Our Home in Rome

2nd bedroom/study

When we found out we were going to Rome, we had a month to plan for our trip. I immediately went to Airbnb to search for apartments. For a month stay, an apartment is necessary, but I was surprised how much cheaper it is to rent a whole apartment than a hotel room, even for shorter trips.

entryway/foyer

I had a few criteria in mind when searching. We needed to have: a washer, WiFi, single level (no stairs to worry about), a decent kitchen, and be in a good neighborhood. We found our pick with all these things and more! First, the location is perfect. We are within the old city, on the periphery, near the large Villa Borghese park, in a nice neighborhood. I wanted to be close to the park so that Matteo and I would have an accessible place to run and play.  I am a 5 minute walk to a wonderful covered market, Mercato di Piazza Alessandria, where we do most of our food shopping. The best part may be that we are far from the concentration of tourists, so outings within our neighborhood feel authentic. Our building is over 200 years old, but pretty new by Roman standards... it even has a lift! We are only on the 2nd floor (third, counting floor zero), but it's really nice to not have to climb the stairs after a long outing with Matteo on my back and both hands full of groceries, sweating like a monster (do monsters sweat...?!).  Plus, Matteo calls himself "boy" (meaning "big boy") because he knows how to close the lift doors and push the button (we hold him up to reach the numbers); taking the lift is like a fun little ride everyday.

kitchen

The apartment is divided into five main spaces: the entryway, two bedrooms, kitchen/living room, and bathroom/laundry. This space actually used to be offices, so the division of rooms is different, but I really like the layout. We had a guest with us for a couple of days, and it was great to be able to offer him a room of his own. The kitchen is lined against one wall with a table near the window, TV in the corner, and a couch opposite the kitchen. It is where we spend most of our time.

bedroom

The windows are so tall, with the typical Italian shutters on the exterior. We look out to a the tree lined street below with a beautiful building adjacent to us.

looking into the kitchen/living room

We are lucky to have a washer... and a dryer! ;)

washroom

Dryer...lol!

bathroom w/ bidet

Tree lined street

Tree lined street

Building across the way

There are a few downsides, one being the cigarette smoke that occasionally wafts through the windows form passersby below, but all in all, it is a nice place to hang our hats while we are here.

Ci vediamo!
me

Eating Gelato at the Pantheon

This was an outing we took on one of the first evenings in Rome. A favorite gelateria of ours in Rome is Giolitti, and it is just a few side-streets away from the beautiful Pantheon. 

This was Matteo's first introduction to gelato... he, of course, loved it.

Afterwards, he ran through the ancient columns of the Pantheon, hiding and laughing. It was an evening to remember.

Adventures in Villa Borghese

Sundays are a free day for Brian, since the libraries and archives are closed, so we headed to Villa Borghese for a little bike adventure! We rented this fun risció and explored this enormous green space. Matteo was hesitant at first to ride up front, but once another bike with two bambini rode by, he was all game! We spent part of the time chasing a little train (in the background) around the park, which Tay really got a kick out of... "Where's-he-go? Where train go?".

There is still a zoo, pond with boats, playgrounds, and the train to ride at Villa Borghese... Matteo and I hope to do some more exploration this week :)

xo

me

Italy and Ruth Reichl

My book of choice for this trip was Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. I love RR (and I don't mean Rachel Ray)! The last time we traveled through Italy, I was reading her book, Comfort Me with Apples. So Good! I thought I'd keep up the tradition with another Ruth memoir. 

I'm not certain if it is the allure of foreign travel, the smell of Italian coffee and pastries, or the fact that I have some free time (either on trains or, in the case of this trip, while Matteo is napping), but reading Ruth in Italy totally captivates me and I become, once again, OBSESSED about food and cooking. The markets are more inspiring, my imagination is on overdrive, I am always planning the next meal (if not the next two meals), and I become more adventurous. While I think that Italy in general does this to me, Ruth's words are like a shot of caffeine straight into my culinary vein. And I love it!

Have you read any of her books? I've also read this by Ruth. Any other recommendations for food literature? What about any new cookbooks you've tried lately? This is a recent book that I picked up that is surprisingly good (I'm not a real GR fan... too much yelling, but he is much more enjoyable in print)!

xoxo

me

"Tiny!"

