Eating our way through Rome with Walks of Italy
It’s been a little over two months and we’re still dreaming about our delicious time in Italy. Like the Taj Mahal in India, the food in Italy is one aspect of the country that is not overrated. It’s one of those things that you always hear about, “Oh, the pizza in Italy is the best” and “The pasta in Italy is to die for”, but you really don’t know how true those statements are until you’re there and shoving it into your own mouth. We’ve learned that one of the best ways to get to truly know a place is through it’s food and let me tell you, Italian food is the gateway to Italy.
While Walks of Italy offers a plethora of different tours all over Italy, it’s their food tours that struck a chord in our hearts. These tours truly make you feel like family. It seemed like we had known our guide, Simona, for years. In fact, Simona studied abroad in the very same town that I grew up in. I don’t know who the hell sent her to Silverdale, Washington, but I’m glad we were able to have that local connection.
While the world seemed small, we needed giant appetites to get us through Walks of Italy’s Rome food tour. The website tells you to come with an empty stomach for a reason. We started our day with a sampling of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That may sound harmless enough, but after eating countless pieces of fresh bread that’s been dripped with a melange of oil and vinegar, I was already feeling satiated. Throw in more bread topped with various truffle oils and I was ready for a nap. That was only twenty minutes into our three hour tour.
We walked the market as Simona pointed out the fresh and local produce. We ended up ducking into a small cove that serves as a butcher shop and were offered platters of cured meat. Some of the samples were spicy, some were sweet, and all were satisfying. As cured meat and cheese pair well together, the following stop had us at a cheese shop within walking distance from the market. This was where all my dreams came true. We feasted on real, fresh mozzarella. Did you know that the mozzarella that we eat in the States is a fraud? Real mozzarella di bufala campana comes from the Italian water buffalo that grazes in certain areas in Campania, Lazio, Apulia, and Molise. I thought that I had tasted real mozzarella before, but I was wrong. So wrong.
I was ready to deliriously waddle back to our apartment for that nap, but I was reminded that the pièce de résistance was still to come. We had our very own pizzas to make. If copious amounts of cheese, meat, bread, and truffle oil wasn’t enough, I was now expected to make and eat my own pizza. Yes, it was a quite a burden. One that I was all too happy to bear.
In true Italian fashion, we ended our tour with what is arguably Rome’s best coffee. I was never the person who could just drink a shot of espresso straight, but after trying Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè, I was a convert. You can’t beat a well-made shot of coffee, in Rome no less.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do and eat. Eat well. We highly recommend Walks of Italy not only for their incredible food tours, but as a great company in general. Be sure to head over to their website and check out their numerous tours in Rome, Vatican City, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Amalfi, Tuscany, Umbria, Milan, and Puglia. Flights to Rome tend to go up during the peak seasons, but deals can be found if your travel days are flexible. If you’re looking for a Rome city break, check our villa rentals in the surrounding countryside. The food is just as spectacular.
Have you been to Italy? What was the best meal you experienced while there? We’d love to hear about your Italian culinary expeditions in the comment section below.
Our gut-busting Rome food tour was courtesy of Walks of Italy. All opinions are our own. Would we pay for this tour in the future? Definitely. We believe that it’s worth every penny.
Reading this post brought back memories of Italy- I would love to live there just for the food 🙂 Did you guys travel to Liguaria when you were in Italy? The food there is the BEST
I spent two summers in Roma at an opera festival. So many food memories! Most of all the amazing produce everywhere. Peaches, mangos – mamma mia, the mangos; juice running down my chin, drenching the front of my shirt. Tanto buono! The nearest good restaurant to the festival hotel (Hotel Torre Rossa) was a neighborhood spot called La Nocetta. Friendly staff, wonderful risotto al forno. But the best restaurant I tried was La Pollarola at the Campo di Fiori. Truly excellent food! WANT TO GO BACK!!
Notch-yo cheese.. LOL! Oh.. Clark. That song on the video made me fuzzy inside, I don’t know why. You had me at Rome on this post. LOVE!
Loved to live in Rome, food was definitely one of the best aspects. I did a guide of what to miss that could be helpful!
http://duranvirginia.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/architecture-planning-a-trip-to-rome/
* A guide of what you shouldn’t miss
I so hear you on the mozzarella! In Calabria it’s served as an entree and I always choose it over something else. Great photos of the salami swags. Sooo LOVE this post!
I never thought of myself as a foodie until I started traveling. Now I realize what all of the fuss is about. I’ll gladly go somewhere just to try the food. Can’t wait for Italy this fall! Consider my appetite whetted. Love your videos as always.
I have read a few reviews about the Walks of Italy tours…they all look so mouth watering and awesome. Next time in Rome, I will have to look them up! No doubt about it!
Walks of Italy is fantastic! Alina and Lucia so wonderfully “taught” us how to cook in Il Fontanaro (its on the border between Umbria and Tuscany, about 2 hours from Florence and Rome). The food is divine in Italy and hardly ever overrated! The quality and fresh food is just too hard to resist!
This was totally one of my favorite things I did in Rome…ever. I had a different guide, but the tour looks the same. Don’t get me started on that truffle balsamic vinegar.
I absolutely loved the mozarella in Italy, it’s so good. Went for a long weekend in Umbria, drove around, found little restaurants, and ate so much mozarella, whether that was on a pizza or in a salad, I had to have it. And yes, after coming back, I’ve never looked pizza the same way 😉
I’m in Florence, Italy at the moment… the ice cream is to die for and the pizza… wow, the pizza.. I’m consuming a criminal amount of a daily basis but boy is it worth it!
Cured meats? Cheeses? Pizza? Sign me up! Although I’m used to Chicago deep dish pizza… I wonder how Italians feel about that bastardized version of their dish.
Fact: everything in Italy tastes better 🙂 But each time I’ve been to Rome, I have not focused at all on food. It was all about the history and the ruins. Perhaps I need to hook up with Walks of Italy next time I’m there.
It looks like the food here is a little bit better than the poutine in Toronto, although that did rock. I love the hand charade Simona does at approximately 1:15 of the video. Looks like she is quite passionate about the food.
Omg, I haven’t been to Rome properly for over 5 years and need to go back. Yum!
Lucky you two, awesome food..
great video! you had me craving italian at 5:30 am in the morning!
WOW Mouth watering stuff …..I have been Rome 2 times and really love Italian food …mozzarella , Olive oil feels awesome ….
Wow, Definitely next time when I’m in Rome! Savi said that the food can be a reason of leaving in Italy, I think that the food is a reason why I do not, I would just eat and eat and eat and became fat Italian Mama! 🙂
The real Roman pizza is: “Pizza with potatoes” (Pizza con le patate), complete with rosemary and onions!!
I’v never been in Italy But I really wanna visit it and see those kind of interesting people, food, history and nature.