Rome II
As the solemn bird of autumn fluttered away into Roman skies, the sun too, slowly retreated, nestling the city into a cosy dusk situation. The Vatican City chase has ended and i only had one thing focused in mind: to live bel far niente – the beauty of doing nothing. And there is no where i want better to so but in Rome.
Of course i was traveling; that’s definitely doing something, with a few more places to cover. However, throughout the process i practiced to pause. To pause and look. To pause and breathe. To pause and feel. Everyone here is a lucky girl, a lucky boy; but i believe not everyone noticed how lucky they are. That, is something one shouldn’t miss out.
So, what do you do with a whole beautiful evening in Rome?
1. Scalinata – the widest staircase in Europe.
{warm your butt on the steps, take a picture, move forward}
2. Gelato – Eat, Pray, Love.
You might find this ridiculous, but this is my main highlight in Rome. Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is my bible (indeed), so visiting this gelato spot was almost like finding myself in Jerusalem. Trust me – you can’t leave Italy without having 4 scoops of ice cream here. Especially not, when it is also recognized by:
The flavors they offer, oohhh, the flavors they offer! Listen to the man over the counter sing their names like a latin love song, make a medley out of it on your own, and be prepared to fall head over heels over a generous cup of serving as big as your own palm, like this:
The maximum flavors you can have in a cup is 4. Each of them sounds so original, tastes so natural, and all comes in the same color. Speaking of goodness! My goodness.
And how exactly, can i not take this famous shot of Julia Roberts choosing a cup of tiffany blue gelato cup over italian men in her quest of ‘Eat‘? p.s. i even attempted to wear the same clothes!
3. Trevi Fountain
We got our hands sticky here trickled with melted ice cream but never would we dare to even think about washing them using the water from this holy mother of all fountains! To enjoy a cup of probably the world’s best gelato in front of such a romantic view and setting, is something that requires a skinny pinch on the skin to realize that this isn’t a dream. And so i lived that dream alive and awake, till the sun bids farewell.
{where Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel fell in love in the romantic scene from “When In Rome“}
{a wish, a kiss, and a coin toss, for a dream}
3000 Euros are thrown into this fountain each day, but how many wishes came true? Probably only those who knew that the coins are meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. i, for one, knew that too late.
4. Piazza Navona
Sight seeing, shopping, and food all come together to seal the day. Such is always a package you get from discovering new streets around piazzas. With that said, here are some amusing pictures caught, followed by what you must-have for dinner:
{all night i couldn’t get my mind off what a beautiful plate of rainbow pasta i could make with that packet hanging like confetti on the most right}
{met the real Mister Geppetto making Pinocchios in his most adorable carving shop}
{WTF-LOL street art}
{if i had another night in Rome, THIS is where i would dine. if you have the chance, please do so for me}
My dinner menu was set in stone – i’ve decided to try something traditional, spaghetti cacio e pepe and Tre Scalini’s famous tartufo (since 1946) for dessert. And a bottle of Santa Cristina to celebrate, of course!
And that ends my second day in Rome, with a romantic night stroll around Piazza Navona after such a hearty meal. p.s. i’m not including travel cost for this post because the only money we spent throughout the entire day, was on gelato and food. Everything else, we enjoyed for free.
Can’t get enough of Italy? Viva Italia!