Matteo's new thing is to point out all the small cars and exclaim, "Tiny!". In Italy, there is no shortage of small vehicles, so you can imagine him yelling this every 10 feet ;) It's pretty cute, though.

i seriously LOVE this car!

xo

me

A Weekend in Procida

This past weekend was spent on the Island of Procida, the smallest island off the coast of Naples. It was incredible!! Procida is one of those places that attracts some tourism, but with most of the swarms of visitors going to Capri and Ischia, Procida is left mostly to the locals and a handful of visitors. Our time was spent walking (a lot of walking!), eating, swimming, and relaxing.

We were invited by Brian's advisor, Claudio, to join him and his group of language immersion students for the weekend. It was a two-hour train ride down to Naples, where we met Laura, a Neopolitan friend from SB, who treated us to a caffè and sfogliatella, a neopolitan specialty. Then we made our way down to the port to catch a 40 minute ferry to the island. While on the train, we made up a story for Matteo that we were taking our Thomas train to the Island of Sodor (he's a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine so all the trains are lots of fun for him!), so he was excited about the boat, but, of course, fell asleep as soon as we sat down.

Architecture unique to Procida

Upon arrival, we were met by Domenico, the owner of the residence we were staying in, who shuttled us up the hill, through impossibly small ("can we fit?!?") streets and passageways, to this beautiful, quiet house surrounded by vegetable gardens and lemon groves. The house was converted to private residences, each with private outdoor seating areas. As soon as we stepped out of the van I, literally, felt my whole body relax and melt into the hot sun. I had no expectations of what to expect in Procida, but this far exceeded anything I could have imagined!

On our hike... Matteo was such a trooper!

We dropped off our bags and then headed down towards one of three harbors on the island. Along the way we met Claudio, who pulled up next to us on his vespa... very Italian! He led us towards the beach to a little restaurant that sat right on the water. All of the beach-front restaurants have private beach access right in front of their establishment, complete with lounge chairs and umbrellas. While we waited for our lunch to arrive, Matteo and I walked down to the water to get our feet wet. The water felt amazing, perfect Mediterranean temperature and so refreshing as it was a balmy 90+ degrees. Matteo is a water baby, and had the best time just walking up and down the shore, jumping over the waves and getting wet.

View from the castello, where the students take their classes

Our lunch, of course, was exceptional. So simple, but the freshest seafood one could have. We ate alici marinate (marinated anchovies, my favorite!), and a mixed seafood antipasti with octopus, mussels, shrimp and squid dressed in a simple parsley/lemon vinaigrette. We finished with a trio of vegetables (eggplant, peppers, squash) cooked in olive oil. I could eat that meal everyday.

Walking bridge connecting Procida proper to the "wilderness" island

After our late lunch, we headed to the walking tour Claudio had organized of a small, protected wilderness island, now only connected to the main island by a walking bridge. It was a beautiful two-hour hike, but with the heat, Matteo on my back, and just my simple sandals, I was wiped out afterwards! But, no time to rest... it was back to the residence to get ready for the annual street food festival that celebrates the welcoming of summer on the island!

Playing and making friends at the festival

Daddy and tay-tay checking out the views

The festival was such a great opportunity to mingle with the Procidans and it made us realize just how small of a community this was; everybody knows everybody, the old fisherman chatting with the young teenagers, parents talking while their little ones play. Matteo made friends in the playground and had a fun time going down the slide with the other kids. We tried our first alici fritti (friend anchovies), and while they were tasty, covered in salt and lemon, I still prefer my marinated, tangy anchovies anyday ;) By the time we made it back to our bed, it was midnight and we were spent!

morning after the festival... this picture cracks me up!

We had to reward him with lemon sorbeto... it was hot!

The next day consisted of more island excursions with Claudio's group of students, a midday nap, then some swim time! We found a (free) beach for us to swim and enjoy the setting sun... yes, swimming in the beach at 7:30 in the evening. Then a short walk down the beach to the harbor for dinner (pizza this time), gelato, then Matteo and I headed off back home, while Brian hung out with Claudio to mingle, drink, eat, and drink some more.

