The streets along the Piazza were packed, as were the café’s. People looking to get out of the rain and sip espresso, eat risotto, and talk the day away. We had been down two of the three streets and opted for the remaining street to stroll along and explore. (On New Year’s Day, just about everything is closed but the restaurants and café’s.)
Once again, our luck was on point for food – a small pizza and coffee shop was open and it seemed that everyone was stopping there. I could see about 10 different types of pizza, from hot dogs, to parma ham, to margarita, to unidentifiable toppings. We opted for the margarita. You get one large square slice, they cut it in half and fold it over so it pretty much resembles a sandwich. One bite and I could see why it was packed inside. It was delicious! Light, crisp crust, not greasy or over powering. The toppings basil and tomato were spot on and the cheese gooey, yet light at the same time.
We ducked under an overhang and finished off the pizza as the rain drizzled on top of people and their little umbrellas. It seems we started a trend under the overhang and were joined by all sorts of people.
We finished and moved on. Stores were closed, but the amount of people in the streets was almost unheard of. It was like Disneyland on a summer day – packed! We decided to head towards the Spanish Steps to see it during the day time and it was worth it. People were everywhere, a rainbow of colored umbrellas filled the streets and there we were to take pictures and soak it all in. It was truly a beautiful day.
We then proceeded on down the streets to see the Trevi fountain during the day… along with half of Italy it seemed. So many people packed the little space provided around the fountain, but we didn’t mind. We slowly made our way through and made another wish and tossed coins over our shoulders. We sat and took it all in… it really is beautiful during the day too. You can get more of the feel of the stone during the day.
Claudia recalled that a good friend of hers mentioned a great gelateria right there by the fountain, as I only saw two open, we thought we would peek inside to see if we could distinguish between the two. It was not difficult. One store had about 20 people outside eating ice cream, so that’s where we went. Claudia ordered 2 scoops of milk gelato and hazelnut. I opted for straciatella (chocolate chip) and nutella. Wow… he was right! I can recall our favorite gelato in 2009 in a little town in Germany owned by Italians… that was great gelato. But this was spot on DELICIOUS. And yes, it’s cold outside, but gelato is eaten all the time it seems. Rain or shine. We continued to walk along the streets and stumbled upon a festival, or carnival if you will in the Piazza Novana – where we had the hot European drinking chocolate. And yes you guessed it, we ordered it again. See below. And this time, I opted for the mixed chocolates… SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!
Packed with families, tourists, young and old… vendors selling candy, books, leather goods, scarves, hats… then you had small chestnut vendors roasting chestnuts and selling them in small cones as if it was popcorn… I don’t care for chestnuts, but the Italians do! Small lunch trucks setup selling pizza, paninis, donuts, pastries, wine, champagne, beer, soda, water… Cotton candy stalls, balloons… It was crazy! We sat for a spell and I took some photos and started getting a bit thirsty… so I did as the Italians, ordered an icy cold adult beverage. We walked on and made our way out of the madness. We hopped on a bus and headed back towards the Vatican as it was a short walk to the hotel. Claudia was tired and we had to pack that evening so we could prepare ourselves for the next leg of the journey. Florence, Italy is our next destination… I read that this is the place for leather goods and great food! (I know, I know… I can’t help it, I love food!)
So to all, I bid you a good night and pleasant dreams. I shall blog next from Florence, Italy!
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