I do love the Pantheon. Here it sits, nearly 2000 years old in a busy piazza with its enormous inscription Marcus Agrippa built this – a proud boast. In its huge dome there is a central hole open to the sky and on a sunny day the light streams through this hole and lights up the frecoes and artwork inside. Today, it’s raining softly and the centre floor is roped off with a puddle an inch deep.
Inside there are some beautiful works and my favourite is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Fiorli. I love the scene depicted by the annunciation of the Virgin Mary, including the white lily that Mary holds in her hand. We know this lily as the Madonna Lily, and it is a pure, fragrant white flower that lights up any room with its creamy fragrance.
My guide book tells me that no matter what street I take in the area of the Pantheon I’ll eventually end up in this square itself. The streets wind about crazily, and it’s very easy to change direction and find yourself quite some distance from the piazza. Right now I’m looking for a café called the Tazza d’Oro, or Cup of Gold, which reputedly has the best coffee in Rome. Eventually I find it; a rather an ordinary looking place from the outside but indoors it is lovely, with a marble bench and industrial-sized coffee machine. As with all cafes, except the small local affairs, Madame behind the till takes your order and gives you a docket to take to the bar.
90 euro cents gets me a good cup of coffee and the barista is very quick. I can’t discern whether the coffee is of especial quality – hard to get a bad coffee anywhere in Rome. Mostly my requests for coffee get me an espresso but today I ask for it americano style, closer to a long black.
Last Sunday when I arrived at the apartment Biancamaria insisted I try the Café San Eustachio for a gran caffe so that’s my next coffee-shrine visit. In the meantime, I like the slightly scruffy but welcoming café at the end of my street. By my third morning the barista has made my 2/3 long black, very strong, to perfection.
Inside there are some beautiful works and my favourite is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Fiorli. I love the scene depicted by the annunciation of the Virgin Mary, including the white lily that Mary holds in her hand. We know this lily as the Madonna Lily, and it is a pure, fragrant white flower that lights up any room with its creamy fragrance.
My guide book tells me that no matter what street I take in the area of the Pantheon I’ll eventually end up in this square itself. The streets wind about crazily, and it’s very easy to change direction and find yourself quite some distance from the piazza. Right now I’m looking for a café called the Tazza d’Oro, or Cup of Gold, which reputedly has the best coffee in Rome. Eventually I find it; a rather an ordinary looking place from the outside but indoors it is lovely, with a marble bench and industrial-sized coffee machine. As with all cafes, except the small local affairs, Madame behind the till takes your order and gives you a docket to take to the bar.
90 euro cents gets me a good cup of coffee and the barista is very quick. I can’t discern whether the coffee is of especial quality – hard to get a bad coffee anywhere in Rome. Mostly my requests for coffee get me an espresso but today I ask for it americano style, closer to a long black.
Last Sunday when I arrived at the apartment Biancamaria insisted I try the Café San Eustachio for a gran caffe so that’s my next coffee-shrine visit. In the meantime, I like the slightly scruffy but welcoming café at the end of my street. By my third morning the barista has made my 2/3 long black, very strong, to perfection.
No comments:
Post a Comment