I spent my last two days searching for more gifts, drinking coffee, and eating pizza. I arrived in Rome on Saturday night and left Tuesday morning and ate a total of 4 pizzas. My final meal was a plate of cured meat and cheeses with two glasses of Barolo at Roscioli by Campo de Fiore. Yum. I have missed the warmth of Italy, the food, the people, the weather. I went sightseeing on Monday, visiting Campo de Fiore, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Forum, and the Colosseum. The highlight was a cappuccino I had a couple of blocks from the Colosseum. Definitely the best cappuccino I’ve ever had. Ever. I ducked into a little café before lunch to avoid the rain and warm up. It was a little cold so I kept my coat on. After 15 minutes with no contact, I was thinking about leaving, never a good sign, but the coffee was perfection. Strong, but not bitter with a touch of silky milk and tons of thick, rich foam, it warmed my body and soul. My biggest regret is that I didn’t get the name of the place so I may never have another cup. I guess the bright side is that I can wax poetic about the coffee without having to back it up.
The cappuccino experience was followed closely by my visit to San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane designed by Borromini. It’s actually one of my favorite buildings from Architecture school, along with the Tempietto, which I visited in September. Check, and check. I highly recommend the Tempietto. It’s in Trastevere, a great neighborhood, in some sort of convent or monastery. Steep stone steps lead to the top of the hill. The building sits in the courtyard of another building, the cloister I think. It’s like a Tiffany blue box sitting among a pile of other Christmas presents. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane was in a relatively remote location and might only be appreciated by architecture freaks, but its undulating façade was beautiful. It was grace in the middle of drab nowhere, which is always exciting to me.
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