Eat Pray Did You Love the Film?

My great love of film has already predisposed me well to becoming a Roman as what I lack in my vegetarianism, I can claw back as a film buff.  For a Roman, going to the cinema is up there in his top 5 pursuits of pleasure during winter, so when a film opens which was actually filmed in the city, its release is greatly anticipated and then slammed if it doesn't represent Rome the way Romans see Rome.  Last Sunday, I finally got to see Eat Pray Love with Gastro-gnome by my side, painfully groaning at any hint of a stereotype. Mario Lanza singing Arrivederci Roma in The Seven Hills of Rome made him howl like wounded animal years ago. Eat Pray was considerably more enjoyable for both of us although less so for the Roman press. You be the judge. 

  

Filming took place in and around Piazza Navona which doesn’t stick strictly to the  locations in Elizabeth Gilbert's much loved, best selling memoir, but it is visually stunning on the screen. Elizabeth is played by Julia Roberts and the book was described as "a travel map for those lost in the middle of their lives" For those who would like a travel map of the locations visited in the film and book read on... 

Julia Roberts as Liz stays in an apartment in Via dei Portoghesi which had remained shrouded in tarpaulin and scaffolding ever since the film shoot until a few weeks ago.  Presumably the influx of funds from Hollywood has paid for its complete overhaul. The building is stunning but unfortunately has lost the crumbling, ivy clad beauty it had before. I shudder to think what Rome would look like if there were enough money to renovate the whole city in this way. Liz in the book stayed nearer to the Spanish Steps in the back streets where Audrey Hepburn wandered with Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday.  

Julia Roberts as Liz chats to Luca Spaghetti in a Barber's shop which can also be found in Via dei Portoghesi below the same apartment . It is a barber's shop in real life too but not as antiquated in style as it appeared in the film. 

Julia Roberts as Liz exchanges language with the handsome Italian in what appears to be a typical Roman trattoria with red and white tableclothes.  Strangely with a huge choice on hand, a bar was adapted for the shot. The bar in question was “Caffe delle Pace”, a wonderful place to sit outside for an aperitif around 7pm or inside to curl up in winter with a delicious slice of sachertorte chocolate cake.  H E A V E N !

Julia Roberts as Liz sending her final email to David may have also been filmed inside the same location.  I believe Liz in the book wrote the email in a much less attractive venue, namely the sleazy Easy Internet Cafe in Piazza Barberini. It has since closed and become a bank.

Julia Roberts as Liz shows off her Italian by reeling off everyone's food order on a leafy open terrace. The terrace belongs to the Santa Lucia Restaurant in front of the Hotel Raphael which is almost completely obscured by a wall of ivy. I can't recommend this restaurant as I've never tried it. The location is fabulous and romantic but possibly a little touristy.  I can however recommend the luxurious Hotel Raphael for its fantastic location and roof-top terrace, tucked away behind Piazza Navona. The service can be indifferent but it's in Rome; Romans don't do servile unless they have little else to offer.  I promise you that's not the case here.  

Julia Roberts as Liz eats an ice cream sitting in Piazza Navona. Where she bought it isn't shown in the film. I've seen the credit given to Gelateria San Crispino as the American press professes this chain to serve the best ice cream in Rome. I think it's over-priced and over-rated but the flavours with meringue in are a triumph so definitely try it out.  Liz in the book surely tried ice cream everywhere and at one point she clearly makes a reference to my favourite, secret gelateria where she was taken by a food critic to taste the best rice ice cream on the planet.


So enjoy the film, Elizabeth Gilbert is certainly pleased with it and I will go on explaining to Gastro-gnome why she chose to travel to India and Bali to Pray and Love when all three actions are a blissful priority right here in the Eternal City.  Beats me! If it had been called Eat, Pray,Work then she would definitely have been sent on her merry way...

37 means off-colour, 38 means off work

If a Roman says he has a 38, you could be forgiven for thinking he’s about to stick a pistol into your ribs and make off with your Fendi clutch bag. In fact, he’s probably letting you know he’s about to cancel on you; meeting, lesson, meal, date, he won’t be coming because he has “la febbre”, a fever which adult Romans succumb to on average once every three months.  A fever which I, by comparison, seem to be  immune to. This could be because unlike Romans I don’t employ a thermometre as regularly as a toothbrush, or because the hardworking Briton still stowed away inside me is resisting the ethos of 37 means off-colour and 38 means off work. 

This month will be a particularly challenging one for Romans, healthwise, as “Cambio di Stagione”, the change of season approaches. It’s puzzling to observe how Roman health falters when the change is from mild winter to balmy spring but in the weeks to come, the incidence of hypochondra will skyrocket. Many a reception and phone will go unmanned as "Cambio di Stagione" will be blamed for causing more chaos than the "wrong snow" does in England. Phantom sore throats will be wrapped up in woolly scarves tighter than Egyptian mummies, by Italian mummies. These scarves will stay in place whether blocked in traffic in one’s Smart, struggling with the present perfect in one's English lesson or cooking the last of this season’s artichokes in one’s kitchen.  

Bt the end of April  the climax of “Cambio di Stagione” will have taken place, usually during the final weekend.  Tourists will  continue to navigate Rome, in open-toed sandals and an unsightly mixture of linen and wool, oblivious to the mania underway in Roman homes as winter wardrobes are dutifully packed away and replaced by light to medium-weight spring wear. Once upon a time back in England the only difference between my winter and summer wardrobes was a bobble hat.  Nowadays, I too happily perform this ritual, safe in the knowledge that my cashmere won't see the light of day until October unless of course I find myself in England this August. 

There’s no doubt that Romans take the change of season very seriously, especially when it comes to clothes and food; this includes ice cream. From April onwards, the selection of ice cream increases to include a myriad of fruit flavours as technically chocolate and nut based ice creams go out of season although thankfully they aren’t stored away with winter woollies.  My gelateria recommendations will be plentiful during this new season as my passion for ice cream forms a solid bridge across my ongoing Anglo Saxon to Latin transformation. The photo at the top of  this post is of the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my life. Most Romans don’t even know the place exists and if Gastro-gnome has his way, they never will so I won't be giving away this Roman secret just yet. Winter flavours include rice pudding but the approaching “Cambio di Stagione” has already prompted the return of rose petal and wild strawberries soaked in strawberry liqueur and mixed into vanilla.  My ultimate quality test of any gelateria in any season is its pistachio and the pistachio here is D I V I N E.   

Fortunately I do have permission for the first of my Gelateria recommendations  “Gelateria del Teatro” . The ice cream is homemade with fresh fruit not sticky syrups. A short video of the production plays while you are choosing, or you can actually book a private demo by appointment. The pistachio is delicious and many flavours are innovative. Winter saw chocolate with Nero D’avola red wine. This season’s flavours include Sicilian lemoncake and raspberry vanilla with sage. There’s free seating outside around mosaiced tables and a convenient Roman drinking fountain at the foot of the staircase which leads to a small theatre above the gelateria. The location is certainly charming.  A couple of Tripadvisor reviews report dodgy service which I agree can be a little distant while the focus falls heavily on product quality. I recommend this place to chocolate ice cream fanatics who wish to enjoy a full range of chocolate flavours post Cambio di Stagione, still wearing medium to heavy winter wear. Romans will of course assume you are dressed to perform on the stage upstairs in A Winter’s Tale. 

Gelateria del Teatro: 5 minutes walk from Piazza Navona towards Castel Sant' Angelo. Take a 280 bus along the Tiber. No metro nearby. 

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