Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Gelato includes egg making it creamier than ice cream. San Crispino Gelateria, near the Trevi Fountain at Via della Panetteria 42, is reputed to be the bestHonestly, I don’t know. After trying the crème (caramel) gelato tonight at the place that the NY Times and other regarded sources deemed the best gelati (don’t be caught calling the plural of gelato anything else) in Rome, if not all of Italy, I don’t really know the difference. They all seem to be creamy, rich, and full of flavor. But can you really say that one is so much better than another as to be called the best in Italy? It seems like a stretch. One …

For the Florence to Rome leg of our tour, we decided to take the scenic route and forego the autobahn in favor of the coastal highway. This gave us a chance to drive through Pisa and see the famous leaning tower (there’s no way to go there and not take a picture like the one to the left). The tower has been closed for several years to people climbing its steps for a view from the top but had reopened just a week before we arrived. This seemed like a stroke of luck until we learned that tickets were sold out for many hours. If we had any chance of making Rome that night, there would …