Several months ago, while reading the SBS magazine Feast I ran across an article called walking tours of Italy. The title jumped out at me. First off I assumed that it was a walking tour of Italian places, restaurants etc here in Australia, but no, on closer inspection it was actually in Rome! I sent an email off to them enquiring, and later booked the tour. They charged my credit card, but never sent me a confirmation email, so I was a little concerned. I contacted the ticket company, and they said no, it was all ok. Needless to say, I copied and pasted as much information as I could onto my phone so that I could follow up if I had to later on.
The meeting place was Piazza Testaccio. We asked both "Sybil" and "Manuel" if they knew where Piazza Testaccio was, and neither seemed to know. They even asked us why would we want to go there, and what were we doing? No worries, we will just get a map and figure it out ourselves.
First up we have to investigate the "Metro" the city's train system. Now I have never been to Europe before, so it was a bit of an adventure. Up, and down, and round, and up and down more escalators, and finally we arrive on the correct platform! We head to the Pirimide station. As the name implies, it is a Pyramid? The only one in Rome. Apparently some high ranking dude in The way back whens, was obsessed with the glitterati of their time, ie Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and he wanted to be buried, when he died, in a pyramid! A few more glances at the map, and off we head to Piazza Testaccio. We follow the signs, and find ourselves in front of the oldest markets in all of Rome.
We meet our guide, Domenico, and we wait for the rest of the group. Now the fun begins! There are about 14 of us in the group. Everyone was from the US so English was not a problem. We all introduce ourselves, then head into the markets.
This market place has remained unchanged for many generations. One by one we are introduced to the characters that make this place so special. We meet the butcher, who was given a butcher's knife at age 11 and we are told anecdotal stories about how often butchers were called in toe do medical procedures in days gone past! (thank god he didn't turn out like Hannibal Lecter!).
First tasting spot was at Lino and Enzo Lazzerini's cheese shop. Here we're given fresh buffalo mozzarella or "mozzarella di Bufala" as it is known here. Wow! This cheese tasted nothing like any I had ever tasted before. As you chewed it, little explosions of salty whey exploded with flavour in your mouth. Wish we could get cheese like this at home. I may just have to get us a buffalo for the backyard!
Next stop was the green grocers stall. Here was all kinds of beautiful fresh seasonal produce was laid out on display - Fava (broad) beans, artichokes, and many other things that I cannot remember the name for. The amazing thing about these produce stalls, was that the green grocers often prepared the vegetables for you. Soaked the greens in brine where needed, pruned back the artichokes, and even cut up and washed the salad greens for you! No, they were not pre packed, simply in large containers for you to take as much or as little as you needed. Only fresh produce was available, no cold storage stuff here!
Onto the next stall. All they sell here is tomatoes - or pomodori as they are called in Italian! It is only recently that we have seen new varieties of tomatoes become available at home, but here there were about 45 variety of tomatoes available! Small, big, yellow, and all shapes in between. We now do a tomato sampling. I hear you say tomatoes, so what! OMG!!! These tomatoes were absolutely amazing! The flavour explosion in your mouth was incredible. We were given first a yellow, then a red. The difference in flavour so so different. We then were given different types to try. Smoky, dusty flavours, sweet flavours, I never knew there were so many different flavours a tomato could come in. To make life easy for you, all the varieties were the same price. The principle being, that you would not compromise the desired flavour because of price. Carmelo would ask you what, and how you were preparing your dish, and he would select 2 of these, 4 of those, etc. etc. to get the desired flavour for your dish. We all applauded Claudio, it was unbelievable.
Next E.Volpetti - this is Rome's premier gourmet food store. Here we sample prosciutto that simply melted in your mouth. We also try various cheeses, such as pecorino with truffle, different varieties of salami, and different ages of balsamic vinegar. Oh how I wish we had a store like this at home! Domenico assures us that they can vacuum pack cheeses to take home, perhaps we will go back when we return at the end of the trip?
After the savory cheeses everyone is looking for something sweet. As luck would have it, right next door is Barberini - the bakery! We sample cornetti Italy's breakfast pastry of choice, and a tiramisu (the name means pick me up, due to the coffee in it). Yum!
We wander on some more, and soon we end up in the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. Here lies the body of Keats, and Shelley. There is also an empty crypt for the Bvlgari family. This cemetery was built to house the bodies of the non Catholics of the city. It was so tranquil, green and beautiful. Apparently it also inhabited by over 50 cats, these cats are the most cultured cats in the city, as after closing they play Beethoven through the cemetery at night.
