Thanksgiving in Rome…
When my dear friend Cecile Leroy asked me to come to Rome for Thanksgiving I thought, “What a great idea. My favorite city at my favorite time of year.” I was born on Thanksgiving Day, so it’s always been a special holiday for me. Cecile has just finished a documentary that she produced, “Black Mirror,” which is a journey with artist Mat Collishano. It’s screened recently at the Casa del Cinema in Rome. Her husband, director Michael Haussman, will soon be starting his film “Good Guys,” which he also wrote. Stephen Dorff and Paz Vega are set to star. My bestie, Giorgio Guidotti, was going to join, so Delta here I come!
From the moment I got in, the weather was great. Wednesday, after a nice workout, Cecile and I walked all over Rome. First stop, AT Juice bar in the Piazza di Pietra. The organic juices and smoothies are delicious, as is the food… perfect fuel to start our day. Next, the Church of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola to see the incredibly beautiful ceiling painted by Andrea Pozzo. Onto Campo di Fiori to get some vegetables for our Thanksgiving feast the next day. The array of vegetables, fruits, and flowers was incredible. I was in heaven… they had my favorite little fraise de bois, and all organic. At this point we were quite hungry, so to Roscioli we went. Roscioli is known for its fantastic meats and cheeses and the restaurant is fabulous also. We sat at the bar and were spoiled rotten by Enrico. After a few glasses of Champagne and some artichokes, without a doubt the best I’ve ever had, we were ready to go home and start cooking!
Related Galleries
Giorgio came in on Thursday and we had a lovely Thanksgiving. Friday was my birthday and Giorgio had arranged a private tour of the Coliseum through Diego Della Valle, as he and Tod’s are so generously funding a huge restoration. It was incredible! I never knew that there was a “veil” that covered the Coliseum and was retractable at many angles. Our guide told us that today they still don’t understand how this was done. Pretty amazing to think with all we know today, we can’t figure out how they covered the place!
Lunch at il Moro – one of my faves — and then a short nap.
Off we went to Piperno for dinner where, much to my surprise, Giorgio and Cecile had arranged dinner for me. Guests included Roxanne Lowit, Marina Cicogna, Mary Louise Scio (chief executive of Il Pellicano and La Posta Vecchia, two of the best hotels around) and her sister Yvonne Scio, who is doing a documentary of Roxanne. It was a fun bunch. We had a ball. We had the house specials, fried artichokes and zucchini blossoms and the delicious risotto. Washed down with a delicious Rosso di Montalcino. The perfect birthday!
Saturday morning we went on a walk with Danilo to the church at the Piazza del Popolo, where there are two beautiful Caravaggios and then a visit to Fellini’s house. Saturday night was the Bellisima Maxa Gala celebrating Italian fashion. As we came in, there was a Vanessa Beecroft installation and the exhibit upstairs. It was beautiful. The perfect end to Magical Rome.