There went the diet....

I’ve definitely gained weight in the week I’ve been here. Even though I have been walking a lot, it is not enough to work off the extra calories from the gelati, cannoli, pizze, and everything else I have been gorging on. There are two reasons I am eating so much. First, the food is so damned good. I know I am not going to be able to eat this much good Italian food for a while, unless I cook it myself. And secondly, when I have a mediocre meal (I have only had mediocre, not bad), I feel like I need to make up for it somehow , by a cannolo or gelato or something really yummy.

Today my plan was to go to Palazzo Barberini and see some art. That’s what I did. I took the subway to Piazza Barberini and I knew where to go because when I was sort of lost there early on in my trip, I passed the palazzo. It was a big palace, a little run down, with quite an extensive art collection. A few El Greco’s, Tintorettos, etc., mostly religious stuff, except one portrait of Henry the Eighth that I remember from art history and some other portraits of people I didn't recognize, huge rooms, frescoed ceilings, quite fancy digs. But the main reason I went there is because they had some Caravaggios. Unfortunately, they were not the best, and one was on loan to an exhibit somewhere called Caravaggio and Bacon – which has Caravaggio teamed up with Frances Bacon. I’m not sure why. Probably I should have just gone to that exhibit rather than run all around town trying to find random Caravaggios.

Either way, it was a nice outing – the best part was the museum was practically empty. I was in a room with no more than 4 people at a time looking at stuff. It’s not one of the big “must sees” like the Vatican, and I guess it’s not on the tour group itinerary.

From there, I walked down the hill and ended up at Trevi Fountain, which was mobbed as usual. I sat down for a while and admired the fountain and enjoyed the cool of the shade near the rushing water. One annoying Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi guy who was walking around offering to take people’s photos in front of the fountain (there were several of them) had an extremely loud cell phone conversation right behind me. Fortunately there were no cigarettes, but as soon as one arrived, I left.

I walked on and stopped in to La Rinascente, a department store which had expensive and very tailored clothes – not my style at all and not a very huge selection.

Onward I went until I came across the gelateria/pasticceria I went to after my cigar smoke infused meal. Turns out it is a famous place that was in Roman Holiday (I just read that in my guide book). I thought I’d try a cannolo since it seemed to be too early for gelato. I was looking for a place to eat lunch but was pretty hungry and I thought a cannolo would not spoil my appetite.

Well, it turns out the cannolo I had at the pasticceria near me was indeed the best I’ve ever had. This one was not so good. It was very sweet and the filling was not ricotta but some kind of thick sugary pudding-like cream. I was highly disappointed.
I passed the restaurant where I had my cigar infused meal and since the tagliatelle were so good I decided to try again, this time hoping for a smoke free meal.

I ordered spaghetti with cacio e pepe – spaghetti with cheese and pepper – and a mixed salad. The spaghetti turned out to be the thing I used to eat in my student days when I had no money. When I was broke, literally, I usually had a box of spaghetti and some macaroni cheese. I used to make mine with butter and garlic too, but this version seemed to just be spaghetti and cheese and lots of black pepper (I didn’t know you could put that much black pepper in a dish). It was good, but I thought the spaghetti were a little over-cooked. It was a lovely day and the view from that place is great – looking at this big blue and pinkish church on a cobblestoned street with people walking by. I was surrounded mostly by Italians today. I guess the tourists were off doing touristy things. Two Italian women sat next to me. One had a plate of prosciutto and roasted potatoes with sprigs of rosemary. It looked like a nice little snack.

I walked from there to Piazza Navona and this being my 2nd time there, I am still a little confused about the draw. It is a big piazza that used to be some kind of race track (chariot races) or something. It is big and oblong in shape. It was VERY sunny, too sunny, and VERY crowded, too crowded. Lots of people were eating at crowded tables in the sun with lots of people walking around them. I thought my lunch spot was so much nicer.

