Roman Holiday

Back from my five days in Rome which is an absolutely fantastic city on so many levels, including of course the food!  Of course I'm sure it's easy to eat badly in Rome as well, as it is pretty much anywhere really, but with the help of many blogs but in particular Katie Parla's and also Elizabeth Minchilli's I had a pretty good idea of where I particularly wanted to eat and they were all great. 

Unfortunately things didn't always pan out - Easter Monday proving particularly tricky as even restaurants that I'd expected to be open on a Monday weren't on the bank holiday - and so there were sadly a few that we didn't get to.  But hey, that's what return visits are for!

Anyway - here are a few (well quite a lot) pics, some food and some sights.

The view from the apartment's terrace into "Cat Square"

Taverna dei Fiori Imperiali - scene of the 1st night's dinner 

"Easter Antipasti": lamb's livers, salami, porchetta & cheese bread

Melanzane alla parmigiana

Handmade gnocchi with veal & black truffle sauce - amazing

Wild boar stew with polenta

The oculus in the Pantheon

Gelato stop no. 1 at Cremeria Monteforte. The granita caffe con panna & cherry gelato were excellent

I could do with one of these for farmer's market shopping in London!

Trevi Fountain

Approaching St Peter's

View of St Peter's basilica from one of the piazzas in the Vatican

Raphael's The School of Athens

Serious pizza stop required after Vatican tour - enter Gabriele Bonci's Pizzarium

Pizza slice with peas (sensational) & braesola with fennel & potato, also lovely

I can't remember what the top one was but it was good

I got quite excited about seeing Bonci (big guy to the left, inside the doorway)

Pizza rossa which really allowed the amazing dough to shine and a aubergine, artichoke & mozzarella 

One of many amazing stalls in Campo de' Fiori market

More types of pasta than you can imagine

If I could do my weekly fruit & veg shop here I would be a very happy girl!

Roma Sparita's famed Cacio e pepe in a pecorino basket - cheesy, peppery goodness

One of the great things about Rome is just stumbling across amazing little courtyards like this

The Colosseum

The arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum

The Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum

The beginning of a blowout dinner for Phil's birthday at Roscioli - Burrata with semi dried cherry tomatoes

Bombolotti Amatriciana - as good as I'd read it would be

Spaghetti Carbonara - designer carbonara to the max

Sautéed chicory (I think) with grated bottarga

"Le Polpette" - with smoked ricotta & chestnut "polenta"

Mosaic floor details from the Baths of Caracalla

Baths of Caracalla

The Domus Flavia as seen from the Circus Maximus

The Aventine Keyhole in the Knight of Malta's gate

The view through the keyhole - though weirdly St. Peter's has completely disappeared

We couldn't get a table where we wanted to so ended up here - it turned out to be a good choice

Tuscan charcuterie plate

Tagliata with rocket & cherry tomatoes

Pappardelle with lamb and artichoke - will definitely try an recreate this as it was lovely 

A massive Tiramisu

Vin Santo, Cantucci & Biscotti

Washing in Trastevere

Another lovely little road in Trastevere

Volpetti - I spent a fortune on guanciale, nduja, pecorino (2 kinds), parmesan, mortadella & testun al barolo

One of the lovely guys in Volpetti - an excellent salesman (and Italian pronunciation corrector)

A fishy window display

Mustard fruits - I wish I'd noticed these when we were inside... 

Cat Square, just off Vinegar Alley

A final visit to the market

Our last lunch - fittingly delicious antipasti 

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Puntarelle alla Romana

Lots of mortadella, nduja & guanciale recipes to follow..

Taverna dei Fiori Imperiali, Via della Madonna dei Monti, 900184 Rome

Cremeria Monteforte, Via della Rotonda, 2200186 Rome

Pizzarium, Via della Meloria, 3900136 Rome

Roma Sparita, Piazza di Santa Cecilia, 2400153 Rome

Roscioli, Via dei Giubbonari, 2100186 Rome

Terra di Siena, Piazza di Pasquino, 7700186 Rome

Volpetti, Via Marmorata, 4700153 Rome