Piazza Testaccio
The October trip started out with promise. I avoid Rome in the summer and generally travel in the spring or early fall. To my surprise, late October this year turned out to be very rainy, one day torrential rain poured drastically changing my plans. I prefer to stay outside of the center to avoid crowds and to feel nostalgia for the two years I lived there. As a former professional chef, food shopping, cooking, talking about food, looking at food, are high points of any trip. Testaccio is my preferred landing spot and my flat was close to everything. Like so many places, the neighborhood has gentrified, but I still enjoy every moment there. Lots of new restaurants and frankly a few junky stores have changed the landscape but the Mercato di Testaccio is fantastic for fresh groceries, prepared food, clothing, accessories, and loads more.
Tiber river
I do not recall ever seeing such heavy rain in October in Rome. Fortunately, I had scheduled a food tour (only the second I’ve ever taken, anywhere) with Eating Europe for the day after I arrived. Food tours are a big business in Rome and the price differences are significant as well as what is included in the tour, the expertise and education of the guide, and of course the social media presence of the brand. After some inquiries, I took the recommendation from a friend and chose Eating Europe which was a good choice for me as I am familiar with the city. Luckily, the tour was an intimate small group of three plus our excellent guide Carolina. I have been keenly interested in Jewish Roman cuisine, so that tour which was a perfect diversion from the mild panic I felt realizing due to heavy rain, I had one less shopping day during a three-day visit.
The tour started in Campo de’ Fiori which is always a great originating point or stopover. I recommend never passing an opportunity to grab excellent pizza bianca and pastries at Forno Campo de’ Fiori. A flower vendor just outside of Forno had a stunning display of flowers, plants, and holiday centerpieces. Failing to work out how I could bring one home without a customs beagle assault (I have stories about beagles, that’s another post), I turned away from temptation. After a stop at La Antica Norceria Viola for cured meats and cheese samples, the next stop was a produce vendor for tomato and mozzarella snacks. We made our way to Pasticceria Boccione, the oldest surviving bakery in the Jewish ghetto, for a classical crostata ricotta then on to Spirito DiVino for pasta and a tour of the wine cellar that dates to 80 B.C.
Felice Cacio e Pepe tonnarelli
My first night in Testaccio I decided to have dinner at one of its most famous trattorias Felice Testaccio known for Roman cacio e pepe pasta. The meal started with luscious eggplant parmigiana with nicely acidic tomato sauce to balance the richness of fresh ricotta cheese and olive oil. Cacio e pepe is a simple mix of cracked black pepper and pecorino Romano cheese, and pasta emulsified with precision to produce a silky cream-like sauce clinging to the pasta. Each restaurant serves cacio e pepe with a different pasta, Felice uses tonnarelli pasta for their version. Like pasta carbonara, there are a lot of restaurants that do not do it justice but Felice is not one of them. The server partially mixes the pasta tableside resulting in delicious perfectly executed plate of Roman greatness. I am slightly embarrassed to admit I never went to the restaurant even when I lived in the neighborhood which was long after it opened in 1936!
Felice Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Wine and spuntino (snack)
My favorite discovery in Testaccio was Vinificio, a terrific wine bar that serves food. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area so you can imagine I nearly fainted when bartender told me a banging glass of Barolo (I think it was Barolo) was 7 Euros and it came with spuntino (snack) too!! Living the land of $20 glasses of wine makes the Italians shriek, shake their heads, and wave their hands!
One evening I met a friend at the Cielo Terrace bar in the Hotel de la Ville. Spectacular views if you do not choose a foggy night like we did. A bonus was the bar was not crowded so we had lots of attention from elegantly dressed and manicured waiters. Lovely relaxing evening drinking very delicious, expensive cocktails!
My best Pamela Anderson look!
Speaking of cocktails, Italians are naturally spontaneous so when I received a can-you-be-ready-in-twenty-minutes-I’ll-be-downstairs phone call, I rocketed out of bed and joined another friend at The Court cocktail bar in the Palazzo Manfredi. We enjoyed big laughs, more delicious cocktails, and a spectacular view of the coliseum at night. The bar was not full which meant I could take an unobstructed picture of the coliseum shining brightly. It’s curious when you live in a city, you often ignore or get used to the beauty others rave on about. Did I ever go to the coliseum at night when I lived in Rome? No! I should have. Eternally busy, I whizzed past it in taxis, buses, or cars, always on my way somewhere. It was probably more magnificent then, less traffic, people, and restrictions. Nonetheless, it is a majestic image that obscures its brutal history. If you can figure out how to beat the crowds, I highly recommend cocktails at The Court.
View from The Court cocktail bar
Recent Comments