Part 4: Arrivederci Italy!

Friday, March 23, 2012
Final full day at Villa Petrischio was spent relaxing, reading, walking around the grounds of our "private estate," and listening to music. After our cooking class at Poggio Sant' Angelo, we had made a reservation for a 7:30 dinner there, so we could see how Chef Anna and Luigi do their thing for real diners.

We were the first to arrive in the dining room of the charming restored farmhouse and chose a nice table in the corner facing the stone fireplace and the other guest tables. We were pretty sure this was "opening night" for the season for Luigi's restaurant, and we didn't know if we might be the only diners in the establishment. Within about fifteen minutes many other guests arrived, including chef Anna's daughters and cousins. Then a huge group of young men. Then a stylish couple Luigi knew from Cortona. Turns out it was like a "friends and family" soft opening, but with the public invited, too.

It was Friday fish night, and each of the first four courses included seafood of some type. First, we enjoyed large fried anchovy on toast points with carrot purée. Second was a delicious vegetable timbale with squid. Third course was a congoli pasta with tiny clams and shrimp. Finally, a main course of sautéed sea bass on broccoli mousse and baby potatoes... Delicious! For dessert we had a nice lemon soufflé over berry purée. Included in the dinner were appropriate wines, from Prosecco to to Sauvignon Blanc to Vin Santo and other dessert wines. We were more than full! It was an amazing presentation, with at least 20 guests being served admirably by host/sommelier/waiter/busboy Luigi, and Anna and one assistant cranking our all this food in the kitchen!

The surprise came with the check... a 5-course gourmet menu with wine pairings... just €27 each! That's about $35 for a dinner that would be close to $200 in San Francisco!

So our final evening in Tuscany was fabulous... And we didn't have to eat leftovers or drive very far!

Saturday, March 24, 2012
We got up at a reasonable hour and finalized our packing and loaded all our stuff into our little white Lancia coupe. By 11:10 am we were headed toward the A1 autostrade for a 2-hour drive to Rome that we knew would take us 3+ hours.

We have always liked Orvieto Italian white wine, so we planned to stop in Orvieto for a walk around the village and lunch. Orvieto also has its own freeway exit, and that clinched it. Part of the efficiency of the A1 is the fact that you can only get on or off the super highway about every 20 miles or more. Sometimes you have to get off at an exit that might be 10 miles past your destination, then backtrack to where you want to go. Not so with Orvieto... it was very easy to get there.

It turned out to be another very charming medieval hilltop community. Our researched choice for lunch turned out to be closed, so we parked in the village and wandered until we fell into a cute family run trattoria. Maria was the owner/cook and her granddaughter acted as server. Excellent Umbrian soup, chicken and veal was enjoyed during our nice break from the stress of fast driving on the A1. (Which Ronna again performed quite admirably!)

Our journey to Rome was actually a jaunt to the domestic Ciampino Rome airport to turn in our rental car. We weren't about to try driving and especially finding parking around the Via Veneto in Rome. We found the big GRA (which stands for Great Ring Road) that circles Rome. We made it easily to the little airport, dropped off the car and took a shuttle bus back to the terminal to catch a cab into central Rome.

Our cab driver was a personable chap who pointed out various antiquities and sights during the 40-minute ride to our Hotel Sofitel Villa Borghese--a good tour review of Rome! Ronna had found a great discount on this luxury hotel, and although our room was on the small size, the furnishings, decor, and amenities were outstanding, including a fabulous Bose iPod docking station. Plus they had free WiFi, a rarity among most luxury hotels.

At 5 we enjoyed a cocktail on the hotel's beautiful roof-top outdoor terrace lounge with spectacular views out over all of the Borghese Gardens. We went back to our room and prepped for our evening out.

We walked in perfect weather around the Spanish Steps, and toyed with the idea of mortgaging our home to buy a drink in the Hassler Villa Medici Hotel. We took Natalie and Andy there for lunch 15 years ago, and it was certainly a luxurious treat. But instead we opted to buy a drink at another nice hotel bar with an outside patio right across the street from the Hassler. It was an ideal place for people watching at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Earlier in the day, I had cross-referenced restaurant recommendations between our "Top 10 Rome" guide book, and the Trip Advisor website. We decided on a neat-sounding place called Al 34, named after its address on Via Mario de Fiori. It was a good choice. The place was packed, and the service and food were excellent. We shared a superb pasta dish made with orchietta pasta, sausage and broccoli--a great combination. Ronna had sizzling lamb chops and I enjoyed a gorgeous filet of beef with green peppercorn sauce. For dessert, we shared profiteroles! A fab dinner!

We toyed with the idea of some dancing at a disco that Ronna and I enjoyed in the 1980s... Jackie O's. Unfortunately most Euro discos don't get going till midnight. We used to take naps before going to clubs even when we were young! But Ronna had a better idea. She said "Let's go to Club 215." That's our room number at our hotel! So we went upstairs, chose "Party Mix" on the iPod, and cranked it up! The only problem was that the Bose speakers must have had a hotel-installed limiter on the volume control. It would only go up to 45, out of 100...sensible, but hardly conducive to a dance party! So I kept the iPod on the Bose for good bass, but plugged a second set of speakers we had brought along into the headphone jack of the IPod. Prego! We opened up our large window facing Via di Porta Pinciana, and created a little scene on the street one story down below us. We got several whoops and cheers from young people passing by as we danced to our usual series of favorites! "Club 215" was the place to be, at least at 10pm! And we were sound asleep well before midnight.

Sunday, March 26, 2012
Italy apparently didn't get the memo on Daylight Savings Time, or the USA is on its own again, but Italy jumped ahead last night! And instead of getting up at 8, it was already 9! We had coffee in our room, then started a nice big walk along the Via Veneto and the surrounding areas. We worked up a good appetite and settled on a typical sidewalk cafe with a glass enclosed, roofed patio. Again great for people watching, and enjoying the great weather in Rome. Soup, salad, pasta, risotto...all the usual suspects. But it was more about the "La Dolce Vita" scene than the food!

We walked some more, before returning to our hotel for our final time packing suitcases.

Hopefully our three flights tomorrow will connect properly and be uneventful!

Arrivederci, Italy!