Wishing you all the happiest of holidays from Rome.
Gillian’s Lists
"The list is the origin of culture,” Umberto Eco. My favorite things to do and eat in Rome, European city breaks, and the best information on Italian beaches and islands.
12.24.2014
Christmas in Rome
Wishing you all the happiest of holidays from Rome.
12.19.2014
Shopping in Rome {Biola}
12.17.2014
Living in Rome {Gillian's List of Links}
When you are a foreigner in a foreign land there are a lot of things to figure out. There are the practical things like learning the language and what on earth that stuff you need to clean the bathtub is called. In the grand scheme of expat life these challenges are pretty easy to tackle and master. And then there are the fuzzier, deeper things. First you learn about La Bella Figura and that it really does matter and maybe then you move on to why on earth does the shop owner stand in front of the entrance smoking a cigarette when all you want to do go inside. Whether you are living in Rome for a few months or a lifetime there is always another layer of culture to uncover. Another thing to try and make sense of. In the end that is why I chose this life. I enjoy that never-ending search for a deeper layer of understanding of a place that piano piano just might become my own. These are a few things that I have been reading and watching in my quest for understanding.
Labels:
Expat,
Gillian's Links,
rome
12.12.2014
Eating in Tuscany {Antica Locanda di Sesto}
The Tuscan Chef Aurelio Barattini was one of the first people I followed when I first got started with Instagram. I remember when his son was born and over the years I have followed along on trips to the beach and New York City. His behind the scene pictures of what he and the team of chefs at Antica Locanda di Sesto just outside of Lucca are cooking is sweet torture. Rare Tuscan steaks, hand rolled pastas, traditional Lucchese desserts; Each shot just makes you hungry both for the food and a trip north to Tuscany. Finally after years of attempts we made it to Lucca and I met my social media pal in real life.
Labels:
Fall,
Pasta,
Thanksgiving,
Tuscany
12.10.2014
A Weekend in Tuscany {Lucca}
12.05.2014
Eating in Rome {Açaà & Friends} CLOSED
Since September I have really been on a mission to eat more vegetables and less pizza bianca. Luckily in my Monti neighborhood that's pretty easy. I can go get some green juice up the street or
Labels:
Expat,
Healthy Eating in Rome,
Restaurants,
rome
12.04.2014
Christmas in Rome
The calendar says December. The thermometer feels more like April. Here in Rome the city is busy getting dressed up for the holidays.
Soon the streets will be filled with sparkly lights and decorated trees. For right now here is sneak peek of what's to come.
12.03.2014
Christmas Gift Guide {Gillian's List of Links}
Labels:
Christmas,
Gillian's Links
11.28.2014
Shopping in Rome { & Other Stories + COS}
It is not Black Friday here in Rome, but this is a post about shopping.
I love to shop. I love looking at beautiful things artfully arranged in a gorgeous space. After years living in places that had little to offer in the shopping realm, wandering in and out of stores is still entertainment for me.
I rarely buy much anymore, except for books and food, but that doesn't count does it? I am afraid this is going to change. Pretty dramatically. On an elegant side street just off the via del Corso two stores have quietly opened that for me are going to change everything about clothes shopping in Rome.
11.26.2014
Eating in Rome {The Eatery}
I love to meet friends for drinks and to go out for dinner but I really don't enjoy crowds. That means on a weekend I am much more likely to rent a movie and send Mark out for take out than head to the buzzy new spot in town. Another dilemma I face is wanting to try everything on the menu. Dinner at Rome's best pop up restaurant, The Eatery solved all of these hassles.
Labels:
Fall,
Restaurants,
rome
11.21.2014
Coffee in Rome {Emporio alla Pace}
The other morning I was meeting my pal Heather for breakfast and somehow ended up leaving the house half an hour before I was supposed to. I assure you. That never happens.
I found myself with 30 minutes to kill near Piazza Navona which can be kind of a wasteland of tourist trinket shops and bad gelato. Luckily a good cup of coffee is never far.
