Rome, Italy - Di Rienzo and Vitti Caffes

Do you ever wish you could push a button and teleport yourself anywhere in the world? This morning I would have gladly zapped myself over to Rome to Di Rienzo for a cornetto and cappuccino breakfast overlooking the Pantheon. What a perfect people watching perch ... 

My other favorite caffe is Vitti in the beautiful square of Piazza S. Lorenzo in Lucina. Serving homemade pastries, gelato and traditional dishes since the 1800s, you can't argue with 115 years of tradition.

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Rome, Italy - The Roof Deck Bar at the Grand Hotel de la Minerve

I’m really hesitant to let this cat out of the bag. This is my secret place, a secret garden, that is, a rooftop garden. It’s a place where you can get away from the din and tourist crowds of Rome and feel as if you are in your own private villa overlooking the rooftops of the Eternal City. 

The pealing church bells, the dome of the Pantheon at arm's length, terra cotta tiled roofs, a setting ball of orange sun, a tinkling piano, your own personal barman and a cold effervescent prosecco … it’s the rooftop bar and restaurant atop the Grand Hotel de la Minerve … and its where every Roman evening begins and ends for me. Do me a favor, keep this one to yourself, ok? 

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Rome, Italy - Pizzeria Al Leoncino and Salsamenteria

We sat outside here

Tucked away on a quaint little street behind the Fendi flagship store, Pizzeria Al Leoncino (on Via Leoncino) is an unassuming restaurant with some of the best crispy, thin crust wood brick oven pizzas in Rome. We sat at one of the handful of tables outside on Via dell'Arancio and watched the locals pour in for lunch. This spot was recommended by a Roman woman from whom we bought three pairs of very stylish eyeglasses that morning at Ottica Efrati near the Spanish Steps. I always find that Italy has sunglasses/eyeglasses that you can never find anywhere else, so go to Ottica Efrati if you need a new pair (they provide glasses for the actors to wear in most of the movies filmed in Rome).  

Pizza ai funghi, or with mushrooms

The classic pizza margherita

Funghi e salsiccia or mushroom and sausage

The staff are friendly and charismatic, and only Italian speaking. Don't worry, you will make do. Our favorite was the signora pictured below who was in charge of all of the outdoor tables, including ours. I just love old Italian ladies!

Not to be missed is the sandwich shop two doors down from the pizzeria. We kept seeing local Romans on their hourly lunch break rounding the corner with these amazing cold cut sandwiches nestled between fresh focaccia bread and wrapped in red and white paper and finally figured out that they were coming from here:

After a long morning of shopping near Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps, you can't go wrong with recharging at either of these eateries.

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Rome, Italy - Sora Margherita

I just got back from an extended weekend in Italy with my parents, and our very first stop off the plane from London was lunch at the restaurant Sora Margherita (Piazza delle Cinque Scole, 30) in the former Jewish ghetto in Rome.

The only hint that you have reached the right place is a small stone sign that sits flush to the wall that reads "Sora Margherita" and a row of wooden chairs outside for those waiting to eat. There are only about ten tables inside (very rudimentary tables constructed from 2 x 4s and screwed together) and each day the menu, which is reminiscent of a 2nd grade art project, is hand-written in colored markers on heavy construction paper.

Liter of house red wine "alla spina" or from the tap

Carciofo alla giudia or jewish style fried artichoke

Carciofi ripassati or artichokes boiled then cooked in a pan

Fiori di zucca or fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and anchovies

The most characteristic part of the restaurant is the wait staff. No matter what you feel like ordering, they are going to bring you what they want you to eat. Just succumb to it and I promise you won't be disappointed, it is part of the charm of this restaurant.

All of the pasta is handmade each and every day

Gnocchi al ragu or potato gnocchi in meat sauce

Tagliatelle Cacio e Pepe or tagliatelle with cheese and pepper

I just couldn't resist including a picture of our bill at the end of the meal. What the heck does it say and what better evidence is needed to prove that Sora Margherita is a cash only operation? Ha ha. At €22 per person for food and wine this good, you just can't miss eating here on your next trip to Rome! 

The bill! 

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Rome, Italy - Christmas in Rome

A beautiful Fendi belt wrapped around the Palazzo Fendi shop and headquarters
at the start of Via Condotti

Posing in front of a lovely tree in a piazza off of Via del Corso

A tree-lined (and crowded!) Via Condotti leading up to the famous Spanish Steps

Even the tops of traditional panettone cakes have a nativity scene

Christmas strufoli sweets in the window of the famous Il Fornaio in Campo dei Fiori

A massive tree in the lobby of the well known 5 star Grand Hotel de la Minerve

Everything you need to create your own nativity scene at the Christmas market stalls in Piazza Navona

Stunning ornaments for sale at the Christmas market in Piazza Navona

In Italian culture, the Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany (January 5^th) to fill their socks or an empty shoe with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney.

Santa, la Befana and his reindeer pose for pictures in Piazza Navona

Statues of the Befana for sale in Piazza Navona

Illuminated Virgin Mary statues in every church prepare for the birth of baby Jesus

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