travelswithalice

July 04, 2016

Rome- last leg

ON THE FRECCIAROSSA.

The travel experience on Trenitalia's Frecciarossa varies greatly from one trip to the next.

The first time we tried it was three years ago. It was wonderful! The ride was smooth, quiet, and fast. But far more interesting for me was the fact that we hadn't expected the carriage to be so plush and to have food service on board. Seeing a steward walk into our carriage carrying a tray of champagne glasses was such a pleasant surprise.

The second time didn't seem so grand, but it was still okay. This time around though, on the Venice to Florence, we were greatly disappointed. The stewardess was frumpy and grumpy. And the party of four in the carriage with us talked nonstop.

The Florence to Rome was better, almost as good as the first time, service wise, but the quality of the food was not. Except for the mozzarella- it was the best I've ever had.

A HAPPY REUNION.

IN ROME WITH MAURIZIO, there were just three sights we wanted to do on this trip: St Peter's, the newly reopened Trevi Fountain, freshly cleaned courtesy of the Fendi sisters, and the Pantheon.

We had three days, so we went to see one each day.

AT ST PETER'S.

I thought maybe Bernini's baldacchino could do with a bit of metal polish.

While Maurizio and I sat on a bench in the shade and chatted, Stuart went up the cupola. He came back forty five minutes later looking victorious and glistening with self-important sweat.

He had impressive aerial photos of the city.

Later, we went to Maurizio's house to see how many boxes he has unpacked so far. He has done well. Margarita would be pleased.

He then took us to dinner at his "Roman food place" (Hostaria Menenio Agrippa) where we had a truly memorable meal of grilled lamb rib chops and saltimbocca. And pasta of course, as Maurizio can't live without it.

AT THE TREVI FOUNTAIN.

Stuart lugged his seriously big and heavy camera and played paparazzo at the Trevi Fountain.

Later, we walked up and down Via dei Condotti but came away having bought only two items: a small bottle of water and a paper cone's worth of roasted chestnuts.

AT THE PANTHEON.

On our last day in Rome, we went to the Pantheon. I wished then that we had someone who could talk to us about the significant architectural and engineering achievements embodied in this ancient Roman structure. It must have been a glorious sight to see before it was turned into something else it wasn't meant for.

St. Peter's was designed and built as a church; and it's a magnificent church. The Pantheon, as a church, is not.

AT THE ROME CAVALIERI.

Sometime in the night, I woke up to see the waning crescent moon setting over the city. I got up and took a picture.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked into the Executive Lounge smoking a cigar, surrounded by about ten security people. He looked more like a gangster mob boss than a head of state.

THE PERFECT SPAGHETTI.

Al Vecchio Pegno Osteria. Last meal on holiday. Rabbit stew and pasta.

The pasta was the closest I've come to my unholy Grail: the perfect spaghetti.

Labels: Frecciarossa, Pantheon, Rome, St Peter's, Trevi

posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones # July 04, 2016

July 02, 2016

Montepulciano

The Palazzo Carletti is a small hotel with only five rooms. Its welcoming, casual, and homey feel belies its imposing structure and luxurious fittings.

Stephanie, sitting in for the usual receptionist who was on leave, gave us a key and said,"The palazzo is yours."

Also, "Everything in the mini bar is free; if you want more, just ask."

The staircases are monumental and ancient. Paintings and frescoes decorate tall walls and high ceilings; the frescoes are 17th century, original, but recently restored.

We had a big parlour and two huge modern bathrooms with private sauna and spa bath. One even had a glass ceiling for viewing the frescoes while lying in the bath!

We also had a balcony with incredible views that invited us to just gaze out and never leave our rooms.

Dinner at Osteria del Conte was very good: black sea bass and pork with lard. Wine was the esteemed Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, unrelated to the less eminent Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and happily always available around these parts as house wine.

The next day, we lingered over a late lunch picnic on our inviting balcony where we would have stayed happily until dinner had Stuart not found a street party instead.

That evening, we followed the sound of jazz music down a steep lane that opened up into a courtyard where a neighborhood party had just started.

A two-man band, a sax and a keyboard, played beautiful jazz into the night.

Moments like this are what we enjoy most when we travel. It's like peeping into, and sometimes entering, vignettes of other people's way of life.

Before leaving town, we had lunch at Trattoria Rosso Rubino, just down the road from our hotel. It was a lucky find. The charming lady owner apologized for her limited English as she explained the menu.

The food was simple, unadorned, and exceptionally delicious. We had a classic dish of fried eggs with black truffle, followed by a wild boar stew. We ordered one dessert, cantucci with vin santo, to share but she gave us two, waving away our protests.

"No problem," she said.

People in this lovely town are friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Even the man in the shop outside which we waited for the bus waved to us fondly, calling out Ciao, arriverderci, like saying goodbye to friends, instead of just a couple of tourists who had earlier admired his daughter's paintings.

Hospitality is always good for business but it's especially effective when it doesn't seem forced. The formulaic "Enjoy, have a nice day" from most establishments rarely rings true and has very limited value.

Labels: Montepulciano, Osteria del Conte, Palazzo Carletti, Rosso Rubino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

posted by Alice Dimalanta Jones # July 02, 2016

travelswithalice

July 04, 2016

Rome- last leg

July 02, 2016

Montepulciano

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