Pizza, Pasta, and more Carbohydrates - Rome

First, I must apologize for the lack of posts by RD'lite. I have not been doing much cooking at home and have not been inspired to cook or blog - until I got an opportunity to travel!

I was lucky enough to visit Italy for 10 days in May. In typical RD fashion, I took pictures of (almost) everything I ate. There are way too many pictures and meals for just one blog post, so I have decided to blog the major cities separately. This first picture is not of food, but of the coliseum which was one of my favorite sights in Rome. I didn't know until I got home, but It's one of the seven (and I think now 8) wonders of the world - Thank you Boyfriend!
Now on to the food... In Italy they begin dinner with an appetizer - usually antipasti, followed by a small pasta dish, and then a main entree (usually meat and potatoes). The salad comes after the main course and then dessert to finish. There is always bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar on the table, and the bread basket is rarely empty. Yes, you read that correctly, that's a whole lot of carbohydrates! Pasta, potatoes, and bread in one meal - I have no idea how the Italians are so skinny. During the entire meal, they serve copious amounts of delicious wine which is also super cheap (<>

Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers and who knew it could get even better?! I didn't know that bruschetta came with anything other than tomatoes, and maybe some cheese. Artichokes were in season during my visit, and the Italians sure cooked them every which way. They even put it on bruschetta - so delicious!
For the second course I had the most wonderful gnocchi I have ever tasted. It was so light and not too filling. Just absolutely perfect with the bolognese sauce! Unfortunately, Italian food is not as photogenic as it is tasty. I was so full after my appetizer and pasta dish that I couldn't order a main course also. Come to think of it, I don't think I got past the pasta part at any meal.
AHHH probably one of my favorite parts of being in Italy - the WINE! This bottle is only half of a liter of the house wine. They literally poor the wine out of the barrel upon ordering it - so cool. I also found it funny that in America, we have special glasses for different types of wine. In Italy, they pour the wine into water glasses. They also give you a glass that's really used for water, but it's much smaller than the one that's meant for wine.
During my trip, a typical brunch for me was a salami and cheese sandwich or slice of pizza. They had these delicious sandwiches all over the streets in little snack cafes for about 3.50 euros. The pizza I speak of is not your typical slice of NYC pizza, but more like a little personal pizza - so cute.
I visited an outdoor market in the middle of Rome that looked much like the farmer's markets in the US. The market was bustling with both locals and tourists, and there were only a few foods I didn't recognize.
These tiny artichokes were in season, and I have never seen such small artichokes before. Restaurants fry the whole thing and it can be eaten with a fork and knife rather than each leaf individually. A much more civilized way of eating artichokes if you ask me.
Still not sure what these red and white pods are... if anyone knows, please let me know! They look so cool though. I have to assume they are some type of bean though.

These were the biggest beets I have ever seen! Don't they look delicious?
More artichokes - never seen them on stems in Safeway...
This last picture of fruits and veggies in a store front was taken in Siena. A very cute hill town. This picture is such a dietitian's dream - check out all those colorful fruits. I was very surprised how available fresh fruits and vegetables are on the streets and in markets, yet how uncommon they are as part of a meal.

Much more revelations about Italians, Italian food, and pictures to come in my post about Florence - Stay tuned!