‘Stay out of the midday sun’ is the only thought for my brief ‘Roman Holiday’.
So, when I receive the ‘“best pasta in Rome” message from my nephew Mark Schramm with the link to ‘Felice a Testaccio, Cucina Romana’, I have one thing to pursue.
On the restaurant’s Martedi Menu, I see my favourite pasta, Spaghetti con le vongole. I’m set. It pales compared to the roast baby lamb – the sweetest tender meat including the whole kidney sitting there on top of the pink flesh like a little fetus. (After all this, I realise I’ve dined here before.)
‘A marvellous roof terrace at the Hotel Eden’ is front of mind when I make my hotel booking. My late boss Juergen would tell me this when he would stay here when he was in Rome. Up on the terrace for breakfast, I understand why he liked it so much. I reminisce on things I’ve enjoyed with his family, starting with his wedding to Birgit in St Moritz, and being Godfather to Joya his daughter in a little chapel deep into the woods outside Lugano.
The marvellous roof Terrace has an excellent breakfast buffet. The cappuccino, fresh fruits and pastries are to be expected. The more than 180° view is a sightseeing tour without getting up out of my seat. I can see St Peter’s Dome at the Vatican and the towers of Trinità dei Monte at the top of the Spanish Steps all the way around to the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument.