Roma {sigh}

This time last year I was in Rome with my auntie. Ah, me. Ever since my first visit, I've always felt like Rome is my home in some sense -- like maybe I was a Roman in a previous life. I don't need a map to get to my favourite places (though the "streets" of Rome form a kind of drugged-out honeycomb), and once even gave (correct) directions to a lost couple IN ITALIAN, which I believe I can speak. (This is not true; do not let a successful run at high school Latin lead you to believe you can speak Italian. You end up ordering an entire litre of red wine by yourself at lunch).

And while the city is magnificent in so many ways, of course I fantasize about the food. So today I am reminiscing about whipped cream-covered gelato at Giulitti

Linguini with creamy radicchio sauce that I must eat within my first 24hrs in the city

A crazy picnic we ate after buying our way through the Testaccio market -- fresh favas with pecorino, head cheese salad, artichokes braised in oil and lemon, burrata cheese (gasp), miniature pickled peaches, prosciutto, melon, cherries, etc etc

Deep fried zucchini blossoms filled with mozzarella and an anchovy, pizza by the slab, perfect cappucinos at San Eustachio, white buns with Nutella for breakfast, bresaola-arugula panini from a street cart near the Campidoglio.

And homemade gnocchi with braised oxtail at Sora Margherite (that one really slayed me; I had to cry a little it was so good). Sigh.