Our full Rome itinerary, a miraculous stain remover, and finding joy in the "friction" of 2026
Plus, a modernist take on the Kleenex box
Due to an architectural quirk in our bedroom, when a full moon coincides with clear weather, as it did this morning, I’m woken up by a rectangular shaft of moonlight that shines like a floodlight on my side of the bed, aligned exactly with the size and shape of my pillow. Initially, this irritated me beyond belief; I’d roll over to see my husband blissfully slumbering in a cocoon of darkness while my side of the bed was as bright as day.
Over time, however, I’ve come to love these moonlit wake-ups, especially in the winter, when the ethereal snow-gilt hills give me a new sense of a once-familiar landscape. Argus, my loyal companion, is up with me, and we’re listening to a 17-minute Van Morrison jam session on YouTube, which I discovered thanks to Kathryn Jezer-Morton’s excellent essay In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing. The whole essay is worth reading and re-reading.
Friction-maxxing is not simply a matter of reducing your screen time, or whatever. It’s the process of building up tolerance for “inconvenience” (which is usually not inconvenience at all but just the vagaries of being a person living with other people in spaces that are impossible to completely control) — and then reaching even toward enjoyment. And then, it’s modeling this tolerance, followed by enjoyment and humor, for our kids.
This quote resonated particularly in the first week of a new year, as for many years my single resolution has been to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I was left with a new sense of urgency about the importance of discomfort - or friction, as Jezer-Morton names it.
Waking up at 4:30 am, drenched in a lunar floodlight, certainly qualifies as friction, but it’s a good place as any to start embracing discomfort and yes, find the humor in this wild string of days we call life.
A. I gasped when I saw this Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper at a friend’s house - so dramatic and a real showstopper!
B. I want to try transplanting my asparagus fern into a round glass vase just like this.
C. This “handkerchief” vase caught my eye, as did the tulips! Spring, I’m ready for you!
D. Speaking of blowing noses, everyone - everywhere - is sick. We've fought off two colds in two weeks here - and we’re going through Kleenex like nobody's business. This is a very elegant tissue holder.
E. On an even more practical note, three of the four of us are prone to bloody noses, which means I spend a lot of time tackling blood-stained clothes and sheets. StainRx is nothing short of miraculous at removing blood stains (both fresh and laundered).
F. I love fairytale retellings - particularly Beauty and the Beast retellings - and somehow this set of china (at auction at Leland Little) seemed right out of a fairytale to me.
I occasionally include affiliate links - typically to products from Etsy, Ebay, 1st Dibs, Bookshop, and yes, sometimes, Amazon. Affiliate links are bolded so you know when I’ve used one. Our most consistent political power comes from exercising our values via our wallets. I’m always thinking about cost, accessibility, and the planet. It’s a work in progress.
One thing that always stymies me at the very beginning of planning a trip is deciding exactly how many days to stay somewhere, what time is best to fly out of and into, etc., etc., etc. So today, at the urging of some of you in the comments on my previous post on Rome, I’m sharing our trip in exhaustive detail, just in case someone else is stuck on the logistics. And, if Rome isn’t your bag, if travelogues bore you, no hard feelings. I’ll be back next week with an excellent The Good Stuff interview with Katy Elliot.
We spent the week before Thanksgiving in Rome, flying home on the actual US holiday. This worked for us with our kids, their Thanksgiving break, and weather-wise, it was warmer than Connecticut - we packed hats, coats, gloves, and waterproof shoes, but really only needed our winter gear one day. I’d 100% go back to Rome in November again.
Friday: We flew out on a Friday 7:30 pm flight from JFK, landing at 9am on Saturday morning, Rome time. We stayed in this fantastic apartment which we booked for an extra day so we could check in as soon as we landed.
We knew going into this trip that there was no way to “see it all,” so we opted to leave plenty of time to wander rather than overdo it. We ended up making one excursion plan and one dinner reservation a day, and that worked out really well for our mixed age group - a 7-year-old, a 16-year-old, Tim, myself, and Tim’s mother.
Saturday: Explored Trastevere. Santini - a combination cafe, wine store, bakery, pizza/sandwich place became our “go to” for any meal we needed and for stocking provisions. There are at least three other grocery stores nearby where we picked up water bottles, ground coffee for our moka pot, and milk, but we didn’t cook much on this trip (the takeaway pizza from Santini was divine). My favorite cafe was I Dolci di Checco. I also loved art store Ditta Poggi. For those of you with kids seven and under, this is a great playground in Trastevere. Check out Le Levain nearby for coffee and a snack. Dinner: Da Etta (around the corner from AirBnB) (Map Link)
Sunday: Colosseum Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, and dinner at Roscioli.
Monday: Another exploring day - it was rainy, so we went to RINASCENTE - a great department store with a lovely rooftop cafe for lunch (make sure to see the aqueduct in the basement!) and dinner at Pommidoro dal 1890 (Stanley Tucci’s favorite carbonara). On the way, we saw this!
Tuesday Vatican Tour with St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and dinner: La Gattabuia (near AirBnB). NB: The Vatican tour almost did me in - I would not recommend planning anything else this day - and make sure to eat and hydrate beforehand, and afterwards plan on lying on the couch for a few hours. It’s truly overstimulating.
Wednesday Private Golf Cart tour of Catacombs & Ancient Appian Way (Pickup and return at our AirBnB). This was my favorite thing we did - highly recommend - especially with a mixed age group!
