Ciao and Buonasera! Tonight it’s Italian night, but instead of cooking we’re ordering in pizza, picking up gelato, and watching Roman Holiday! If you’re in need of Saturday evening inspiration, this should be an easy and delicious one for tonight!

Let’s set the mood

When I think of an Italian Night, songs from the Rat Pack always come to mind. So look up Frank and Dean on your spotify and get ready for some good-old Italian-American crooning!

Time to Pour the Drinks

If you’re traveling around Italy in the summer, you’ll see a lot of Italians and tourists sipping on orange drinks before their dinner. This is usually an Aperol spritz or a Negroni. My personal favorite was the spritz, but Mike preferred the Negroni, which is gin, vermouth, and Campari.

The Aperol spritz is made with 3 parts Aperol, 2 parts Prosecco, and a splash of soda. A pretty easy drink to make once you have all the ingredients. Here’s a quick video on how to make the cocktail.

If this sounds too involved, just pick yourself up a bottle of Italian wine. You can’t go wrong with that and it will be perfect with dinner!

Let’s Get Cooking (or ordering)

If you’re short on time, then plan to order in a pizza. But if you’re in the mood why not try making your own pizza?! In Rome there are two types of pizza you can typically find. Lots of restaurants serve Neapolitan style (my personal favorite!), but you can also get your hands on the rectangle sliced Roman pizza–usually in to-go spots. One of my favorite places in Rome to get a slice of the Roman Style was at Forno in Campo De’ Fiori (which I mention in my Rome guide) and I recently came across this recipe which tries to recreate their pizza crust! Definitely on my to-do list to try to make at home!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Tonight is an old classic! Have you seen it before? We actually rented this a month ago and I had forgotten how good it was! Sometimes old movies are really boring, but Audrey Hepburn is so charming in this and the scenes of Rome are amazing! I can only imagine what it would have been like to explore Rome without the amount of tourists the city hosts today. I also think following the film locations from this movie would be a great way to tour the city. Food for thought if you are planning a trip soon!

Dolce far Niente

I love the phrase, “Dolce far Niente” in Italian, which translates to the sweetness of doing nothing. So spend the rest of your evening relaxing and enjoying the moment. And since we’re ending the night on a sweet note, you better add gelato into the mix. I love the scene on the Spanish steps where Audrey Hepburn enjoys her Gelato.

So before the movie head over to your grocery store and pick up a pint. Or better yet, make your own at home if you have an ice cream maker.

That’s it for now.

Happy Travels!

xo,

Jenny