Poetry in a Bottle

Il vino é poesia in bottiglia.
Wine is poetry in a bottle.

Italian adage

On our first evening in Rome, newly married Luca, a young sommelier at Enoteca Cavour provided a passionate lesson in wines and their pairings with cheeses and salume. All were first-rate products on their own but sometimes two just didn’t complement each other. Hmmm, I am thinking that there is poetry and philosophy in a bottle.

We had spent the day acclimatizing and getting to know our neighbourhood called Monti. Our hotel is in view of the Colosseum so it's an unbeatable location. We ventured over to the church with the chains that are said to have held St. Peter when he was incarcerated in Rome and to see Michelangelo’s statue of Moses.

Flavour of the Day

After the wine tasting we took our Roman after dinner stroll to a neighbourhood gelateria (ice-cream shop) famous for the quality of its gulten-free, diary-free gelato. The basil, nut and honey combination was light and refreshing while the pink grapefruit and ginger was a delicious palate cleanser. Little Bro stuck to basic strawberry and was impressed with the flavour.

Back in the hotel room, we went to sleep to operatic arias coming from a benefit concert at the Colosseum that featured Andrea Bocelli and Elton John. We were told that tickets went for 6,500 euros each (about $10,000).