A Twilight Adventure

Exam week has begun. Yesterday my art professor reviewed [and loved!] my final project as we were assigned to draw animal statues around Rome. This morning I took my Art of Rome test and this afternoon I wrote my essays for Sociology of Contemporary Italy. All I have left is Intro to Italian next Tuesday, which I'm not too worried for. Tonight called for a small celebration! Unfortunately most of my friends still have more exams tomorrow. Gianna, forever my adventure buddy, was free, though :)

Gianna was the first roommate I met here in Rome. We went on a tour with school and then proceeded to get lost, find the Trevi Fountain, get gelato, and cab it home. After a long flight here, it's truly a great memory. On our way to school that first day, we had seen a small little place called "Litro & Vino". It's honestly almost across the street from school and we thought it looked perfect! Though we planned a date together, we had not gone until today. Good timing considering I have less than a week left [I don't wanna think about it :( ]. It was so cute! The waiter who worked in there kindly asked about our preferences and ending up serving us a deliciously sweet white wine. We ordered a bruschetta with prosciutto & melted cheese, too. Molto buono!

Continuing our little adventure, we made our way near Campo dei Fiori. This was our view on the way.

We planned to eat at Ditirambo, a restaurant I had found rave reviews for online. It must have been good because we sadly couldn't get in! I had a list on my phone we walked to over near Piazza Navona, but some looked more like wine bars while others weren't too tempting. Stumbling upon a charming little cobblestone street a bit more off the beaten path, we found an intriguing place called "Old Bear". On the specials was a pumpkin lasagna. Obviously, our mouths watered! It enticed us inside and I'm so glad we branched out! A look at the menu told us the place was semi-Italian, but with some other cuisine mixed in. Gianna looked up a review on her phone to find that it was Germanic, but highly frequented and well-loved by Italian locals. SCORE.

After eating there, I can tell why! We ordered a dish of the pumpkin lasagna as well as some parpadelle with mussels, tomato, and pecorino. It was all delicious! Gianna described the lasagna as "Italian mac 'n cheese" - it was more of a pasta and cheese dish with accents of ham and pumpkin, but delectable all the same. My seafood dish was incredible, as well, like most here in Rome! The mussels were big and fresh, the tomato sauce light, and the pecorino the perfect touch. The wine was a bit strange - sweet without much of an after taste. Not my favorite, but a unique one to try. Nonetheless, the meal was delightful!

[pumpkin lasagna]

[parpadelle with mussels, tomatoes, and pecorino]

I was too stuffed, but Gianna stopped at Frigidarium for gelato on the way home! It's a place near Piazza Navona known for dipping the cup or cone of gelato in hot chocolate to create a shell on top. The gelato is average, but it's a fun place to try out if you're around! All in all, a perfect little adventure for an aperitivo and dinner out on the town. I'm really going to miss this place and this girl.