tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9706064435936576362012-02-04T11:13:35.542+01:00my lists of cool and interesting things to do in cities all over the world....mostly in and near Rome...but also... paris cape town istanbulgillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-8279525699874182562012-01-31T14:22:00.000+01:002012-01-31T14:22:11.380+01:00

Valentines day is coming up and this small sweet Italian town is a perfect winter charmer.  you might even get lucky and see it through snowflakes I was not quite so lucky when I went north with recently with a friend.  It was rain, rain and more rain...it literally did. not. stop. But that was OK. This would not end being a trip full of culture and walks and views but I

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-60854641047364920042012-01-17T12:31:00.001+01:002012-01-17T12:31:09.384+01:00

It has been a long wait for the return of Mad Men.  All those glamourous clothes and all that smoking. and Cocktails. There are plenty of places to have a drink in a pretty place in Rome.  But a real cocktail?  with a bartender (do i dare say mixologist?) not so much. A few weeks ago the team at Young in Rome organized a party at the newly re-vamped Pierluigi. Gabriele Guidone created

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-83761750369846590732011-12-16T10:07:00.001+01:002011-12-30T12:38:06.807+01:00

It is still Christmastime in Rome.  The holiday extends all the way to January 6th here.    Many years in Southern Africa turned me into someone who wholeheartedly believes christmas is about sunshine and  beaches and white wine in the sun. We are no longer in in the Southern Hemisphere. This is what christmas looks like now to me here in Rome.

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-85901828407599559892011-11-21T22:12:00.001+01:002011-11-21T22:41:55.845+01:00

Dear Husband is away on a work retreat for a few days...and it's thanksgiving week.  So I am not planning on doing much cooking.  I would be happy with cold cereal in the kitchen, but the teenager requires a bit more than that after a day or two. Thankfully there is a new place in the neighborhood. LasaGnaM opened a few weeks ago.  I got a flyer on the car and promptly forgot about it.  It is

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-35072740540603663182011-09-05T14:36:00.001+02:002011-09-05T14:36:12.817+02:00

For those last lazy HOT days of August we fled the relentless heat and escaped about 2 hours south to San Felice Circeo.My take on this pretty seaside town is it's a little like Ponte Milvio by the sea, busy with well heeled Romans, good food, lively cocktail scene. Now, I like the ponte milvio cocktail scene and I love the beach so Circeo is pretty much a perfect combo for me.  My

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-7140877580954893212011-08-22T12:56:00.002+02:002011-08-22T14:43:38.280+02:00

I love Rome in August.  I love the shuttered shops with their varied chiuso per ferie signs, I love no traffic and abundant parking, I love the long, lazy, empty days. Usually the worst of the summer heat has passed.  But. This weekend the a Caldo Africano swept in. Now I lived in Niger for six years. I am no wimp when it comes to heat but sometimes you need a break from an apartment with no AC

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-44434047985150429682011-03-28T12:37:00.001+02:002011-04-02T22:52:44.117+02:00

An old friend from high school just asked for advice on Florence.   We spent a few days there before Christmas escaping the chaos of the endless apartment renovation happening in Rome.   It is now almost Easter....here are the things we loved. Post Modern Bling and Interactive Frescoes  The Damian Hirst installation "For the Love of God" was the impetus for our trip. This provocative

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-66205888563146347112011-03-15T14:18:00.000+01:002011-03-15T14:18:53.241+01:00

I am pretty much always up for an adventure.  Dear Husband had been swamped at work (read. at work on saturdays) and the Teenager had been spending every waking moment at school preparing for his school spring musical or at band practice.  So when my friend Tamara asked did I want to go to Perugia with her for the weekend - of course I said yes.  I was less interested in the prurient details of

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-40374104260731652872011-02-18T12:56:00.001+01:002011-04-02T22:53:39.312+02:00

Find my Nile Guide guest post here.

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-81837964331797190002011-01-17T20:00:00.000+01:002011-01-17T20:00:43.339+01:00

i love newcomers to rome.  their fresh eyes and optimism are great medicine to the everyday routine that one falls into anywhere.  no matter how enchanting a place it is. this normal monday morning, with a long list of unpleasant phone calls and errands ahead of me, i get a phone call from a couple who has packed up their lovely comfortable life and family in northern california for an italian

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-72191264245973755592010-09-28T08:30:00.001+02:002011-04-02T22:54:21.253+02:00

I find the Tridente area of Rome a difficult one to find a quick, affordable and most importantly good bite to eat..and then friend at the British Council recently reminded me of this fantastic spot... A pasta factory most of the day...at 1:00 it transforms into one of the best secret lunch finds in Rome.  Get there at about 5minutes till and grab a spot in this tiny shop filled with elegantly

