A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY2017-18 VOL. 6

A DAY IN THE PARK

Sparkling clear skies and a temperature allowing for nothing more than a light coat persuaded us that the best way to spend our last full day in Rome should be a walk in the Villa Borghese gardens. We put on our best walking shoes and headed up the Via Veneto and through the ancient arches of Rome's Aureiian Walls and into the park and the marble arms of Lord Byron.

What was completely unexpected once we entered the park was how lush and intoxicating the various shades of green were for a time of year where everything in our memory book would be either covered in white snow or laid bare in dirty browns. In Rome, in the gardens of the Villa Borghese huge stretches of green carpeting broken only by the shadows of the umbrella cypress trees that dotted the lawns stretched out before us.

Everything in the park seemed to have a clarity and pristineness as if it had been purified and scrubbed.

Even the water in the fountains seemed so clear and clean we felt as if we could dip our hands in and drink without fear.

It was right near this fountain more than fifteen years ago that our daughter had her one and only meltdown. She was either three or four and her love for animals had already fully developed. When she spotted those ponies and the cart all she wanted to do was jump on and ride like a tiny Cinderella. She went for ride after ride but when the time came to move on she wasn't budging. It was the only time the terrible twos ever manifested itself in a full-blown tantrum. We, of course, repeated the story to her several times as we walked through the park.

The Romans have always been known for their sculptures and statuary which dot their parks and piazzas.

Much of the sculpture around the park was antiquarian and rich in patina with just a touch of the ravages of time softening their features.

Yet there were exceptions with much later pieces highlighting a new era of sculptors.

At the far end of the park there's an irregularly shaped lake with a  temple set on an island in the middle of the lake.

Similar to the boat basin in Central Park you can rent rowboats and paddle around circling the waterfowl that make the lake their home.

The insular temple on the lake's tiny islet houses a statue of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. When I first approached the lake and the temple I stood at the edge and snapped this picture. Because the eyes of Asclepius seemed to glow I thought the eyes were either glass or carved out of a lighter marble making them appear to glow. There's a path you can walk that circles around the lake. After completing the circle around the lake

I noticed that the eyes were no longer glowing. That's when I realized I'd been given a small piece of magic from the Roman gods. I had snapped this photo just at the precise and only time that the sun hits the statue of Asclepius illuminating only his eyes. It could have only happened for a few seconds and then it was gone. It gave me chills. I felt honored.

As beautiful and mysterious as the grounds of the park are it is also filled with significant architecture.

Some of it on a small scale and converted into alternative uses like the Casina del Lago that now houses a gracious café.

Other buildings are much grander and contain a collection of museums like the Villa Borghese, now an art museum with a current exhibit of the work of Bernini.

This gazebo called the Tempietto di Diana was a favorite spot for couples to meet. It was a stunning example of the monuments scattered throughout the park.

I don't think we had planned on spending the better part of the day in the park but the day never stopped being perfect.

Even peering through a locked gate into a formal garden was worth the time spent in a garden remarkably free of other wanderers.

As dusk finally approached we headed back to our hotel for a light dinner and to pack for our following day's journey to Armena. We needed a break from shopping and eating and the Villa Borghese Gardens provided the rest and peace perfect for recharging our touring legs as we looked forward to our time in Tuscany. Buon viaggio!

A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY 2017-18 VOL. 5

DINING WITH MONET

Monet beckoned at the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento in the Piazza Venezia, a piazza better know this holiday season as the location of Rome's dead Christmas tree. We got a first hand look at the tree on our way to the museum.

The winter days in Rome, at least the one's we've been experiencing, are crisp, clear and verdant unlike many of the northern U.S. cities to which we are accustomed where we'd be freezing our butts off in this holiday season

On the side of the Palazzo Venezia where Italy's unknown soldier is buried is where you'll find the Museo.  The Palazzo Venezia is a huge monument which is the hub connecting the spokes of Rome's main thoroughfares.

At the entrance of the Museo we found we were in for a double treat.

Along with the Monet exhibit there was an additional exhibit of one hundred years of photography sponsored by Leica.

The exhibit carried you from the early days of 35mm Leica cameras and how it changed the way we photograph images. There were names like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa posted under prints made famous from their reportage techniques.

I had my favorites and these were some of mine. I'm  a sucker for movement and capturing a candid moment.

I'm also a sucker for the off-beat and the humorous. The only issue we had with the exhibit is that Italy is a bit tight on finances and the exhibit turned out not to be heated. Even when the temperature outside was in the low fifties inside those thick stone caverns it was freezing. We should have known when the people behind the ticket counter wore Bob Cratchit style fingerless gloves and were wrapped in huge bubble jackets.

The Monet exhibit was a little warmer. I'm not sure if the content of Monet's work helped to take the chill off or not but filling the rooms of the exhibit with water lilies and roses helped me psychologically.

We hit the Monet exhibit at the exact time that about  five hundred primary school kids had the same event penciled into their datebooks. Teachers were everywhere trying to explain how an almost blind man could paint such beautiful images.

The rooms of the show were not only filled with Monet's work but with artifacts of his life as well. I've never seen a painter actually use an artist's palette but apparently Monet did. When it's Monet's palette that you're looking at it becomes art by default. It was frameable and worthy of inclusion

After Monet we decided to  search  out the vintage clothing district of Rome. Emmy has an expert eye on finding the deals hidden in a rack of rags and she's always up for the hunt.

