Birthday trip 3 in history!

2015-10-19 / Foodie, Travel

Every year since I met my love I’ve taken him on a surprise birthday trip for his birthday…well it has seldom turned out to be a surprise exactly because I can’t keep a secret from him but all in all I think he’s loved all our trips. This year the trip went to Rome.We started off the celebrations on Thursday with a surprise birthday party (and yes this was definitely a surprise) with all of his friends, and then on Friday we flew off to a long weekend in Rome! Of course as many things in my life the trip revolved around some good food! I was weight wise in very good shape on Friday so I decided to truly enjoy a relaxed weekend in Rome and not worry too much about my next weigh in at Esther’s in a couple of weeks time. As icing on the cake I managed to lose my voice at the birthday party the night before so I spent two days without any voice in Rome!!? I did managed to kick off Saturday morning with a strong Italian coffee and a Sicilian Cannoli!!

Sicilian cannoli

For authentic Italian cuisine in a classic trattoria setting go to Costanza in Trastevere. The food was out of this world, it was so good I even forgot to take a picture! I indulged in truffle pasta and a saltimbocca! Trastevere is probably one of my favorite areas and despite being a bit touristy there are an abundance of lovely restaurants to chose from.

On Saturday we first had a lovely lunch just off Fontana Di Trevi at a little place called Chianti. I went for a simple cold cuts and radicchio salad…and yes we also managed to consume two bottles of wine??. Then we strolled around Via de Babuino down towards Piazza del Popolo. I managed to find the one and only thing I was in search of in Rome…a pair of black boots for the winter!
Post the shopping we sat down for some of the most expensive drinks in Rome at Hotel de Russie. The drinks may be 22€ a pop but again I have to admit the atmosphere sort of makes it worth it! Only downside to our Saturday was the dinner restaurant which my Italian colleague had actually recommended. It was called Trattoria Settimio all’Arancio. The carbonara was burnt and the service was lousy. We even sent back our food and the waiter refused to accept it at first. I’m not a person known for sending back my food, it probably happens once every five years so then appreciate how bad the food was! Whatever you do in Rome don’t go there!!
Sunday lunch however brought up the mood, and lunch was enjoyed at Casina Valadier with a stunning view of all of Rome. We first rented a scooter and drove to Colosseum and the Vatican but after some culture Saturday lunch was repeated in a different setting?. The restaurant is set in the outskirts of Villa Borghese so a leisurely stroll through the park can also be recommended. I went for some mozzarella dumplings and fried calamari and prawns.