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-36630208838044104942010-09-21T16:59:00.002+02:002010-09-21T17:02:09.580+02:00

Naples is much maligned...and it is indeed not for every taste...I will even admit to buying into the fear factor casually thrown about about - danger lurking at every corner and every interaction a scam... This summer we actually thought about it...three coups, one mutiny, one stray bullet, over a decade of living in volatile african countries between us...we couldn't figure out what to be so

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-18114355698912414962010-09-13T23:43:00.001+02:002010-09-14T07:25:54.548+02:00

This summer we put the teenager on a plane to his grandmother's in Tennessee and escaped the stifling heat of Rome and headed south for a few days wandering the fabled amalfi coast.  here are the details of all the places we loved. minori  - quiet and sweet and authentic. this is the not the amalfi coast of movie stars and boutique shopping...this is the amalfi coast of gourmet pastry

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-42484490478551211982010-07-05T14:29:00.002+02:002010-07-08T22:39:17.737+02:00

ok (american's - i am looking at you) expats. No more whining you miss Starbucks. Take out coffee and blueberry muffins have arrived in Rome.  joining the neighborhood fast food favorites,  mondo arancina and gelarmony  is verofood cool white marble counters and groovy music make a welcome respite from the bright summer heat outside.  there are baskets filled with baguette, bagel &

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-87297514468332632722010-04-06T09:45:00.001+02:002010-04-07T10:47:05.242+02:00

i am very slowly emerging from some very long, unpleasant, difficult dental work (word of advice to long term expats....don't put off your visits to the dentist during home leave trips) I had a two week break between procedures....our son was off in spain for the weekend...so we hopped on the cassia bis to enjoy some familiar favorites and to check out a new spot or two. after a restoring hot

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-5686442103467050182010-03-22T12:09:00.002+01:002010-03-22T12:14:11.666+01:00

we left rome on the morning of the first real snowfall in 26 years!...missing all that fun and heading toward cape town for a week in the summer sunshine.... we had so little time...just over 24 hours...so this was a trip to hit the main spots and do what we like best...wander and explore with only a vague idea of a plan in mind. wander - wonder - eat my recommendations for if you only have

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-6482001332294324622010-02-08T14:17:00.003+01:002010-07-22T10:04:47.096+02:00

This Three Secrets game started by Katie at Tripbase is fun!   Here are the Three Secrets I have to share with you.  I have a friend here in Rome who says to me "you go to all the right places....at all the wrong times!"  and he is right.  Italy in the summer can be chaotic, sweltering, and crowded.  Not exactly what you are looking for on your hard earned time off.  So, if you are looking

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-29132802369960503022010-02-01T13:07:00.001+01:002010-02-03T08:34:33.287+01:00

It's a world of email and facebook and twitter these days...but still, I love nothing more than wandering around a paper store and adding to my substantial collection of stationery. Old School TraditionIl Papiro You will find an outlet of this shop in most of Italy's major tourist  stops...collect matchboxes with local monuments...boxes of cards personalized with initials....marbled paper

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-19768465070304703432010-01-11T13:56:00.002+01:002010-01-11T14:01:01.514+01:00

ack!  this has been languishing in the draft folder since thanksgiving.... Really....what more could a girl ask for on a sunny November day? coffee with the locals first stop - a quick cappuccino at Bar San Calisto. this spot is busy with monday morning bustle;  workers getting espresso and cornetti to go, carefully packed in an old sugar box, lively banter between the cashier, the

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-61638017510343211352009-11-30T10:07:00.013+01:002010-01-11T14:06:25.578+01:00

what feels like a never-ending string of UN committees and conferences have kept us close to home these past few weeks...but before the deluge we slipped away for a morning at the hot springs followed by a lakeside lunch. it seemed like the perfect morning for a long soak in some hot sulfury water.  it was early on a sunday morning complete with the first real chill of the season...gray

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-71990003632806454192009-10-28T07:54:00.009+01:002009-10-28T09:46:33.929+01:00

We are planning a short trip to Cape Town scheduled during dark mid-winter here in Rome...which is delightful, steamy, summer there! I am so looking forward to re-visiting one of my favorite spots in Africa. Now usually when we went to South Africa from Zimbabwe it was vacation mixed with a long list of things that had to be done/purchased and lugged back...doctors visits, car and plumbing

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-66131188239441099262009-04-27T08:31:00.004+02:002009-10-28T09:50:16.773+01:00

A few weeks ago we were headed for a late morning dip at terme di papi and all the exits were blocked by fierce looking gardia di finanzia and carbinieri. It turned out there was nothing nefarious happening, just a bike race...but that still meant we had about an hour before the road to the hot springs would be open again. So we took our visitor on an unexpected short detour to Viterbo, the

