La Dolce Vita

Greg and I took a little vacation from our lives early this month, and got to know Rome, Florence and eachother again. Hot days were spent walking cobblestone streets, seeking out the best food and most interesting people we could find. Above is a shot of cocco (coconut) and limone (lemon) gelato, taken outside the reputed best gelato place in Rome, Giolitti.

Streets in Italy criss cross, meet at odd angles, and there's something beautiful and interesting around every corner. Avoid anyplace selling pizza. It's good, but it's the mark of an overpriced tourist restaurant that likely also serves packaged pasta. That's not what we were looking for.

I'm a fan of gnocchi, so I ordered it in two different places there on the first two nights. Both were packaged. :| I was expecting something fresh, made that morning. I've been spoiled by the restaurants here in LA like Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza and Fabio Viviani's Osteria Firenze, both of whom specialize in fresh, homemade amazingness straight from the heart of Italy. Greg and I are fast learners though, so we spent Night #3 hunting the real deal.

At home one of our favorite ways to eat is tapas style. Grazing. Meats, cheeses, cornichons, olives, apples, dried apricots, cashews, marcona almonds -- whatever is in the cabinet and fridge. So one night in Florence we were delighted to spy a small brick cellar-like shop down thre stairs, below a large building. The door was open, the lights were on, and I could see the edge of a well-lit glass case that looked like it had some goodies in it. Two older Italian men in suits were having an animated conversation over aperatifs with the owner behind the counter, and I was a little shy to intrude on what was clearly a local, private evening ritual. But I wanted some of that cheese. And some slices off the salami up high on a shelf behind the counter. So I walked in, and began a conversation in my broken Italian, to ask for some goodies.

The owner spoke little English, but as soon as I said the word "picnic," he knew exactly what I was doing. He never asked for amounts, just cut off enough cheese, salami, and buttery prosciutto for two, held up two breads for me to choose from, and let me point at the dishes of roasted peppers, olives, pickled anchovy (Greg loves the stuff -- me, not so much), and packed it up for us. While I spoke to the owner Greg browsed the floor-to-ceiling wine racks behind us and picked out a nice bottle of something for us to share. We paid, took the goodies back to our room, and had our first great, authentic meal of the trip.

After our dinner we wandered out for sweets. There's no lack of goodies in Italy, and the people are so kind and helpful, you can make your vacation what ever you like.

No trip to Italy is complete without a visit to the Holy Land: Parma. Home of the best prosciutto in the world, we paid homage with a trip to the Prosciutto Museum there where we could learn about the happy piggies, the tradition of prosciutto making, and see some of the old tools and racks used since 1920. We were the only ones in there. I'd like to think it's because we're big LA celebs and they cleared the place out for us, but ah, I think it's just 'cause no one else was interested. Ahem. Moving on...

We had the best meal of the trip on top of our last hotel, the Raphael in Rome. The rooftop restaurant serves four-star cuisine in an idyllic setting overlooking the rooftops and churches throughout Rome. With a light warm breeze and a big waxing moon hanging in the darkening sky, it was a great place to finish the trip.

If you're planning a trip there anytime soon, here are a few resources to get you started. If you're heading back next August, we'll see you there ;) :

Recommendations in Rome (Roma):

Gelato: Giolitti
Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40
Open daily 7:00 - 2:00 a.m.
Advice: Pay at the cashier booth in the front FIRST, then get in line to order your gelato.

Hotel: Raphael
Largo Febo 2, Piazza Navona
Make reservations to eat on the rooftop. Ask for Clive who has been managing the restaurant for 12 years.

Restaurant: See Hotel Raphael's Restaurant.

Recommendations in Florence (Firenze):

Hotel: Palazzo Vecchietti
Via degli Strozzi 4
Only 12 rooms, this place provides the ultimate in service, peace, and lovely communal morning breakfasts.

Restaurants: Osteria Belle Donne
Via delle Belle Donne 16
Casual atmosphere with outstanding food, have Jacinto (Ja-shinto) recommend your wines.

For Grazers, hit up our little cellar find:
No idea what the name is, but it's on Via Parione, across the street and up the same block a little from the restaurant Trattoria I' Parione.