Caffé Propaganda

Did you really think, I could wander around the Colosseum without looking for a place to suggest you? If you did, you still don't know me! How could I let my dear friends stop at one of those touristic coffee shops/restaurants that are spread in the area like awful mushrooms?

Caffe' Propaganda is fabulous, under each aspect you look at it. 

Open from noon to dinner time, and at walking distance from the Colosseum, it looks like a French bistrot in the very heart of the Italian capital. 

High ceilings, black and white floor, large windows...I really like it!

It carries a selective wine and aperitif list, and a wide variety of food is fancily proposed either on the blackboards, hanging on the walls, or on the menu, looking like a newspaper.

Tables are nicely set and the food is superb! I came here twice in a few days. The first time, I had chicken in Porto sauce with roasted potatoes and candied onion while my friend ordered a rich hamburger. And both were delicious. But I literally adored the veal scallop, cooked with white wine, and served with pine-seeds and raspberry sauce, I had the second time I came.

And desserts...mmhmm, yummy!
My friend had the bowl of caramelized apples with caramel froth while I...hum...
Look at the picture I took. 
Now, tell me, how could I resist sipping a creamy espresso while enjoying a lavender flavored macaron, followed by a pistachio one, and a lemon one and... 
No, I couldn't. 
And for a while, I felt like a kid in a candy shop.
You can have macarons with a Mariage Freres tea in the afternoon (they even serve my favorite one, named Marco Polo).
But they also come for sale. I bought a box of six for my loving daughter...while looking forward to coming back with her soon.
caffepropaganda.it

Sneaky Sundays: Basilica dei Santi Quattro Incoronati

Having no plans on Sundays is often a good way to find interesting things to do. Usually, I decide to go for a walk in those parts of the city where I never have a chance to stroll during weekdays. I choose an area or a particular monument as starting point, and then I leave my curiosity lead my steps through tiny streets or up hillsides...

This last Sunday, I headed toward the Colosseum and the area around it.

Just a few steps away, I saw this house and its beautiful last floor...

Would you live in there, having this amazing historical view every time you open the windows? I sure would !

Walking up the north side of the Coelian Hill, I felt like being in a village rather than in a 3,5 million-inhabitants city...

...and before I had reached its top, I saw this fortress that attracted my attention like honey to bees. 

What was that? I HAD to find out...                      ...Basilica of the Four Crowned Ones. 

                                                                               4th century...I could not miss it!

The Four Crowned Ones were four martyrs who refused to sacrifice to Esculapio, and were therefore killed. Their bodies rest in the crypt built under the church.

Beyond the first wooden door, there is a first courtyard, with the guard tower, and then a second one. The complex includes not only the basilica, but also the fortified Cardinal Palace and the monastery.

On the walls on both sides of the church entrance are frescos of medieval times.

I entered the church...

...and I met a very kind Augustinian nun, who told me about the history of the Basilica and the foundation of the monastery, where she lives with other 13 sisters.

The access to the cloister is on the left nave of the church. Visits to both the cloister and the Oratorio of San Silvestro close at noon.
santiquattrocoronati.org

Roman centurions' protest

Since 1994, that about 40 "roman centurions" stand in and around the Colosseum, selling their image to those tourists, who are willing to take a shot of Rome as it was in the ancient times.  

La Stampa - Centurions' protest

In March, the newly elected superintendent of roman archaeological heritage notified the municipality that archaeological restraints

15 ways to order an espresso

Nowhere else but in Italy are there so many different ways to drink a coffee at the bar.

If you think that "an espresso" is the most common order a waiter receives, well, you're wrong. I investigated on which ones are the most popular, and see what I found out...

The caffe' "espresso" (about 0,85 fluid ounces of coffee served in an espresso cup) is the reference model for all the following coffees: 

- doppio = two espressos served in the same cup
- ristretto or corto =  less than the average quantity of one espresso
- lungo = one and a half espressos served in the same cup
- freddo = iced coffee shaked with sugar and served in a glass
- macchiato caldo = espresso coffee with a little amount of hot milk 
- macchiato freddo = espresso coffee with a little amount of cold milk
- americano = very long espresso coffee served in a bigger cup
- corretto = espresso served with a bit of cognac (or other liquor)
- con panna = espresso with a bit of cream
- schiumato = espresso with milk foam
- al vetro = espresso served in a small cup made of glass
- cappuccino = espresso with hot milk and milk foam served in a bigger cup
- caffelatte = espresso with hot milk served in a glass
- marocchino = espresso with a little milk, milk foam and cocoa 
- decaffeinato = espresso without caffeine

...and now you will have to think twice before ordering an espresso!!

Shops I like in...Via Cola di Rienzo

Mondadori bookshop - P.zza Cola di Rienzo 81/83

Castroni.it - Via Cola di Rienzo 196

"Childhood smells of perfume and brownies." (David Leavitt)

MDC's perfume bottle

How many beautiful moments of our lives are linked to a particular scent, capable of bringing them back from the dark of a forgotten time... Thousands are the memories that our brain keeps hidden and returns to us, as soon as we stumble into that specific smell. Whether it's the one of just cut grass, or of springtime rain, scents always refer to emotions. Probably, this is the reason why I love so much all that deals with perfumes, including scented candles, pot-pourris, creams and soaps. 
Rome encounters innumerable commercial perfumeries, but only a few, whose highly qualified personnel and exclusive products, are able to drag you in the fascinating world of smells. These are my favorite ones and if you visit them, you'll easily understand why.


CAMPOMARZIO70                                           Via Vittoria, 52

Don't call it a shop, this is a perfume-gallery. 

A bridge onto the future of scent.

The achievement of a passion, that has motivated four family generations from the 1940s. 

In this sophisticated store, near Piazza di Spagna, the very heart of Rome,  take place also exhibitions and olfactive events. 
And it is the only authorized retailer, in the whole of Italy, of MDC's perfume collection, whose bottles are themselves a unique piece of art.

campomarzio70.it

OFFICINA PROFUMO-FARMACEUTICA DI SANTA MARIA NOVELLA                                            Corso Rinascimento, 47

This is the roman branch of the more famous pharmacy in Florence, that was opened to the public by Dominican monks in 1612. Though far less impressive and fascinating than the one in Tuscany, from an architectural point of view, the Officina carries all of "its sister's" products. From perfumes to cosmetics, from lotions (even for cats and dogs!) to pot-pourris, everything is based on all-natural formulas, keeping the tradition going. In 2012, the oldest pharmacy in Italy will celebrate its 400 hundred years activity. 
smnovella.it