is a Roman dish, it is also the best “macaroni and cheese” that you will ever eat. This is the dish that reminds me of home, even though making comparisons to Kraft dinners is probably sacrilege. Cacio is a Roman cheese, and pepe is simply black pepper. Throw that on top of […]
Recently, we had a craving for pizza. There are no shortages of great pizzerias in Rome, but we decided that the only thing that would do was a trip Naples. A 9 Euro train ticket and a 2 hour ride later, we were standing in front of Da Michele. Da Michele is not a highly […]
When I finally decided to make the move to Italy a reality, my philosophy was: “When life hands you lemons, move to Rome and make lemon gelato.” I moved to Rome, and I found my lemon gelato- it was at San Crispino all along: Now listen to me very closely: if you are in Rome, […]
Excuse me for playing a little bit of blog catch-up. The past few weeks have been spent studying and enjoying the presence of one of my favorite people. But now my final is over and (sadly) my friend has gone back to the US, and I’ve been meaning to tell you about La Befana, the […]
If you visit the center of Rome, you’ll see the rose sellers. They wander around with bouquets, trying to hand you a rose as “a present” and then asking for payment. The flower guys will wander into restaurants and try to sell you a rose over dinner. I always laugh and tell them that I […]