Roman Holiday: design inspirations

let me start with the hotel we stayed in.  

the Rome Times Hotel just opened a few months ago and we were among the first guests.  the amenities were very modern and the rooms have dark wood flooring, crisps sheets and pillows, spacious bath and the safes are free (we've never stayed in a hotel where the safes were free, ever!).  the mister is delighted at this because he can shove all his gadgets in there without fear of it being nicked in a foreign country.

it was one of the best hotels we've stayed by far!  here's a pic of their bar below.

inside the Vatican Museum, i also saw the contemporary art of Henri Matisse defined by "gouache cutouts" made of special paper in their designs.  i love the color palette that he used! 

as we were nearing the exit of the museum, we had to go down this beautiful spiral staircase and into the Vatican post office where i mailed ourselves a postcard back home :)

in the streets of Rome:

spotted a Space Invaders street art near the Vatican! i don't know if this is one of his but sure looks like it :)

they are big on Audrey H. there by the way :)  before going to Rome, i actually watched the movie "Roman Holiday" and now it is one of my favorites :)

ahhh who wouldn't want to sit under that bougainvillea portico and sip some capuccino, eh?  la vita bella!

don't miss the shop windows!  they have the most interesting displays!  like this sea-themed one with ceramic fishes galore :)

or this leather gloves shop in all the colors of the rainbow and then some!

a beautiful stained glass display that caught my eye just as when the light of day was about to fade...

 and who could ignore CoCo Chanel?

and so, as a result, i bought these:

i saw her quietly sketching away in a corner where i found all manner of Audrey Hepburn kitsch...  she was a true artist and i could not help but love her Underground System of Rabbits!

while waiting for our coffee, this little number occupied our weary minds... made of a few different kinds of beans and a pretty little cactus, we were heady with the scent of rose in the air... 

sip, sip, sip...

flea market finds: on a silver platter

recently, i just sold my Polaroid P.  it was just sitting on a shelf gathering dust and so I was happy i sold it to someone who needed it more than i did.

i must say i am loving selling my stuff!  with a tidy profit to boot!

the thrift shops have now closed for the summer so i am frequently imagining all the different new stuff they would have once they open again in September.  a billion things would fly through my mind at any given moment.  

but i never imagined this:

a French glass serving platter in a silverplate basket with a twisted handle

bought for a song in an online buy and sell page, this would make a lovely present to a hostess with the mostess ;)

*linking to The Penny Worthy Project @ hey what's for dinner Mom? and also to The Nifty Thrifty @ a living space :)

Roman Holiday - the food

when in Rome...

one must sample everything... especially the food!

(1) bucatini all'amatriciana - all the rich sauce goes inside these hose-shaped pasta making it more delicious!  Chef Mario Batali frequently does this dish in his many restaurants :)

(2) spaghetti cacio e pepe - also a Batali favorite, a simple pasta dish with just cheese and pepper

(3) pizza con le acciughe - with anchovies

(4) pizza quattro stagioni - what can i say?  he loves his pizzas.

(5) tiramisu - what?! visiting Rome and didn't sample the tiramisu??!!

in Pompi???? (via della Croce 82, near the Spanish Steps)

(6) the classic simple canolli - a Sicilian pastry dessert that melts in your mouth!  found this one in a tiny shop on a nondescript street on our way to the Pantheon

(7) a day is incomplete without gelato!  they have many interesting flavors like prosciutto, foie gras, habanero, avocado, etc., i chose the simple ones, combining, coffee, chocolate, banana and coconut.

(8) Silvano, our hotel's pastry chef was very proud of his chocolate truffles and they were soo good I had to take a picture.  he was so pleased and told me to spread the word (i'd be glad to!)

(9) like every holiday we go to, i always do extensive research online before visiting a place.  in many of my online searches, this Sant Eustachio coffee shop off the Piazza Navona always came out tops so me and the mister had to try this one out.  i ordered a cappuccino "banco" which basically means i will be drinking it standing up right at the counter and not "tavolo" which is more expensive because you will be sitting down in one of the tables.

no wonder its been voted the no. 1 coffee in Rome... it is heavenly! there's something in it that's very sophisticated and earthly at the same time.  not too cloyingly sweet and not too strong either.  

i bought these chocolate bon-bons as a souvenir :)

(10) another great coffee place is the distinctly italian brand illy.

(11) another coffee i sampled in Rome is the ginseng coffee in Castroni.  only half a cup full and comes in a demitasse cup :P  i was left wanting more.

(12) pasta, pasta!  we found this unusual pasta shop in an alleyway on our way to the Trevi fountain selling very colorful pasta with whimsical designs! check this out: 

these farfalle or "butterfly" pasta is made with beetroot, seaweed, arugula and other colorful vegetables!

this spaghetti is made from pepperoncini, squid ink, seaweed and vegetables! we cooked this when we got home and it had a very nice flavor mixed together with the sauces!  i just wished i could have bought more.

