ROMANLICIOUS: RECIPE OF THE DAY

BUCATINI GRICIA STYLE

This might be the easiest pasta dish to make!
Ingredients
1 lb bucatini pasta
5 oz guanciale (Italian unsmoked bacon), diced
4 Tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water. In the meantime, in a saucepan over medium heat sauté the guanciale until nice and golden. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta over the guanciale, add the cheese, some freshly ground black pepper, and the reserved starchy water. Give a quick stir and serve!

Tips
Pasta alla gricia is supposed to come from the town of Grisciano near Rome. The absence of tomatoes indicates its ancient origins: pasta alla gricia was eaten before tomatoes were introduced to Europe from South America.

Bucatini are like thick spaghetti with a transversal hole inside. Buco means hole in Italian.

The traditional recipe calls for guanciale, a kind of Italian unsmoked bacon (actually, cured and unsmoked pig jowl).

GOOD DEAL FOR SHOPAHOLIC

FOR ALL THE SHOPAHOLIC WE SUGGEST TO TAKE A LOOK NEARBY THE HOTEL: AMAZING SHOPS WITH AMAZING PRICES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VIEWS FROM OUR ROOFTOP TERRACE: VITTORIANO

The enormous white marble monument located in Piazza Venezia was built as a tribute to the first King of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II.

after his army joined forces with Garibaldi and defeated the papal army, the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861 with Victor Emmanuel as King.

Winged Lion Statue

Construction

In 1885 construction of the monument started after a design by Giuseppe Sacconi. The site on the northern slope of the capitoline hill was cleared to make way for the monument. Roman ruins and medieval churches were destroyed in the process. In 1911, at the 50th anniversary of the new kingdom, the new symbol of a united Italy was inaugurated.

The Corridor

The monument, also known as 'Il Vittoriano' consists of a large flight of stairs leading to the Altar of the Nation, dominated by a colossal 12m long equestrian statue of the King. At the foot of the statue is the tomb of the unknown soldier, guarded by two sentries of honor. The monument is rounded off with a long corridor featuring 15m/50ft high columns. On top of the corridor are two bronze quadrigae, each with a winged Victory.

Views

View from Il Vittoriano

Tthe Victor Emmanuel monument has been given nicknames such as 'typewriter' and 'wedding cake'.

The monument is well worth the visit, if only for the great views from the top. The top of the Il Vittoriano is also connected to the Capitoline Hill. Most of the time the Monument hosts important exhibitions of world famous artists. Running exhibition 'till july 2012 "Salvador Dali".

SOMETHING ABOUT OUR LOCATION : CAMPO DE' FIORI

SOMETHING ABOUT OUR LOCATION : CAMPO DE' FIORI

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One of the world's liveliest outdoor markets opens for business is here in Campo de' Fiori-a vast,moving still-life of tables piled high with bargain trinkets, kitchen equipment, and enough glistening produce, fresh cheese, meat, and fish to make an amateur chef long for a kitchen instead of a hotel room to return to.

Just behind Campo de' fiori, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele street, Begin with a stop at S. Andrea della Valle, the baroque setting for the first act of Verdi's Tosca.

By night, the square is an international youth fest, where caffes overflow with locals and tourists; everyone is meeting at the base of the statue of Giordano Bruno in the center of the piazza.

The statue honors the iconoclastic scholar whose conviction for heresy, unlike Galileo's 30 years later, has never been retracted by the Church, and who was burned alive on this spot on February 17th, 1600.

The surrounding streets, mostly named for the trades once practiced in them, are filled with stylish shops and restaurants. Stop into Fahrenheit 451  on the north side of the square to see its well-stocked shelves of books in English, and the bakery Forno for memorable bread and pastries.

One of the best surrounding  streets Via dei Giubbonari  is lined with inexpensive fashion boutiques, pretty much from end to end.

Today it's filled with people and activity round the clock, but centuries ago Campo dei Fiori was just a flowery meadow (as suggested by its name, which literally means “field of flowers”) and an execution spot during the Inquisition.

Here, the philosopher Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for heresy in 1600, allegedly for daring to opine that the earth revolved around the sun. His statue now stands at the centre of this square.During the day, Campo dei Fiori hosts an open-air food market from Monday to Saturday. Stalls set up around 07.00 and pack up around 13.30.

Here you can find seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh meat and fish. Lining the square are food shops, restaurants and plenty of outdoor cafes

ROMAN AQUEDUCTS

The great and highly advanced Roman waterway system known as the Aqueducts, are among the greatest achievements in the ancient world. The running water, indoor plumbing and sewer system carrying away disease from the population within the Empire wasn't surpassed in capability until very modern times. The Aqueducts, being the most visible and glorious piece of the ancient water system, stand as a testament to Roman engineering. Some of these ancient structures are still in use today in various capacities.

PIZZA MARGHERITA

In June 1889, to honor the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan chef Raffaele Esposito created the "Pizza Margherita," a pizza garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. He was the first to add cheese. The sequence through which flavored flatbreads of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean became the dish popularized in the 20th century is not fully understood.

The Theatre of Marcellus (Latin: Theatrum Marcelli, Italian: Teatro di Marcello) is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances of drama and song. Today its ancient edifice in the rione of Sant'Angelo, Rome, once again provides one of the city's many popular spectacles or tourist sites. It was named after Marcus Marcellus, Emperor Augustus's nephew, who died five years before its completion. Space for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar, who was murdered before it could be begun; the theatre was so far advanced by 17 BC that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took place within the theatre; it was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus