Travel Destination Rome

So, you’ve flown to Rome and are now at one of the city’s most famous bars, be it Harry’s or one the many fine establishments boasting spectacular views of the Forum, but you’re not sure what to order. After all, a Jack and Coke or a screwdriver is hardly an appropriate beverage for a great international metropolis. When sitting on bar stools in Rome, after all, you’d like to drink like the Romans do. Here are three great cocktail choices.

The Americano — Considering the name of this fine beverage, you might think ordering it would paint you as an outsider. Fortunately, that’s not really the case. Yes, this thoroughly refreshing, light drink did get its name because visiting Americans seemed to like it, but Italians were guzzling it first and very enthusiastically under another name. It consists of carbonated water, sweet vermouth, and Campari, an amazing cocktail ingredient beloved in Italy combining very strong sweetness and equal parts bitterness. Fun fact: the first drink James Bond ever ordered in Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel (“Casino Royale,” 1953) was the Americano. How could any drink possibly be any cooler?

The Negroni — This concoction of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, usually served “up,” martini style, in a cocktail glass, was supposedly invented by a Count Negroni from Florence. As with most tales about the invention of cocktails, what really happened is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that few drinks will make you happier while chatting with friends. One word of caution, however, it’s fairly strong and too many of these have been known to make more than a few fellows fall from their Roman bar stools.

The Martini — While this even stronger drink was probably first invented in New York City, it may have been  the creation of an Italian bartender named Martini. Assuming, however, that that story is entirely legend, there is no doubt that the dry vermouth used so sparingly in a classic dry martini is from the very Italian firm of Martini & Rossi and, in any case, this ultra-classic cocktail is a true citizen of the world. In any case, you’ll never look less than cool in any world capital while drinking a martini. Here’s a secret: Ian Fleming notwithstanding, most cocktail pros prefer their martinis stirred, not shaken, though everyone loves to make a big dent in their bar stools spending hours arguing about it. What could be more Italian?

The people of Rome live among the architectural achievements of over 2,000 years of the city’s history.

Rome’s most important industry is tourism as the city abounds in art, museums and libraries. However, other industries such as high fashion clothing, printing, electronics, engineering, chemicals and food processing are also significant. These are to be found mostly on the south and east of the city, which is also an important center of banking and commerce.

The curving Spanish Steps, designed by Francesco de Sanctis in 1723, are famous for their elegance and for the colorful markets at their feet. The Castel Sant’Angelo, a huge imperial mausoleum, was built by the Emperor Hadrian in AD 135; today it is a state museum. The Arch of Titus stands at the entrance to the Roman Forum; it was built in AD 81 to commemorate the emperor’s capture of Jerusalem. St Peter’s Basilica is arguably the most famous church in the world. Completed in 1615, it is the scene of papal ceremonies and is a place of pilgrimage for the world’s Roman Catholics

The Leonardo da Vinci airport at Fiumicino provides international air links and many major roads and railways converge on the city. Rome has a bad traffic problem but efforts are being made to free the heart of the city of traffic by new schemes such as the extension of the Metropolitana subway and the building of enormous underground car parks. The rapid growth of Rome during the last century has led to housing shortages and congestion but public services are modern and efficient.

The population of the city is now about 2,700,000

Lladro artisans have designed and made several gorgeous Christmas tree figurines. If you are like me and love all things Christmas tree, then you’ll love a Christmas Tree figurine as much as the real thing. They are wonderful home accessories during the Holidays season and can bring life to any quiet corner of your home. I love to put them in groupings of table lamps and Christmas candy dishes.

They are also wonderful gifts for people who have limited space or mobility. If you’ve got a relative in a nursing home, this Chistmas figurine is a wonderful addition to their room. You can bring it shortly after Thanksgiving, with a few small presents. It will give your relative a sense of anticipation and inclusion into the holidays.

In addition to lone decorated Christmas tree figurine, there is also a figurine that shows children in vintage clothing decorating the tree. This could bring back very many happy memories for many of us.

Some of us just don’t have the space or time for a Christmas tree. If you don’t have children, then it might just not fit into your December time priorities. But you can place a Christmas tree on a coffee table and still share in the Christmas spirit!