We visit the old home grounds of Rome's premier football team, and are regalled with stories of their victories, often at the hand of cheating. It seems, they would invite their opposing team to practice sessions with them, and they would watch to see if they were fast or slow. Depending on which, they would shorten or lengthen the pitch to their advantage. Apparently they never got caught for cheating!!
Next we visit where the major shipping port was for all goods coming into city. All foods were shipped in terra cotta pots. They could contain olive oil, wine, meats, etc. etc. if the pots were still good, they were recycled, if not, they were broken up and placed in a dumping ground. The dumping however was not hap hazard, and the mountain of Rome was formed. As the mountain goes higher, it was discovered that due to the cracks, crevices, and dirt in between all the terracotta, underneath they had a natural cool room.
This then was used to their advantage and used as a storage for wine! Over time, and with development, buildings encroached into this area, and it was into one of these buildings we went for our lunch! The restaurant's name was Flavio al Velavevodetto (which means "I told you so!" apparently Flavio always said he was going to open a restaurant, but no one believed him!)
we all sit down together and get to know each other better over pasta! We have Casio e pepe (pasta with pecorino cheese and cracked black pepper) carbonara, and alle amatriciana. Here we eat pasta as it is intended - "al dente" we truly do not know the meaning of the word. I will NEVER crucify my pasta again, and send it to a watery grave. Over our pasta we all talked, exchanged stories, and here we learn more about our guide Domenico. He is in a rock band, and is also know as "piccolo Mick Jagger". He was as big a character, as was our guide the night before! We laughed and joked for an hour or so over lunch, and then it was back on the trail again!
Next stop was the old slaughterhouse. Domenico has all the stories - of how it used to be, how the workers were paid in portion with the "off cuts, and offal", and how various meals eventuated because of these "off cuts".
After our walk, it's time to taste again. This time suppli alla genovese. Again another story of its origin. What is is suppli alla genovese? Well basically, a rice ball with beef stew through it, breaded, and then fried. A little to salty for my taste, but still good.
We stop next in a square, we are told to gather close, as Domenico cannot talk too loudly, the next story he wants to tell us, you see, involves "the mafia". We cannot repeat the story, we have been sworn to secrecy!
Our final stop on this gastronomic adventure is Giolitti for gelato. Genuine gelato is assured. We are told the flavours, but we are also warned that our choices can be vetoed if they are deemed inappropriate combinations! I choose the wild cherry, and am told in no uncertain terms that I must have the eggnog to go with it. I am not disappointed Bellisimo! This tour was the most incredible experience. Not only did we get up close and personal with the real side of Italy, but we met some incredible people along the way. Several of us have exchanged emails, and I hope to see a couple of them when they come visit in the next year. I am loving the Italian life! Tomorrow, is our last day in Rome, then onto Firenze (Florence).
First up we have to investigate the "Metro" the city's train system. Now I have never been to Europe before, so it was a bit of an adventure. Up, and down, and round, and up and down more escalators, and finally we arrive on the correct platform! We head to the Pirimide station. As the name implies, it is a Pyramid? The only one in Rome. Apparently some high ranking dude in The way back whens, was obsessed with the glitterati of their time, ie Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and he wanted to be buried, when he died, in a pyramid! A few more glances at the map, and off we head to Piazza Testaccio. We follow the signs, and find ourselves in front of the oldest markets in all of Rome.
We meet our guide, Domenico, and we wait for the rest of the group. Now the fun begins! There are about 14 of us in the group. Everyone was from the US so English was not a problem. We all introduce ourselves, then head into the markets.
This market place has remained unchanged for many generations. One by one we are introduced to the characters that make this place so special. We meet the butcher, who was given a butcher's knife at age 11 and we are told anecdotal stories about how often butchers were called in toe do medical procedures in days gone past! (thank god he didn't turn out like Hannibal Lecter!).
First tasting spot was at Lino and Enzo Lazzerini's cheese shop. Here we're given fresh buffalo mozzarella or "mozzarella di Bufala" as it is known here. Wow! This cheese tasted nothing like any I had ever tasted before. As you chewed it, little explosions of salty whey exploded with flavour in your mouth. Wish we could get cheese like this at home. I may just have to get us a buffalo for the backyard!
Next stop was the green grocers stall. Here was all kinds of beautiful fresh seasonal produce was laid out on display - Fava (broad) beans, artichokes, and many other things that I cannot remember the name for. The amazing thing about these produce stalls, was that the green grocers often prepared the vegetables for you. Soaked the greens in brine where needed, pruned back the artichokes, and even cut up and washed the salad greens for you! No, they were not pre packed, simply in large containers for you to take as much or as little as you needed. Only fresh produce was available, no cold storage stuff here!
