A great walking day in Piazza Del Popolo and Spagna

It may have been a bit cloudy and a little drizzly but it was a warm day and a nice one to see the Christmas season blossoming into high gear.   We walked these delightful streets with stores that were getting ready for the holiday rush.  some lovely narrow side streets and rather village like in parts.   Here are a few sights from the area.

This is 34, the restaurant we found as a recommendation form a local cooking supply store. I had a superb fettucini with a truffle sauce, my companion had a gratined gnocchi, fantastic and it arrived bubbling hot, a delicious smoked swordfish that was a salty rendition served with olive oil, avocado and pickled onions, and an Ossobucco with Polenta that was smooth and creamy.

View from a Bidet

Yes, the title is correct.  This is the beautiful view out of my bathroom window from the proximity of sitting on the bidet.  I had wondered why the bidet was situated in such a way that you nearly have to climb over it to get to the actual toilet.  I should have taken a photo to represent this.  The two were located in a small narrow corner of the bathroom, the toilet protruding out from the left wall and the bidet perpendicular pointing out from the wall that forms the corridor.  So I literally had to climb around the bidet to get to the toilet.  Once I finally opened the window it was more clear that perhaps this was positioned for the optimal view.... Who knows but that makes the most sense to me :)

Pizzarium

This Pizzarium was on our list from the start and we kept putting it off.  One day we finally decided to take a cab to it and low and behold it was at the bottom of the hill to our neighborhood.  Probably a very good thing in one week we ate there 3 times.  So this was on a lot of food blogs and finally we saw an article that Anthony Bourdain had come to town and went here.  Let us just say it was good.  This place has been known to do a foie gras and cherry pizza... we tried 4 each time.  maybe even more the first time.  Bresaola like meat with figs and a sharp parmesan type cheese with a bitter salad green, one with bacala (salt cured fish) and some craziness, one with fresh mozzarella, basil and sweet roasted yellow peppers, a sweet hot sriracha pepper type sauce and a jam of sorts, another one with fish and anchovy oil too many to remember.  But the best and simplest of all was the potato and cheese (picture below).  It was so fantastic I just cant tell you.  The potatoes were smashed Yukon golds with a sweetness and buttery depth covered in a toasted mozzarella oh my goodness.  so good

 just a simple store front with a kitchen in back.  The guys had burns on their arms from the ovens.

 served on a wood board shaped like a painters paddle.

 The potato pizza