Wherever I travel I aim to get inside the food, wine and culture of a place, to discover what makes it unique. The Eternal City, as Rome has long been called, is no different. My personal Rome food tour is all about being secretly ‘off the beaten track’ while walking through the heart of one of the world’s most visited cities. Here’s how.
Like most big cities, Rome’s historic centre is a mix of locals and tourists, glamorous shops, restaurants, cafés and convenience stores. Unlike many cities, instead of skyscrapers Rome is dotted with totally out-of-scale ancient buildings and sunken ruins almost everywhere you look. The best time to visit the historic centre is early in the morning when it’s quiet, or of an evening after the hordes of day-trippers have left. The rest of the time I take my own day trips into the surrounding countryside, or hide out in Trastevere. This bohemian district across the River Tiber (Tevere in Italian) was, in ancient times, outside the city walls. Trastevere is still heaving with people, but not in the same way as the centre of Rome. The foreigners here tend to blend in with the locals, they’re students and visitors who are more travellers than tourists. Everyone’s here to enjoy the food, wine and Rome’s enigmatic La Dolce Vita in the colourful cobbled alleyways packed with tables and people. During the day, an outdoor table here is the perfect way to people watch while enjoying a coffee granita (see video below). Trastevere is my base for any Roman food tour, with morning and evening forays into the neighbouring historic centre.
Stay Hotel Domus Tiberina
Rome is a big city, so staying near the centre saves time and money on travel. But you can pay eye-watering prices for average hotels in the centre. Trastevere is close enough to walk to the best eats and sites with comfortable, good-value accommodation. Hotel Domus Tiberina’s rooms are clean, simple and spacious (by city standards), friendly staff are helpful, and it’s just around the corner from my favourite Roman restaurant (below).
Eat Osteria La Gensola
I look forward to this simple, family-run osteria on cobbled Piazza la Gensola on every food tour of Rome. I sit at a quiet corner table to contemplate each delicious leaf of the carciofi alla Giudìa (deep-fried artichokes) I inevitably order to start. Next are tiny tuna meatballs with tomato and smoked provola, or excellent pasta like rigatoni with sugo coda alla vaccinara (oxtail sauce). Excellent cannoli to finish and good wines by the glass too.
Drink Latteria Trastevere
This bustling wine bar in north Trastevere is just a few minutes from Piazza di Santa Maria, dominated by its namesake basilica said to be the oldest in Rome. Latteria (named for the dairy that once occupied the space) has a great selection of natural wines from Lazio and beyond, as well as more mainstream options, good craft beers and a short, well-priced menu of snacks. Staff are happy to make suggestions or pour tastings to help you select.
Market Campo de’ Fiori
Campo de’ Fiori, near Piazza Navona, is Rome’s oldest food market. Souvenirs and other touristy bits are increasingly encroaching on traditional fresh produce, but it still has plenty of character. Especially early when stalls are setting up and Nonna’s are shredding huge bunches of puntarella through simple wooden graters into buckets of water to curl. Make an early morning visit to this colourful market part of your Roman food tour.
Walk From Piazza di Spagna
An early morning walk helps balance the calories of any Rome food tour. My favourite route is up the Spanish Steps, along past the Villa Borghese Gardens to Terrazza del Pincio for views across the rooftops to the Vatican. Then I wander down to Piazza del Popolo with its ancient Egyptian obelisk and still-intact city walls. From Trastevere it’s about a 2-hour loop via Campo de’Fiori and Piazza Navona to see Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers
Shop Sermoneta Gloves
Forget the tacky fridge magnets made in China, my favourite souvenirs in Rome are a pair of leather gloves from this colourful shop on Piazza di Spagna. It was started by Giorgio Sermoneta in the early ‘60s when gloves were generally only black or brown. This small narrow shop sells leather gloves in many styles arranged in a mesmerising display of over 60 different colours. It’s worth a visit even if you don’t think you need a pair of gloves.
See Trajan’s Forum
There’s a museum attached to this ancient public space built by Emperor Marcus Ulpius Traianus (Trajan). But you get the best view by circumnavigating the well-excavated ruins from Via dei Fori Imperiali. The huge semi-circular multi-storey market building, which now houses the museum, once held over 150 offices and shops trading in spices, oil and wine. And like ancient ruins throughout Rome, it’s all in plain site amid more modern buildings.
Out of Town Cantine Riccardi Lorella Reale
Just over an hour’s drive from Rome, tucked on a hillside beneath the town of Olevano Romano, is the home and winery of Piero Riccardi and Lorella Reale. A tasting here with these intuitive winemakers is an experience unlike any other. I especially love their vividly orange Emotiq made from malvasia puntinata (native to Lazio). It’s aged in traditional chestnut barrels, as are several of their wines including riesling and indigenous cesanese.
