Winter in Rome

I recently got an email that signed off with the exclamation Happy Winter! (what does that mean in Rome?) I feel kind of bad about the answer to that question. While my son in Boston is buried under historic amounts of snow and my mother and brothers are freezing in eastern Tennessee, I see pals Instagrams of icy New York and the Chesapeake Bay and I feel a teensy twinge of guilt about the bright blue Roman sky and the leafy trees heavy with oranges that I pass on my walk to yoga in the morning. Here is a little secret. Winter in Rome is pretty wonderful.

Yes there are rainy days and during Christmas and New Years it was (for Rome) very very cold, most of the days from December until March come with sunny days and memorable sunsets. Now I am a summer girl. I love hot lazy afternoons, preferably under an umbrella next to the sea, but I have learned to look forward to and savor these short winter days. I love going to the hot springs and indulging in Carnevale treats. The crunch of bitter, lemony, anchovy topped puntarelle is a favorite cold weather delight of mine. Even better if it comes as an accompiamnet to piping hot fried baccala and a cold beer atDar Filettaro a Santa Barbara. And the oranges! I eat tart crimson slices on salads and for an afternoon snack and can hardly pass my local bar without stopping in for a glass of freshly squeezed "spremuta d'arancia." 

So to my friends and family still freezing in colder climes I offer my apologies. And an invitation to come to Rome next winter.