Lladro artisans have designed and made several gorgeous Christmas tree figurines. If you are like me and love all things Christmas tree, then you’ll love a Christmas Tree figurine as much as the real thing. They are wonderful home accessories during the Holidays season and can bring life to any quiet corner of your home. I love to put them in groupings of table lamps and Christmas candy dishes.

They are also wonderful gifts for people who have limited space or mobility. If you’ve got a relative in a nursing home, this Chistmas figurine is a wonderful addition to their room. You can bring it shortly after Thanksgiving, with a few small presents. It will give your relative a sense of anticipation and inclusion into the holidays.

In addition to lone decorated Christmas tree figurine, there is also a figurine that shows children in vintage clothing decorating the tree. This could bring back very many happy memories for many of us.

Some of us just don’t have the space or time for a Christmas tree. If you don’t have children, then it might just not fit into your December time priorities. But you can place a Christmas tree on a coffee table and still share in the Christmas spirit!

Autumn is my favorite season and I love to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. But I don’t usually feel like putting up two sets of decorations. So my strategy has always been to keep my Halloween decorations on the tamer side.

I welcome guests to my home with a primitive Halloween grapevine wreath. One year I took a basic grapevine wreath and sprayed it a shiny black and they sprayed silver glitter on it. We have a white door and this was a simple but effective entrance. When Halloween was over, I simply glued golden yellow and deep red leaves with a dark green bow.

Another option is to start with the grapvine and Autumn leaf wreath. And then to put witch and ghost embellishments along with a Happy Halloween sign. It’s possible to really take this up a notch and have brightly colored Halloween accents. I just design the wreath so that after Halloween, it’s easy to remove the Halloween witch, ghost or Happy Halloween sign. What I’m left with is a beautiful and bright Thanksgiving wreath.

But don’t just think of a Halloween grapevine wreath as a front door decoration. I love to incororate wreaths into my home decor. You can infact use a grapevine wreath as a Halloween centerpiece. I put a ring of votive candles just within the wreath. Of course the candle holder is large enough to keep the candles away from the leaves and other embellishments. It’s a lovely way to eat by candlelight.

We Americans love homemade hamburgers. In fact, we love just about any type of hamburgers, whether they’re made at home, eaten in a restaurant, or picked up at the drive-through window of a fast-food joint. Why does America have this love affair with burgers?

Before we discuss that, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page and understand exactly what a hamburger is in the U.S.A. American hamburgers are not made of ham. In fact, they don’t even contain any ham. The traditional American hamburger is made from ground beef. The ground beef might be made from chuck, round, sirloin, or other cuts. In fact, cheaper hamburger meat is usually made from scraps of beef.

So…if hamburgers are made from beef instead of from ham or pork, why are they called “hamburgers”? Good question, and it confuses a lot of foreigners. Hamburgers got their name from Hamburg, Germany, where grinding scraps of beef and forming them into patties or steaks originated.

Okay, now we’ve cleared that up…homemade hamburgers are awesome! And since ground beef is inexpensive when compared to most other types of meat, it’s a definite favorite. One reason hamburgers are so popular is because the ground meat takes on flavors well. Seasonings can be put on the outside of the meat as well as mixing it in with the ground meat itself. If you want spicy homemade hamburgers, you can add all kinds of fresh or dried herbs and spices. If you want hot homemade burgers, you can add cayenne, chili powder, chipotle powder, Tabasco sauce, or diced green chilies. If you want bacon burgers, you can add chopped or diced bacon in with the meat, or you can serve fried bacon strips on top of the burgers.

And then there are all the condiments: ketchup, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, all kinds of mustards, mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, salad dressings…the choices are almost endless! And don’t forget the cheese: American cheese, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, jack, Colby, and even brie. Then, on top of this, most of us add lettuce, tomatoes, onion slices, and/or pickles.

Next time you’re in the United States, make sure you try a real hamburger. Don’t settle for one of the fast-food burgers. Go to a restaurant that serves big, thick, homemade-style hamburgers. After just one bite, you’ll understand the hamburger obsession!