• Italy

    Where to eat and drink in Rome

    When I recently visited Rome, I spent most of my mornings following in Robert Langdon’s footsteps and visiting notable churches around the city. In the afternoon, I slowed down. I would first have a coffee, then a light lunch (followed by yet another coffee), whereas in the evening I had an aperitivo (a pre-meal drink) followed by dinner and gelato to end the day on a high note. Here are my recommendations about where to eat and drink in Rome: Breakfast Although I mostly had breakfast at the hotel where I stayed, I also had to try the maritozzi (cream-filled buns that Romans have for breakfast). The Pasticceria Regoli (on Via…

  • Italy

    Angels and Demons and Churches of Rome

    I first visited Rome in 2003, a few months after the release of Madonna’s ‘American Life’. In ‘Nothing Fails’, the album’s third single, she’d sing ‘I’m not religious/But I feel so moved/Makes me wanna pray’. Back then, this lyric resonated with me, albeit only in part. Still a teenager, I wasn’t particularly interested in churches, so I headed to the Colosseum instead of the many churches of Rome I visited this year. I’m still not religious, though. In the words of Madonna, ‘I’d like to express my extreme point of view/I’m not Christian and I’m not a Jew’. During the last 19 years, however, a lot has changed. On a…