On my own sort of food tour around Italy, I decided I’d go to the experts, so when in Rome, I arranged for a food tour in Rome’s Testaccio neighborhood.
My favorite was Carmelo, the “Tomato Poet” who sells his tomatoes each for the same price—no matter the type. We sampled several different varieties just as Carmelo would offer for other visitors.
After the tour of the food market, we had the chance to try a local Roman breakfast pastry—the cornetto. It’s something most of us on the tour had never heard of before.
My favourite part of the walking tour was when we stopped at the gourmet foodie shop E. Volpetti. The shop serves gourmet cheeses (over 140) and meats, but what I most enjoyed was the balsamic tasting.
Rather than just stuffing our faces all afternoon, we visited one of Rome’s most famous cemeteries—it’s for non-Catholics only and is where the famous poet John Keats is buried.
Lunch included typical Roman pasta dishes and —of course—wine. By this time I was more than adequately full. But when the final stop of the tour was announced—Rome’s most popular gelato cafe—my appetite grew yet again!