Picturesque harbor  

Breakfast on the rooftop

We woke Sunday morning and walked to the residence where the school group was staying to enjoy breakfast on the roof... breathtaking! We had a 360° view from the top where we could see all the sights and attractions of the Island. After breakfast we made our way to the beach for some ore swim time before we had to catch our boat back to naples... but not before mama bought a few souvenirs to remember our trip :)

First time buried in the sand

All in all, it was an amazing weekend. I had no idea what to expect, but was smitten with the beauty, peace, and hospitality that was shown to us.

Our boat ride back to Naples

Ci vediamo, Procida! Ciao, ciao!

Our Summer in Rome + flying with a toddler

enjoying his tractor/truck book on the way to the airport

Well, our month, really, but "summer" makes it seem longer to me, so I'm going to go with that ;) Brian received a couple of fellowship awards to conduct research in Rome for the month of July, so Matteo and I decided to tag along; it is really one of the only "perks" for our graduate student family, so we needed to cash in while we could!

For me, the flight was where I was most anxious, so I did a lot of research on how to best travel with a toddler. Here are some things that I prepared and that worked really well for us:

eating fish and chips before boarding

1. Book an evening/night flight: this was by far the BEST advice I found. Our first flight to London was 9+ hours, so we booked a flight that left at 7:30. Matteo went to sleep within an hour into the flight, even before dinner was served! Which means that mama and dada were able to enjoy our airplane chicken curry without interruption.

2. Board last: I had read a recommendation to board last, even though traveling with babies bumps you to the front of the boarding line. The thought here is that the less time the babes have to spend on the plane, the better. When we mentioned it at the check-in counter, though, the airline worker said it would be better for us to board first, because we would have to wait in a long line and Matteo would get fussy. I wasn't buying it, but thought, "Shit, what do I know?!". However, we accidentally missed the entire boarding call, and by the time we realized our gate was downstairs, they were doing final boarding and we ended up being the VERY LAST passengers to get on anyway. There was a bit of a line as people were boarding the plane, but this worked out because Matteo was able to run around and get that last bit of energy out before stepping foot on the plane :)

dada going up and down the escalator

3. Let them run around while you wait: We had about an an hour and 1/2 after we settled into the (wrong) gate waiting area, so we let Matteo do his thing. He wanted to go up and down the escalator, so we took turns entertaining that fancy. He wanted to see the airplanes, ride the moving walkway, climb on the chairs... we let him exhaust himself on all of the above.

looking out before take-off

4. Pack lots of special snacks: this is the time when they get to eat all the treats that they don't normally get to and in abundance- lollipops, cookies, gummy bears, chocolate, fruit snacks, beef jerky, etc. Although Matteo went to sleep before he really needed to be bribed with much, he did require a lollipop upon take off... and that's ok :)

5. Presents: bring a few new toys for a little added surprise! We brought along a couple of new cars, a book about trucks/tractors, playdough, and a little gift bag from a friend with toys and treats from Japan. I was actually really looking forward to pulling out these little pops of fun every hour or so, but we didn't even get to them until our second flight, which was only 2 hours... just enough time for one car and some gift bag Thomas treats.

6. Nurse during takeoff and landing: for us, nursing was a lifesaver!!! Matteo is almost 22 months and we are still nursing (often), and it was a big comfort to him on the plane when he was tired and "all done, down please" with being on a plane. But more than that, nursing helps the little babes to release pressure in their ears as you ascend/descend, allowing them to pop and avoid ouchy pressure :(

funky bassinet seats, but they work, although he was just about too big for the chair

7. Request a bassinet seat: since we were traveling with a toddler, the airline (British Airways) automatically put us in one of these seats. It was nice because there was a little more room to groove (Matteo was a lap ticket, MUCH CHEAPER, but no separate seat for him), and when he fell asleep I could lay him down. Note: Not sure if all airlines are the same, but ours was a fold down table tray, in which they strapped a baby seat to... it was funky, but secure. However, once we hit turbulence, about 2 hours after I put him down, I had to take him out again because these things are not made to withstand the bouncing. After that, I held him the remainder of the flight while he slept, which was cool, though, because the extra floor space allowed me to put up my feet and avoid airplane canckles!

Anywho, that is how we survived! Do you have any recommendations? What works for you and your family?

More about our arrival and first two days later... now, time prendere un caffè latte!

Ciao!
xo
me