Spring has sprung in Rome...

Ciao a tutti! (howdy all!)
Sorry for missing last week but as the title said - Spring has sprung and so has all the pollen!
The reason I missed last week was because my head was going to explode!
We did not have our usual rainy February-March so I guess that is why the pollen is in the air and not down the sewers (where I feel it belongs).
I am better now so back to work - here is your blog for this week...
Updates:

• The weather has instantly become beautiful - our days are sunny and in the 70s and our nights are in the 50s with tons of stars.
• Tom spent most of this week in Switzerland attending meeting with folks from around the world.
• I signed up for a ceramic painting class. It should be real interesting. The lady who runs the class speaks no English and my Italian is still pretty rusty. I still think it should be a great experience and hopefully one that leads to a new 'craft' in my life... I will let you know how it goes...

Two weekends ago, Tom & I decided to take our first adventure to beach for lunch. It was an amazingly sunny day but there was a strong breeze that kept the beach pretty empty.
It was a great day for a great lunch then a leisurely walk on our own personal beach.
The only people out were a few para-surfers (it's basically surfing while hooked up to a parachute).
Still the food was as wonderful as it was last year and the scenery breath-taking...

Sunny day at Fregene...

...but still too cold for the Italians!

Sea shells by the seashore...

Tom relaxing at lunch...

Back on the homefront - since spring has sprung...it's time for gardening!!!
Again, the terrace is starting to look like a nursery. I decided this year beyond the standard herbs I was going to try and grow some Italian varieties of vegetables. We fell in love with many varieties of Italian tomatoes -

Datterino  - a large grape shaped tomatoe that is amazingly sweet and is commonly used for sun-dried tomatoes

Pachino - a cherry type tomatoe that grow in clusters. Also very sweet and tastes great with mozzarella.

San Marzano - the premier Roma or plum tomatoe used in all good sauces.






Now that you know what they are supposed to look like - here is what they presently look like:

the Datterino plants...

the Pachino plants...

We are also growing nice Italian Peppers, Calabrese Peperoncino Diavolicchio (small hot red peppers), Basil, Marjoram, Oregno, Mint, Italian Flat-leaf Parsley, and for the first time Garlic!

San Marzano...

Calabrese Peperonicino

Basil & Garlic



The nursery begins...

Marjoram, Mint, & Oregno

All the proper ingredients are now in place to make a great homemade sauce and some great home-grown salads.
Outside the house everything is beginning to bloom. The park is again lush and green, the horseback riders are out and the lake is filled with tourists...

Villa Borghese...

Horseback riding...

Rowboat lake...

Everything else moving along nicely!
For Easter (Pasqua) we are heading down to a lovely beach resort called Sperlunga (as seen in a previous blog). I will let everybody see that adventure after the holiday!

For now, that's all we have to report...
We want to wish all our friends and family a Buona Pasqua (Good Easter).
We hope this posting finds everybody in great health and even better spirits!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom

Getting back to normal...

After our last posting of running around and the wonderful visit from Patricia and Brian - we are getting back to normal...
It hasn't stopped us from doing things but at a slower pace...
You all may remember that Tom gave me an amazing gift at Christmas - Cooking classes with the wonderful Diane Seed. After our class Diane was heading to India to host one of her international cooking classes. She just returned and we had the pleasure of visiting with her at her country house in Ferentino. Ferentino is a small town about 65km south east of Rome. A beautiful hillside town known for its textiles (linen and embroidery) and, of late, heavy growth of industry (mainly pharmaceutical firms).
It was a great day full of sunshine, amazing food and ever interesting stories...
Diane invited us down for the day to have lunch in this super quiant town! We arrived at Diane's house about noon. Immediately we were warmly welcome into her home and heard all about her excursion to India. While leisurely enjoying a lovely bottle of wine on her terrace, Diane regaled us with the tales of the trip to India and her wonderfully interesting past.
Equally amazing was the view from her terrace:

Just... 

...breath taking...

A day for sunbathing...

Artifacts embedded in the walls...

After polishing off a bottle of wine we then headed off for lunch. I think this was the first time Tom & I, since our time here, had a full multi-course Italian lunch. The place was charming and the food was fantastic. Thank goodness we have a large car - after lunch we would never fit in a typical small Italian car...
We definitely need to thank Diane and the beautiful town of Ferentino for a warm and welcoming day!

Rome itself is preparing for tourist season. Lots of street sweeping and landscaping being done all over town. They have started cleaning up the manicured pines for the summer in the Villa Borghese... Funny to think that I always thought that they just grew that way. Now I know the truth...

Piles of lower branches...

...just to make that perfect look!

The weather has finally started to cooperate though still cold at night, the days are in the 70s. Since the weather has been so lovely, I started wondering around the town again... I must say you find some really cute, artistic and sometimes disturbing things in Rome.

Creepy...

Fun Grafitti...

Cute marketing...

