Last Morning in a Cafe in Rome

On my last day in Rome I figured I had to have one more breakfast at a cafe. Some of the girls and I decided to go to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere to Caffe delle Arance. We had passed this cafe many times before and admired the many oranges that were displayed in the windows and the large flute glass that the spremuta came in.

When our spremuta arrived at our table I was elated. The spremuta was the best I had had since I arrived in Rome. It was so fresh and sweet. It woke me right up to explore Rome for the last time. I finished the entire glass, which is about a foot tall, within five minutes, and I felt great about it. The only thing to note about the spremuta is that it costs seven Euro, but it is well worth it.

I know that my Tropicana orange juice (which is my absolute favorite at home) won't even come close in comparison to a freshly squeezed glass of spremuta. I am considering buying a juicer at home so that I can make my own fresh squeezed orange juice.

A Cafe to Try

If you are looking for a new cafe to try and want to people watch at the same time I suggest trying Ristorante di Rienzo. It is located in Piazza della Rotonda and to the left of the Pantheon if you are looking into the piazza from the Pantheon. The city block is stands on is Palazzo Giustiniani, which was commissioned by Monsignor Francesco Vento in the 1850's. Mr. Michele di Rienzo opened the ristornate and caffe in the early fifties and it has been an important stop ever since for tourists and important locals alike.

At Ristorante di Rienzo you can sample a wide variety of pastries like "the “mimosa”, the “sacher”, profitterols" or have a bite sized cookie. There is also 36 different flavors of gelato to try. To go along with your pastry you can either try a cappuccino (before 11:00 am of course) or a caffe.

The relaxing atmosphere and abundance of outdoor seating make this a great place to people watch or just relax with the Pantheon in full view. I recommend avoiding the mid afternoon hours because the piazza tends to be extremely crowded with tourists at those hours.

"Ristorante di Rienzo." 24 Jun 2008. http://www.caffedirienzo.com/Eng/Home_en.html.

Italian Donuts

In the morning at the cafes, I usually have a hard time figuring out which pastry to have. The croissants are always fluffy and coated with a sugar glaze. The cream filled zeppole are covered in a powered sugar and deep fried into a ball shape. The sugar donuts, though, have become my favorite!

They look so enormous behind the glass counter top and even bigger on my plate, yet I always manage to finish them. Its a wonder to me because back home I never eat this much; it must be something in the Roman air.
So far I have only tried the torus-shaped donuts, which are the typical round donuts with a hole in the center. I have learned after eating three donuts at different cafes that they are called ciambelle. The only thing necessary to qualify as a ciambelle is that it is a ring-shaped cake, with a hollow center. I have only found them with sugar on the outside so far, but I hope to find one with some icing!

I enjoy the Italian version of a donut much more than the American donuts because the Italian donut is much lighter and less greasy. When I bite into the donuts in Rome, I can feel the light air fly out of them, unlike the grease I feel from the ones in America. The only dilemma I run into with the donuts in Rome is that my mouth is covered in sugar after every bite!

"Ciambelle." About.com. 27 May 2008. http://italianfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa120198.htm.

"Doughnut." Wikipedia. 16 May 2008. 27 May 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut#Italy.

"Zeppole." Wikipedia. 16 March 2008. 27 May 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppole.

Caffelatte vs. Caffe Americano

When Americans travel to Italy and desire a coffee, they sometimes run into trouble when ordering at a cafe. When they say they wish to have a caffe they think they are ordering a cup of regular coffee, but they are sadly mistaken when their hot beverage arrives. Caffelatte literally means coffee and milk, but this drink is made with warm milk as opposed to cold milk, like in the States. It is also generally drank in the morning hours and made with espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk.

Cafe Americano is what those wishing to have a cup of 'Joe' or regular coffee from the States must order. This is simply your typical roasted coffee beans, that can be ordered with milk and sugar.

I had my first experience of a caffelatte this weekend. I enjoy the aroma that coffee emits but I have never enjoyed the taste. However, like I stated in a previous blog, I must try different caffes and cappuccinos while I am in Italy. I took one sip of the caffelatte and knew I was not about to change to a coffee lover that morning. It had a slightly bitter taste and left an unwelcoming after taste in my mouth. I was proud that I gave it a try but I'm now even more hesitant about trying a cappuccino!

"Latte." Wikipedia. 12 May 2008. 25 May 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafe_latte.

Spremuta!

As I stated in my previous blog I am not a coffee person at all, so today I was ecstatic to try spremuta. It is freshly squeezed orange juice served in many of the cafes. The orange is cut in half right in front of you and freshly squeezed into a fairly small glass.

This morning I, along with Ilana, went to Bar Amore for breakfast. It is on our way to school, and although it was a bit pricey, 3,50 euro for a glass of spremuta, it was worth it. The first thing I asked the man who worked there when I walked in was, "do you serve spremuta?". When he shook his head yes, I immediately ordered one. Then I saw all the delicious pastries they had to offer. There were croissants, donuts, danish, cookies, cakes and more. Everything looked so good I had no idea what to choose, and the man serving me was getting a little impatient with my indecisiveness so he moved on to the locals in need of fast service.

I finally decided on a donut. I don't even like donuts at home but these looked amazing. They were covered with sugar and didn't appear to be greasy. He asked if we preferred to sit, which surprised me that they even had seats because most cafes don't inside, and we immediately said yes. I did want to try and emulate the locals by standing, conversing, and eating my breakfast but with my bag, computer and umbrella it was too much. I will have to try it on a day I don't need my laptop for class. I think I am addicted to the spremuta!

Café: A great way to start off the day!

The first day of class in Rome meant the first day of breakfast in Rome as well. On the walk to school alone it is possible to come across 10 to 20 cafés that will serve various items for breakfast; they are everywhere! For my first taste of a real Italian breakfast I chose to have a croissant, a banana, and a water. The croissant was amazing. The outside was layered with what seemed a sugary icing that really did help to sweeten my first day of class. The inside was light and fluffy. I kept telling myself to eat it slower but I couldn't control myself. It was so delicious that I ate it in less an three minutes! I know that water is not typical for most Italians in the morning but I just don't like the taste of coffee; I am much more of an orange juice person. I told myself though that I have to try a cappuccino some time while I am here. It was interesting to watch the locals order and eat their breakfast and compare it to how I was eating my own breakfast. They seemed much more comfortable with the idea of standing and enjoying breakfast, where I was dying for a nice chair. It seems that the cafés are a meeting place for people in the morning time. They seem cheerful and excited about their upcoming day. I chose to observe and learn about cafés in the morning because I enjoy breakfast and found the activity in the café interesting. Each time I am in the café for breakfast I plan on trying something new. I hope every morning just keeps getting more and more delicious!

Cafés

The morning for many people is quite difficult but I love mornings. I enjoy all breakfast foods and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. A balanced breakfast can really effect your entire day and the Italians, I feel, think the same way. A stop at a local cafe or bar on the walk to work or school is an extremely common practice for most Italians, especially those living in the city of Rome. The cafes and bars in Rome are meeting place in the morning for people to chat while they drink their morning coffee and enjoy a fresh croissant and some fruit. I find it fascinating that at most of these cafes and bars people stand the entire time eating and engaging in conversation. Although space is extremely limited no one seems to mind. I decided to choose cafes and bars to observe in the morning hours because I have a love of breakfast and find the Italian way much different than my usual breakfast routine. I think it could be extremely rewarding to, at the end of my 7 weeks in Rome, incorporate the Italians take on breakfast into my own lifestyle back in the States.