Rome, Italy

When I received an email from St. Martin’s Press asking if I would like to review on the blog Elizabeth Minchilli’s latest book, Eating Rome,….well, it didn’t take me long to say  YES!

And I have another reason to be eager to read this book: read on to the bottom of the post!

This is Minchilli’s sixth book about her life in Italy.
The subtitle is “Living The Good Life in the Eternal City.”

Yes, it is about living the good life but there is SO much information in this book (especially to one who is not familiar with Italy or Rome) which makes it a valuable resource in many ways. Minchilli begins by revealing some of her personal story of how she arrived in Rome which immediately made me want to read more.

• Minchilli, an American, tells us of her frustration, early on in her “Italian” life, of not having a cup of coffee à la American i.e.available all the time and always portable.
• She readily admits that, no, she does not make her own pasta.
• She has a wonderful description of her husband, Domenico, and his penchant for “bringing home the bacon” after finding, once again, a small, artisanal butcher in the Umbrian hills during a business trip.
• These bits of personal details are, for me, an important part of her narrative.

All photographs in the book were taken by the author which adds to the very personal feel.

©Elizabeth Minchilli

©Elizabeth Minchilli

The chapters are, of course, all about food.  There is “How to Order Coffee Like a Roman” and “The Leaning Tower of Artichokes” and the one I love, “How to Eat Gelato Like a Roman.”

At the end of each chapter are suggestions of where to find that particular food, followed by recipes. For instance, in the chapter “The Best Time of Day” she admits that “You want to know what my favorite meal of the day is? It’s cocktail hour.”
Aperitivo time is almost a fourth meal! We then read her glossary of Classic Italian Cocktails; the customs and habits in ordering and savoring cocktails; where to go to enjoy the best (in her opinion) and finally, recipes. How about a Positano Gin and Tonic?  I’ll take one, thank you!

She also writes a blog:
Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome

This is where you will find anything and everything you wanted to know about food, travel, tours, classes and life in Italy. The author offers all kinds of food tours in Italy, whether private, specialized, by the day or week; you can research all kinds of restaurants in many cities in Italy; her books are all here; and the newest are her apps.

How cute are these graphics? I’ve downloaded the Eat Rome app and will be studying it.

The book couldn’t have arrived at a better time, as I am headed to Rome at the end of August!!

My growing collection of must-learn-by-end-of-August language guides!

Remember last summer when daughter and I did our trip to London? I wrote about it in “Spending Some Time in London” post. We had SUCH a good time that we decided to do another mother/daughter trip this year. After much debate about destinations we settled on Rome. A friend of mine here in North Carolina lived there for thirty years and has been so helpful. So, we go to Rome and then have a short side trip to Positano, then back to Rome.

You will be reading and seeing more on that in the next few months. In the meantime, I am trying…….. to learn some Italian!

Any and all suggestions about Rome are welcome here! Have you been? What would you like to tell me?