When Rome is home

A few thunderclouds rolled into Rome today, which led to a down pour, which led to a hail storm, which forced me to duck inside one of our favorite drinking establishments, which led to an afternoon cocktail, and ultimately this here video.

April 19th, 2010 | Tags: 2010, gradine, hail storm, Italy, Roma, Rome | Category: 1 minute, Centro Storico, Rome, video | Comments (2)

A couple of weeks ago it snowed in Rome — perhaps as much as an inch in places. No big whoop, eh?
But here it was a big whoop since this city hasn’t seen snow since 1986. And the place to head that morning was the Pantheon — to see the flakes fall through the oculus [...]

February 24th, 2010 | Tags: 1986, 2010, Italy, oculus, Pantheon, Rome, snow, video | Category: Centro Storico, Rome, archeological sites, video | Comments (1)

December 23rd, 2009 | Tags: Christmas, Christmas tree, Italy, Natale, Piazza Venezia, Rome | Category: Centro Storico, Italy, Rome | Leave a comment

Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffè, founded in 1938, is a Roman institution located in Centro Storico, just a short walk from the Pantheon. Both locals and guide books agree that it brews some of the best coffee in town.
And for that reason alone it should be well understood that you would never leave your car [...]

September 22nd, 2009 | Tags: caffé, Italy, parking, Piazza Sant' Eustachio, Rome, Sant' Eustachio Il Caffè | Category: Centro Storico, Rome, food | Leave a comment

Last month I signed up for Rome’s bike sharing program which allows its users the ease of swiping a card and jumping on a sharp looking bike for the equivalent of 1 euro per hour. (Basket, bell, and safety lights included!)
Of course riding through Rome’s traffic and throngs of tourists is no fun, but [...]

July 5th, 2009 | Tags: atac, bike sharing program, Rome | Category: Centro Storico, Rome, how to... | Comments (2)

What’s that you say? It’s only the beginning of July and you’re already hot and sticky? Well then, it must be time for an icy cold granita de café from Tazza D’Oro.
Layered with thick, fresh panna this coffee slushy goodness is guaranteed to cool you down and jack you up by the [...]

July 1st, 2009 | Tags: granita de café, Italy, panna, Rome, Tazza D'Oro | Category: Centro Storico, Italy, Rome, food | Leave a comment

Given that green space is limited in Rome, I was grateful when a city work crew arrived last week — wearing slickers and galoshes — to clean up the debris and muck along the riverside after last month’s flood waters receded.
Of course, it’s one thing to use a high-pressure hose to wash away the silt, [...]

January 31st, 2009 | Tags: flooding, Italy, riverside, Rome, silt, Tevere, Tiber, tour boat | Category: Centro Storico, Rome | Leave a comment

No Italian child can complain after two weeks of festivities in which a benevolent Saint and witch break into their homes (on separate occasions) to leave presents and candy.
And then there’s one last sugar-laden hoorah on Epiphany when parents and their children file out into the streets and head to the nearest carnival.
In Rome this [...]

January 7th, 2009 | Tags: carnival, ciambella, epiphany, fair, food, Italy, Piazza Navona, Rome | Category: Centro Storico, Piazza Navona, food | Leave a comment

Tobacco shops (tabaccheria) in Italy are both indispensable and ubiquitous.
They’re where commuters buy bus tickets, teenagers recharge their cell phone accounts, kids encounter bins of candy, senior citizens buy lottery tickets, and tourists pick up postcards and magnets.
And in this case, where artists buy their cigarettes. Even when it’s closed.
(Careful, though.  Maximum change given: [...]

December 2nd, 2008 | Tags: cigarette vending machine, Italy, Rome, tabaccheria, tabacchi, tobacco shop | Category: Centro Storico, Rome | Comments (1)