travelswithalice

August 03, 2006

Rome

At the Cavalieri Hilton. Very posh. The flamboyance of the lobby continues into our spacious guest room. It has a large sitting area done in an Italianate garden motif and a roomy balcony where twin banquettes covered in crisp white linen sit across each other under huge marble framed mirrors.

The view is magic: the eternal city spread out behind a line of trees at the edge of a beautiful garden. Stone lions prowl the lushly green lawn that slopes down to the pool. The Coloseum peeks through the pines.

A drink in the garden, then dinner at poolside.

At the far end of the pool, a lady sings Italian and English love songs. Stuart orders a bottle of Brunello and the sommelier rushes to our table to confirm the order. She then proceeds to go through the theatrical and incredibly exciting choreography of pouring, decanting, and peering through candlelight to check for sedimentation.

Any wine that merits this much attention must be truly special. And it is.

That was last night. This afternoon was spent visiting the retail pilgrimage sites of Via Veneto and Via Condotti.

Lunch of ham and cheese and coffee at eminently photogenic Caffé Greco.

Now, back on our balcony, church bells are ringing the hour. Six o’clock. Time for a drink.

Tomorrow I'll start to backtrack on this travel journal and try to fill up the gaping holes I have left, skipping through major parts of this tour. Domani.

Labels: brunello, Caffé Greco, Cavalieri Hilton, italy, restaurants, Via Condotti, Via Veneto, wine