​Roman climate is very mild and pleasant in winter time, and quite hot in summertime. I always suggest winter visit to Rome: the sky is beautiful, the city is quitter not overloaded with tourists, the weather is not too chilly.
The snow in Rome is an event. It happens so rarely that I’ve seen snowing in my city only about 10 times.
Kids are excited, as they don’t go to school, the city is a bit paralyzed when it happens.
The snow never last more than 1 or 2 days. It soon melts, knowing this we hurry in taking the most of the pictures we can of our beloved roman sites with the snow.

The Roman sunsets are famous, beautiful, surprising.

​Rome is an incredible city: often at the end of a day spent exploring, the sight of the sky that ignites with extraordinary colors rewards us.

Rainbows are beautiful to see... it always takes me to a childish surprised mood when I see a rainbow in the sky.

​I always remind myself to look up, not to focus on the ground, on what I am doing, on being in a hurry.
As soon as I exit home in the morning, I look at the sky and the roman sky is beautiful and it repays and surprises me.
I want to share some pictures with you...

Tomatoes are not necessary for pasta sauces. We love pasta with vegetables and meat and there are many kinds. 
When artichokes are in season we have pasta sauces and  lasagna with them.
For this sauce: just put extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sausage in the pan.
Cook and  add a little or white wine ( if you have it, it can be done without too).
Add the artichokes cut into strips. Cook for 10 minutes, if it dries too much you can add a little of water.
When the pasta is ready, before draining, keep a cup of the boling water.
Add the pasta in the sauce and cook for 2 minutes, if it is too dry add a bit of the hot cooking water, and parmigiano cheese.
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I cut the onion finely. It has to cook properly, I like when it melts, without  burned pieces of onion in  the sauce.
I use a simple secret that save some fat from your sauce too: fry in the frying pan the onion, a bit of extra virgin olive oil and a  little of water.

When it dries, you add a more water- a couple of spoons. In this way the onion did not burn but instead cook completely and become very soft.
When it is ready, you add the other ingredients. It’s a matter of just 5 preliminary minutes for a very good sauce.

Onion soffritto is required for the pasta sauces with:

Tomato

Zucchini

Pancetta-bacon
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Meat

Nature and history...

The blossom of Juda's tree is magnificient. it is all over the city.
The blossom lasts about two weeks. Afterward,  with the leaves on, it becomes an ordinary tree.

At the end of March the archeological area is in blossom. It's a pleasure for the eyes and wondeful for picture taking. The wisteria is spectacular...I wait the entire year for the blossom and it lasts about 10 days of pure beauty.

We have thousands of green parrots in town. They are all over...in the trees in front of my home, in the ruins of ancient Rome and a huge colony is in ancient ostia excavations.

They are not native of Italy; I imagine that green parrots owner tired of taking care of pets released them and they found my city very comfortable.

​They have considerably grown in number in the past few years.
I have never seen a green parrot when I was a child and now I wonder if they are replacing some other species.

We fortunately don’t have too many pigeons in Rome.

I have nothing against them, nevertheless these birds are dangerous for art works, and therefore a limited presence is optimal in the eternal city. 

​Largo Argentina, located in the very center of Rome, is an archeological site. The square was dug in the nineteen century revealing the remains and podium of four republican temples dating from the fourth to the first century before Christ.

​It sound strange, but it is right there that a cats colony resides. Homeless and abandoned cats are taken care in that beautiful setting and admired by the passerby. If a roman want to adopt a cat that is the place where to go. My brother got two cats there.

The 'soffritto' -fried slightly - is the base and starting point of Italian pasta sauces.
 
There are mainly three kindsof soffritto:
 
With garlic
With onion
With onion, carrots and celery
 
Depending on the sauce we are making we start with either one or the other.
 
Examples:
Basic sauce tomato and basil: need oil and garlic, like the simple but delicious ‘aglio olio e peperoncino ‘ pasta and fish or sea food ones.

Matriciana pasta with pancetta? Oil and onion
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Sauce with meat? Always onion, carrots and celery
When I say sauce with meat, I refer to:
Sauce with sausage, pork spare ribs, pork meat, meat balls, ragù etc.
The  sauce you use with pasta, lasagna, polenta.

​Some 4 years ago, I saw the first rabbit on the palatine hill and since then, while touring with my clients the remains of the imperial palaces; I always look around for them.

The palatine hill is the site of Rome origins... where our story started 28 hundreds years ago. It is where Romulus, Rome founder, created the city. Because of this symbolic value, the hill later become the residence of Octavian Augustus and of the later emperors.

The site has majestic ruins and it is fascinating to immerse ourselves in this mixture of history, nature and power.

I love the idea that this historical place has new inhabitants now...the bunnies.

They are big... brown, grey and black colors, very calm, and not scared of people.
I do not know how many rabbits are there, I’m always wondering, as the area is very extensive.
 I saw them first time in 2015. In 2016, I counted four, but the following year I saw none. I was worried, of course. Then I saw them again last year and few weeks ago.
​I just love them.

​Rome is a great city for shopping; aside for the typical souvenirs, I believe fashion and particularly shoes are a must. Wearing them at home will bring you back in vacation.

Shopping the sales in Rome is a pleasure. Every year I try to resist and finally indulge in shopping.
In Italy, sales happen twice a year and the discounts vary from 20 to 70 percent.
The sales start around January 6th and every shop discount the prices of the fall and winter collections. The sales last a couple of weeks. The first days the choice is wider and discounts are lower, by the end the prices are cut down more.

​An important roman tradition during Christmas time is to visit the ‘100 Cribs’ exhibition held in the enchanting Sala Bramante in piazza del Popolo. The event is held from the beginning of December (usually December 8th) till the Epiphany.
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Over 150 cribs from all over the world are on display. Christmas Nativity created by artists from all over the world using all kind of materials: terracotta, clay, ceramic, cardboard and cork, mahogany, crystal, pasta, leaves and more.

On December 7th at midnight the faithful gather at piazza di Porta Capena to start the night pilgrimage to the Holy Mather on the eve of Immaculate Conception day. 

​The pilgrimage on foot last all night long. 
The walk proceed along the Old Appian Way, pass the Domine Quo Vadis church, proceed by the Catacombs of San Callisto, the Mausoleum of the ‘Fosse Ardeatine’ , and continue along the via Ardeatina ending at the Sanctuary at 5.00am.