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 Cruise the National Mall with Bike and Roll’s guided “Monuments” tour. Look for tell-tale classical Italian architectural motifs – “Look Papa! A Palladian portico on the U.S. Capitol!” Noted American artist Daniel Chester French may have designed the statue of Abraham Lincoln, but he employed the six Tuscany-born, Bronx-based Piccirilli brothers to carve the monumental figure. Completed in 1919, the statue is a powerhouse piece of American public art.
 Spend the afternoon at the National Gallery of Art for Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals (Feb. 20-May 31). Refuel with a Venetian-inspired lunch in the gallery’s Garden Cafe, or pause to sample a shot or a scoop in the Espresso and Gelato Bar. Don’t leave the National Gallery without standing face-to-face with “Ginevra de’ Benci,” the only Leonardo da Vinci portrait in the Americas.
 Once the sun goes down, gather your gang for a family-style meal at Carmine’s or Buca di Beppo. Most of the pastas, salads, entrees and desserts are intended to serve at least four diners. Groups are welcome, and everyone is expected to share. |
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Begin the morning in DC’s ultimate power spot: the U.S. Capitol. Look up. Way up! The impressive frescos that encircle the giant dome were painted by Constantino Brumidi in 1852. He volunteered to paint the rotunda and other rooms, and was paid $10 day for his commission.
Take an afternoon stroll from the Capitol to Eastern Market, where you can select the makings of an excellent picnic. DC’s oldest continually operated public marketplace is home to vendors who make and sell artisanal salumi, breads and cheeses.
Hop on the Metro and head to Brookland neighborhood, also known as DC’s “Little Rome.” The area surrounding Catholic University earned the nickname because of the number of Roman Catholic sites. Tours of Franciscan Monastery are offered daily until 3 pm. The gardens are especially pretty and flower-filled in the springtime.
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Wake up with a ride on Metro’s Red Line to Dupont Circle where local java-nuts swear by the Italian brews at Illy Caffe inside the Renaissance Washington DC Dupont Circle. North of the Metro station, Dolcezza brews “caffe dolce” in the tradition of central Italy, a popular morning boost.
Spend your afternoon at the Phillips Collection. Celebrating its 90th birthday in 2011 as America’s oldest gallery of modern art. Among Phillips significant crowd-pleasers by Italian painters are canvases by Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio da Chirico and Giorgio Morandi. Catch Philip Guston, Roma (Feb. 12-May 15) a survey of work painted during his sojourns in Italy’s capital.
Celebrate la dolce vita with the kids. Host a pizza party at one of DC’s many wood-fired pie heavens. Casa Nonna bakes authentic thin-crusted beauties near Dupont. Il Canale in Georgetown imported their oven, brick-by-brick from Naples. The closest pizza oven to the White House can be found at Potenza, a lively downtown trattoria. |
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