MAXXI experience

Day 3 and Daniel has spotted on the web that the MAXXI museum is open on Sunday. He defnitiely wants to see this. Apparently  its up there with the Guggenheim in term of design. After a leisruely breakfast and (free) taxi to the station, we arrive at the seemingly inevitable Roma Termini.

A walk of 90 minutes takes us finally to the MAXXI - and fair play, it is a stunning building. We spend much of the day here. Daniel goes inside, the philistine reamins outside in the shade on a comfortable chair dozing and occasionally dipping into Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall.

We get hungry so I offer to buy lunch at the very stylish museum cafeteria. Daniel demurs - he's seen a nice looking restaurant a couple of streets back and wants to check the menu. We do and are immediately smitten. This is an outdoors place with tables and parasols scattered across a garden. It's packed but they find a table for us. Menu is simple; it's eat anything you want for 25 euros. But this is no Nandos. The dishes are delicious and keep changing each time one goes back for more. What fun! Daniel stacked his plate each time with whatever caught his fancy. I, on the other hand, was more structured. First, melone & prosciuto crudo; then pastaciutta and pastalforno; next came veal in a cream sauce, with various delicious vegetables, for my next meat dish (ahem) I went for thinly sliced pork in a cream and peppercorn sauce - again with vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, fennel v thinly sliced.I wound up with several desserts, i.e. fresh fruit salad, followed by raspberry blancmange, then various fruit tarts and cake. All wound up with an espesso coffee!

The atmosphere in the place was very lively. There was a party celebrating a first communion of a little girl (dessed all in white) and two other birthday celebrations were in progress. So, there was constant singing and cakes with candles moving from the kitchen to the tables.
The lady of the house came over and spoke to us several times and made us feel very welcome, as did the waiters and other people close by. I think getting off the tourist trail proved successful here and I know Daniel was delighted with his birthday lunch.