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Dolce Idea: A Sweet Idea in Trastevere

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Several months ago we had the sweetest clients who gave us the nicest gift of assorted chocolates.  I’ve mentioned it a few times before, but I am a complete lover of chocolate. I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so you can imagine my excitement when we received such a thoughtful gift.

Fast forward to last week.  I was walking down a side street in Trastevere, one I had walked numerous times before, but this time I noticed a familiar logo.  It was the logo from the chocolate shop where our lovely gift came from.  Of course, I had to take a detour and enter inside.  The name of the shop is Dolce Idea, and let me tell you, what a sweet idea it was to go inside!

 


There was an assorted array of chocolates displayed behind the glass counter, which immediately started my mouth watering.  The small, specialty chocolate shop was also filled with a rainbow of pastel and brightly colored wrapped chocolate eggs in preparation for Easter (known as Pasqua in Italian).  This shop has some of the prettiest decorated eggs I have seen in Rome so far.  They even had small chocolate bunnies, like in the States (not the norm here).

If you are looking for an Easter gift, or just want to spoil someone (or yourself) with tasty chocolates and beautiful edible treats, be sure to visit Dolce Idea.

 

Dolce Idea
Via San Francesco a Ripa, 27
Roma, 00153 (in Trastevere)
Telephone: 06 5833 4043
http://chocolate.dolceidea.com/

A Tisket, A Tasket … What’s In An Italian Easter Basket?

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Easter is fastly approaching!  Can you believe it?  When I think back to my childhood years, I am reminded of waking up early on Easter Sunday to see what goodies the Easter Bunny (aka Mom & Dad) had left in my Easter basket.  Easters for me were filled with decorated eggs, chocolate bunnies, small toys, plastic eggs filled with candy, chocolate and money, and baskets with pastel colored ‘grass’ to display the decorated eggs and hold all the Easter goodies.  

After a lifetime of the same traditions, and the holiday commercialized to consumers in a grand spectrum each year, I was shocked during my first Easter in Italy last year.  No bunny, pastel or cartoon baskets.  No brightly colored plastic eggs to place treats in or have an egg hunt with.  No aisles and aisles of assorted Easter candies.  No egg dye kits.  
 
My first thought was, “Wow, these kids are missing out!” 

Yes, I know the Easter holiday has been overly commercialized, but I have fond memories of Easter days of my childhood.  I would wake excited to discover what the Easter Bunny had left for me in my basket.  We would then head off to church, all decked out in our new Easter attire (I always got a new dress and shoes specifically to wear on Easter Sunday).  After church we would go to my grandparents’ house for a big Easter lunch.  After lunch, all the kids would make their way run outside to the backyard for an Easter egg hunt.  We would all try to collect the most of the colorful plastic eggs scattered and hidden throughout the yard.  The real excitement was for the one who found the ‘golden egg’, a large, golden colored egg with money inside … usually $20.

 
 
Here in Italy, it seems large chocolate eggs take the place of Easter baskets.  Supermarkets display an assorted array of the brightly wrapped, extra large chocolate eggs in preparation of Pasqua (Easter holiday in Italian).  You can find the chocolate eggs wrapped in an assortment of popular children’s characters for the younger crowd (Barbie, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, etc.), plain for the slightly more sophisticated, or with a simple statement of ‘Auguri’ (congratulations and well wishes expressed during holidays or important days).  I still miss the variety of assorted candies and treats, but with an oversized egg made of chocolate in front of you, how can one complain?! 🙂  
 
Another typical Italian treat specific to Pasqua (Easter) is the Colomba.  It is a cross between a cake and a bread, and is made with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and butter.  It is usually topped with almonds and sugar, and is shaped in the form of a dove.  The name Colomba Pasqua translates to Easter Dove.  You can find the Pasqua treat in a variety of different flavors … traditional topped with almonds and sugar with candied orange peel inside, chocolate, lemon and different cream filled flavors.  I wish they were available all year round, but I think my waistline is glad they are not. 😉  They’re quite tasty! 
 

 

Free Museums and Sites in Italy with Spring Open Days

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If you are in Italy this weekend, then you’re in luck!  Italy is celebrating the arrival of Spring with free museum openings this Saturday and Sunday, March 24th-25th.  The 20th annual Spring Open Days is sponsored by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), the largest non-profit organization for the preservation of Italian historical and natural heritage.  During the weekend, approximately 670 cultural and historical sites throughout Italy will be open to the public free of charge.  The sites include museums, palaces, churches, gardens and libraries, with many not normally accessible to the public.  For more information, and a list of participating sites, check out the event website.

Also, the Vatican Museum is open free of charge on the last Sunday of every month (which happens to be this weekend) from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM, with the last entrance at 12:30 PM.    


So, if you are in Italy this weekend and looking for something to do, why not take advantage of the free admissions and treat yourself to a little history and culture.  We’re planning to do just that, and celebrate Spring’s arrival with a weekend filled with picnics and museum visits.

How about everyone else … any weekend fun planned?

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Why Rome?

Digital Representation of Ancient Rome

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Below is a fun video I stumbled across.  It is a digital representation of ancient Rome from 320 AD.  It is intriguing to think what life and the city of Rome must have been like so many centuries ago!  Hope you enjoy!