A Foodie's 24 Hours in Rome

Rome offers a plethora of fabulous foodie experiences outside of fine dining

A gastronomic tour of Rome in only one day?  Some may say impossible, but I’m proof it can be done.   Why only one day?  I have visited Rome 30-40 times, but I had a WineKnows’ group in Sicily and the only tolerable routing back home was one that required an overnight in Rome.  Senza probelma!

Here’s my schedule:

9 am:  Depart Palermo, Sicily

10 am:  Arrive airport Rome

                      Hotel Campo di Fiori is located in the historic epicenter of Rome

11:30-12:30:  Check-in to my beloved Campo di Fiori hotel, where I had a glass of fresh squeezed OJ & a cappuccino on my terrace to prepare for the remainder of the Herculean day.

                                  Campo di Fiori's magical setting market attacks locals & tourists  

12:30-1:15:  Then, a quick tour of the Campo Fiori daily market located just out my front door.  The market was brimming with luscious autumn produce such as fresh funghi porcini (Italy’s premier wild mushroom), glorious eggplants in several shapes and sizes, as well as a wide assortment of persimmons and pomegranates.

                     Think of Eataly as a football stadium full of items for food-lovers

1:15-2:30 pm:  Next, I took a cab to EATALY.    A foodies’ one–stop shopping emporium, EATALY is located a 10-15 minute cab ride from the heart of downtown Rome. The huge complex, once a train station, is now three stories of pure unadulterated pleasure for food-lovers.

I bought a basket full of goodies such as dried funghi porchini mushrooms, white truffle oil, and truffle-flavored balsamico (perfect for travelers, it came in a small plastic bottle).  I also purchased several kitchen towels for my foodie friends back home.  I wandered through their outstanding wine area, however, as tempting as it was my bags were already packed to the brim after nearly two months of travel.   

                              Eatlay's smoky wood-fired pizzas are some of the best I have ever had 

As the small glass of orange juice was the only food I had eaten, I dropped by Eataly’s wood-fired bakery and bought a small piece of fresh-out of the oven buffalo di mozzarella & fresh funghi porcini pizza.

2:45-3pm:  Returned by cab & dropped off purchases at my hotel.

                            Sant'Eustachio is crowded at all times of day or night

3-3:30pm:  One of my favorite coffee places in all of Italy is located near the Pantheon, just a short 5-7 minute walk from my hotel.   Sant’ Eustachio Caffè has been on my coveted list for >40 years.  I would consider it sacrosanct to visit Roma without one of their coffees.   The bar area offers some of the best people watching in Rome.  Local businessmen in Brioni suits jockey for space with tourists in t-shirts.   

                   Piazza Margana is only a few minutes from the Forum, but a world away

3:45-5:30:  Revived now after my coffee I decided to enjoy a long walk through some of my favorite spots:  the Roman Forum & Colisseum, the wedding cake monument (AKA Victorio Emmanuelle), the Theatre of Marcello, and the tiny but charming Piazza Margana (where I rented an apartment for a week some years ago). 

                                           A tartufo is an insanely rich deep chocolate ice-cream

5:30-6:15pm:  The restaurant in which I had reserved didn’t open until 7:30 and my orange juice & small piece of pizza had long ago faded for sustainment.  I decided to splurge (hey, it’s my last night after being gone nearly 2 months!), so I made my way to Piazza Navona (just a few minutes walk from my hotel).   Although the square is one of the most iconic in all of Rome, I was here for a tartufo at Caffe Tre Scalini.  Their tartufo is akin to a religious experience for chocolate lovers.  Pure decadence, I can think of no better way for a foodie to say “Arrivederci, Roma.”  

6:30-7:30:   A yummy bath to prepare for the long journey home tomorrow.

                               Counstanza is a hidden culinary gem well worth seeking-out

7:30-9pm:   Located just off the Piazza di Campo Fiori (hence, only a few minute’s walk from my hotel), is one of my favorite restaurants for Roman cuisine, Coustanaza Hostaria.   Located in a cave (yes, a cave!), Coustanza knocks it out of the park with an enchanting setting, superb service, and amazing classical Roman cooking.  My first course was Roman-styled artichokes (first prepared by the Jews of Rome >1,500 years ago), then a small plate of funghi porcini pasta. 

