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Rainbow MagicLand ~ Rome’s Amusement Park

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Did you know Rome has an amusement park?  Most people don’t.  The majority of visitors come to Rome to visit the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican Museums, and an amusement park really isn’t on their list of things to do.  If you have kids, this is a great place for you to think about visiting though.  

Rainbow MagicLand is the name of the amusement park, and it’s actually located on the outskirts of Rome in a town called Valmontone.  To get there you can drive, take a train from Termini or go by bus.  You can see Rainbow MagicLand’s website for the different ways to arrive.  

As soon as you enter the park, everything is done on a grand scale.  The park makes you feel like you’re stepping into an ancient era.  

You’ll also feel the magic with the layout of the park … it’s really stunning.

The park has plenty of rides for those seeking adventure.  Rainbow MagicLand offers several different roller coaster rides.  

They also have an area for the younger children to play and ride rides.  It’s really colorful and fun.  

The park also has a carousel, which I couldn’t resist and had to ride.

If you need a break from enjoying the rides and exploring the park, you can catch a show at the theater.  The show was filled with singing, dancing and beautiful costumes, along with a few tricks.  It was entertaining for both adults and children.

The park is primarily open during the summer months.  You still have September to make a visit to Rainbow MagicLand, then it will mostly be open on the weekends during the winter/school months.  You can visit Rainbow MagicLand’s website for opening times. 

What do you think about Rome’s amusement park?  Would you like to visit, or have you visited?  If you visited, what was your favorite thing at Rainbow Magicland?

Plan it... Book it! It's that easy to travel by train in Europe.

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Fish Market ~ A Seafood Restaurant in Rome

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Fish Market is one of my favorite places to go in Rome for a seafood dinner, or for a quick bite in the evening.  The food is always delicious, and they offer one of the best happy hour deals in town! 
 

Fish Market has two locations in Rome, but I always visit the one in Trastevere, near to the river.  You have two options – dine in or dine out.  If you’re in the mood for dinner, then you can dine inside the restaurant or outside on their patio.

If you’re looking for a lighter option and just want a small bite, they have one of the best happy hour deals in town.  For €5 you can get an appetizer and a glass of wine.  They have this offer from the time they open for dinner (around 7:00 PM – P.S., they’re not punctual) until 8:30 PM.  You can sit inside and order this special, or you can grab it to go from their take-away window.  

I always order a cartocci, which is a paper funnel stuffed with either fried calamari or shrimp.  My favorite is calamari.  The one draw back with the take-away option is that there is really no place right there to have a seat.  When we’ve gotten it to go, we’ve taken it across the street and enjoyed our appetizers and wine while looking out over the river.  Always lovely to do!

If you choose to dine inside, you will be given a paper menu and pencil.  You’ll need to mark the items you would like to order, then take the paper menu to the cashier to pay and turn in your order.  

You also have the option of choosing your fish from the ‘catch of the day’ case. You let the chef know which fish you would like and how you would like it cooked (grilled or fried), and they will pull it out right then and prepare it fresh for you.  If you order the appetizer special inside, you will be able to have your accompanying wine in a glass and not in a disposable cup.  Hey, some days these things are important, and a girl just needs a proper glass of wine!  

You don’t have to make reservations, but try to get there closer to opening time to avoid a wait because they tend to pack out around 8:30 PM, especially on weekends.  Enjoy!

Let me know if you’ve ever been to Fish Market, and what your favorite thing there is.

 
Fish Market in Trastevere
Vicolo della Luca, 3/5
Telephone: 366 914 4157
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FishMarketTrastevere
 
UPDATE:  If you have a larger group, Fish Market isn’t the best place to go.  I met up with a larger group here for appetizers and drinks.  The day before we were told a group of our size would be fine.  On the day of the meetup, prior to opening, we were told a group of our size would be fine.  Once everyone arrived, it ended up not being so fine.  Still love this place, but I do not recommend going with a party larger than six.  

Come il Latte ~ A Gelateria in Rome

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I’ve been hearing about a new(ish) gelateria in Rome for a while and decided I had to give it a try.  I normally stick with a few favorites in my area – Fatamorgana, Frigidarium and VIce.  These are consistently good, use high quality ingredients and are convenient to where I live.  I always enjoy trying something new though, and hearing that Come il Latte had a chocolate fountain pushed me over the edge to want to try it.  If chocolate is involved, then I want to be too! 
 
 
The other week I made a special trip to sample the gelato with chocolate sauce.  It’s a short walk from Termini area, and closer to Piazza della Repubblica.  The gelateria is a bit hidden.  In fact, I don’t know how so many people have stumbled across it.  
 
It has a really cute design inside.  The decor is black, white, grey and silver.  The walls are lined with retro style jars of milk, and the walls are made to look like a chalkboard.  The star of the show (for me) was the running faucet fountains of dark and white chocolate. 
 
 
The flavors are listed on the board behind the counter.  The gelato is stored in silver containers with lids, so you won’t be able to visually choose your flavors of choice.  I opted for a medium cup with three flavors – pistachio (my go-to flavor), salted caramel and strawberry cheesecake.  
 
