From aphrodisiac salami to 50-year-old balsamic vinegar, exploring the Campo de Fiori market, nearby bakery and delis – what better way to spend a morning in Rome!
A food tour of Rome
After two days of overcast, rainy weather I woke up to a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning in Rome. I was relieved the rain had vanished as today I’d be joining Walks of Italy’s Food Tour of Rome (a big part of which happened outside) and if it was half as good as the Wine and Food Tasting I did yesterday with Vino Roma it would be brilliant!
We were to meet at Campo de Fiori market at 10am. The instructions I had printed off from Walks of Italy’s website were spot on, as well as a map they even included a photograph of the meeting point. I arrived a little early and made use of the time to take some photographs of the market before the tour started.
Just before ten I met Simona, our guide, plus my companions for the tour, some really lovely American ladies. They were touring Europe to celebrate one of their 70th birthdays – 4 sisters, 2 daughters and a granddaughter – 7 in all! They were the perfect partners in crime for what turned out to be a memorable day, going above and beyond my expectations.
Campo de Fiori Market
Looking around the colourful stalls there were huge varieties of fruits and vegetables including numerous types of tomatoes, peaches and apples. Simona pointed out the mela cotogna apple which is perfect for making jam (and often seen depicted in ancient paintings). Standing in the centre of the market the smell was delicious, in fact all your senses could enjoy the colours, hubbub and tastes of the market.
As the charming Simona explained, this is the oldest functioning market in Rome, open every day except Sundays from about 7am to 2pm. Every neighbourhood has its own market and unlike here in England where we tend to buy large amounts of food in one go Italians shop daily buying fresh, local, seasonal produce. Even busy working mums will do this. Where as I might buy from the supermarket, as part of my weekly shop, a bag of salad prepared in a factory (with a use by date stamped on it) Simona buys daily, a mixed salad called zuppa, which is washed and prepared throughout the morning at the stall where it is sold or puntarelle, a type of chicory that you can also buy freshly prepared. I know which I’d prefer to do!
Fresh Bread and Pizza Bianca
Typically Italians also buy on a daily basis fresh pasta (dried is rarely used) and of course bread, which brings me to our next stop, Antico Forno Marco Roscioli, a fabulous bakery on Via dei Chiavari, just a very short walk from the market. As well as a vast array of breads and other sweet and savoury baked goods they have a renowned pizza counter. Pizza bianca (a type of pizza that comes without any toppings, not even tomato) is very popular locally and is eaten on its own or sliced through the middle with a filling, such as prosciutto, to form a sandwich. It really is delicious and makes a perfect lunchtime snack.
Cheese tasting at Roscioli
Just around the corner in Via dei Giubbonari you will find the equally renowned Roscioli restaurant and delicatessen. I had been there the night before as it had been recommended to me by a few different people. It is reputed to have the best carbonara in Rome. This is probably the most well-known Roman dish and dates back to the time of the empire so a must on my Roman food explorations! And delicious it was too. This morning, however, we were offered a wonderful array of cheeses.
Firstly there was mozzarella made from unpasteurised water buffalo milk served with bread drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and semi dried Sicilian tomatoes. I love tomatoes in cooking but not so much on their own but these were the most delicious tomatoes I’d ever eaten and I had to go back for seconds and even thirds, just to make sure they really were that good! They went beautifully with the cool refreshing mozzarella. A point to note is that handmade mozzarella is an irregular shape (rather than the uniform shape of machine-made cheese) and it should release a little milk when cut through the middle. It should not be kept in the fridge but at room temperature in the water that it came in. Although it would usually be bought daily it can kept for up to 3 days.
Other delights selected for us to sample included a 3-year-old Parmigiano, a hard dark yellow cheese that the Parmesan cheese we buy in England is imitating. It is rich in calcium as it takes a lot of cows’ milk to make a relatively small amount of cheese.
There was also a Pecorino cheese which is made throughout southern Italy from sheep’s milk but the best known is Pecorino Romano which is only produced in the province of Rome. Although a little sharper than Parmesan or Parmigiano it is sometimes used as a substitute in cooking. The real thing will have a sheep’s head logo embossed on the rind. It is an ancient cheese and also dates back to the time of the Roman Empire forming part of the rations of Roman Soldiers.
Gourmet Souvenirs
Back at the market we made our way to the stall of Monica and Jocelma, where we tasted various delicious olive oils. Generally speaking oil from more southern regions such as Sardinia, are stronger and more spicy due to the intensity of the sun and oils from more northern regions are lighter and more suitable for salad dressings.
It was the balsamic vinegar, however, that were a real surprise to me. We all know that the best balsamic vinegar comes from Modena in Emilia-Romagna. I use it quite a lot at home mainly with a little olive oil as a salad dressing but the aged balsamic vinegar we tried here was something else entirely. We tasted a number of different ages and as the age increased so did my delight as they became less vinegary, sweeter and thicker. At 8 years old the taste was sublime and I could easily imagine it drizzled over ice cream and peaches as Simona suggested. The oldest they had was 50 years and had an equally high price tag at 215 euros.
As well as olive oil and vinegar Monica and Jocelma sell many other delicious traditional sauces and liqueurs. The chilli chocolate liqueur was a definite winner with me. No wonder the stall was called Gourmet Souvenirs, it really was a great place to pick up the perfect souvenir or gift from Rome.
Do you know which type of salami is an aphrodisiac?
