Giorno due

Fresh from the wonders of the colosseum where human blood from the unlucky ones was drunk (believed to be remedial), and the lesser mauled parts of animal flesh sold afterwards (inedible parts given to the next batch of wild creatures to eat) we climbed up to the Palatine hill with its beautiful Boni gardens where the only oranges left in the grove were too high for scrumping. So we ate half a luxurious chocolate square each made by a little known chef in Blandford (Caroline!) to silence the pangs.

After visiting the Casa di Augustus with it's famous wall paintings we opted for lunch  at about 3pm at same cafe as yesterday. Pizza this time of prosciutto, mushroom and eggs which was again a good choice.

Onwards to the oldest bridge in Rome,the Ponte fabricio and the isola in the middle of the great river. Across the bridge we found a part of Rome with an alternative atmosphere, Trastevere. We are fans of this type of area and Trastevere has realised that we are not the only ones, it takes full advantage of the current fashionableness of its boutiques, artisans and eccentric  restaurants. Despite the expensiveness of some places, we found some bargain gems - I bought  a mohair,wool and acrylic mix oatmeal jumper whilst Mum bought a silk, wool mix top too in a shop called Habana. It's all about the feel of the fabric in this case, soft, warm and light -  as a fabric snob, I will never accept more than 50% manmade fibres at most (unless its the most fabulous thing ever, see the next boutique we visit - after all, rules are made to be broken!)

When we reach Campo dei fiori  sadly all the fruit and veg stalls are packing up so we move on and make a beeline for Punta Gelato to cheer ourselves up.  Mum has  marrons glacé with ricotta stracciatella, a subtle and velvety combination. I have  a classic chocolate and orange with grand marnier scoop and and out  of curiosity  something called pino mugo. Rather than burning my mouth with the flavour of floor disinfect or assaulting my nostrils with the headache inducing smell of pinefresh air fresheners  pino mugo is rather more like a sophisticatedly herby aperitif. Whilst the flavour is distinctive and lingers on the tongue, I am captivated and refreshed by it, and if an ice cream can feel healthy, this is it.  The extracted and distilled resin from mountain pine cones boasts many qualities, to list but a few, it is known to be an antiseptic and mucolytic, aid circulation, combat muscular cramp, rheumatic pain and strengthen the immune system.

After a cursory visit to the Vatican City, we headed back to Trastevere. On the way we found a fabulous  vintage place called  "Bohemienne vintage", I had tried to tear myself away from the window but being a complete addict, it was inevitably impossible. This is another thing I love about Italy: the shops are often open in the evenings, making shopping feel much more romantic - a dangerous thing, I know. Anyway, we entered and were immediately welcomed by all within. Two tall Italian women whirled about two young American girls who giggled amiably as they were dressed up in various equally stunning modes. Having quietly sifted in the background for a while, a black and red floral dress drew my eye. Missing nothing, the modelesque proprietor pulled it from the rail and enticed me to try it on. I countered that it wasn't 'me', I'm not brave enough for bold colours and prints. But we were enjoying ourselves and feeling adventurous, anything the women suggested for the Americans had worked instantly, so on it went. And yes, I fell in love with  a dress made from mostly polyester and a bit of spandex! Now all I need is an occasion and no Swansea, not you, the hemline is far too low. Siena? Yes, but I now find myself lusting after an appropriate pair of heels to match, for the dress demands them.

So, it was a long day of discoveries and we found ourselves near the end of it with very tired feet and on the verge of collapsing before finding the right restaurant having turned down a few. This time it was to be the  Osteria/Enoteca ditta Trinchetti, next door to the one with the sign outside saying "we hate war and tourist menus" which had looked to be good but on closer inspection was more interested in selling its political ideas than great food. So their understated neighbour got the go-ahead and in we tiredly traipsed to find a wonderfully  relaxing yet quirky atmosphere  with balls of wool hanging from the ceiling and Katie Melua playing gently in the background. 

 Having seen a man get served a vibrant looking dish of king prawns, I decided that I had to have whatever it was and I wouldn't be put off by his brawling demand in American English for the ingredients of the dish which are stated on the menu. Later I discovered that he must have been capable of speaking Italian, his friends spoke nothing but - how perplexing and very rude. But this is the one thing you can't rely on in restaurants, the other diners. I suppose you could (and some do) filter them, but I don't agree with that sort of elitism and I don't believe it works either - some people just pretend to have manners and some people think they are above them. Perhaps this is why if you enjoy good food, you should at least try to make it yourself, for holding your own dinner parties is by far the best way of ensuring your evening isn't marred by disagreeable people!

Any way, the antipasto of gamberoni (king prawns) on chickpea soup was a sensation to my tongue (two in a day!) with a surprising delicacy to the texture and taste of the chickpeas which complimented the prawns perfectly. Mum had a very eye-catching plate of octopus ravioli in lemon sauce. Each raviolo bore a snappy stripe of black ink and resisted being overpowered by the lemon. We had a jolly half litre of good house white between us which also suited our choices well and left in search of Sicilian Cannoli for pudding from a stall we had spied earlier on the way home. These are fantastic creations that appear like a brandy snap on the outside ( but of thicker fried and unflavoured pastry) and contain masses of creamy, sweet ricotta. The ends of ours were dipped in chocolate shards but there are many variations, such as pistachio or candied fruit. Messily we ate them whilst falling contentedly asleep at the hotel.


#Habana, Via dei Giubbonari 

#Punto Gelato, Via dei Pettinari, 43  http://www.puntogelato.info/

#Bohemienne Vintage, Via dei Cappellari, 96

#Osteria/Enoteca Ditta Trinchetti, Via della Lungaretta, 76 http://www.dittatrinchetti.it/Ditta_Trnchetti/Ditta_Trinchetti.html