Fettuccine and an Empty Museum

On my walk to work every morning, I pass an enormous entrance to a building that makes it impossible not to turn my head and glance inside. It is the entrance to Palazzo Corsini, which belonged to the Corsini Family in the 18th century until one of its members sold it to the Kingdom of Italy, turning it into the first Italian National Gallery. I finally scratched the curiosity I had to see what this important palace held inside. But first… food!

For those of us who enjoy exploring, we all know you need to be fueled up before you begin your adventure. I went to Est Artigiani del Gusto for lunch, a lovely restaurant tucked in a small vicolo between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, with attentive service and a real-life nonna as the head chef.

I had gone a few times before and always eyed the fettuccine with porcini mushrooms on the menu, and this time it felt right to finally order them. I was in the mood for a creamy pasta, and this hit just the spot. Knowing the pasta was handmade by the sweet older woman who always pauses her work to say hello made it taste even better.

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you know what comes next: coffee! A post-lunch coffee has become essential to my daily routine; without a shot of the liquid Italy runs on, my day simply can’t go on. Just across Corso Vittorio Emanuele on Via del Pellegrino (one of my favorite streets in Rome) is a very hip specialty coffee shop called Barnum. Unfortunately, tourists have discovered it via viral posts, but don’t let the line deter you; the coffee is top-notch, and the sweet treats are delicious. Tip: if you take your coffee at the banco, you can skip the line!

Correct Italian etiquette means nothing more than an espresso macchiato after 11 am, but if you happen to go for breakfast, I highly recommend their flat white. As for the sweet treats, I fell in love with the simple yet iconic chocolate chip cookie and never fail to get it whenever I stop for a coffee. If you have time, ask for some colored pencils to add to their drawing wall!

Palazzo Corsini isn’t one of Rome’s famous tourist destinations, which makes it a very calm museum, even more so around 18:30h, about an hour before it closes. It houses mainly Italian art from the early Renaissance to the late 18th century. The section open to visitors is small enough that you can see the collection in an hour or less. Small but mighty and delightful when empty, this is what I saw inside:

I felt like the palace was open just for my friend and me. I saw a few other art admirers and one young man sketching a statue in his notebook, who knows what drew him to that one in particular. Now each time I pass by the colossal building on Via della Lungara, I smile to myself, thinking of what’s on the other side of the tall walls. All this to say, go to that museum, palace, courtyard, gallery, whatever it is, that’s been faintly calling your name (and have some lunch before); you never know what’s been waiting for you all this time.

Grazie mille and wishing you the best food adventures,

Nadà

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