Rome Street Photography Tour (for Alex) and Sketching Tour with Kelly Medford for the rest of us, and dinner at Roma Sparita (Best cacio e Pepe in Rome, according to Anthony Bourdain).
Here it is, all the recommendations friends sent us once they heard we were going to Rome. I’ve organized them by neighborhood. I was generally overwhelmed by the volume of recommendations and so just saved places to a Google Maps list - and when we were wandering around, I’d periodically check the map to see if we were close to anything someone had recommended.
Centro Storico (Trevi, Pantheon & Spanish Steps)
Il Piccolo Arancio (Trevi) Website: piccoloarancio.it | Instagram: @piccoloarancioroma
“It is close to the Trevi Fountain. My local friend says that despite its very touristy location, it is absolutely delicious and authentic.”
Pianostrada (Regola/Campo de’ Fiori) Website: pianostrada.it | Instagram: @pianostrada
“Maybe our favorite restaurant, really lovely, owned by women. Beautiful back garden.”
Roscioli Salumeria (Regola) Website: salumeriaroscioli.com | Instagram: @rosciolisalumeria
“So good; lots of salami, etc; kind of a funny cluttered space (it’s in a store) and hard to get a table but very delicious and fun.”
Da Bolognese (Piazza del Popolo) Website: dalbolognese.it | Instagram: @ristorantedalbolognese
Matricianella (Near Piazza di Spagna) Website: matricianella.it | Instagram: @matricianellaroma
“Really old-school.”
Caffè Ciampini (San Lorenzo in Lucina) Website: ristoranteciampini.com | Instagram: @ciampiniroma
“We had great luck at Ciampini (also good for coffee/snack during the day).”
Verso Sera (Campo de’ Fiori) Website: versosera.it | Instagram: @versosera_roma
“Great lunch near the Pantheon.”
San Luigi Dei Francesi (Near Pantheon) Website: saintlouis-rome.net
“Visit the nearby San Luigi Dei Francesi church, where you can admire the most stunning Caravaggios.”
Musei Capitolini (Museum) Website: museicapitolini.org | Instagram: @museiincomuneroma
“Favorite museum... in the very center.”
Chez Dede (Shopping) Website: chezdede.com | Instagram: @chezdede
“For a beautifully curated selection of clothes, vintage things, and decor.”
Schostal (Shopping) Website: schostal.com | Instagram: @schostalroma_official
“For amazing simple men’s stuff and the most beautiful PJs—I wear their nightshirts as a dress, and they’re my favorite thing.”
Il Bisonte (Shopping) Website: ilbisonte.com | Instagram: @ilbisonteofficial
“For leather goods (there’s one in NYC, but this is better!).”
Hotel de la Ville (Hotel) Website: roccofortehotels.com | Instagram: @hoteldelaville_rome
“Offered what was essentially a golf-cart tour of Rome... GREAT. A lovely overview of the city.”
Jewish Ghetto
Giggetto al Portico d’OttaviaWebsite: giggetto.it | Instagram: @giggettoalportico
“It is a well-known restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto where once again you can have some of the best fried artichokes.”
Piperno Website: ristorantepiperno.it | Instagram: @ristorantepiperno
Al Pompiere Website: alpompiereroma.com | Instagram: @ristorantealpompiere
Monti & Celio (Colosseum Area)
La Carbonara (Monti) Website: lacarbonara.it | Instagram: @lacarbonararoma
Alle Carrette (Monti) Website: Instagram Only
“Super-casual pizza near the Coliseum.”
Osteria 22 Quattro (Near Colosseum/San Giovanni) Website: osteria22quattro.it | Instagram: @osteria22quattro
“A reservation is mandatory because the place is tiny... I will never forget the reviving and mood-altering effect of their incredible food. Be ready for their burrata.”
Basilica di San Clemente Website: basilicasanclemente.com
“A church built on top of another church, which, unbelievably, is built on top of another church... It’s so moving.”
Prati & Vatican
Il Matriciano Website: ilmatriciano.it | Instagram: @il_matriciano
“I’ve eaten there 3 times in a week... I highly recommend artichoke Jewish style... You have my permission to binge on their fresh buffalo mozzarella.”
Romane Website: romaneviacipro106.it | Instagram: @romane_roma
“A friend recently went and said it was THE BEST meal he had in Rome.”
Castel Sant’Angelo Website: castelsantangelo.beniculturali.it | Instagram: @castelsantangelo
“Head to the top... just at sunset... There is a cafe up there with beautiful views out over Rome.”
Testaccio & Ostiense
Pecorino (Testaccio) Website: ristorantepecorino.it
Felice a Testaccio Website: feliceatestaccio.com | Instagram: @feliceatestaccio
“Amazing pasta (so-so meats, but you’re there for the pasta!), very low-key.”
Centrale Montemartini (Ostiense) Website: centralemontemartini.org | Instagram: @museiincomuneroma
“My favorite museum in Rome is off the beaten path and is an old electric plant turned archaeological museum.”
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Le Mani in Pasta (Trastevere) Website: Facebook Page
Antico Arco (Gianicolo) Website: anticoarco.it | Instagram: @antico_arco_roma
“Supposed to be great for an easy lunch-- it’s near the American Academy.”
Whew! If you go to Rome, let me know your favorite spots! xoxoxo
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I love Rome so much…it was a city a didn’t expect to love so much. I think it really deserves a month stay to really take it all in…maybe someday?!? 🙃
Just got back from Florence and a couple of days in Rome. So great. I die for even the little street name plaques on the building walls. I could go to art museums all day.