                                    Campo di Fiori's rooftop is splendido day or night

9:30pm:   I had been in Rome less than 12 hours and I wasn’t quite ready to say buona notte.  Hotel Campo di Fiori’s rooftop garden offers a wonderful respite from the fury of Rome's nightlife,  and is the perfect quiet spot to detox from a long journey through Croatia, Greece, Spain & Italy in the midst of a pandemic.  Plus, it was a full moon so I couldn’t resist.

8 am:  My taxi swept me away through a tangle of Roman rush hour traffic.  I loved the slow ride as it gave me time for one last look at Rome.   I’ve been here less than 24 hours but with so many memories of my >30 trips to this wonderful town, it felt like a week….or two.

Viva Roma!

Eat, Sip, Relax: Lake Como

                   This dream villa is one of the few on the entire lake that is directly on the water

An Italian friend sent me an email two years ago with photos attached exclaiming, “You have to rent this villa!”  She had seen it in an Italian magazine and knew I loved Lake Como.   I contacted the villa's owner immediately and the rest is history...at least until Americans were banned from recently traveling to Italy.   I was to have spent two weeks here with two different groups of fellow foodies and wine lovers for some Italian-style dolce far niente (“the sweet do nothing life,” aka relaxation).   COVID-19 prevented us from traveling, but to honor what might have been, I'm cooking all the planned dinners at our home in San Diego.

Lake Como is replete with food specialties (and all can be easily procured in California).  Located in Italy’s Lombardy, there’s a cornucopia of local items that would thrill any gourmand.   Lombardy, Italy’s financial and industrial powerhouse, is one of the richest provinces in all of Europe.   It’s also a huge agricultural giant.  Finding high quality local ingredients for a magnifico dinner is as easy as saying “vino.”

                             Risotto Milanese uses the area's top-rated Carnaroli rice & saffron

Risotto:

Rice dominates over pasta in Lombardy and risotto is one of the area’s classical specialties.   The Po River, which traverses Lombardy, is the growing district for the most prized rice in all of Italy, Carnaroli  Tonight  I'm making a risotto Milanese (rice made in the style of Milan), an ethereal silky version made with saffron.

                                     Fresh funghi porcini on bite-size polenta with Tallegio

Polenta

While risotto is very popular in the Como area, the nearby rugged foothills of the Alps lean often toward polenta.   The season’s first wild mushrooms from the nearby Alps were to have been available at the local outdoor markets.  No problem as I was able to track down some funghi porcini here in San Diego.  Last night in my appetizer I used polenta,  funghi porcini and Tallegio cheese.

              Tallegio & radicchio made for a great lunch  using leftovers in a sandwich

Tallegio:

This cheese is one of Lombardia’s culinary super-stars.  Made from cow’s milk, it is a buttery and luscious decadence.   Although its smell is strong, the cheese’s taste is comparatively mild.   Tallegio melts beautifully, so it’s perfect for an ooey-gooey  warm sandwich.    

                    One of Lombardy's perfect bite desserts---figs stuffed with Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola:

One of Lombardy’s greatest cheeses, blue-veined Gorgonzola, has already appeared on my table once this week stuffed in figs which have then been drizzled with Italian honey as a dessert.  

                                             Bresaola makes a perfect antipasto

         

Bresaola:

A specialty of the foothills of the Lombardian Alps, this air-dried beef is immensely popular in the area of Lake Como.   Chocked full of flavor, the beef is first marinated in wine and spices prior to aging.  Sliced paper-thin like prosciutto, I used bresaola earlier this week in a simple but super yummy appetizer:  brescola, topped with olive oil & lemon juice, arugula, shaved Parmiggiano-Reggiano, and sea salt.  Delizioso.

                               Spicy mustard oil flavors this chutney-like condiment

Mostarda

This condiment is a classical Lombardian accompaniment to simple meat dishes… or even cheese.  Made from a cooked mixture of different fruit and mustard oil, it adds a zesty profile (think spicy salsa on tacos).  For anyone turning up their nose, don’t!   This stuff rocks.  I’ve purchased a small (and very pricey) jar on the Internet and plan to use it with a pork roast later in the week.

                                         Ferghettina is Franciacorta's best bubbly

Franciacorta

I may have saved the best for last.  Franciacorta is a wine district located not far from Lake Como.  It produces Italy’s Lamborghini of sparkling wine.  Made in the same labor-intensive method used for Champagne, Franciacorta is expensive but is worth every Euro.   I’ve bought my favorite, Ferghettina Rosé, for tonight’s bubbles.    

Viva Lombardia  !    Viva Lago di Como !