Home Comforts {Gillian's List of Links}

Here are a few things I am loving right now that make my Roman apartment home.

Muji candles

It has been freezing in Rome.  Thankfully the sun is out again, making it more bearable.

On these last cold days of winter, I love to have a fire burning. We are lucky to have a wood burning fire in our cozy, wood-beamed living room, but it is not always practical to go through the whole rigamarole of lighting it, dealing with the flue, making sure the fire is out down to the last embers.  

On those days, when I crave a fire but not the hassle, I light these really fantastic candles from Muji.  The log fire scent smells exactly like my favorite Dyptique candles from Paris, at a fraction of the cost.  For less that €5, you can fill your entire apartment with them for less than the price of a box of firewood. 

Apple TV

I am a movie junkie.  If I had the time I would watch a movie every single day.  Time constraints aside, living in Rome also makes that desire kind of a challenge.  Italy is the world capitol of dubbing (though this article suggests this is changing) There are just a handful of screens that show films in Original Language and I find the DVD selection in town can be limited.  

A few summers ago, on an impulse, the day before returning to Rome I bought Apple TV.  It was a game changer. No more downloading from iTunes, syncing onto an iPod and then hooking it up to the tv to watch something. Now, anything that it is in my iTunes library is streamed to my apple TV.  If you have an American iTunes account you can rent movies, in English (as well as many foreign films in original language) for $3.99. The film is available to watch for 30 days until you hit play then you have 24 hours to watch.

Weck Jars

I store just about everything in a jar at my house, and not just food. I have jars of old movie tickets, tiny stuffed animals from when the Teenager was little, sand from almost every beach we have visited. 

I have long admired the simple shape of Weck jars, but have never been able to get my hands on them. Inspired by my pal Arlene,  I was wandering around C.U.C.I.N.A. the other day and there they were!