Labels:
coffee,
Free WiFi in Rome,
rome
11.19.2014
Autumn Entertainment {Gillian's List of Links}
While my general world view is pretty sunny, my default entertainment choice skews dark. I have a few friends that never. ever. let me pick the movie.
Here are a few things I am listening to and watching right now that are perfect for the shorter days and rainy nights of late autumn.
Labels:
Fall,
Gillian's Links
11.14.2014
Palazzos in Rome {Palazzo Colonna}
It's not everyday that my afternoon involves free reign of an art filled private palazzo. The other day as a benefit of my being a Friend of the American Academy in Rome I got to live out all of my girlhood princess dreams.
Labels:
American Academy in Rome,
rome
11.12.2014
Eating in Rome {Pianostrada + Trastevere} NEW LOCATION
A few Sundays ago the sky in Rome was an incredible soft blue and dotted with light fluffy clouds. The sun was shining. It was a perfect Autumn day. It was silly to be inside studying French (Mark) and writing blog posts (me) so we cast aside our chores and went for a long walk. We were not the only ones who had that idea. Via Fori Imperiali was super crowded, the ghetto was almost impassable, we twisted and turned our way towards the river and away from the masses. We ended up in Trastevere, a part of town we rarely visit and barely know. I remembered that there has been a lot of buzz about a tiny spot on a tiny street run by a quartet of Roman women. Pianostrada was the perfect destination.
Labels:
Restaurants,
rome
11.07.2014
Eating in Rome {Ristorante Ar Galletto + Piazza Farnese}
A general rule in Italy is the prettier the view the lousier the food. But as you know Italians don't always follow the rules. I am happy to report I have found an exception. Ar Galletto is in one of Rome's most beautiful piazza's with a view of the renaissance Michelangelo designed masterpiece that is Palazzo Farnese now the home of the embassy of France.
Labels:
Restaurants,
rome
11.05.2014
Fountains in Rome
Did you know that Rome has 2,000 fountains? The eternal city's most famous fountain is currently hidden under all kinds of scaffolding. If you visit the Trevi Fountain now you will find the water has all been drained and that there is a long line to walk across one very narrow walkway to see a few details up close. It is not really very pretty and even less photogenic. While you can still swing by and toss your coins in, here are a few suggestions for my favorite alternative fountains in Rome.
Labels:
rome
10.31.2014
A Weekend in Tuscany {La Bandita Townhouse + Piscine del Sole + Bagno Vignoni}
After an extraordinary visit to a fantastical castle in Tuscany a few weeks ago we decided since we had driven all the way to Tuscany we should probably just make a weekend of it.
While we spend a lot of time in the countryside, it is usually at a friends house where we sleep late, cook and read by the pool or fire depending on the season. There is sometimes a little bit of exploring, maybe even a visit to a pretty hill town. That means while we have visited lots of places we almost never stay for more than a few hours in those pretty hill towns. In the spirit of doing something different, I sent an email to an Instagram pal who just happens to own the very chic hotel La Bandita Townhouse in the town of Pienza smack in the middle of one of the most picture perfect parts of Tuscany and very near one of our favorite hot springs.
Labels:
Fall,
Hot Springs,
The Empty Nest Project,
Tuscany
10.29.2014
What to do in Rome on a Rainy Day {Catacombs Tour + The Roman Guy}
Statistics show that Rome has a yearly average of 2273 hours of sunshine. But as we all know, not every day can be filled with blue skies. On a recent drizzly morning I was invited by The Roman Guy to head underground, safe and dry from the chaos that reigns (see what I did there?)when they skies unleash in the eternal city.