Also on the homefront we attended another wonderful 'theme' dinner over a local friends apartment. It was Gnoochi Dinner Night! A group of us got together and made fresh gnoochi with a  fresh seafood sauce. It was fun, messy and definitely delicious!  All done to celebrate a birthday and a farewell to Erika's dad. Again, it was a wonderful night for all!

Erika with the gnoochi...

...and the prawn sauce!

And I helped!

Charlie, sauce master!

Everybody lent a hand!

A '10' from our Argentinian Judge!

Buon Compleanno Robert!

To give you all an update on previous things...
- Starting to unwrap the garden - getting ready for a new season of fresh vegetables!
- Our second batch of Lemoncello is complete! Filtered, tested (taste tested that is), and bottled for mass consumption! I am now looking into what it takes to make Sambucca... My next yummy alcoholic venture!

Ready, Set...

...Done! Yummy!

Well folks, I am going to end this posting with the usual best wishes and love to all!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom

A Lot of NRG...

I am sure you are asking what NRG is...
In this case it means two things both similar in nature but still different...
1 - Navigating Rome with the Goldens
2 - NRG, a slang way of saying Energy (and lots of it)

This blog has to do with both...
As I mentioned in the last posting, Tom's cousin (cugina) Patricia and her husband Brian were coming for a visit. They arrived in Venice and spent a couple of days roaming around one of Italy's must beautiful cities on the east coast. They then boarded a train to Rome to visit with us. They arrived on Monday late afternoon and the festivities began. We dropped their bags off at the apartment and then headed to Harry's Bar for an aperativo (a drink and a nosh).
The trip to Italy was in celebration of their 20th wedding Anniversary (actually in January) and they still act like newlyweds. Patricia and Brian are only 2-3 years younger than Tom & I butttttttttttt they have 10-20 times more energy (NRG)! Tom & I both attribute that to their 3 teenage daughters or the fact that they were on vacation without them (sorry girls). Still the level of energy was truly amazing!
First on the agenda was a marvelous anniversary dinner at Trattoria del Pantheon da Fortunato  right next to the Pantheon! We had a typical and wonderful Roman dinner, a little wine, and a lot of great conversation.

Happy 20th Anniversary!

...& the tour guides...lol

After dinner we took a little walk and continued catching up...
A few minutes later we arrived at the Trevi Fountain....yup...you got it...another photo-op!

And with the usual fanfare, Patricia & Brian tossed their coins in the fountain - insuring they would return within 2 years!

When we got home we booked tickets for Patricia & Brian to roam around the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday. I made a simple but pleasant Pesto Pasta dinner that evening and we heard about the adventures of their day! We also introduced them to the Aperol Spritz (our favorite Italian relaxation beverage) and 'My Wine Guys' homemade red wine.

Now we get up to one of the best days of the week...Wednesday. Tom took the day off and we headed to Orvieto and Castello della Sala Winery.  Orvieto is a city in the Province of Terni (in Southwestern Umbria). The site of the city is considered one of the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs (formed volcano rock) that are completed by defensive walls built of the same stone called Tufa. One of the cities most striking attractions is the Duomo or the Orvieto Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. Orvieto and the area is also very well known for its production of White Wine (the Orvieto Calssico). Let's take a look...

 Amazing...

Humongous...

& Deep...

The outside was stunning - the inside even better...

 

 

The most amazing...

...fresco's!

After searching the treasures of the Duomo we went to the attached museum - then it was time for lunch (and shopping, of course)!

Pranzo at Trattoria la Grotta

Brian & Patricia with the owner...
Thank you Fodors!











Now off to the winery for a private tour and tasting!

Welcome to Castello Della Sala

& the Welcome Tail-Wagon!

An inviting courtyard...

and the beginning of our tour...

...a little dusty but...

...I want one!

Happy 20th...

Salute! Patricia & Brian!

The four of us enjoying some wine...

The boys & our tour guide!










As we were leaving the winery, the sun was beginning to set on a lovely day of adventure, beauty, great food and even better wine!

 I have given you some of the high-lites now I will show you the blizzard of touring, shopping, drinking, talking and eating that was the rest of Patricia & Brian's stay.
We went to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter's Square, Piazza Novona, Piazza del Popolo, the Vittoriano, Via Condotta, a few more churches, dinner with some local friends and Shopping... I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Shopping!

Villa Borghese

Piazza Novona



Piazza del Popolo...

...the dismount...

...from the Sphinx!

The Spanish Steps...

Piazza di Spagna...

Admiring Jimmy Choo's

Atop the Vittoriano...

St. Peter's Square...

A Birra in Piazza Novona

And because I had to save the best for last...
Patricia & Brian did something that no other guest to the BRS Europe had ever done...
You have to see it to believe it...

Yes...the Gladiator thing...

...Oh My...

Ok, as you can see we had 5 days of fun and run!
We would like to wish Patricia & Brian another Happy 20 years and another return to Italy soon!

Everything else is settling back into place and life returns to normal!
For this posting, I will leave y'all with the warmest wishes and lots of love!

Till next time...
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom