Today we went out to Tivoli, which is just 1 hour outside of Rome. Throughout our trip to Rome we had Marco Tavola as our guide. He owns the company Rome Connections and is extremely knowledgeable about anything that has to do with Rome. We had a great time seeing Rome with him and he truly made our experience perfect. Every morning he picked us up in a Mercedes van at our hotel and took us on guided tours of the city and then dropped us back off in the evening. He arranged for us to eat at some of his favorite restaurants and even helped us to make dinner reservations. If you ever come to Rome I would hire Marco to be your guide and you will for sure have an amazing and stress free vacation.
While in Tivoli we had one of the best meals of my life. It was at a little restaurant called “Antico Ristorante Sibilla” that had a beautiful view of the Roman hills and the ancient ruins of the Temple of Vesta right behind the restaurant! For lunch we had ricotta stuffed calzones with tomatoes and basil, an anti pasta plate filled with fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes, melon, ham and olive oil topped bread, fried cheese stuffed zucchini blossoms, eggplant parmesan, pickled asparagus, pizza and stuffed peppers. Everything was to die for! I am not easy to please when it comes to food and I can honestly say that there was not one thing on the platter that I did not think was delicious. For our main course we had ravioli stuffed with bacon, tomatoes and red chili peppers. The ravioli noodles were freshly made and cooked al dente with a flavourful and brightly coloured filling inside. For dessert we each ordered something different so we could share. My sister got hazelnut semifretto, my mom ordered vanilla ice cream with fruit stewed in prosecco and I decided to try sbriciolata di millefoglie, which was by far the best dessert. The vanilla custard was creamy and rich, the pastry folded throughout added just the right amount of crunch, and the almonds and chocolate sauce on top put this dessert right over the edge. If you are ever in Tivoli you need to try this restaurant, trust me you will thank me later!
After lunch we toured the gardens at the Ville d’Este, which was truly the perfect way to end our trip to Rome. The gardens were beautiful and relaxing with spectacular fountains throughout them.
I will not soon forget all of the amazing things that I have seen in Rome or all of the delicious meals that I have enjoyed; hopefully I will be able to come back here again one day to see more of the eternal city!
Sounds like you’re in a state of bliss! How will you eat out in Calgary when you return? Maybe you’ll have to create your own restaurant.
What a beautiful garden! And that Marco does have some nice hair. Maybe you are right about the Italians.