10.24.2014
How to Visit Sammezzano Castle + Tuscany
I am not one to try my luck. I don't buy scratch cards, or enter contests and almost never gamble. Though maybe I should. The one time I played a slot machine it was with a quarter I found on a Las Vegas casino floor. I popped it into the the first slot machine I saw and hit a $200 jackpot! I didn't press my luck though. I walked right off the casino floor and bought a cashmere shawl that I still wear today. Improbably, I recently hit a different kind of jackpot. This particular win was more cultural than monetary, but I will take my luck in whatever it's form. Even better when that form is a rare visit to an abandoned castle in the Tuscan countryside.
Labels:
florence,
The Empty Nest Project,
Tuscany
10.22.2014
Museums in Rome { Musei Nazionale Romana }
Walks of Italy and CoopCulture gave me a gift for my birthday. They didn't know it was my birthday, but I celebrated the recent October day (and the day before and the day after; birthdays should be indulgent right? ) with a walk around Rome with some of my favorite pals and by visiting the four museums of the Musei Nazionale Romana.
10.17.2014
Where to Eat, Drink and Shop in Amsterdam
Earlier this week I told you all about what to do in Amsterdam. Today I will share where to eat, drink and shop.
Labels:
Amsterdam,
cocktails,
coffee,
shopping,
The Empty Nest Project
10.15.2014
What to do in Amsterdam {Eating Amsterdam Food Tours + Where to Find The Fault in Our Stars Bench}
Here are my tips for the best things to do in Amsterdam.
Labels:
Amsterdam,
The Empty Nest Project,
Tours
10.10.2014
Eating in Rome {Healthy Choices in Monti}
I love food. I love to shop for food, read about food, think about food and obviously eat delicious food. Rome is a wonderful place for a food lover to live with the endless plates of pastas with bold hearty sauces, thin crusted pizzas, creamy gelato, craft beer, decadent pastries. I love it all.
But, as with all good things, there needs to be a balance. After a very indulgent summer of lots of travel and even more eating (and yes cocktails too) I am back on my yoga mat and craving plates piled high with fresh vegetables and spicy vitamin packed juices. Luckily I live in Monti, one of Rome's best neighborhoods where on the via Urbana there are three terrific options for when you are in need of a break from the Italian carb-a-thon.
Labels:
Expat,
Healthy Eating in Rome,
Restaurants,
rome
10.08.2014
Where to Stay on the Rimini Riveria {Hotel Eliseo + Bellaria Igea Marina}
A wise friend of mine once said to me, “I think that Americans misunderstand Italians”
She went on to explain that Americans see Italians as passionate but she insists that that is not really the case. “Italians, she explains, are sentimental”
After a stay at charming Hotel Eliseo in Bellaria Igea Marina near Rimini I think I finally understand what she was saying.
10.03.2014
Where to Eat in Ponza
The island of Ponza is an extraordinary place. It has a wild, rugged charm with it's limpid blue water, fiery sunsets and rocky paths to empty beaches. By comparison, the food in Ponza is creative, refined and incredibly fresh. Read on for my list of where to eat in Ponza.
Labels:
beach,
Ponza,
Restaurants,
summer
10.01.2014
How to Visit the Temples of Paestum
Posedonia. I love the sound of the ancient word for this ancient place, evoking gods and the sea. In the spirit of adventure instead of heading to Capri after a languorous week in Positano as is our habit we turned the other direction towards what in modern day Italy is known as Paestum. This stretch of land just past the vertiginous Amalfi Coast is home to wide sandy beaches, some of the best mozzarella in Italy and the breathtakingly intact ancient temples.
These are my tips for how to visit the temples of Paestum.
Labels:
amalfi coast,
Cilento
9.24.2014
Where to Eat on Cape Cod
It's all about the Lobster. And Oysters. And Clams.
And for a homesick expat a fish taco or two. Here is my list of where we ate on a recent, much too short, trip to Cape Cod.
9.19.2014
Cocktails in Rome {The Corner Townhouse}
When you go to have a drink at the newly opened Aventino hotspot The Corner Townhouse make sure you are really specific about where you are meeting your cocktail pals.
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