Rome, Italy: Today was devoted to visiting Rome food emporiums, and a day to ride the subway (though we still walked over 10,000 steps, don't worry). My friend, Rita, sent a link to an article in yesterday's New York Times about how the Piazza Vittorio Market near the train station in Rome has slowly evolved into an international food market. We had visited the Trionfale Market (near the Vatican and Pizzarium) yesterday and we both noticed there were only a few native Italian food vendors; most were now owned/operated by immigrants, but most of the food sold at the Trionfale Market would be used to cook traditional Italian foods.
Not so at the Piazza Vittorio Market - about a half mile from our hotel. Even before you enter the door, the smell of exotic spice fills the air and you know you are in for a unique experience in Rome.


and I just love the name of his company.


and the pork butchers sell no other meat - pork only.
We also spoke to a Filipino family selling groceries from The Philippines in a small booth. He said, "Italians aren't having babies, so the immigrants are producing new Italians and working." I saw many nuns shopping in the market and 100% of them were Filipina.
Our next culinary experience was a complete contrast from the international food market. Where the international market is old, "fragrant" and crowded with shoppers and shops, Eataly is new, modern, sleek and pretty-dang fancy. Eataly is a massive food pavilion featuring Italian-only foods, wines, cheeses, meats, olive oils, vinegars, canned goods, pasta, beer, cook books, kitchen equipment, chocolates, sweets, gifts, fruits, vegetables, breads and probably many other things I have failed to mention (or notice today). The facility also holds many restaurants - from easy cafes and wine bars to fancy sit-down restaurants. There is a cooking school on-site. I noticed only two things that were not made in Italy in the market today - cocktail napkins from Germany and Kettle Chips (a Salem, Oregon company) made in the UK.

Fingers crossed!







are also available in our own New Seasons Market in Portland, Oregon
It was difficult to decide on lunch this afternoon - so many choices. Somehow we choose the Friggitoria - where everything is deep-fried (fritti), as DT saw a platter of deep-fried shrimp, octopus, anchovies, sardines and white fish - and that was it for him. Decided.




the darling of the Italian cheese world. It was the best burrata EVER.
Eataly is ridiculously easy to find as it at the Piramide subway stop - you literally come up the escalator from the subway and are greeted by the building. Though we were here for hours, we didn't purchase a thing except our lunch.
We took the subway back to our hotel after lunch, stopping by another beautiful Roman fountain in the pretty Piazza della Repubblica.

We were back to our room in time to watch Canadian ex-Duck Brianne Theisen-Eaton (yes, the WGA married his fiance a few weeks ago) earn the silver medal in the heptathlon, and ex-Duck Zoe Buckman (Austrialia) make it into the women's 1500m final on EuroSport Television. It was a great day to be a Duck.
My Driver decided we needed to walk the one mile trek to the Spanish Steps and find a restaurant there for dinner. The walk was one of the best this week - every few feet we found a ruin, a fountain or an ancient building - all the while chasing a pretty pink sunset. When we reached the steps we found an over-priced touristy restaurant, but were delighted with our meals.


Romantic for the Young Lovers. We Old Lovers schlepped ourselves back another mile to our hotel. Before collapsing in our bed, we facetimed with our Grandson who wanted me to sing his favorite - Sing a Song of Sixpence. Bubba "snapped off my nose" to the delight of Leo.
No Pinocchio for me.

Pedometer: 15,274 - about 6.5 miles, take a cobblestone or two. Amazing to me, as we took the subway back and forth to Eataly.
Until my next update, I remain, your overfed correspondent.