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A few of my co-workers are going to Italy over the next few months, and on the one year anniversary of our wonderful honeymoon there, I thought I’d pull together a list of some of the places that are still inked on our memory AND those that we almost booked, but didn’t/couldn’t.
To Stay:
- Casa Howard Rome: This was our first hotel choice for the Rome leg of our trip, but sadly, was fully booked on our preferred dates. Chic, witty and with an English sensibility poking through the European style.
- Hotel Cinquantatre: We spent our last night in Rome here. Although the rooms are tiny, (and the elevator even smaller), there is a charming roof terrace where you can eat croissant, eat hot chocolate and enjoy the sun and the wonderful view over the city.
- Hotel Luna Amalfi: After treating ourselves to an air-conditioned chauffeur-driven town car, all the way from Naples train station to Amalfi (and if you’ve ever been on those roads, you’ll understand why comfort is the way to go…), we were thrilled to arrive at the Hotel Luna. An ex-monastery, on the edge of a beautiful bluff, it just feels so glamorous. You half expect to run into James Bond, about to abseil down a cliff and order a martini in the company of a leggy blonde.
To Eat:
- Il Cortile: My friend Bija lives in Rome and recommended this restaurant. Which is an excellent way to go if you want to avoid the tourist traps. It has an outstanding buffet of antipasti to start the meal off, amazing views and incredible wine. It was a bit of a jaunt outside of the center of Rome, but sooo worth it. We went on a Sunday night and enjoyed the conviviality of being with Roman families breaking bread together.
- Da Oio a Casa Mia: Set in the Testaccio quarter of Rome, this place is definitely rough and ready! The lady who owns it clearly did NOT want to serve two non-Italians who were looking a little tired and in need of some sustenance (in our defense, we had been walking around the ruins all morning). But the pasta? Oh my. Amazing. I still talk about the Cacio E Pepe she served. Incredible. Want. Some. Now.
- Gelateria San Crispino: I confess, I’m not a huge ice-cream fiend. My husband however, is. So when we heard about this place with its quirky flavors from several people, we knew we had to take a trip. Although the proprietor quite rightly called me a “fool” for not indulging, my husband picked the hazelnut (“nocciola” was the one word of Italian he picked up during our trip), and was transported to gelato heaven.
- Caffe Sant’Eustachio: Now when it comes to coffee however, I do take the trip to fiend-ville. And this place is worth that trip. Delicious cappuccino, which as you know, can only be drunk in the morning if you want to stay on the right side of any Italian you’ll ever meet. And amazing people-watching too!
To Do:
- The Capuchin Crypt: It might seem a bit macabre to dive out of the spring sunshine and into a crypt, but this is a beautiful and peaceful place that makes you think. I’ve written about this before, and suffice to say, it’s worth a visit, in-between all of the indulging.
- Guided tour of the Colosseum: I think it might be because I’m getting older, but I really appreciate a good guided tour! This made all the difference on our trip, as we got to hear all of the stories about the gladiator fights, and it brought it vividly to life.
Sigh… Writing all of this down makes me want to go back. Does anyone want to pack me in their bag?
Hard to believe, but it’s been a year since our wonderful honeymoon that spanned London, Rome and Amalfi. A lot has happened since then. Some good and some terribly sad. But when I look back at the pictures, I feel a sense of calm that comes from having the best of memories, from the best of times. And of course, there’s nothing like a burst of Italian sunshine to boost the spirits. Or a glass of vino. Or some gelato.
Turns out our honeymoon delivered more than an endless stream of the world’s best cappuccino and most delicious gelato. It also delivered a much-needed creative shot in the arm. A dose of inspiration, in terms of color that slaps you around the face, an awe-inspiring sense of history (enough to remind you of how small your place in the world really is) and in shapes that would intrigue and delight even the most ardent minimalist fan.
So, after my favorite colors of Italy, here are some of my favorite shapes. Shout out to our beautiful hotel in Amalfi, the Luna (an old convent), for providing most of these, although the Vatican museums were kind enough to donate a few…
During our fabulous Italian honeymoon, color was one of the things that made me feel alive again. Even in San Francisco, the city by the bay, with a riot of natural beauty all year round, day to day life can sometimes prevent you from living in full color. I realized this when we got to London on the first leg of our trip, and I realized that most of my clothes were variations on black stretchy cotton. So sad! Yes, kinda stylish, but a little sad too.
So, i was delighted and inspired by the range of color on display – some natural, some not, some vivid, some muted. Here are my favorites:
Although part of me was pining for 10 days at home sleeping pretty much every second of the day, our honeymoon ended up being the perfect storm of social calls, sightseeing and sea-gazing. With plenty of pasta and gelato thrown in!
Starting in London, where my mom traveled down especially for the day, we had a wonderful time with friends and new additions, plus an amazing break with perfect English weather!
But that was just the start. Impossible to post about everything we saw and experienced in Rome and on the Amalfi Coast, so here are the vital statistics and best shots!
- 3 cities: London, Rome, Amalfi
- 20 gelatos, especially hazelnut and Nutella. Especially Rick
- 60 photos, including this one:
30 times we asked for ‘il conto’, after swearing to each other to use our Italian more- 2 bouts of travel sickness on Amalfi’s amazingly scenic, but very twisty roads
- 45 minutes travel on a hot sticky day to reach the world’s best cacio e pepe pasta
- 1 day to discover the wonders of pecorino cheese with honey
- 5 bowls of pasta all’ amatriciana
- 76 times we had to consult our map in Rome
- 78 times we had flash arguments about directions in Rome, always resolved by a ‘well, which way is the gelato place?’ conversation
- Endless times we were speechless about what we were seeing, in Rome and in Amalfi
- 2 sets of happy tears on seeing the Cistine Chapel
- 1 set of happy tears (mine), on finding my favorite Italian cookies in a grocery store
- 9 times that Rick said he’d be happy to live in Rome. Forgetting that a basic grasp of the Italian language would be somewhat helpful in pursuing that goal
- 7 pounds that I probably gained during our trip in my own personal Eat, Pray, Love homage. O Jenny Craig where art thou? Seriously.
- 15 instances of counting our blessings that the hardest decision of the day was finding the place with the best cappuccino
- 2 very happy honeymooners:
So, this is what we’re going to try and do. Our wedding might be low-key (but nonetheless stressful, as I’m finding out!), but we have a cunning plan for spinning out our ‘honeymoon’ as long as possible!
It starts with a night at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, then it’s onto a four day trip to New York, for lots of Fall walking in Central Park, and perhaps even a trip to my favorite brunch spot in the world, Balthazar. I LOVE the East Coast in the Fall. A great excuse to layer up in cute scarves, sweaters and hats!
November sees Rick’s family coming out to SF for the King Tut exhibit, (and hopefully, lots of yummy Delfina pizza!), then in December, we go back to the lovely UK, to meet with British family and friends. London and Wolverhampton (no jokes about ‘from the sublime to the ridiculous please!’), with plenty of real football, mulled wine and desserts with custard.
But we are hoping to save the best until last, with a trip to Italy, sometime next Spring. I spent a year in Italy studying, so have always been keen to go back. We’re not sure where, and of course, it all depends on saving up, but the Amalfi Coast and Capri have to be somewhere near the top of the list for sunshine and romance, while Rome is, quite, possibly, my favorite city in the whole world (yes, even more than New York!). Hmm, I wonder if we can do it by backpacking and eating just bread and cheese??
