Rotund in Rome
Rome. It’s busy, it’s big, and it’s seriously delicious. Yes, I know a lot of what I talk about on here is about food, but I think that being able to discover new flavours and ways of preparing food is one of the many joys of travelling.
Odin and I flew to Rome. It was our first flight since our initial flight over to the UK way back in March. The flight itself was pretty uneventful, as flights generally are. We arrived in Rome and checked into our hostel before crashing.
The following day we spent wandering around the city and just generally looking at things and catching the vibe of the place. We didn’t want to do too much as AJ was due to arrive that following evening.
Odin and I had a sublime meal at a very local and cute little bistro. It was all in Italian, full of Italians on their lunch break, and none of the waiters spoke any english. I got the special of the day, which turned out to be a very country-like meal, with pastas of all different sizes and shapes, sitting in a flavourful bean soup. Seriously yummy. If you’re interested, Odin had the carbonara.
The following day we checked into our new hotel, which I grabbed for an absolute bargain. Right in the centre of Rome, 30 euros for three of us, and look at the size of this room (there was another bed for AJ around the corner). I was very stoked, to say the least! Even more so with the bottle of wine provided.
After we met up with AJ again, we generally explored the city. Highlights of course included: the Colloseum, Spanish Steps, Vatican City, and Roman Forum. We of course ate lots of divine food, including a return to the same sandwich shop as in Florence, some awesome pizza, and a few gelato here and there. Someone got a little enthusiastic about the ice-cream being covered in chocolate sauce (for free!), and ended up with a chocolate covered nose. You’ll never guess who that was (hint: it was me).
Despite the charm of Rome, the absolute highlight of our time there was a Sunday spent along the Via Appia. The Appian Way, as one of the earliest and most strategic placed roads of the Republic, connected Rome with Brindisi. We walked there from our hotel, which was a big mission in itself, most people catch the bus. When we finally arrived we all hired bikes and spent the afternoon enjoying the serenity, blue skies, and fresh air. Such a difference so close to Rome! To go back to food quickly, we were all getting pretty hungry as we were riding our bikes after a huge walk, and food places were very few and far between. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a sandwich truck (some of the most delicious food we ate back when we had the car last time in Italy came from such places). The Italian man who was inside was so enthusiastic and proud of the food he produced. I had a porcetta, broccoli, and chilli sandwich. Sound strange? Have one! It was absolutley divine. He also threw in some beers for us…I think they were free, because it was SO cheap.
After lunch, and a ride back along the way, we visited the Roman Catacombs. It was a chilling experience and I can recommend anyone coming to Rome to check them out.
Our next stop from Rome was none other than Pompeii! See my next blog.
