This afternoon, I heard a knock on our apartment door. Charlie, dead asleep upon his return from Crete, certainly wasn’t going to answer it, so I did. Our neighbor-cleaner’s boyfriend Federico was at the door with a big, heavy package. He looked at my surprised and asked, “Were you expecting a delivery?” No, of course now. Who even knows my physical address (ok, it’s at the bottom of most of my emails). But who even … more
Category Archives: Blog
A new chemical reaction
Mix one part Prosecco Valdobbiadene, a beautiful light, dry, effervescent Prosecco, with one part pepato (pecorino cheese with peppercorns); swish softly; and wait patiently but not long at all, the Prosecco molecules will meet those of the pepato in a quite remarkable holy explosion of flavor. Really, why would one ever both with brie and chardonnay? (For future reference, I am reminded to click here for a delicious brand of Presecco. And we’ve been buying the pepato at … more
Italian stone (umbrella) pines of Rome
They’re everywhere. Stone pines, also called Italian stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine. Any wonder? Symphonies have been written about them (The Four Pines), and websites. Above are two that I captured today while walking through Villa Celimontana, a 16th-century villa & public park at the top of Caelian Hill.
I Cappuccini
Link
Today’s visit to Il Convento dei Cuppuccini di Vea Veneto, including the Capuchin Crypt. Imagine it must really liven up for Dia de los Muertos.
The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on the Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini in Rome, Italy. It contains the skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order.[1] The Catholic order insists that the display is not meant to be macabre, but a silent reminder of the swift passage of life on Earth and our own mortality.[2]
Described by Frommer’s as “one of the most horrifying images in all of Christendom”,[3] large numbers of the bones are nailed to the walls in intricate patterns, many are piled high among countless others, while others hang from the ceiling as light fixtures.
Anniverary of the Battle of Guadalcanal
From NY Times: “On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.” My father was there, in the engine room of a U.S. Navy ship.
John Keats’ grave in the Protestant Cemetery of Rome
“This Grave / contains all that was Mortal / of a / Young English Poet / Who / on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart / at the Malicious Power of his Enemies / Desired / these Words to be / engraven on his Tomb Stone: / Here lies One / Whose Name was writ in Water. 24 February 1821”
A perfect day
Hung out in the morning and worked. At 2 pm Charlie and I walked along the Tiber and through the Jewish Ghetto to the Pantheon, about 40 minutes away, with a stop for a prosciutto sandwich. We hung out at the Pantheon for a bit, found a great gelateria where Charlie enjoyed – really enjoyed – a dark chocolate gelato. We then walked back home with a lovely detour through Campo di Fiori and a … more
Roman Restaurants and Food
Rome restaurants (DeLapa reviews) Top picks Da Bucatino – Marcello and I enjoyed a wonderful meal there last night, probably the best Italian food yet. We started with carciofi alla Romana, with the artichoke smashed flat — delicious. We split a pici con pancetta pecorino e carciofi and grilled swordfish, and a carafe of unsurprisingly mediocre red house wine. After paying the bill, our waitress, who reminded me of my aunts in their somewhat younger days, … more
Books about Italy and Rome
Books I Read Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr The Twelve Caesars: The Dramatic Lives of the Emperors of Rome, Matthew Dennison Rome: An Empire’s Story, Greg Woolfe The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World’s Greatest Empire, Anthony Everitt Italian History Books | Hon. Gary K. Hart McCulough, Colleen: The First Man in Rome (as well as the other four volumes of her historical novels of ancient Rome) Freeman, Philip: Julius Caesar Unger, … more
51 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature | BuzzFeed
51 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature. 51 Of The Most Beautiful Sentences In Literature “At the still point, there the dance is.” —T. S. Eliot posted on Dec. 9, 2014, at 12:46 p.m. Jennifer SchafferBuzzFeed Staff We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their favorite lines from literature. Here are some of their most beautiful replies. Suggested by CindyH11 Creative Commons / Flickr: 58621196@N05 2. “In our village, folks say God crumbles up the old moon into … more