The pistachio was good, but had large, whole bits of pistachio.  I’m sure most people would consider this great, but it was a bit much for me.  While I appreciate the fresh pistachios, I usually like them crushed or ground a bit more so I don’t risk breaking a tooth.  The salted caramel was my favorite of the three – unique and tasty.  The strawberry cheesecake was a little disappointing – it just had a hint of strawberry flavor and not much of a cheesecake flavor at all.  Perhaps it was an off day or that particular batch.  
 
The most upsetting of the whole trip was the amount of chocolate sauce they put on the gelato, or lack there of.  While the chocolate had a great flavor, I was expecting there to be a lot more of it.  The wafer that garnishes the gelato was only half dipped in the chocolate before topping off my cup.  My favorite gelateria, Frigidarium actually dips the whole cup of gelato in chocolate, and that is what I was expecting from Come il Latte. 
Here is what the gelato dipped in chocolate sauce at Frigidarium looks like.  You can understand my disappointment.
 
  
Come il Latte was so-so for me.  If I’m in the neighborhood I wouldn’t mind stopping in to sample a few other flavors, but I won’t be making any more special trips.   
 
What about you?  Do you have a favorite gelateria in Rome?  
 
Come il Latte
Via Silvio Spaventa, 24 26
Telephone: 0642903882 

 

An Inexpensive Date Night Down by the River in Rome

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The other week we had a date night – dinner and a movie.  It wasn’t your typical dinner and a movie though because we were down by the Tevere river.  

We first stopped at il Bistrot del Guida Ballerino for a quick bite.  Guida Ballerino is a Michelin Star restaurant in Rome, but during the summer months of Lungo il Tevere they have set up a space along the river.  They have a restaurant side for guests to dine by the river with a more formal menu, and a takeout space for good food on the go. 


We had a movie to catch so we opted to grab something to go and still eat it outside along the river.  The takeout prices can absolutely not be beat!  Most of their options are €5.  You can choose from several seafood options like fried calamari or shrimp, a black angus hamburger, pasta and even a bean dish.  We opted for fried calamari and smoked salmon on a bagel. 

The calamari was fresh (we had to wait while they fried it, so it wasn’t sitting around under a heat lamp).  It was good, but nothing overly fancy – exactly how I expected it to be.  The smoked salmon on a bagel was the surprise.  It was really delicious!  It consisted of a fresh baked (and surprisingly soft) bagel, topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and arugula.  

After our yummy take away, we headed across the way to watch a movie sponsored by L’isola del Cinema – a summer long film festival featuring movies from all over the world.  They had a small theater set up with fold out seats, a large movie screen, air condition and thick black curtains along the wall to block out the light and sounds from the river just steps away from the theater.  Depending on the movie you choose to see (they usually have several playing each night), tickets range from €4-6.  On certain nights entrance is free, and on this night we lucked up with a free movie.  To check the movie schedule, visit the website of L’isola del Cinema.  

After the movie we walked along the river from above and took in all the sights of the bustling night life below.  

Quite a unique (and affordable) night out!  All the fun ends on September 1st when Lungo il Tevere closes at the end of the summer, so hurry by to grab a bite and check out one of the many movies.  

You can find both Giuda Ballerino and L’Isola del Cinema at Piazza San Bartolomeo All’Isola Sponde del Tevere – on the side of the river nearest to the hospital.  

You can also see a previous post of the other things offered along the river by clicking here.  

Celebrating Mardi Gras in Rome

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Yesterday was Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Martedi Grasso (in Italian).  It was the final day of the Mardi Gras/Carnevale celebrations.  I’m pretty lucky as I not only grew up in the city where Mardi Gras originated in the States (it’s Mobile, Alabama by the way, not New Orleans, Louisiana), but I now live in the city where the celebrations actually originated (the ancient Romans started all these shenanigans, go figure).  

Although the festivities for Mardi Gras in Rome are fun, I miss the parade of floats from home and being bombarded with MoonPies, beads, candies and other trinkets and goodies as they’re thrown from the floats in to the crowds.  It’s a different type of celebration.  I have such vivid childhood memories of celebrating Mardi Gras at my Grandparents’ bicycle shop in downtown Mobile as we had one of the best spots on the parade route.  The smells, the tastes, the feelings I remember … maybe this is why the festivities in Rome just can’t compare to the days I once knew.  

One of the traditional things to do during Carnevale (aka Mardi Gras) in Italy is to eat castagnole.  Castagnole are a sweet dessert, similar to doughnut holes.  They have different variations.  Some are plain and rolled in sugar, others are stuffed with cream, ricotta, or chocolate, while others are soaked in rum.  We celebrated Fat Tuesday yesterday by indulging in a variety of the tasty little treats.  Even though I had plenty of castagnole, my mouth still watered for a chocolate MoonPie … and my heart ached for days long gone.  

To read more about the Mardi Gras traditions in the city where it originated in the U.S., click here.  To read more about the Carnevale traditions and celebrations in Rome, click here.