They say that life is a series of memories that events we’ve experienced had left with us. Something like traces in the time. Everything is transient, nothing lasts forever. Unless, of course The Eternal City – Rome. I do not really know whether all roads lead to Rome, but somehow today my present crossed its paths with Rome in the past. I recalled memories which haven’t been visiting my mind for years. This oddly nostalgic mood may be caused by planets, or it’s just the spring, the Easter, or the clamor from the Burgas Sea Garden and all the family gathered together for the holiday – all mixed to blow some long forgotten pictures from my childhood. 25 years ago this place was a gas station. I do not remember when exactly it was built. Somewhere in my early childhood years perhaps. This gas station known as the Gas station in Lazur, was there ever since I can recall. I spent the best days of my early life in this area. When people asked me where I live, I used to say – there, near the entrance to the Flora complex, next to the gas stations. Everybody knew that place. The Gas station was there when I was coming back from school, was there when all the kids from the neighbourhood were gathering in big groups to play, it was there when I was coming back home from the college, it was there when years later I was visiting my parents.
This year I spent Easter at home with the family. The next morning I woke up, I went out on the balcony to have my morning coffee, and looked at the old gas station by habit. Several children were playing on the swings in that morning, their parents were having a cup of coffee in the smoker’s area and staff of the Bistro Cafe Roma restaurant was busy preparing for lunch. I smiled the Italian flag encircling the four sides of the restaurant building, had a sip of coffee and I said to myself how well this place goes on the background of fresh spring greenery. It seemed like the Italian restaurant has always been here. As you know, since I can remember, this restaurant has held a green area between the blocks and the Sea Garden. Great idea, I thought, to have a nice bistro where to drink a beer in the evenings when you’re too lazy to get dressed and go down to the town center. To have your restaurant two steps away from your place is great. It’s much even better when the cozy restaurant is an Italian restaurant! I sipped the coffee again and went back inside.
3 hours later, I realized how odd the human brain is. How quickly we forget and how in the most unexpected moment can it resurrect back memories out of the blue. If you think about it, you decide you’ve forgotten those childhood stories years ago. The Gas station was in front of my eyes all my life. And now it’s no longer here. Two months ago, in January they demolished the old building and started a construction of a new facility. It was nice realizing that the new building is in fact the new Bistro Cafe Roma in Burgas. I recognize it right away when they put the metal structures and the Apollo – Versace ornaments on top. The owner of Bistro Cafe Roma is Bulgarian, but the restaurant is known as pizzeria and the atmosphere represents a typical Italian restaurant in Burgas, Italy and worldwide. Except for the tablecloths – they aren’t red and white squared. Apparently there is something in common between the Italians in Burgas and Apollo – another bunch of are funny memories from my very recent past.

Let’s go back to Roma. My path is still somehow curved around this Eternal city. I’ve missed visiting Rome at least 4 times. Still the rest of Italy is quite familiar to me. We have our history. Whether we love us or not, like or dislike – this is debatable. Surely there is some karmic connection and un/healthy relationship between me and Italy. I love Italian food. Friends say that the pizzas I make are more delicious than the pizzas in any Italian restaurant in Burgas. For the Italian pasta am not an expert, although I learned a thing or two the last year. I already know what andente means. I learned how to tell when is the right time, to take the boiling pasta out of the heat and drain it properly. I understood the difference between small types of Italian pasta and the methods of cooking and choosing the right ingredients. I discovered the importance of the so-called farfalle – small type Italian pasta in the form of ribbons or butterflies. In search of farfalle, and stocking it “just in case” one day it turned out that not only there were 4 packages of this type of Italian pasta in the kitchen cabinet, but there were two cute little raw farfalle or butterflies living comfortably in my bag.
Back in the old days, as kids we chased to catch butterflies in the green grass around the gas station that thrive almost as much as our height. We ate green peaches with the moss straight from the peach tree that grew in the yard. At the entrance of the old gas station was a white painted stripped bench .We were not allowed to hang out there during the day. After 16.00 when it was closing time, all kids gathered and sat on this old scrubbed bench and we began to play “movies”. The game was easy – describing a certain movie with mime and gestures, and the others had to guess it. Now when I think how little we knew about cinema back then. Yet the films were different. Today we often look for a restaurant with a TV. Sometimes we played ball in the yard of the gas station. Now we are looking for a restaurant with a TV where to watch football games or matches from the World Cup 2014. On the same white bleached bench we made our first steps in foreign languages learning. Whichever of us has had a big brother or sister and knew two-three words in English, Italian, and French was sharing the knowledge with the rest of the children. We were writing the foreign words on the pavement with chalk and arguing about the correct to pronunciation. Today, you can sit at one of the tables in the friendly Bistro Cafe Roma, open the menu and learn some Italian by reading it. The Italian dishes menu includes: Tagliatelle Roma, Pizza Prosciutto is Fungi, Pizza Quattro Fromaggi, and Chocolate Mousse with Mascarpone.

