Everyone loves Italian food. What's not to love about a delicious bowl of fresh pasta, or a crusty pizza, or antipasto. (I'm drooling just thinking about it.) In Italy, at every meal, when the food was delivered, cameras would suddenly appear and the experience would be thoroughly documented by everyone at the table. It's what happens when you eat out with other bloggers.

I thought I'd nominate the three meals I enjoyed most while in Italy. Not just the best tasting meals but the best overall experiences.

Pizza in the home of Pizza
Everyone knows that Pizza is an Italian dish but did you know that it was invented in Naples? Poor people in the 18th century used to supplement plain flat bread with tomato. Voila! Pizza! We were lucky enough to eat pizza in Naples.

Day 1 -- we arrived in Naples, parked the car and decided that pizza was our priority. We were in Naples, we were hungry and luckily we had some time to spare before meeting up with Sue and J. We turned to the Lonely Planet for direction. It nominated Da Michel as the best pizzeria in Naples. They are famous for asserting that there are only two types of pizza: the Marinara and the Margherita. They stand for what they believe in, as these two pizzas are the only two items on their menu. Unfortunately, we arrived at Da Michel to find a crowd standing outside. Not a queue, but a mass of around 30 people. We were limited for time so we opted for another LP recommendation, Trianon, which was just down the road.

Day 3 -- Back in Naples to catch a train to Rome. J and Sue were yet to try authentic Neapolitan pizza. We decided to give Da Michel another go and drove by to suss out the situation. Sadly, it was not to be; closed on a Sunday. Trianon was due to open at 11. We dropped off the hire car and headed back to Trianon, timing it perfectly. We crossed the threshold at exactly at 11am.

Obviously, turning up at opening time is not the done thing. When we entered the restaurant the staff looked at us incredulously. Our waitress rudely directed us to tables and gave us some menus. We ordered and then watched, as the rest of the staff, including the pizza chef, turned up. Obviously the opening time really means 11 for midday.

We ordered several pizzas including the Margherita DOC. The DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata and means that the product is made by set methods and that it satisfies a certain standard. (I love that DOC is pronounced dok-ah. It's impossible to be monosyllabic in Italy.) It was an authentic Margherita. It was gooooooood.

My favourite pizza from our order was the 7-cheese pizza. I love cheese so much. (But being slightly lactose intolerant it's a love/hate affair.) Nobody else really liked the 7 cheese pizza as a blue cheese was included among the seven. I scored a few extra pieces this way. It was gooooooood.

Was it the best pizza I'd ever had? It's hard to say. Even when pizza is bad it's good. While I can't pinpoint it as the best, our meal at Trianon certainly ranks among the finest pizza I've ever eaten.

Lunch at Dino and Tony's
After our visit to the Vatican museum we were in serious need of sustenance. We were very exhausted from standing in queues, hiking through the museums and also from gazing upwards in wonder.

Unfortunately, our designated lunch spot was closed. We should really learn to read the guidebook carefully. After a flurry of text messages between the sightseers and the slackers, we finally managed to meet up another LP recommended restaurant, Dino and Tony's.

Unfortunately, Dino and Tony's didn't have a menu. Unfortunately, the waitstaff didn't speak much English. Unfortunately, we don't speak much Italian.

Our waiter arrived to take our order, a conversation of sorts followed, more hand gestures than words, and our waiter left. Apparently we had ordered. We know the important words: birra, antipasto, pasta.

Our antipasto arrived and after the meal was properly documented, we tucked in. Our waiter returned and conveyed that he was going to bring two types of pasta out for us to try. We agreed, "sure, why not!" Little did we know that he meant that we'd actually get two rounds of pasta. First, a bowlful of spaghetti carbonara. After the dishes had been cleared another plate of pasta was delivered. This time a bowl of penne matriciana. By this stage we were struggling.

Plates were cleared and our waiter returned. "Carne?" he asked hopefully. Sue replied, "no no no Carne!". We were already full to bursting. Another round and we may not have fit out the door.

A traditional Italian meal has several courses. Antipasto, Primi (usually pasta), Secondo (usually meat) and Contorno (a side dish of salad or veggies), Formaggio (cheese), Dolce (dessert), Caffe (coffee), Digestivo (liquers). We only made it to Primi (although we did have a double helping). We'll have to practice being Italian before returning to Dino and Tony's.

Dinner with the cousins
I prefer to have my family close by, but there is one benefit of having overseas relatives. It's a floor to crash on when you head abroad. My mum's cousin Rosyln lives with her husband Antonio and two daughters, Elide and Daniela in Rome. Although, we weren't lucky enough to stay with the Gravina family, we did manage to dine with them at their apartment in Rome.

