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Roman Refreshment | Tazza d’Oro Style

Steps from the Pantheon in the maze of cobbled streets sits one of Rome’s most famous and favorite caffes.

Tazza d’Oro, which translates to Gold Cup, has been around since 1946 and is rumored to serve some of the best coffee in Rome.  You can even see them roasting it in the far back corner.

The entire caffe is perfumed by the smell of the roasting coffee and is filled with the sounds of clancking china cups and saucers.

Another thing you’ll notice is the lack of tables. This is not a place that encourages you to stay, but rather in typical Roman fashion, just belly up to the bar, down your shot of espresso and go.

And there is something else the caffe serves.  It is called Espresso Grantia con Panna.  And though I am a huge gelato fan, sometimes one needs something a bit different, something refreshing in the 90 degree heat!

So, after touring the Pantheon, we decided to partake in the cooling concoction- and boy we were not sorry!

Layers of fresh, thick, whipped cream and sloshy, oozing, espresso ice crystals marry to make a cold, bold, creamy and sinfully delicious treat.  A kind of espresso parfait, if you will.  And at 2.50€, it is a bargain not to be missed.

Tazza d’Oro also makes it easy to purchase their delicious roasted coffee and have it shipped to you!  Too bad you couldn’t ship an Espresso Granita con Panna!

What about you?  Would you partake?

Arrivederci Roma!

Well, here we are, home again.  Safe and sound!

Roman Transportation

Nothing lets you know you're in Italy more than the Vespas, tiny old cars and bikes.  I have a fetish for photographing these (and fountains, windows, doors, facades, arches, door-knockers, architectural flourishes and old Italian street signs – collections to follow).

Roman Sunday in the Gardens

Another hot as hell day in Rome, so we decided to take it easy and retreat to the parks.

Under the cool shade of trees, the sun and breeze almost makes the heat bearable.  Almost.

We hopped to Metro up to the Flaminio station.  

First we strolled around the Borghese Gardens- similar to Central Park in New York City.

We saw a beautiful spot called the Villa Ruffo, with frescos, fountains and lanterns.

There were lots of tributes to George Washington, including this fountain. Go, figure?

We took a nap on the lawn in the shade for an hour.

Then it was off to find some lunch.

We stopped near the Piazza del Popolo and grabbed suppli (fried tomato, rice and cheese croquettes) and we each grabbed a sandwich.

I had a porchetta sandwich and Chris had melanzane.

We hiked up to the Pincio Gardens and saw some stunning rooftops views of Rome and the Piazza del Popolo down below.  Which famous monuments can you spot?

The view was spectacular!

The park was equally beautiful, with a huge restaurant and lovely busts lining the pathways.  And no, I did NOT mean women and their Italian cleavage.

After a time, the heat was getting to us, we headed home and shuttered ourselves in till dinner!

Stay tuned for more…..

Our Home Away from Home in Rome

First, thanks for hanging in.  I finally found an Internet cafe with an old-fashioned ethernet hook-up, so here I sit in a sweltering hot cafe, my fingers sliding off the wet keys as I type.  

But, I promised info on the lovely little B&B where we are staying, in the Monti neighborhood.  And I try not to disappoint!

Our entrance to the B&B…

Monti is a little area right behind the Colosseo, but before the Termini train station.  If you step out the door and look down the street, you get a slice of the Colosseo.

Want a closer view?

Closer still?

Our B&B would be perfect for those that don't mind walking 60, yes 60 steps to get up and down.  It is on the 6th floor of an old, but restored palazzo.  There are 3 rooms and 2 apartments.

This is a view of the fountain and cafe from our room on the 6th floor.

The rooms are large enough, with exposed beam ceilings, comfortable beds, brand new double-glazed windows and brand new showers, with a rain head.  Ahhhhh.

Breakfast is included with your room rate, but is taken at the cafe on the little piazza (pictured above) that is right next to the B&B.  Cappuccino and cornetti (basically a sweet croissant that is very, very good).

This B&B is perfect for those who want to come and go, but don't require assistance, as the owner does not live on the premises.  It is fine for us, but first time visitors, those that need help navigating and making reservations should look elsewhere.

Ennio, the owner and the non-English speaking housekeeper are both very nice. 

The fridge is stocked with yogurt and juice. There is an espresso machine, which you can use anytime, and your room is stocked with goodies and snacks like nice Italian cookies and croissants.

Rooms are spotless.  The view from the 6th floor window is amazing.  

There is even the teeny-tiniest of windows in our bathroom.  Wanna take a peek?

You can even fill up your water bottles at the fountain every day!  An added bonus for a budget traveler like myself!

You pay for the the view and the location.  The Cavour Metro stop is only steps away, the bus lines are a short walk and there is pelnty to do and many good restaurants and wine bars in the neighborhood.

We have enjoyed staying here so far- it is our home away from home in Rome.

