Rome!
I took
the sleek and comfy high-speed Eurostar Italia train from Bologna’s tidy
Centrale train station to Rome’s bustling Termini station. Boom - in just under 3
hours I arrive. Rome’s frenetic
energy greeted me with the open arms of a glamorous and highly amusing old
friend. It was my third trip to
Rome but it would be my first time to just relax and enjoy the place on its own
terms. I’d seen all of the major
sites more than once, waited on the lines and endured the tourist sensory
overload and fatigue. Now I can
relax, sleep in a bit, see some friends and MAKE MORE PASTA!
A Place to Lay Your Head – Hotel Art by the Spanish Steps
Go down a little side
street...
then down another, hang a
right at the art gallery...
and walk down the cobbled corridor and you’ve arrived – Hotel Art is a quirky and cool little boutique design hotel tucked away in a former chapel.
It’s located exactly 3 minutes from the Spanish Steps, a great area right in the center of things, right near the subway in one of the nicer parts of town. They’ve outfitted and updated this former sacred space with every modern convenience, giving the place a feel for the past that’s rooted very much in the present.
I was escorted to the
“orange” floor – see the photo. It
took me a minute to get my bearings when I exited the elevator (will I be able
to find my room if I had a few too many at dinner?) and I began to worry about
what my room was going to look like.
Thankfully, my room was a small but serene oasis of muted colors, linen sheets, big smushy duvet, a movie star bathrobe with slippers and a nice selection of yummy Etro toiletries. And breakfast was included!
Hotel Art by the Spanish Steps: Via Margutta 56; +39.06.328711
Rooms during the low season start at 185.00 Euro per night (which I consider a deal for what you get & the location). www.hotelart.it
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Pasta Time with Diane Seed
"I fell in love with an Italian, then I fell in love with Italy, and then I fell in love with the food…and now I just stay for the food."
And thus began my evening of pasta making with renowned cookbook author and culinary tour guide Diane Seed. Diane, who is originally from Great Britain, has made Rome her home base for over 30 years and made a career of translating Italian recipes and lifestyle for the English speaking world.
You
probably have a copy of her famous cookbook “The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces”
on your bookshelf and don’t even realize it. What are you waiting for? Bust it out and get cooking! Not only are her recipes authentic, they are surprisingly
easy and delicious. We spent a
relaxed evening in her kitchen, with a view of the Coliseum, making delicious
dishes that I’ve already cooked for friends a few times over back in New
York. This was also the perfect
complement to my pasta making lessons in Bologna. There, I created the pasta by hand but didn’t actually learn
how to cook it (I know, how odd).
With Diane I learned not only how to cook it but what sauces pair with
which kind of pasta best, plus a few other tips such as:
* 80% of Italians use dried pasta, and the pasta they use is De Cecco (made from durum/semolina wheat).
* When using canned tomatoes, use whole San Marzano plum tomatoes (look for this on the label).
* Italian men love women. Some, a little too much!
Here’s one of my favorite recipes from the lesson:
Tagliatelle al Salmone (Tagliatelle with a Smoked Salmon Cream Sauce)
Adapted from Diane Seed
1 lb. Tagliatelle
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
½ small
onion, coarsely chopped
4-5 oz.
smoked salmon (half coarsely chopped, the other half cut into strips and
reserved for garnish)
7 fl. oz. heavy cream
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
A handful of flat leaf Italian parsley, coarsely chopped (optional; this is my personal spin to this dish and gives it an extra fresh pop).
Fill a large pot with water, add a healthy handful of salt (make it like the sea!) and cook pasta according to package directions.
While the water is boiling and pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a low flame. Add the onions and cook until softened (but not browned). Add half of the smoked salmon, roughly chopped and add the cream. Cook until salmon and cream are warmed through.
Pour the salmon mixture into a food processor and combine until smooth.
Drain the cooked pasta and add to a large serving bowl. Add the salmon sauce, salmon strips, chopped parsley and black pepper. Toss gently and serve immediately. Now wasn’t that easy?
