This post is dedicated to Sean's birthday weekend in Rome plus a little more. Thanks to everyone who sent him birthday wishes!
It began with a question on the way to the airport - one worth repeating.
"Do you ever get a fake vibration in your bum? It happens to me all the time now." Helllloooo fifty!
But this does require a little explanation...As a masochistic gift to himself, Sean now uses a smart phone that vibrates whenever he gets an email or text (and apparently sometimes just for fun too).
Sunday, Sean's real birthday, we spent shopping around the Spanish steps. He bought almost six new outfits including a straw hat and some snappy new shoes. Objectively speaking, he looked smashing! On the other hand, I looked like a ragamuffin who just got off of a train from somewhere far away. Nothing in Rome appealed to me except for a lovely sweater that I found for a cool 13,800 Euros! Yeah. Who knew. Needless to say, I remained "comfortable" if somewhat unstylish!
We had massages and then went to dinner at Giovanni's. (The owner of the home that we rented in Sicily, whom we met just once, barely knew, but really liked). It was a blast.
Giovanni's apartment was across from Vatican City in a pedestrian only street. I'd say the ceilings were twenty feet, with dark exposed wooden beams, and twenty five years worth of art, books, and sculpture. The art was right up my alley. There were abstract expressionist oil paitings of rural Sicily in the spring and the summer. A quintet of contemporary serigraphs of primary colours and geometric shapes; an etching of a dog/human looking beast; water color portraits, oily city scapes. It was just beautiful.
A decade ago, he had purchased an apartment on the same floor as his own but in the next building over. Giovanni's best friend is a talented architect from Modica (he designed the house we are renting in Scicli), and they blasted through the stone walls and connected the two separate apartments WITH a sliding wall of course - just in case the wrong person showed up at the door!
The meal was the best I have had in Italy yet. We sat down in the small dining room with Flora, Giulia, (his two daughters 17 and 24 respectively) and his wife LaLa (real name Octavia). Giovanni was once a trained chef and sommelier.
1st Course - the best tomatoes that I have ever had in my life, with the best buffalata di mozzarella that I have ever had in my life. it makes the stuff that I purchase from my local Italian deli, the day that it arrives from Italy, taste like rubber balls.
2nd. Raw fava beans in their husks with a honking piece of pecorino cheese. You peel the beans out of their pods, and eat them with a small piece of the cheese. YUMMY!
3rd. A small portion of a stew of fava beans, cipolla, peas, and I think a contrencato di pomodoro.
4th. A plate of lightly sauteed artichoke hearts. Heaven. Giovanni told me that if you don't add small quantities of water at a time (a couple of tablespoons) and wait until it is absorbed, the artichokes will lose their flavor.
5th. Zuchinni flower risotto. It was creamy in colour and texture with delicate yellow strips of zuchinni.
6th. Eggplant parmesean although nothing like the kind that I make. I make an eggplant parmesean that is "light" because it has not very much cheese - just four tablespoons of parmesean. But G's was primarily thinly sliced eggplant, and tomatoes. Uber light but flavourful.
Finally, we had a not very sweet, very light limone cake with a fluffy, creamy limone mousse like something on top. I hate cake but had a few bites and it too was delicious. Overall - a fantastic night!
It began with a question on the way to the airport - one worth repeating.
"Do you ever get a fake vibration in your bum? It happens to me all the time now." Helllloooo fifty!
But this does require a little explanation...As a masochistic gift to himself, Sean now uses a smart phone that vibrates whenever he gets an email or text (and apparently sometimes just for fun too).
 |
| A Tender Moment. We went out to dinner on Saturday night to the Sotto Sotto of Roma. By that I mean it was dark, shishi and every Hollywood superstar had a photo on the wall with the owner. Unlike Sotto Sotto however, the owner was present for more than just the photo-op. He took us to the dining room and checked in on us periodically. We felt very well looked after. The room itself is worth mentioning because it was actually green - an outdoor patio that was entirely covered and heated. The walls were "living" and dripping with greenery. The food was good and at midnight we ordered champagne and toasted the new era. |
We had massages and then went to dinner at Giovanni's. (The owner of the home that we rented in Sicily, whom we met just once, barely knew, but really liked). It was a blast.
Giovanni's apartment was across from Vatican City in a pedestrian only street. I'd say the ceilings were twenty feet, with dark exposed wooden beams, and twenty five years worth of art, books, and sculpture. The art was right up my alley. There were abstract expressionist oil paitings of rural Sicily in the spring and the summer. A quintet of contemporary serigraphs of primary colours and geometric shapes; an etching of a dog/human looking beast; water color portraits, oily city scapes. It was just beautiful.
A decade ago, he had purchased an apartment on the same floor as his own but in the next building over. Giovanni's best friend is a talented architect from Modica (he designed the house we are renting in Scicli), and they blasted through the stone walls and connected the two separate apartments WITH a sliding wall of course - just in case the wrong person showed up at the door!
The meal was the best I have had in Italy yet. We sat down in the small dining room with Flora, Giulia, (his two daughters 17 and 24 respectively) and his wife LaLa (real name Octavia). Giovanni was once a trained chef and sommelier.
1st Course - the best tomatoes that I have ever had in my life, with the best buffalata di mozzarella that I have ever had in my life. it makes the stuff that I purchase from my local Italian deli, the day that it arrives from Italy, taste like rubber balls.
2nd. Raw fava beans in their husks with a honking piece of pecorino cheese. You peel the beans out of their pods, and eat them with a small piece of the cheese. YUMMY!
3rd. A small portion of a stew of fava beans, cipolla, peas, and I think a contrencato di pomodoro.
4th. A plate of lightly sauteed artichoke hearts. Heaven. Giovanni told me that if you don't add small quantities of water at a time (a couple of tablespoons) and wait until it is absorbed, the artichokes will lose their flavor.
5th. Zuchinni flower risotto. It was creamy in colour and texture with delicate yellow strips of zuchinni.
6th. Eggplant parmesean although nothing like the kind that I make. I make an eggplant parmesean that is "light" because it has not very much cheese - just four tablespoons of parmesean. But G's was primarily thinly sliced eggplant, and tomatoes. Uber light but flavourful.
Finally, we had a not very sweet, very light limone cake with a fluffy, creamy limone mousse like something on top. I hate cake but had a few bites and it too was delicious. Overall - a fantastic night!
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