At Rosyln's, we were able to enjoy a bona fide, home-cooked Italian meal. Six courses in all: antipasto, risotto, a pasta (bolognaise and an unidentified noodle), a meat course. A fifth round consisted of some Aussie lollies we'd brought along as a gift. Fantales were the favourite. They weren't sure want to make of the chicos (Andrew's favourite.) In true Jess style, we were able to squeeze in a sixth course, another round of dessert. Daniela and her boyfriend Claudio dropped us back at our accommodation via a gelateria. It was the best scoop of pistachio gelato I had while in Italy.

It was lovely to catch up with my Italian family. (Someone needs to invent a teleporter so we can hang out with the Italian cousins more often.)

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And that's it. It's time to say arrivederci to Roma, Sorrento and Italy. Until we meet again!

Shall I sum up? Allora, Good -- Neapolitan pizza, Pompeii, Raphael, Pantheon, Catacombs, pistachio gelato, caprese salad... Bad -- driving in Naples (bad but fun), queuing, pushy Italians in queues, not checking the guidebook.

And we're nearing the end of the Italy posts. We had said goodbye to Sue and J the previous evening (with a few rounds of Set and a couple of games of 500). It was now our last day in Rome. We had decided to venture outside the city walls and head to the Catacombs. We certainly picked the right day to head underground. The weather was dreadful. Our last remaining hours in Rome and it was cold and wet.

We had originally decided to visit the Catacombs of San Callisto. However, on our way there we had to quickly change our plans when we discovered they were closed. (We must really learn how to read a guidebook properly.) Luckily, we were able to visit the Catacombs of San Sebastiano instead.

I'm morbidly fascinated with catacombs. I'd imagined exploring musty, dark, underground tunnels filled with skulls and bones, hearing the scurrying patter of rats. I might have been holding a flaming torch in my vision too. My mind had obviously been heavily influenced by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

My mental picture wasn't quite accurate. There were tunnels, but they weren't filled skulls or bones. (Respect for the dead and all that *G*). Didn't hear any rats either. But, I wasn't disappointed at all. Our visit to the catacombs was fascinating and very interesting.

Highlights:

• We've visited another word origin. The Catacombs of San Sebastiano are the origin of the word catacomb, meaning underground cemetery. The word catacomb, derived from Greek, actually described the terrain around San Sebastiano. Our guide told us that it meant "near the cave" (there is a quarry nearby) and it was used as an location identifier for these particular burial grounds. Over time it has come to mean any underground burial ground.
  
  
• The catacombs are the original burial place of St Peter and St Paul. The St Peter and St Paul from the New Testament. These kind of details really put it into perspective the lengthy history of a city like Rome. It's easy to say something is 2,000 years old but what does that really mean? To learn that St Peter and St Paul were buried there makes me think "wow! That's old!"
  
  
• More Roman graffiti. This time from visitors on religious pilgrimages. They would scrawl the names of St Peter and St Paul on the walls as a form of prayer.
  
  
• In the basilica above the catacombs, you can see evidence of fossils in the marble floor.
  
  

Tuesday afternoon saw us completing a tourist marathon. It was J and Sue's last day in Rome and there were still heaps of tourist sites to tick off your typical must-see list for Rome. Specifically, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Here is the condensed version:

Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is what remains of the centre of ancient Rome. There is little remaining of the temples, basilicas and administrative buildings that were once there, but I was surprised to see how much is still intact. It's over 2,000 years old. You'd think many of the buildings would have been demolished in the name of progress. (Which is what happened to many of the old sandstone buildings in Sydney's Rocks area in the 70s.)


Lunch on the Spanish Steps
At the Spanish Steps we rested for a while and munched on a slice of takeaway pizza for lunch. It was very hard to appreciate the Spanish Steps because they are the very definition of a tourist trap. The place is infested with men trying to push junk at naïve tourists. We spent the whole time at the Spanish Steps trying to avoid eye contact with the hawkers and repelling unwelcome advances. "No I do not want to buy that thing that makes a stupid clicking noise." "No I do not want buy that stupid ball that can be twisted into different shapes." They really spoil the ambience of the location. Although, it was funny to watch hawkers scatter when the police appeared.


Trevi Fountain
There is a legend that if you toss some coins over your shoulder into the Trevi Fountain that something good will happen. The problem is, after some extensive research, I've found several different theories on how you should throw your coin in, how many coins you should throw in and what each coin represents.

Some say, throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain for good luck. Some say, if you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain you will return to Rome. Lonely Planet says, the 1^st coin is a wish to return to Rome, the 2^nd promises that you will fall in love with an Italian and a 3^rd secures a marriage with that Italian. But lots of websites mention that the third coin actually means divorce. (Apparently the three coins wish was established by the film Three Coins in the Fountain. Although in the film it was three different coins by three different women).

