MY EXPERIENCE
FOOD TOUR "TRASTEVERE BY SUNSET"

The food tour around the Trastevere neighbourhood started at 5 p.m. at the first tasting stop, a street food restaurant called Trapizzino. (Please note that the times and venues are subject to change. I went on the food tour in September 2022.)

There were so many people gathered in front of the restaurant. How on earth were we all going to go on one food tour together? I didn’t need to worry, though, as it turned out. We were split up into three groups to start with! But we would be reunited later on in the evening.

My food tour guide was Celeste, who is originally from the Netherlands but has been living in Rome for two years.

After a noisy and slightly chaotic start, the three newly formed groups gathered to kick off proceedings with a round of introductions.

How come? We were about to spend the entire evening together and there was set to be plenty of chatting alongside all the eating! Food tours are different to guided tours of tourist attractions in that respect. They are a fantastic opportunity to get to know people, chat and socialise over a glass or two of wine. It wouldn’t be quite the same if everyone stayed silent all night long!

1. Stop
STREET FOOD RESTAURANT TRAPIZZINO

Trapizzini are based on the traditional Tramezzini triangular Italian sandwiches constructed from two slices of soft white bread with the crusts removed.
But the inventor of Trapizzini became bored with that original concept one day and decided to create a new version with all kinds of fillings served in a triangle-shaped pizza pocket.

We had plenty of fillings to choose from – cold ones like the burrata and anchovy option I went for, hot ones like ragout, chicken and meatballs in tomato sauce, and vegetarian ones like aubergine and cheese.

And they were all served with a nice glass of white wine and some water.

What a great start to the food tour with a truly iconic Italian dish!

2. Stop
WINE BAR ESSENZA

After a short walk, we arrived at a wine bar called Essenza.

And we really did get down to the essence of the tasting tour at this stop. Our taste buds were put to work and we had the chance to learn a thing or two along the way. For example, did you know that the air in a place can have a huge impact on flavour? That the name of a product is often tied to the place where it is made and cannot be used for products made elsewhere? And that truffle hunting dogs are introduced to the smell of truffles the moment they are born?

At this stop, we tried two types of ham (Parma and Pata Negra), one salami, two spreads and five cheeses. They brought out a pricey bottle of Modena balsamic vinegar and a full-bodied red wine too. Delizioso!

3. stop
PEPPO AL COSIMATO

At this point, all three groups reconvened to enjoy the main dishes together.

The tour provider chose the restaurant Peppo al Cosimato because it is believed to be home to the oldest pizza oven in Rome. We’re just going to go ahead and say that’s true 😉

The restaurant owner welcomed us, talked us through the pasta dishes and told us a bit about his business.

First up was a pasta dish. You could choose between a classic Carbonara (egg and Pecorino sauce with pancetta), Amatriciana (tomato sauce with pancetta) and the house special Pulpo pasta. For anyone who doesn’t speak Italian, that’s octopus (served in a yellow tomato sauce). I went for the octopus and I wasn’t disappointed! But the other two choices are more traditional dishes, so they may be a safer bet.

The white wine served with the pasta was a little too sweet for me (it was a semi-seco).

And then it was time for the pizza! We had one half-and-half pizza to share between two people.

It was half a classic Margherita and half a white pizza (without tomato sauce on the base) topped with cherry tomatoes that were tangy yet sweet. Yum!

This was served with a glass of red wine and, you guessed it, plenty of water.

4. Stop
FONTE DELLA SALUTE

Dessert!!!
The tour couldn’t end without a sweet treat, could it? And gelato is the dessert of choice in Rome.

Celeste was on hand with some more top tips – this time about what to watch out for when ordering gelato.

Did you realise that not all gelato is created equal? Some is homemade and some is modified with food colouring. I won’t go into all that now, though. You’ll have to book onto the tour so Celeste and the other guides can tell you all about it!

Thank you Celeste!