Christmas day 2010 ROME

The Festivities started last night when our old friend and colleague of many years B. invited us to her house  for Christmas Eve dinner, she is an excellent cook and a great and elegant hostess, in a way rarely seen in this day and age.  We started the evening with a Jeroboam of Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Champagne and with little hors d' oeuvre of seafood. Then for dinner on a beautiful table, Foie Gras with more champagne. The main dish was turkey with vegetables and dessert a Panettone stuffed with pistachio ice cream, I had never seen such a thing, absolutely wonderful. We drove home down Via Nomentana which was almost deserted of cars in a Rome that is quiet and silent, in a way so unusual for this city.

Today we rose late, took care of the puppies and then opened a bottle of Champagne and had panettone while we opened our gifts, I gave Will 2 paintings of Rome by a Canadian artist, scenes of the city not often seen but known to Will. I received a beautiful Cashmire scarf and 3 books, one on a specialized topic of Roman Aqueducts by A.Trevor Hodge, published by Duckworth UK. Of the numerous aqueducts built by the Romans to supply the Eternal City with water quite a few still work. What is amazing is the description of the team of maintenance men needed to keep the system going and the incredible feat of engineering in an age when knowledge of mathematics and construction was still rudimentary.

W and I also got a beautiful drawing of the basilica of St-Francis in Assisi on this the 800th anniversary of the founding of the order by St-Francis.

Lunch was more Foie Gras and rack of lamb, I enjoyed it a lot and W did a wonderful job, as always, in the preparation.

Foie Gras is my weakness, I really cannot resist it.

Tomorrow a few friends may drop by for a drink, otherwise it will be quiet.