It seems like the past and present stand somehow naturally together – they fold and unfold individually and collectively blurring the lines between them. Has everything changed, or it’s somewhat more or less broadly the same. The old gas station is gone. But again there are voices, flow of people and a place where can children play. Maybe foreign words are not written with chalk on the ground, but are there – printed with ink on the menu of an Italian restaurant Bistro Cafe Roma. The “movies” game is more about telling stories from our lifes or listening to a dramedy conversation between two lovers on the next table.
I remembered one more thing – the game of “Jokes” – two or three children conspired to joke and show it out like a theater play to the others. Now it seems the biggest and funniest jokes that we tell is how much we have changed since then, how life has changed, how we have grown… The truth is we’re actually the same kids, only we want more and bigger things of life to enjoy. While everyone has took its way, sooner or later it will lead him to Rome. If not, I recommend you to visit Bistro Cafe Roma in Burgas and who knows, you may meet your Italian who will take you to Rome.

For years we haven’t watched such sport spirit which Ludogorets Razgrad showed tonight. They were loosing by 0-2 at home, and they managed to catch up, score and turn the total score in their favor . And there, just seven minutes before the end of the match the our goalkeeper received a 3rd goal in his net. Even this final minutes cold shower didn’t scared or disbelieved the Bulgarian team. Ludogorets Razgrad players found the courage, the strength and the will to fight until the end. They dared and they scored and equalizing goal and by thus the Ludogorets team won the right to be a part of 2014 Europe League 1/8 finals. We know Lazio as a very good team, but for years the Italian team is one of the mediocre football teams in the Serie A. Lazio came to Sofia, Bulgaria with the advantage of being strong team, with many years of all kind of international football competitions. But although all the Lazio’s high played class football players on the field, the team failed to show us more than just an ordinary game with no sings of fair play.

So the Italians in Sofia – Lazio team and managers, fans and supporters were forced to pack up quietly the bags and go home with unpleasant memories. What about the Bulgarians – our joy and euphoria can not be described with words. The only thing that can make our happiness more to somehow wave the beautiful earned Bulgarian win in front the faces of all the Italians in Burgas. We imagined ourselves smiling widely to the Italians in BarBossa, nodding our head toward the TV. Hey, did you hear that Ludogorets Razgrad eliminated Lazio Rome from the finals of the Europe League? And then we remembered that these Italians in Burgas are not very interested in football.

And we have always been fans of Neftohimic Burgas, Chernomorets Burgas, CSKA. And yet Ludogorets won our hearts! So we will be with the Bulgarian team in two weeks when facing Valencia. Valencia is a beautiful city. Very beautiful. But we promise not to step there, nor in Sofia for the next stage of Europe League matches. We will stay in front of the TV in order to continue the winning row. Guess we are somehow superstitious.

But our promise is in the days around matches between Ludogorets Razgrad – Valencia to visit our favorite Spanish restaurants in Varna and bars serving Spanish cuisine in Burgas.
The first game for the Europa League 1/8 finals is between Ludogorets Razgrad – Valencia on 13th March, Thursday in Sofia. So we think the previous weekend to visit Bar’celona Cafe & Bar Burgas tapas night and eat delicious tapas. And after the second game when we’ll know the final score – will Ludogorets Razgrad continue towards the ¼ final of the Europe League we’ll take a culinary trip weekend and will definitely visit Bodega Restaurant Varna.

Listening to this advertisement, we, provereno.bg, got only one thing: this new restaurant will be run on the principle of most Russian restaurants mixing Italian Cuisine with Asian cuisine for example. So this Restaurant in Galleria Mall Burgas specializes in combining Serbian Cuisine and Italian cuisine. And we like both. We just adore meat wrapped in a veil and thrown on the grill fire. Separately we worship also the authentic Italian pizzas.
For Italian restaurants in Burgas we can talk a lot. In our immodest opinion, shared by some of the Italians in Burgas, the best pizza is in Boulevard Pub Burgas. We tasted the pizzas at  Zornitca Pizzeria Burgas. The Pizzas at Incanto Italian Restaurant are also good. But we dare to say that only the pizzas at  Bistro Cafe Roma Burgas  can compare to those of the Boulevard Pub. The chefs at Romance Pub & Pizza have something to offer to the fans a thicker crust. If you’re like us connoisseur of the thin crust and quality ingredients, we recommend you the Boulevard Pub Burgas.

And when more sober, we thought it was time to revisit Gusticceria Foods – authentic Italian breeze in our sweet little boring Burgas.