I was beginning to feel an afternoon doldrums coming on from the heat and the post-lunch blood rush to my stomach. I decided to look for a bus to return home. I walked to the nearest bus stop and none of the buses were going to Termini Station, but amazingly one was heading to Piazza Independza, which is right on the corner of my street. I waited, watching large groups of tourists walk by, heading for Piazza Navona and jumped on when the bus came. It was quite an international crowd, but not touristy. There were several Eritrean women wearing white shawls who reminded me of some of the students we have, a few Latinos, a few Indians, and maybe a few Italians, and me. The bus wasn’t too crowded, and it was a comfortable ride, making its way through all of the monuments and churches and crowds of tourists.

I took a nap and went out again to look for dinner. I was going to try a Trattoria I had passed on my way home one day. I walked past and all of the outside tables were full and I didn’t want to sit inside. So I headed in another direction and passed this little hole in the wall joint that had a 10 euro set meal. I don’t know why I stopped because since I used my credit card twice at Taverna della Scala, I had enough cash for a decent meal. But I went in anyway.

The waiter recommended grilled fish. He said, “Do you trust me?” I should have know not to when he said that. Actually he was nice, but there was something about him that seemed not Italian. When he spoke English he spoke in kind of clipped, short phrases, and not with all of the extra vowels thrown in in a sing-songy way that Italians who don’t speak a lot of English speak. He asked me where I was from and when I told him California he told me how beautiful the girls from California were. I had no comment. I then asked him where he was from and he said Rome. I thought maybe he lived in Rome now but that was not his origin. I looked at the guy behind the counter and the women at the door luring people in and they did not look Italian – they looked Middle-Eastern, but I could not place from where.

Anyway, the waiter who told me to trust him recommended fish. I really wanted pasta, but he said the fish was better. So I got fish which came with limp vegetables and a few pieces of lettuce posing as a salad. It was okay, but not one of the best things I have eaten here. I did enjoy watching the “show” – the woman luring people in, the customers, some who spoke no Italian and no English, trying to communicate and the Roman waiter who I don’t think was Italian trying his best to understand what people wanted.

I didn’t order desert because I didn’t think it would be that good and I was right next door to Giuliani’s, the pasticceria that I now knew had the best cannoli in Rome and possibly the whole world.

I walked next door and didn’t see any cannoli in the display case. I asked if there any and was told no. Bummer. I knew there was another pasticceria down the block so I went there and they did have cannoli. I ordered one and when I bit into it, it had the same kind of filling as the one I had earlier but it was even worse, and on top of that, it was soggy – I took two bites and threw the rest away. Now I am convinced, Giuliani’s cannoli are the BEST!

So, now what to do? I was near my hotel but needed something to make up for the mediocre meal. I went to Termini Station and hopped on a bus headed for Piazza Venezia. I had seen a gelateria there with licorice gelato. I thought that would be interesting to try. But as we hurtled through the streets we neared Piazza Barberini which was near Via Veneto. Via Veneto is La Dolce Vita part of Italy. It is where the well-heeled hang out and I think parts of La Dolce Vita were filmed there. Paparazzi hang out waiting for glimpses of the rich and famous. I thought maybe they’d have some good gelato. I walked down Via Veneto, past fancy restaurants and cafes and only found one place with gelato and it didn’t look that good. I continued on down the hill and came to Trevi Fountain again, which looked really nice lit up at night and was still surrounded by camera clicking tourists. Since I had been there earlier today, I knew I would eventually come to Giolitti, the place where I had the bad cannoli and the good gelato. It turned out to be further than I thought, but it was good to walk off some of my meal. The place was buzzing and there were quite a few tourists there (how did they find MY spot?)

I ordered a nocciola with ciocolato bianco (nut with white chocolate) – it came with a big dollop of whipped cream. It is definitely good gelato. Probably the best I’ve had in Rome. There might be better, but if I do have another gelato before I leave, I am not going to take my chances. I now know where to find a great cannoli (if I go early) and a great gelato.

I hopped on the bus that comes to Piazza Independenza and made my way back to my hotel, feeling like I was beginning to get a sense of Rome beyond the landmarks and tourist spots and crowds. I was beginning to know my way around and was glad that I could easily hop on a bus to go and get a gelato even if it was on the other side of town. I just wish that somehow all of this food was not having the effect it is on my waistline. How is it that Italians stay so slim?