Day 19: Aperitivo Unlocked
I can't believe our time in Rome has come to an end.
Without meaning to, we managed to stumble upon most of the key "things to see" in Rome during our time here. We like to call it the "NFI tour of Rome" where we basically just wandered around the streets and happened upon things and then Googled what they were when we were there. No guide books, no tourist maps, no backpacks. It worked pretty well.
We had two goals for this final day:
- Eat porchetta
- Find aperitivo
Spoiler alert: we were successful in both ventures.
While we were waiting for Likeat to open (a place that sells a mean porchetta sandwich), we walked around and find Castel Sant'Angelo and St Peter's Basilica. TICK.
Hellooooo over there!
Aaaand a tourist pic.
If you ever find yourself in urgent need of a selfie stick, a quick visit to Rome will sort you out. Vendors everywhere were selling these things.
Won't you take me to a Popey town?
Gimme summa that sweet, sweet porchetta.
I like to call this photo "A Man And His Sandwich."
Mortadella between bread is a winning combination.
The porchetta sandwich although all you can really see right now is the salad.
Today's gelato stop: pistachio and tiramisu gelato from Frigidarium. Better than the night before – super smooth. But in all honesty, Rivareno in Sydney is still my #1.
I've never seen a man look more glum about gelato.
And here is Piazza Navona (which we also came across while we were walking to Trevi).
The highlight of Piazza Navona? This corgi.
Got tourists?
This photos makes it appear serene but it is anything but. We lasted about one minute at Trevi before deciding to get the hell out of there.
I'm in one version of my own personal hell. Should have gone first thing in the morning.
Derek's mandatory stop at Grom for an almond granita.
Adam says, "Look at all the prosciutto!"
Some much needed fruit.
MINI TRUCK!
A storm's a'brewin.
Luckily we found a wine bar to take refuge in while it hailed and poured.
Red wine and victory.
Note the numerous images of dachshunds in the background.
Walking to Gusto for aperitivo. Derek is excited, Adam is on Google Maps.
Sampling a white negroni.
Spritz and snacks! The smiles on their faces is a mix of excitement and relief. We tried the day before to get aperitivo and failed miserably, so this was a significant win for us.
My face may not show it, but I am very pleased with this situation.
After being rudely rejected from La Campana for not having a reservation we ended up at Osteria Da Fortunata where little ladies sat at the window and hand made pasta.
I finally got some carbonara! It was good. Salty, but good.
And Derek got his ragu.
And we all got a bit of tagliatelle with zucchini flowers, guanciale and provolone. And possibly a bit too much wine. We promptly went home full and sleepy after this meal.