By this time the hunger bell had rung we were once again on the hunt for the perfect lunch. Rick worked his magic on his iPhone and came up with a place called Etabli. The only problem is neither Rick nor I are any good with any of those GPS apps. We've decided that's why we take Emmy with us. She could somehow figure out the direction arrows far better than either of us. She got us through our frustration and pointed us in the right direction to another marvelous lunch.

We knew the minute we walked in the door we'd made the right choice, an open fire, whippets on the floor and a Christmas greeting over the fireplace sending us Best Wishes surrounded in lights made from shot glasses.

Once again while I settled for an egg casserole with spinach, cooked ham, and stracchinato cheese Rick took the lead with a Roman saltimbocca of slowly cooked veal wrapped with prosciutto and sage and served with chicory and pecorino cheese.

After our meal we took cappuccinos by the fireplace in front of a tableau of frosted Christmas trees below a graphic tree of  made out of old 45's.

After lunch we waddled back along the river searching for a shop we'd been hearted on on Instagram.

Babastyles specializes in luxury vintage clothing and accessories. It wasn't the easiest place to find but once inside we couldn't help but be impressed with their stunning array of finds.

From Gucci bags shaped like English riding saddles to Prada dresses our eyes kept saying "I want" but our wallets replied "No way".

After Babastyles we found a cab and headed back to the hotel for one of Alessandro's artful holiday drink concoctions. This one he fashioned with the ingredients of a Moscow Mule rimmed with a snowy dusting of coconut.

We'd only made two dinner reservations for the entire trip. One was still waiting for us in Ghent but the other was a favorite we had from the last time we were in Rome.

Al Chianti is situated in a neighborhood just far enough off the beaten track to make it more local than touristy.

They are known for their Florenitine beefssteaks and we were back for one more stab into a thick juicy three inch steak.

We coupled our steaks with whole steamed artichokes, roasted potatoes, and a fresh green salad. I keep forgetting to mention the wines. It did seem as if everywhere we went the wine flowed freely and was more prevalent than water. It was the perfect way to cap off an evening Rome.

A EUROPEAN HOLIDAY 2017-18 VOL. 4

FOOD, FUR, THE FOUNTAIN AND HOTEL FACADES

Each morning we've been trying to make it down for the hotel's breakfast. It starts at 7:30 and ends at 10:30, not an easy task for us late risers. We need a bit more beauty rest and the make-up and grooming necessary to maintain these matinee idol and young starlet facades takes more time than you'd think. We don't just run through the wash on a rinse cycle.

There are hours spent in the planning out our wardrobes, hair and makeup. But when we do make the 10:30 cut off the hotel does an amazing job of laying out a breakfast you'd be hard pressed to find at a Holiday Inn Express in America.

One thing the Romans aren't very PC about is their affection for dead animals. Where in New York the whole fur industry has either disappeared or burrowed underground. In Rome it's out on the street and flaunted. It's definitely high fashion and strutted through the streets on the most glamorous women and some men.

You can find it displayed in shops with recognizable names in shaggy or sheered, natural colors or outrageous dyes and as little as trim or as full as head-to-toe, hat-to-boot. I've yet to see any protestors out with their buckets of paint ready to trash the women who find fashion at the expense of cute little rabbits or wily red foxes.

After our breakfast we headed out in search of a few things we were still hankering for. Rome like many European cities have the precursor to our ubiquitous shopping malls. They call them gallerias but don't fool yourself they're still a collection of shops sheltered in an indoor arcade. The difference is in the beauty and history of the architecture. And this one had it in spades.

This galleria also just happened to be a coins throw from the famous Trevi Fountain and since we were so close I made Rick and Emmy take the undignified trip for such seasoned travelers as us to the fountain to throw a coin in supposedly assuring our return.

The only problem was once we got close enough we finally discovered where all the other tourists had been hiding. We had almost been pick-pocketed there once before, once bitten twice shy.

Still I made the two of them stop for the obligatory photo. At least it wasn't done with a selfie stick!

Once again lunch was on the late side and being so close to a tourist trap we knew we had to branch a little farther out before we settled on a place to eat. We used our internal restaurant seeking divining rod and only considered places that didn't try to grab us by the arm and drag us in. That's how we came up with another killer find, Nana Vini e Cucina a restaurant specializing in fish and populated by a crowd dressed in business attire. We felt we were pretty secure we'd entered the right place.

We started out with two plates to share: one the traditional salad caprese and the other a plate of fresh buffalo mozzarella smothered in aged prosciutto. We could have stopped there but we didn't.

The main course was spectacular in its presentation. Rick ordered sea bass baked in a bed salt then brought out for our inspection before it was filleted and deboned at the counter.

It was rich in juice and splattered with lemon and olive oil. Obviously, we all had to have a bite.

Emmy and I had pastas, hers a traditional spaghetti al pomodoro e basilico while I had some of the best gnocchi I've ever tasted.

Vacations are meant to have the luxury of sitting without having to worry about getting back to work or off to another task. It is to be an exercise in relearning the art of relaxation and remembering its importance to your mental and physical health.

Later that evening while Rick and Emmy napped I went out for a walk through our neighborhood of elegant hotels along the Via Veneto.

Each hotel was festooned with a galaxy of white lights.

Each hotel trying to outdo the one next to it as limos waited outside to transport its clientle to some holiday soiree.

For those still out shopping there was the quintessential Roman holiday snack, roasted chestnuts, with vendors stationed at almost every street corner

Back at the hotel we all decided we were too tired to venture out again for dinner so we settled on a lite meal at the hotel proceeded by holiday Mojitos designed and presented by our favorite evening host, Alessandro.

What better way to cap an evening in Rome.