The deets:

B&B SUBURBE ROMA

Via dei Serpenti, 164

00184 Roma

06 45 43 29 83

www.bbsuburbisroma.it

Tell Ennio I sent you!

Here are a few more shots of the fountain on the piazza.

Ciao à presto!  I'll be posting much more often, now that I have found me the Internets again.

Stay tuned….

When in Rome

Well, after a few days of strugling with the free wi-fi and having no luck, the owner of the BandB was nice enough to let me use his computer.

So, here I sit to give you a little update on our comings and goings.  My friend/writer Christine alerted me to an inernet cafe a few blocks from our home, which I hope to make a visit to today, so that I can post some pictures!

Honesty, what is a trip to Rome without the pictures-of which I think I have at least 400 at this point.

So far this is what we have done:

- Got stranded in the train station with no lines running and took the most delicious taxi ride, our driver pointing out the best sites

-Rode the bus for the first time in Rome and got on in the wrong direction

- Devoured gelato, twice a day

- Saw an Italian wedding while sitting in the Santa Maria of Trastevere church

- Met with about 10 writers/bloggers at an apartment in Garbatella, where we enjoyed an Italian food demonstation and the best food and wine I have had in Rome

- Eaten cacio e pepe, pasta all'amatriciana and abbacchio scottadito

- Wandered the streets of Trastevere

- Told lovingly by the Pharmasist, who sold me sunscreen, to lose weight for my health

- Have blisters on my blisters from all the walking

- Have spoken Italian and been understood

- Rode the bus, sans air-conditioning, in 90 degrees at rush hour with hundreds of Romans- and lived to ride again

- Bought a pretty Murano glass bracelet

- Had dinner with Jessica from WhyGoItaly at a local trat behind the Piazza Navona

- Strolled the Via Giulia, one of the oldest and prettiest streets in Rome; and of course took lovely pictures

- Got the finger wag from a Carabinieri when I tried to take his picture

- Was shooshed away from taking a picture of a door in our neighborhood by an official Italian somebody-or-other. 

- Saw the Colosseo, Piazza Venezia, Forum and Fori Imperiale all lit up at nite

- Witnessed a butcher hard at work

- Visited the Pantheon

- Walked around the Campo dei Fiori market and bought some delicious cherries

- Have eaten our weight n Pizza Bianca and Pizza al Taglia

- Sniffed every jasmine plant trellising over walls, which perfume the entire city

- Sampled the best cappuccino in the city

- Shared an espresso granita con panna (with whipped cream) at the historic Tazza d'Oro cafe

I am sure there is so much more, but for now- that will give you some idea.

I promise several other posts, provided I can get my machooked up at the internet point today, includin some with photos and one with specifica of our BandB, which we do love, and is in a great location in Monti. We can walk out the door, look down the road and see a slice f the Colloseum as the backgound.

Pictures, website and other details on that to follow!

Thanks for hanging in with me- and as always, if you want more of a play-by-play, you can follow on Twitter.

In Rome…finally

Well, we are here. Finally!
Had plane troubles, had to de-board plane and wait for another, left almost 4 hours late.
We got to Rome airport and found out none of the trains were working- so we blew our money on a taxi
My blackberry wasn’t working (which is now fixed) and I still can’t my free wi-fi working!!
So, I am posting this (sans photos) from my Blackberry!!
Based on the fact that both times we have come to Rome, getting here has been a nightmare, we are convinced that it is destined to be that way for us. Must have set a precedent with our first debacle.
We did have time to stroll around our neighborhood, take some great pictures, eat pizza al taglio, gelato and a wonderful al fresco dinner at La Piazzetta.
Thursday is gnocchi day, so we had gnocchi with tomato basil and one with butter and sage, salads, house red, bread and a selection of homemade mini pastries for dessert- 38 Euro!
Weather is hot and sticky-but we are taking it slow and drinking water that we fill into our water bottles from the cute fountain in front of our palazzo!
Off to the Campo dei Fiori and Pantheon area today and dinner with Jessica from WhyGoItaly.
As soon as I can figure out my wifi situation, I promise to post some pics!!
Ciao a presto!

Look Out Rome – Here We Come!

We are foregoing our Travel Tip Tuesdays for the next two weeks and going ALL ROME ALL THE TIME!I think this will be my last post until I set foot in Rome, which if all goes as planned, will be around 8:30 am at the Fumicino Airport, Italian time. From there, it'll be a short express train ride and an even shorter metro ride away from our home base in Monti.

Angels and Demons

I read the book Angels and Demons after I returned from Italy and our visit to Rome.  As I was reading, I wanted to shoot myself because most of the fabulous churches, bridges and architecture were right under our nose in Rome, unbeknownst to us.  Had we known, would we have changed our plans a bit to visit one or more of the sights? Or spend some rxtra time lingering in and around such places?

Foodie French Friday: Ratatouille

This Foodie French Friday, we are talking Ratatouille {rah tah too-ee}.