Eating well and fair in Italy

Eating well and fair in Italy. The land of pizza, pasta, gelato and more that is globally delightful for the palate and the stomach -Italy. Although eternally packed with tourists, what’s gastronomically fab about being in Italy is the assurance of quality tasting food.

While we were in Rome and the Amalfi coast, we tried cheap and expensive places and one thing was consistent -the quality of food. Hence whether you pay more or less, in Italy, it doesn’t matter.

Sharing below some photos of the places we’ve tried (and remembered to take photos of), our son’s love story with pasta, and a few advice to note.

Fiorentina – A local’s cafe at Borgo neighborhood (around Vatican). Cheap coffee and pastries, for 4 euros you’ve got one capuccino, one espresso, and 2 pastries!

Gelato can be expensive (i.e. 3 euros) if taken around touristy places, but worth it (duh)! 😉

This small hostel restaurant in Vico Equense gives you a bottle of good house wine for 4 euros and a lovely view of the ocean. After aperitivo, our primis come in ravioli and pizza.

Lobster for a starter, for less than 15euros. With the dessert and our mains, the total bill was just less than 60 euros.

An elevated cafe at the tip of porto di sorrento – sometimes you pay extra for the views. Here’s a limoncello dessert for thy espresso and capuccino. But then, if you compare the same order in Dubai, this is cheaper and better in quality.

Argh! This is heaven – mushroom and nuts in homemade thick pasta at the unpretentious, Zio Sam restaurant.

A generous serving of fresh seafood spaghetti at Zio Sam.

Prosecco is ❤ when it’s just 4euros a glass!

Fresh catch seafood for aperitivo at Uncle Sam’s.

Some French sausage to balance the palate *wink

Tiramisu for dessert, anyone? A glorious balance of sweet, creamy and coffee bitterness. Heaven.

Ristorante Pizzeria Tasso is known for their pizza but we ordered pasta O,o

With our lovely preggy couple friends in Rome. Eating out around the Vatican. Bellissimo!

Ah, buon appetito at porto di sorrento.

Managed to keep his shirt clean from all that pasta-gorging! O,o

Seafood pasta (again!) in red ala Ristorante Pizzeria Tasso.

Octopus for a starter. Not bad at all!

Italian rabbit for my better half. I still won’t try a rabbit tho.

Ahhhh… Baba (an Italian dessert soaked in rum!): my second serving for the day (I had 1 set in the morning), already too much for a breastfeeding mom. 😀

Nougat (almond and honey) in some chocolate base goodness. I don’t need to say more, just yum!

To set everything down, have a limoncello shot. Believe me, one shot is enough to shake it off!

From here, let me leave you some Italian wisdom: mangiare per vivere e non vivere per mangiare (eat to live, don’t live to eat). Grazie, ciao!

A Historical Tour of Rome

So we were in Rome for 3 days (before heading to the beautiful Amalfi), and decided to take a guided tour of this eternal city via Viator for an easy-breezy walk around its deep history. Sure, we know that there is boredom and unadventurous in opting to join a group tour, but with a frisky toddler and dog-tired parents, a group tour is like charity for us!

As it says in the tour summary, it will be a half-day walking tour from 10:30 to 13:30 -visiting the Colosseum, Capitoline Hill, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and ending at Piazza Navona. The travel agency which facilitated it is Happy Travels and by fate, the tour guide who was assigned said it was her first day on the job. Hearing that, I had two things in mind: it’s either going to end up very well (happy and energetic, full of information lad) or otherwise (nervous, confused, and unorganized). Sadly for us, it was the latter.

Beautiful, up close and personal.

The tour lets you explore on the second and third levels. Spartacus-series-mode on!

Completed in 80AD, this magnifence is the largest amphitheatre ever built. Astonishing inside and out with great historical essence.

The Arch of Constantine

Around Palatine Hill, an ancient church with a green door. Palatine is one of the seven hills in Rome.

Palace of Venice seen from the Palatine hill.

Rome is indeed like an open air museum, especially around the Roman Forum.

The Trevi fountain and its relentless all-day crowd. Be brave enough to elbow your way close into the fountain to toss a coin for good luck -to be back again in Rome.

Entering one of Rome’s best preserved ancient buildings and continuously in use, The Pantheon.

Pantheon fountain at the Rotonda square. Now let’s get some gelato!

Well there you are! ❤️

Gelato for the boss ❤️ #toddlerswag

With all fairness to our tour guide, she was very informative and the passion about the city’s history is felt from her. However, sometimes, there are things she can’t be in control of. Like the skip-the-line advantage for the Colosseum was not followed because of some trouble/mishap with security, the rowdy/know-it-all people in our group, and the time. Nevertheless, I have learned a lot about Rome and it is much more beautiful seeing the important places with its ancient history known.