The Italian Gourmet - Diane Seed's Cookery School: www.italiangourmet.com
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Other Treats & Eats
La Terrazza Bar at Hotel Eden
Even though actually staying at The Hotel Eden this time around wasn’t in the budget for moi, I sure as heck could afford a nice glass of wine in their fabulous and glamorous Terrazza Bar! Go at cocktail time and watch the sun set slowly over the eternal city with a view of St. Peter's Basilica in the distance (click here to see what I’m talking about). With the price of the wine you get a very nice side bonus of some canapé, olives, chips and nuts, plus a floor show in the form of fashionable Italians and assorted international men of mystery.
La Terrazza Bar at Hotel Eden: Via Ludovisi, 49; +39 06 478 121
La
Buvette
I had one night when I dined alone in Rome and I had no idea where to go. I asked the helpful concierge at the hotel to recommend a place and was directed to La Buvette, which was a short walk from my hotel. My expectations were very low and I anticipated a tourist trap where I’d be seated next to the kitchen, ignored by the wait staff and served drab food. I soon discovered my fears were unwarranted and I ended up having a terrific meal. The gracious staff escorted me to their subterranean dining lair, sat me at a great table right in the center of the room and the meal procession began. I swooned over a dish of baked tender baby eggplant stuffed with mozzarella, black olives, grape tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. The baby lamb chops had a crispy, salty crust and were gnaw-to-the-bone scrumptious, served with a lush fava bean puree. And for dessert, a voluptuous vanilla semi-freddo studded with nougat and Gianduja chocolate. Oh baby.
La
Buvette: Via
Vittoria, 47; +39
066 790383
Palatium Enoteca Regionale
Palatium is a chic and modern wine bar located near the Spanish Steps that highlights the region of Lazio, the area of Italy that calls Rome its capital. Great for a nice glass of robust wine and a plate of Rome’s famous fried artichokes.
Palatium
Enoteca Regionale: Via Frattina, 94; +39 066 9202132
Granita Caffe from Tazza D’Oro
Take a break from sight seeing and add a turbo twist to your afternoon espresso with a Granita Caffe, a frosty coffee slushy served with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream on top. Starbucks has nothing on this!
Tazza D’Oro: Via degli Orfani, 84 (near the Pantheon); +39 06 6789792
Pizza
Bianca from Forno Campo de' Fiori
Pizza Bianca. Think of the best, most chewy, crusty pizza you’ve ever had and take away the sauce and cheese. Add fresh rosemary, olive oil and salt and you are about to eat one of the truly most delicious, straight forward Italian treats known to man. Grab a few slices, lean against the nearby fountain and savor each bite with the sun on your face and the market bustling around you.
Forno Campo De' Fiori, 22 - Vicolo del Gallo, 14 ; +39 06.68806662
The Pantheon
Hands down the oldest man-made thing I’ve ever seen and my favorite Roman site. The Pantheon is also a source of wisdom, a reminder to me to relax, have a gelato, savor it and be in the moment because this too shall pass. The Pantheon, like the dude, abides.
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Traveling alone in Italy is a snap, even with a shaky command of the language, as the people there are generally warm and generous. To ease your way, don’t dress like a slob, mind your manners and learn a few key phrases, such as:
“Please” = Per favore
“Thank you” = Grazie
“Excuse
me” = Scusi
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand, do you
speak English?” = Mi dispiace, non
capisco, parla inglese?
“Don’t
touch me.” = Non mi tocchi
“Help!” =
Aiuto!
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Getting There & Getting Around
I flew to Italy round-trip via KLM (with a stop in Amsterdam each way; $650 coach class from New York/JFK). Hint: I lurked all of the travel search engines until the right configuration of price & layover time (no more than 2 hours) appeared, finally pressing the button at 12:30am on a weeknight approximately 6 weeks before my trip. In Bologna I walked and took a taxi around town as-needed. In Rome, I walked, took the subway and occasionally took a taxi. Easy-breezy and affordable.
Buon viaggio!
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(photo credits: all photos by Mary Connolly)
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