How you should throw the coin is also under debate. Over your shoulder. Over your shoulder with your right hand. Or over your left shoulder with your right hand.

Whatever the legend, a lot of coins are thrown into the Trevi Fountain. The money is collected each evening and used to fund a supermarket for Rome's poor. Almost 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. (One homeless man made a lucrative career by collecting those "wishes". He would wade through the fountain each evening and gather up to 1,000 euros a night. He was just cutting out the middle man.)

In case you were wondering, Andrew and I threw one coin each into the fountain. It remains to be seen if we will make it back to Rome.


Pantheon
I was awestruck by the Pantheon. I spent several minutes just gazing up and admiring the beautiful dome. It was built in 125 AD and it is said that Emperor Hadrian may have helped with the design. I think it's an impressive building by today's standards let alone 2^nd century standards.


Piazza Navona
By this stage we were very weary. The Piazza was the site of ancient Roman games such as chariot races. I tried to encourage the group to hold an impromptu chariot race, but nobody was interested. We spent a few minutes wandering apathetically before finally heading off in search of a scoop of much deserved gelato.


And that's our experience of Rome's most famous and most touristy attractions. My picks are the Pantheon and the jaffa gelato at Da Quinto gelateria near Piazza Navona.

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We headed to the Colosseum early in the morning to once again try to escape the crowds. We decided to sign up with a guided tour to skip the long queue for tickets. (I'd definitely had enough queuing the day before.)

Colosseum trivia:

• The Colosseum is responsible for changing the meaning of the word arena. In Latin arena translates to sand. In Roman times, the floor of the Colosseum was covered in sand so people would often say "let's go to the arena". This is why in English, arena means sporting stadium and not sand. (In Spanish, arena still means sand.)
  
  
• A popular legend tells us that the thumbs up gesture dates back to gladiatorial contests in Roman times. At the end of the contest the victor would look to the emperor for direction. If the emperor made the thumbs up gesture, meaning keep your sword up, the loser would be spared. Recent research suggests that this story is completely incorrect; an urban myth popularised by Hollywood (including Ridley Scott's Gladiator). Historians have discovered that the gesture for saving the loser was actually thumb inside a closed fist, meaning sword sheathed. (I knew this trivia tidbit before entering the Colosseum. I was really pleased when our guide got it right. It meant that the other stuff she told us was probably right too!)
  
  
• The Colosseum could seat a crowd of around 50,000 spectators. Even at full capacity, the stadium could be cleared in a matter of minutes. The Colosseum had 80 exits which could be use by people leaving the arena. Spectators accessed and left their seats via passageways called vomitoria. (Sounds a bit gross, doesn't it?) The name vomitoria comes from the Latin word for a rapid discharge. (It's also the root of our word vomit.)
  
  
• The Colosseum was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in July 2007. It's the third new wonder that Andrew and I have visited on our recent travels. The Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu are the other two we've been lucky enough to see. (Hopefully we'll be able to tick off Petra next year.)
  
  

Another childhood dream ticked off. Did it live up to my childhood imaginings? Not quite. I thought it would be bigger. I thought there would be more of it. Almost 2,000 years old, the Colosseum is suffering from old age. It has been damaged by vandals, earthquakes, pollution and the nearby train line and it's only a shadow of the exciting place it once was. I'll just have to close my eyes and imagine it in its glory days.


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After the Vatican Museums, the next stop on the agenda was St Peter's Basilica. Before heading to St Peter's, we did stop to rest our weary feet and squeeze in a couple of rounds of pasta. (Literally... I'll explain later.)

Our mission for St Peter's was to conquer the dome. Reputedly the largest dome in the world, I definitely wasn't going to let it beat me. We caught the lift up the first two hundred stairs and then climbed the remaining 300 or so. In the end it wasn't that difficult at all. I must be getting used to climbing objects. Although, I still don't like the going round and round and round bit of the spiral staircases. There was also a passage way on the climb which was a bit disorientating. We were walking in the space between the outer dome and the inner dome. The walls were curving away and we were trying to walk upright. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and put one foot in front of the other.

My main impression of the viewing gallery at the top is of congestion. It's a bit hard to appreciate the outlook from the top when you have to elbow your way through a pack of people just to get to the balcony edge. The view of St Peter's square is impressive though. It's not until you view it from this angle that you realise just how big it is. I can imagine it jam-packed full of people when the Pope makes an appearance.

The climb down finishes in the church itself. I was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the basilica. It's huge! Although, it's no longer the largest church in the world. It did hold that title for a long time. However, it has now been outstripped by the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Cote d'Ivoire.


More photos on Flickr...