Rome Testaccio Market: Where to Eat Traditional Cuisine.

Testaccio: Off the Beaten Track in Rome.

If you are a foodie you cannot miss the Testaccio food market and try at least once the Panino con la trippa (tripe sandwich). The Testaccio in Rome is a residential area where most tourists would not adventure but if you want to explore the real local food it is the place to go. Testaccio is a short bus ride from the Colosseum and central Rome. It has lots of local produce including fresh vegetables, fresh and cured meats, and also it has a good variety of street food served from the market stalls daily except on Mondays. The tripe sandwich is particularly indicated if you want to try something really Roman beside the usual pasta and pizza. We recommend to try Mordi e Vai for the panino con la trippa. Also around there other stalls offering delicious fried artichokes, and sandwiches with the bollito (boiled meats).

Traditional Osteria in Rome – Lo Scopettaro Lungotevere.

Lo Scopettaro (literally the broom seller in the roman dialect) is a traditional osteria in Roma Lungotevere off the tourist track worth trying because of the care taken to prepare the dishes on offer. We particularly appreciated the pasta courses. Of course we could not miss to try rigatoni alla carbonara, and tonnarelli cacio e pepe which are freshly made spaghetti (alla chitarra) and a very simple sauce made with pecorino romano (cacio) and black pepper that it is skillfully blended with the pasta cooking water in order to obtain this creamy and tasty sauce.

Carbonara Pasta — Rigatoni alla Carbonara – Lo Scopettaro – Rome

Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe – Lo Scopettaro – Rome

You should pay at least a visit to Eataly in Rome.

Eataly in Rome is 3rd food mall opened by the company of Mr Farinetti. After the success of Turin and New York, now it is time for Rome. Again a little off the beaten track, you will find Eataly Rome at the Piramide metro stop, not far from the city center. Farinnetti the food entrepreneur this time used a disused railway building to open this mega food mall that has on sale many Italian food items from every possible corner of the country. Foodies will also find restaurants and street food outlets serving anything from fish carpaccio, to piadina to pizza fritta (see picture below).

Review of Amerigo. Savigno (Near) Bologna: Where The Good Meals Are.

Amerigo shop front a sign of the good old days with a modern touch.

Amerigo is not exactly in central Bologna, it will take at least a good 40 minutes by car from the city center to reach Savigno where Amerigo is. This Michelin starred traditional osteria has been pleasing the Bolognese since 1934 when the original owner opened to the public, and then handed down to family members since then. The atmosphere is representing the time gone by but the food is very modern and also reasonably priced considering the quality of the ingredients and the attention to the preparation. Most diners will go there to try the truffle dishes (this is what Amerigo is famous for) but the traditional menu with tortellini is also worth to explore.

Some of the dishes from Amerigo, including tortellini, truffled polenta, and traditional balsamic vinegar fiordilatte icecream.

The dishes that we tried from top left corner:

Polentina con tartufo bianco: a runny polenta topped with the seasonal and local white truffles. If you go all the way to Savigno you should include some truffle dishes to your lunch or dinner. Emilia Delizia also offer truffle hunts in Savigno.

Calzagatti con Lardo: Calzagatti (the cat’s socks) it is a traditional dish from the Modena and Bologna mountains. It is basically polenta with beans that can be eaten grilled or fried. In this case each individual piece was wrapped in lardo di colonnata.

Gnocchi al Tartufo Nero: An Italian classic, potato gnocchi with seasonal Savigno black truffle.

Tortellini in Brodo: Another classic of the Bologna and Modena culinary tradition. In this case the tortellini were truly tiny, and served in a meat stock (brodo di carne).

Risotto con gli Ovuli: it is mushroom season in October so here another classic Italian risotto with Caesar mushrooms (amanita caesarea).

Leprotto: It is a younger hare. In this case it was served on a bed of pickled crunchy vegetables. Game is also a classic dish when you visit the Italian mountains.

Guancia di Vitella: The Veal’s cheek is often discarded and considered of low value, but in fact it is a very tasty part of the animal that too often goes neglected. At Amerigo it was served stewed with its own gravy and fried onions.

Gelato Fior di Latte: Made with fulll fat milk and cream and then topped with traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena. It is simple but the best way to end a nice meal.