Onto the next stall. All they sell here is tomatoes - or pomodori as they are called in Italian! It is only recently that we have seen new varieties of tomatoes become available at home, but here there were about 45 variety of tomatoes available! Small, big, yellow, and all shapes in between. We now do a tomato sampling. I hear you say tomatoes, so what! OMG!!! These tomatoes were absolutely amazing! The flavour explosion in your mouth was incredible. We were given first a yellow, then a red. The difference in flavour so so different. We then were given different types to try. Smoky, dusty flavours, sweet flavours, I never knew there were so many different flavours a tomato could come in. To make life easy for you, all the varieties were the same price. The principle being, that you would not compromise the desired flavour because of price. Carmelo would ask you what, and how you were preparing your dish, and he would select 2 of these, 4 of those, etc. etc. to get the desired flavour for your dish. We all applauded Claudio, it was unbelievable.
Next E.Volpetti - this is Rome's premier gourmet food store. Here we sample prosciutto that simply melted in your mouth. We also try various cheeses, such as pecorino with truffle, different varieties of salami, and different ages of balsamic vinegar. Oh how I wish we had a store like this at home! Domenico assures us that they can vacuum pack cheeses to take home, perhaps we will go back when we return at the end of the trip?
After the savory cheeses everyone is looking for something sweet. As luck would have it, right next door is Barberini - the bakery! We sample cornetti Italy's breakfast pastry of choice, and a tiramisu (the name means pick me up, due to the coffee in it). Yum!
We wander on some more, and soon we end up in the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. Here lies the body of Keats, and Shelley. There is also an empty crypt for the Bvlgari family. This cemetery was built to house the bodies of the non Catholics of the city. It was so tranquil, green and beautiful. Apparently it also inhabited by over 50 cats, these cats are the most cultured cats in the city, as after closing they play Beethoven through the cemetery at night.
We visit the old home grounds of Rome's premier football team, and are regalled with stories of their victories, often at the hand of cheating. It seems, they would invite their opposing team to practice sessions with them, and they would watch to see if they were fast or slow. Depending on which, they would shorten or lengthen the pitch to their advantage. Apparently they never got caught for cheating!!
Next we visit where the major shipping port was for all goods coming into city. All foods were shipped in terra cotta pots. They could contain olive oil, wine, meats, etc. etc. if the pots were still good, they were recycled, if not, they were broken up and placed in a dumping ground. The dumping however was not hap hazard, and the mountain of Rome was formed. As the mountain goes higher, it was discovered that due to the cracks, crevices, and dirt in between all the terracotta, underneath they had a natural cool room.
This then was used to their advantage and used as a storage for wine! Over time, and with development, buildings encroached into this area, and it was into one of these buildings we went for our lunch! The restaurant's name was Flavio al Velavevodetto (which means "I told you so!" apparently Flavio always said he was going to open a restaurant, but no one believed him!)
we all sit down together and get to know each other better over pasta! We have Casio e pepe (pasta with pecorino cheese and cracked black pepper) carbonara, and alle amatriciana. Here we eat pasta as it is intended - "al dente" we truly do not know the meaning of the word. I will NEVER crucify my pasta again, and send it to a watery grave. Over our pasta we all talked, exchanged stories, and here we learn more about our guide Domenico. He is in a rock band, and is also know as "piccolo Mick Jagger". He was as big a character, as was our guide the night before! We laughed and joked for an hour or so over lunch, and then it was back on the trail again!
Next stop was the old slaughterhouse. Domenico has all the stories - of how it used to be, how the workers were paid in portion with the "off cuts, and offal", and how various meals eventuated because of these "off cuts".
After our walk, it's time to taste again. This time suppli alla genovese. Again another story of its origin. What is is suppli alla genovese? Well basically, a rice ball with beef stew through it, breaded, and then fried. A little to salty for my taste, but still good.
We stop next in a square, we are told to gather close, as Domenico cannot talk too loudly, the next story he wants to tell us, you see, involves "the mafia". We cannot repeat the story, we have been sworn to secrecy!
Our final stop on this gastronomic adventure is Giolitti for gelato. Genuine gelato is assured. We are told the flavours, but we are also warned that our choices can be vetoed if they are deemed inappropriate combinations! I choose the wild cherry, and am told in no uncertain terms that I must have the eggnog to go with it. I am not disappointed Bellisimo! This tour was the most incredible experience. Not only did we get up close and personal with the real side of Italy, but we met some incredible people along the way. Several of us have exchanged emails, and I hope to see a couple of them when they come visit in the next year. I am loving the Italian life! Tomorrow, is our last day in Rome, then onto Firenze (Florence).
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