(13) street food in Rome! like the roasted chestnuts below:

fresh and crunchy coconut chunks:

hot donald's buns hehe

(14) French macarons bought at Laduree, a French pastry shop - pistachio, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

(15) seared tuna in sesame seeds - so simple and yet so tasty! we ate this at a restaurant near our hotel in the middle of the night when we were so bushed from a day of sight-seeing.  washed down with a glass of spumanti, of course

(16) and lastly, still in Castroni... i bought some familiar goodies from my childhood :)

Roman Holiday - the sites

apologies for my long absence but I have been so caught up with summer and work that I have not been able to post anything.

anyways, a few weeks ago we came back from our holiday in Rome and I am sharing some pics with you of what I saw and loved in the Eternal City.

first the sites :)

(1) the Colosseum - a few blocks from our hotel, i finally saw the real thing! so huge and pockmarked (was looted for the lead and marble during the Renaissance) and beautiful.  i was instantly awe-struck!

(2) a nasoni or a fountain, spouting cool and refreshing water from the ancient aqueducts, with the ruins of the Palatine Hill in the background and the Circus Maximus in between

(3) inside the Pantheon, an experience like no other, an architectural marvel and where we also saw Rafael's tomb

(4) of course, the Trevi Fountain, overflowing not with water but with tourists!

(5) the Palazzo della Esposizioni

(6) la Boca della Verita or the Mouth of Truth or the Ancient Lie-Detector

(7) the Hollywood on the Tiber, Cinecitta

(8) the Vatican Museum where I finally saw Michelangelo's masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel.  no photos were allowed inside but outside our necks hurt from all the goodies up on the ceiling

(9) can you see the dome of St. Peter's basilica? view from the Palatine Hill, where the emperors once lived

(10) in St. Peter's square

there was a lot of walking involved here and we came home very, very happy but with very, very sore feet!

next up... the food!

Papa Edgar

with "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" sang by Barbara Streisand in the movie "Yentl" softly playing in the background, i pay homage to my awesome dad :)

flea market finds: ghosts and green monsters

the days have been getting more beautiful each day here in Gibraltar.  clear blue skies and cool, breezy days.  perfect for a carboot sale!  of course i wouldn't want to let this opportunity pass.  remember, they are so few and far between here in Gib! 

people have caught on! over the years  i've observed that there are more and more people checking out the goods!

so before i and the mister took off for a little getaway, we just had to stop by and shoot a few pics and browse a few stalls :) 

against the backdrop of the imposing Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque in Europa Point, the only mosque here in Gibraltar which also contains a school, a library and a lecture hall and was a gift by the King of Saudi Arabia in 1995

i only bought a few items as i think i enjoy the rush of seeing different and unique things more than my impulse buying (although, i recently sold one of my flea market finds for a good sum!).

here are my finds!

(1) two chinese jade-colored candle with a weird mama creature snuggling with two of her weird babies (i am guessing this is part of a chinese zodiac candle collection)

 (2) i was intrigued more of the title than what it really is.  after doing a little research, i found out that the author had been a commentator and a staunch critic of the Marcoses during the late 70's.  definitely now in my to-read list :)

so yeah those two are just what i bought but i had fun browsing and taking pictures of the things i wanna take home with me :)

from left to right: Gibraltar crystal hand-blown vase, lime green Moroccan sandals, a handmade doorstop (more for a finca i think!), a glittery top (boogie nights!) and the most delicate cups and saucers i ever did see!

from left to right: a cute smiling voodoo doll(?) or maybe a charred gingerbread man?  he's dapper though!, a wooden bowl, a repurposed crane, an old camera and a couple of jazz aficionados

ahhh, one sweet day! 

i end this post with a pic of this elderly lady, with prams and suitcases brimming with goods, as she waits for the bus heading home happy and contented.  she probably can't wait to show off her finds too! 

flea market finds: lights, camera, action!

here in Gib we have facebook groups that sell second-hand stuff (pretty much like Craigslist and eBay) that is very small scale and only to a select online demographics.  sometimes i find good bargains in these groups and this is how i found my new Polaroid P.

grey Polaroid P with built-in flash in really good condition





in my favorite shop, i also found this beautiful tiny tin tray with the Daher mark, made in the England.

 

19x15cms with an intricate design of flowers and butterflies

we've been having brilliant days lately apart from the ocassional freak storm but i went to a carboot sale the other week and i will be posting my finds pretty soon.

 

*linking to ThriftShare Monday @ Apron Thrift Girl and The Pennyworthy Project @ hey what's for dinner mom?