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-27794376841441678042009-02-23T09:46:00.011+01:002009-02-23T13:00:00.715+01:00

While most of the city was in the mountains taking advantage of the terrific powder and sunshine in the mountains, we defied convention and headed to the seaside.  Riviera d'UlisseEquidistant from both Rome and Naples, Gaeta and Sperlonga are typical hill towns, with the added extra of being next to the mediterranean ocean.   This is the coastline where the mythical Ulysses was lured by Circe and

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-31561651092709793802009-02-11T11:33:00.010+01:002009-02-11T12:23:56.683+01:00

Late sunday morning the storm clouds briefly lifted and we hopped in the car and headed up the Cassia Bis to the groovy hippy town of Calcata.After a while one can start to feel like a hill town is a hill town is a hill town...they are all charming, and picturesque and have good food.  Calcata is decidedly different.  The town is teensy tiny and filled with crafty art shops and restaurants...and

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-42733332446332244172009-01-12T12:37:00.007+01:002009-01-15T13:52:56.416+01:00

It is no secret that I am a beach girl, so it has taken me a while to warm up the idea of activities that don't involve the sea and sand. In recent weeks, we have been exploring up into the hills and away from the sea. Now the Romans have known this for centuries and the Etruscans before them, a perfect way to spend a sunny but cold Sunday is soaking in one of the many nearby hot springs.  About

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-78860033484965005042009-01-07T13:16:00.001+01:002009-01-08T09:49:06.279+01:00

My son’s genius piano teacher is open to any way a student comes to music. For example the Chopin piece my son practices daily was discovered on an xbox video game. I embraced this philosophy on a recent weekend trip with 3 teenagers   to Tuscany. The Twilight vampire saga books by Stephanie Meyer and a recent James Bond   movie were the lure to extract reluctant kids away from video game  

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-53681010506901381072008-10-04T13:09:00.000+02:002009-01-07T13:47:56.943+01:00

Air France buses Drops you off at Montparnasse  €14 one way  www.cars-airfrance.com Airport Shuttle:  €50 roundtrip door to door Fax   33 153 39 1313   Tel +33 153 39 1818 Email reservation@parishuttle.com www.parishuttle.com Hotel Eugenie 31 rue Saint Andres des Arts www.eugenie-paris-hotel.com We have been staying here for years (since Niger days…so in the 15 year range)…This is not glamour

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-68187450440502656252008-10-01T10:01:00.000+02:002008-10-04T13:16:36.441+02:00

Michelangelo, Pilgrim Routes and Gourmet Fare Piazza Farnese, Campo di Fiori, Via Guila The market in the campo di fiori is a manageable take on the traditional roman market.  There are stalls with honey and dried herb mixes for pasta sauce to bring back home. Antico forno di campo di fiori – legendary pizza bianca also with toppings or go next door where they have ready made sandwiches...try

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-53334042219298795612008-10-01T09:31:00.000+02:002008-10-01T10:01:33.933+02:00

Your Roman Holiday I highly suggest watching the Audrey Hepburn/Gregory peck classic before you come... Best Way to Get a Broad Sense of Rome Rome is a city of contradiction...a city of sumptuous chaos...which can be hard to get a handle on  when you first arrive...a great way to start is by taking a bus tour... Two of my favorite options are the 110 open top bus, and the tiny electric buses

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-48646582539742951222008-09-25T08:09:00.000+02:002008-10-04T13:18:40.105+02:00

ok sicily...i am in love!!  i told a friend this weekend it is my new south africa...wine, beaches, mountains, valleys, chocolate, baroque towns...and that is just in the tiny south- eastern corner we explored...here are some notes from our trip... we flew on www.blu-express.com to catania (we did the long term parking thing @ FCO - which was 79 euro for 4 days...it does get cheaper after 6 or 7

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-71269311081203718382008-09-24T10:19:00.000+02:002008-10-04T13:17:10.703+02:00

Charming CelioOften ignored by tourists on the trek between the Coliseum and the Forum and Bocca della Verita this delightful little neighborhood is filled with ecclesiastic treasure and scandal, great food, yoga and shopping. Once the home to gladiators and Emperor Vespasian’s cavalry troops, the neighborhood is now filled with theatre actors and artists.   Ludus Magnus - This  main training

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-970606443593657636.post-70574549315583135862008-09-23T14:30:00.000+02:002008-10-01T12:57:18.615+02:00

A walk through the center of Rome with Gillian McGuire February 22, 2008   9:30-12:30 Wander the charming streets and discover some of Rome’s treasures.  Coffee, gourmet food shopping, monastery treats, books, architectural wonder and probably some shoes! Meet at the historic Café St Eustachio and start our morning with a famous gran caffé, whose secret production technique is so closely

gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15664475514875635352noreply@blogger.com0