On top of all this we were then treated to a wonderful range of salami with a glass of wine at the pork butcher’s in the same piazza as the market, Antica Norcineria Viola. They were all delicious, including copiette which is reputedly an aphrodisiac, but the undisputed favourite was made from pigs liver with orange zest and wine. By now I was starting to feel rather full and we hadn’t even got to the pizza making! This was another fabulous experience but I will tell you all about that part of the tour another day.
Throughout the tour Simona gave us many fascinating insights into Italian cuisine and lifestyle. It really was a superb experience leaving our minds, taste buds and tummies fully satisfied. Even though I have visited Italy many times before I still learnt a lot. The tour ended with a stop at Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè in Piazza Sant’Eustachio for what is reputed to be the best coffee in town. There are just a few tables and chairs outside as most people drink standing at the bar but don’t forget to pay for your coffee first at the till and then take your receipt over to the opposite counter where they will make your coffee. If it’s hot but you still need a caffeine fix, I’d strongly recommend the mousse caffè served chilled, it really hits the spot!
My new American friends were great company and I soon felt ‘one of the girls’ but our day wasn’t over yet. After the pizza making we were all booked on to a second Walks of Italy tour to see another, very different side of the city or rather underneath it!
More posts from Rome coming soon!
For more information on Walks of Italy’s Food Tour and other tours they offer throughout Italy please follow this link.
Getting there: You can catch the No. 64 bus from Termini Station to piazza Campo de Fiori or walk from a number of metro stops in about 20 minutes or so. Check out my map of Rome to get your bearings.
Disclaimer: While I was a guest of Walks of Italy on this tour these are all my own thoughts and honest opinion.
I enjoyed reading your post and viewing the pictures; I didn’t know Rome is such a food lovers place to visit.
Carla recently posted..Marrakech – Morocco Attractions
Thanks Carla, that’s great to know and yes, Rome is a food lover’s paradise but I think that could equally be applied to everywhere I visited in Italy!
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..Girolata and the Scandola Nature Reserve
Yum! You’re blog always makes me so hungry!
Ryan Tyrl recently posted..Vintage French Quarter
I have the same problem writing them
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..Exploring Corsica by car or even by bicycle!
Beautiful photos of some of Rome’s best foods!
Kenny ( recently posted..Italian Food Recipes for Halloween
Thanks Kenny. I love the look of those recipes plus your tour sounds wonderful too!
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..The mystery of Stonehenge
All of that charcuterie? I die.
Ashley of Ashley Abroad recently posted..The Best Travel Credit and Debit Cards for Backpackers
Oh dear! Should my foodie posts come with a health warning?
Oh wow ora ho fame!
Just got back from italy and after eating all of the delicious foods there I brought back so much more. My fridge is full and my belly happy!
Arianna recently posted..Yours Trulli: Six Reasons To Love Puglia
Hi Kathryn, another delicious, saliva-inducing post! The last time we were in Rome, we got to Campo de Fiori late and the market just closed down:( But I’m so inspired to go back and join the same exact food tour you took.
Marisol recently posted..Meteora: Monasteries in the Sky
Hi Marisol, I can certainly recommend it! While I found the Vatican and Colosseum fascinating I felt this tour and the one I did afterwards, which I have yet to write about, gave me a real insight into Rome’s culture and history that I wouldn’t have missed for the world.
Hi Kathryn, thank you for the article. You described the events and food of the day perfectly. We were happy to meet you and spend the day together. American friend… Peggy
Hi Peggy! It was lovely to meet all of you and great to hear from you now. Hope Paris was wonderful! love to you all, your English friend Kathryn
Yummy yum yum Kat. Never been to Rome but your article makes me wanna go there today!
Great read this and loving your photographs dear.
OutsideTheGuidebook recently posted..Pastéis de Belém: Portugal’s delicious Pastry secret
Glad you enjoyed it and you really should check Rome out sometime. It’s wonderful in so many different ways. Yummy indeed!
I think I would go to these markets every day too! It would be hard deciding what to buy – everything looks so beautiful. Great post and information!
Thank you and so would I if I had the chance!
What a mouth-watering post and fabulous photos too. Might need to go and raid the fridge now….
Travelbunny recently posted..A Taste of Italy – Sorrento
Sorry about that!
The colours of the food in these photos is amazing. Such vibrant vegetables.
travellingbag recently posted..Committed
…and you should smell them too! Really was a wonderful treat for all the senses.
This brings back such wonderful memories of Italy! Your photos bring back the sights, while your words bring back the tastes and smells.
denisediscovers recently posted..WOW!
Thanks Denise and Wow! indeed… those clothes you have written about in your recent post are something else.
I just can’t get enough of Europes markets. The Boqueria in Spain was amazing. Love your photos. Makes my mouth water!
Thanks Anita. Boqueria market looks superb! Here’s a link for everyone else —> http://traveldestinationbucketlist.com/2012/04/11/stimulating-the-senses-at-the-mercat-de-la-boqueria-barcelona/
Yes That is what I like about any food markets – buying fresh products…but of course being in full time job sometimes is not possible….thank you Kat! Very nice insight. I haven’t been to Rome or Italy for a long time ( too busy going to China) but Walks of Italy tour is something I would definitely consider on my next visit. Very interesting!
Thanks Tara. The few markets where I live aren’t a patch on the ones in Italy! What about markets in China? I bet they are interesting.