Rome In Full Swing...

It's Saturday morning in Roma, and the streets are in full swing.  The church bells clang eleven times.

Yesterday, I hit the ground running thinking I dodged the jet-lag, but alas as I woke this morning at 10:30a.m. from a deep sleep, realizing there's no escape from the inevitable - I was sound asleep for twelve solid hours!

I've landed on the balcony of Casa Marrese in the hills above Trastevere, a charming hilltop neighborhood called Monteverde Vecchio - one of my all time favorite places to stay in this city of wonder.  I'm sharing the balcony with a mother pigeon, who nervously flies away when I appear.  She's laid two eggs in a corner terracotta pot, and every five minutes she flies back onto the railing to check if I'm still present, and continues this cycle until I disappear.  


It's breakfast time, and since the Italians sugar up with a cornetto in the morning, I always bring some cereal from home:

Thanks to udi's for tasty products!  I completely understand the morning sugar compulsion, mine takes the form of a morning power smoothie with fresh and frozen fruit.  However, I checked the fresh blueberries at the fruit stand in the center of Rome, Madonna!  four euros for a tiny container... and frozen fruit is scarce - I'll stay on the hunt.  

Yesterday, I visited a mercato and a supermercato, one in the center of Rome and the second here in the neighborhood.  I was delighted to find a new custom of a few shelves dedicated to "Senza glutine" at each market.

There's a variety of products on the shelves, breads, rice flours, cookies and crackers, even cereal bars.  I bought some of these:

After the market, I headed to see my favorite Roman chef Silvia Sallorenzo, and her sister Flora who runs the front of the house at the beloved Babette Ristorante in Via Margutta, the chic artist section of Rome. Love this area!  The street is lined with galleries, and this weekend the artists are selling their paintings in kiosks.

Babette Ristorante has an amazing lunch buffet consistently swarmed by the locals.  It's 14,00 euros per person. 

While there's no g-free pasta on the menu, Silvia always provides a vast arrangement of fresh veggie dishes.  Here's a plate:

The selections are to die for.  The orange slices in the front are pumpkin - è divino - don't know how she does it!  Silvia's very generous with her recipes, she always passes one onto me.


Then, for dessert the Marquise, a g-free torta, and highly caloric - made only with dark chocolate, butter and sugar:

Nestled in a giant puddle of creme sauce...addicting to the max, though I exercised some control leaving half as a sacrifice to the Roman goddess, Vesta.


My journey's off to a healthy start.  Grazia Roma, and all her gods, goddesses and friends!


Grande bacio.