Roamin' Holiday Part 1

3.5 days in the Eternal City and Sheena doesn't even know where to begin.

OK. Let's do food first. Sheena will easily come home a couple of pounds under her fighting weight, which is a complete shock because everything here - regardless of price or venue has been stellar. It is crap free cuisine. Everything is real and fresh and has flavour and aroma. That's what struck me most in Argentina too a couple of years back. Why did North America think it was a good idea to settle for shit food?

Grocery store giggles.... heh heh... for the gals back @ the office...

Aww.... premade cute little cheese appetizers...

Daily Gelato #1 - Pistachio, hazelnut and something else my travel buddy Cugina picked out. Mine was limon, mega mixed berry (very very high fibs... what a travelling girl needs sometimes) and tiramisu.

Daily Gelato #2: At the top of the Spanish Steps. Limon, Pistachio and extra dark bitter chocolate with candied blood orange. My first gelotasm.

Hotel breakfast buffet. The classiest free spread EVER. Usual pickings for Sheena include the home made slow cooked beans in tomato, spicy sausage, delightful cured coldcuts, cut-it-yourself nutty olive bread, fresh fruits, and pour-your-own prosecco.

Blurry, dammit. But menu proudly announces "Meatballs of Heifer". Didn't order it.

Cugina's dinner - Monday.
My dinner - Monday. Before I drizzled olive oil all over everything on that place.

The best spaghetti carbonara I have ever had. This was our lunch after the Vatican tour on Tuesday. We've come to a very particular method of dining venue selection: Walk until your feet are numb and you can no long wiggle your toes. Continue walking beyond this until one of you notices that someone is now officially bleeding. Look up, and take a seat at the restaurant nearest you at that very moment. We knew instinctly we totally lucked out for this 4pm lunch, at Arlu because all the official tour guides we'd had over the last 2 days were there getting wasted after their shift. Rock on.

It was incredibly rich, but portion not so overwhelming that I felt uncomfortable afterwards. Ended up being both lunch & dinner. Tons of great quality cream and cheese. Only pasta I've eaten here, but glad I went for it.
Pear, parmesano, argula salad.

Tuna and tomato pizza. A post Coliseum/Palantine Hills tour snack break much needed before continuing the walk back to the Spanish Steps.

I love this hotel. Free little olive snacky with our bottle of wine in the massive art deco grand piano playing hotel lounge that looks like one of the museums we've toured this week.

Likker shop that sells only 1 thing - absinthe. Tell me which one is good and I'll bring it back with me. You have 24 hours to tell me which one. Starting.... NOW.