If there was a day during our trip from Paris-Athens that we didn’t each gelato, it evidently wasn’t worth remembering. Gelato, sorbet and on one occasion, plain old ice cream, was an essential party of our daily diet because this is what you do when you’re it’s summer, you’re in Europe with your best friend and you’re twenty years old. Sorbet at Berthillon, Paris On my … Continue reading The Gelato Diaries: France, Italy & Greece
It’s one of the world’s most dreamed about destinations, but Rome & I have never quite seen eye to eye. Despite the promises of la dolce vita, I find it hard to relax in Rome. I imagined myself strolling through sun-dappled piazzas with a gelato in hand as vespas whizz by. I daydreamed about stumbling along remnants of ancient history around every corner. I’ve visited … Continue reading Why I failed to fall in love with Rome
I didn’t fall in love with most of the places on this list when I visited for the first time. I’m not expecting to love every city or country I visit, but I think part of the reason I didn’t “get” it was to do with having not enough time, the weather, or other external factors in my life that didn’t really have anything to … Continue reading 5 Places I want to re-visit
Planning an itinerary for two weeks in Italy is exciting and overwhelming. Where do you start? In the north, the fashion & finance powerhouse of Milan, the sinking canals of Venice and the bright villages of Cinque Terre each demand attention. The olive groves and vineyards of Tuscany, the streets of Florence oozing Renaissance splendour and the fine foods of Emilia-Romagna tempt travellers in the … Continue reading Itinerary: 2 weeks in Italy
Dinner in Italy for the price of a prosecco. For the penny pinching traveller who has an unfortunate, somewhat expensive taste (such as yours truly) this is like winning the lottery. Aperitivo hour has got your back (and your belly). Our first encounter with this blessing was in Rome. We’d arrived that day and were exhausted. Before we could sleep however, we had to eat. … Continue reading Discovering Aperitivo in Rome
The best thing about eating pasta in Italy? It’s free from the “evil carbs” baggage that it gets burdened with back home. No, Italian pasta doesn’t make you “fat” – just look at all the Italians. As our local guide explained, Italians don’t eat pasta drenched in creamy, fatty sauces. Our idea of a spaghetti bolognaise is virtually foreign to them and a carbonara in … Continue reading That’s Amore Pasta Cooking Class, Rome
Breakfast may be the first “meal” of the day in Italy but unlike at home, it isn’t the most important. A typical Italian breakfast is a coffee and a cigarette, and maybe a cornetti, cannoli, crostata, sfogli or some other kind of sweet pastry. In stark contrast to every other meal which seems to be a slow, pleasurable sit-down affair, breakfast is a quick pit … Continue reading Eating in Italy: Breakfast
The Capuchin Crypt in Rome makes the Parisian catacombs look like a walk in the park. Underneath the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione, the small crypt is not easy to find but is worth the effort. After walking past the church several times, we asked for directions and finally found the crypt. Photography is banned inside the crypt, so I have none, although there … Continue reading Underground Rome: Capuchin Crypt
Rome is full of cliches and surprises. I’d like to go again but not because I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t get to know it well enough or explore all that I know it has to offer. With a city as famous as Rome you arrive with expectations and preconceptions but there are always a few surprises. The Expected Being blown away … Continue reading Rome: Expectations vs. Reality