Tag: wine

Day Trip to Frascati & the accidental opening of Carnevale!

January somehow flew completely under the radar in our home. A combination of gloomy winter weather, a series of coughs and colds and not having visitors kept us mostly in the neighbourhood during weekends. It was a classic lowkey winter month but our feet were finally getting itchy so we decided on perhaps the easiest day trip out of Rome, to nearby Frascati.

Only a 30 minute train ride from Termini, Frascati ticked all the day trip boxes and also wasn’t Tivoli or Orvieto where we’ve already been a few times. We arrived in the nearby town and realized that it was the kickoff to Carnevale and, of course, we had no idea because we’re the working parents of a toddler!

Aleksander played with the confetti strewn all over the street as we watched children dressed up and loving the grand annual event. We quickly visited the Basilica of San Pietro but Aleksander was keen to get back outside and enjoy the festivities.

We had timed our visit to essentially be a lunch stop but didn’t quite anticipate the difficulty finding a table at any of the cozy restaurants with decent reviews. After trying five different places and being turned away, we were warmly welcomed into an enoteca that served a standard lunch menu of bread, cheese, salami, porchetta, tomatos and beans. It was essentially Italian country heaven!

Stomachs full, we continued strolling through the town, snapping some great pics on the bright winter day.

We got some unnecessary sweets on our way back towards the train station and agreed again on how many great places there are to see and visit in Italy, even if most end up being versions of eachother. Somehow the charm, authenticity and deep cultural traditions of Italy always manage to make for great visits.

It was an easy peasy ride home and reminded us how nice it is to get out of Rome for a breath of fresh air. Alla prossima Frascati!

Summer’s Last Gasps in Gaeta

As the summer approached its end, we hosted Dalia’s brother back for another visit to Rome. We’re lucky enough to be at the point of having a few return visitors, which hopefully means both Rome and us are providing inviting travel experiences.

This time Robert returned with his wife and young son, just about one year younger than Aleksander. This was the first chance for the cousins to meet in person and Aleksander’s first opportunity to hang out with another baby outside of his pals at daycare.

As it was Robert’s birthday weekend, the timing seemed perfect for an out of town escape to help close the summer season and spend some extended family time together. We set our sights on Gaeta, a little bit further down the coast than we’d been before and still within easy striking distance from Rome.

The weather was not exactly on our side as heavy clouds jostled over windy seas to put a bit of a damper on our well intentioned beach plans. Nonetheless, we did our best to enjoy the almost entirely abandoned beach front as Aleksander frolicked and kicked anything in sight and we searched for any last slivers of September sun.

As the beachfront didn’t end up as the weekend destination we had hoped for, we spent more time exploring the narrow streets and squares of Gaeta itself – and, as always, were not disappointed.

We ate as much of Gaeta’s amazing seafood as we could and paired it with as many lovely white wines as we could find. We made the most of this September long weekend, discovered another gem of a locale in Italy and enjoyed some much needed fam R&R.

Pre-Anniversary Museum Visit – Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna

So as our fifth wedding anniversary approached, we considered almost every idea under the sun for how to celebrate: Puglia, Tuscany, the Amalfi; but eventually we decided to take it easy, stay in town, take a couple days off work and do the kinds of things that we never seem to be able to squeeze in, like visiting museums.

So we dropped Aleksander at daycare, played hooky for the day and headed towards the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderne

The museum was a welcome reprieve from the ongoing summer heatwave and provided much food for thought, with exhibits ranging from the inspiring to truly bizarre.

We walked, observed, chatted, laughed and reflected. Five action packed years of marriage had passed by quickly, and especially after Aleksander’s birth, taking stock of the days, months and years has become a luxury of time that we’re just not afforded anymore.

We meandered as though we were simply back to being a couple in love, masters of their own schedules! We fought back some parental guilt for being without our little one but washed that away with a glass of wine before lunch and another one with it.

The date was exactly what this couple needed and proved to be a great way to begin our weekend of celebration.