All roads lead to Rome…
Rome is city of history, city of beautiful architecture, city of unbelievably delicious and honest food.
I planned my weekend trip with my mam (this was her birthday present) and my daughter. Girls weekend away, you may say:-) Because of this, the itinerary couldn’t be too busy. We took it easy and focus on just enjoying ourselves and eating a lot.
Rome is an absolutely stunning place for a weekend. Narrow, cobbled streets, lots of people, mopeds and food everywhere! What is not to love?! Italian cuisine is known to most people but experiencing it in its origin helps one appreciate it more. I have never had better pizza than in Rome. Very thin dough, balanced tomato sauce and any topping you may imagine. I never thought that eating a whole pizza would be possible for me, but it is not that difficult there. Even my 8 year old polished most of the plate herself… it’s that good. Then again, we have been walking a lot, so we were hungry most of the time 🙂
What we ate:
- Pizza – the best pizza. Any type blew me away. Simple Margherita or one with anchovies and olives – all were unbelievable. You have not eaten real pizza until you’ve tried one in Italy. Believe me, this was the biggest shock for us.
- Cacio e pepe – Pasta, pecorino cheese and pepper. OMG! Who would have known that only a few ingredients put together can result in something so irresistible! I have already recreated it at home and it is a really great weeknight dinner!
- Bucatini all’amatriciana – typical Roman dish. It is also a really simple combination of great ingredients. I really loved this one as it has guanciale – cured pork cheek, red pepper, tomatoes and pecorino. Delicious!
- Gricia – another typical Roman pasta and again really simple – pasta with bacon, pepper and pecorino cheese.
- Risotto with porcini mushrooms was very creamy and still had little bite to it, really good combination. Proper comfort food.
- Gelato – Italian ice cream which you just have to try. I had mango flavour which was delicious. My daughter went for classic vanilla (it was just perfect) and my mam went for the more unusual combination of olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes. I would like to try more flavours but I think I would need a second belly for the weekend…
I would love to go back there and experience even more… Everywhere we went was great. Well, maybe avoid eating at the Vatican. Food was average and not a lot of choice either, but everywhere else was really tasty. This trip helped me understand that simple food doesn’t mean boring and that good pasta, olive oil, bacon and cheese, combined with Italian wine, make the world a happier place. So, if you are looking for a place to go away for the weekend, consider Rome. You will not be disappointed!
Oh and don’t forget to drink lots of coffee. Italians do it right!
