Rome

There are certain places that loom large in the world. New York City is one. I would submit that Rome is another. They are places you can't help having some sense of, even if you have never visited.

Rome scenes - Roman Forum (top) and Colosseum (bottom)

I had seen many Facebook-shared photos of Rome, as well as the usual images in travel guidebooks and in films. Despite this, the scale of Rome still took me by surprise. It didn't leap to the top of my 'favourite city' list but it is definitely one of the most dramatic places I've been to.

Central Rome...ancient ruins just pop up around the place

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Vegan eating in Italy

A bonus shot of the Taormina amphitheatre

We have eaten well in Italy. As you might expect, pizza and pasta have featured. I was pleased to discover that pasta is not necessarily made with egg and that cheeseless pizza can be accommodated without question (or horror, which is sometimes the case elsewhere). I've also enjoyed some less Italian but veggie-friendly eating options.

Vegetarian pizza, Sicily style - from Etna Restaurant, Taormina

Whilst in Taormina, we took advantage of our apartment balcony to eat in on the nights we were together. One of these evenings featured take-away pizzas from Etna Restaurant, a restaurant that is deservedly well-reviewed. I had the vegetarian pizza minus cheese and Mr Bite had it in its standard form. The pizzas were delicious and featured thin bases that managed to be crispy and doughy at the same time. Interestingly, in addition to tomato, courgette and aubergine, the toppings included radicchio lettuce - not something I'd have thought to put on a pizza. It worked surprisingly well as the chopped leaves turned crispy when cooked. This meal was a good testament to Italian pizza and also seemed good value as our large pizzas were 8 euros each (£6 / AUD $13 / US $9). They were even large enough to yield leftovers for lunch the next day, facilitating the better lit photos above.

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Taormina, Italy

I feel a little sheepish posting this, having proclaimed in my last post that I am starting to feel cold in England, and sharing earlier in the month that I was in Germany briefly for work. I don't usually travel quite this much but I'm now in Taormina, Sicily, for a conference. Instead of porridge weather, it is rather (very) hot and I spent this afternoon at the beach!

Two hours ago, I was swimming in this bay...Isola Bella, Taormina

My beach attendance was facilitated by the conference finishing at 1pm today. It was a great meeting, both in content and in allowing me to catch up with Australian colleagues. Mr Bite has come along too and having spent the last few days relaxing on his own, I'm pleased to be on holiday jointly now. We have one more day in Taormina and then fly to Rome on Monday morning, spending two nights there before returning to London on Wednesday afternoon. You can't really do Rome in that space of time but I'm looking forward to seeing bits of it.

Taormina scenes

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