{"id":1806,"date":"2018-06-11T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=1806"},"modified":"2024-02-22T11:14:09","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:14:09","slug":"eat-and-drink-like-a-local-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/eat-and-drink-like-a-local-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Eat and Drink Like a Local in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tanveer Badal<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve visited Rome twice before, so I\u2019ve already experienced much of the city\u2019s treasure trove of sights\u2014though seeing mind-blowing ancient structures like the Colosseum never gets old. But for my third visit, I was determined to experience Rome like a local. My goal was to literally live out the classic phrase \u201cwhen in Rome, do as the Romans do,\u201d for over a week. So I based myself in the cuore<\/i> (heart) of Rome\u2019s centro storico at Hotel Rinascimento<\/a>, where I could fully immerse myself in the culture and lifestyle of this timeless city.<\/p>\n

To kick things off, I joined Perillo\u2019s Learning Journeys\u2019<\/a> immersive \u201cLive Like a Roman\u201d<\/a> tour. Italy has a rich tradition of food and Rome is filled with some of the country\u2019s best gastronomic delights, so eating and drinking is of a major part of the hands-on experience. On the itinerary was a Twilight Trastevere Food Tour<\/a>, a cocktail crawl of Rome with local expert and influencer Maria Pasquale (a.k.a. Heart Rome<\/a>), lunch at the Palazzo with the Italian countess Violante<\/a>, and even a pizza- and gelato-making class<\/a>. And, of course, in between activities I had plenty of opportunities to try every kind of Italian delicacy\u2014from delectable suppl\u00ec<\/i> (fried risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella) to the city\u2019s famed gelato\u2014all on my own.<\/p>\n

The following is a photo journey of some of my favorite dining and drinking experiences in Rome:<\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Da Enzo Trattoria<\/a>, a busy Trastevere neighborhood restaurant frequented by both locals and in-the-know tourists, served up one of my favorite dishes of the trip: Pasta Amatriciana. Hungry Romans arrive in droves for lunch, as you can see here. I went on a weekday without a reservation and was fortunate snag a table after waiting only about 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

An Italy fact I\u2019d never known: Different types and shapes of pastas come from different regions of the country. Da Enzo Trattoria\u2019s Pasta Amatriciana is a classic dish named for the Italian town of Amatrice with a spicy sauce based on guanciale <\/i>(cured pork cheek). The cured meat has a taste similar to bacon–and is absolutely delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the counter stands Stefania Innocenti, the fourth-generation owner and baker behind Biscottificio Innocenti in Trastevere. At one point, as our group surrounded her while sampling a platter of delicious cookies, she almost seemed to tear up while talking to us. Our guide, Rishad Noorani from Eating Europe Tours<\/span><\/a>, translated: \u201cSeeing all you people enjoying my food just makes me so happy. I don\u2019t do it for the money. I do it for this!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-9\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sipping an Aperol spritz while people-watching at a sidewalk cafe became my daily indulgence in Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-23\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I learned to make Roman-style pizza via InRome Cooking classes–and I can\u2019t wait to test out my new skills at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-11\"<\/a> \"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-12\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On the Trastevere Twilight Food Tour, we stopped at the Antica Caciara salumeria<\/i> (delicatessen) to sample buttery porchetta washed down with beer. This old-school deli has been operated by the Polica family since 1900 and is a Trastevere institution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-24\"<\/a><\/p>\n

During one magical afternoon, lunch was served up with one of the best views of Rome. This airy terrace tops Palazzo Taverna, the family house of chef and entertainer, Violante Guerrieri Gonzaga<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-17\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the most exciting nights out on the town was with Rome local expert Maria Pasquale, also known as Heart Rome<\/span><\/a>. Here, Maria sips an experimental cocktail served in a tea cup at the boutique hotel DOM<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-15\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for nightlife away from the well-trodden tourist path, head across the river to Trastevere and follow the crowds–Trastevere locals party late into the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-20\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-19\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rome-food-tour-tanveer-badal-22\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Jerry Thomas Project, an intimate speakeasy that\u2019s been named one of the 50 best bars<\/span><\/a> in the world, capped off our tour. Reservations are a must and it\u2019s worth it, I promise!<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about Tanveer’s journey?<\/i>\u00a0Read more about it on\u00a0AFAR.com<\/a>, the\u00a0USTOA Blog<\/a>,\u00a0and c<\/i><\/i>heck out\u00a0<\/i>Perillo’s Learning Journey\u00a0Live Like A Roman<\/a>\u00a0itinerary.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tanveer is a travel, hotel, and lifestyle photographer who has explored more than 50 countries. Some trips have led him to photograph luxury hotels on the Amalfi Coast or the Riviera Maya, while others have taken him on long treks in the Bhutanese Himalayas or in search of lemurs in Madagascar. Follow his ongoing travels on <\/span><\/i>Instagram<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span> or check out his <\/span><\/i>travel portfolio<\/span><\/i><\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tanveer Badal I\u2019ve visited Rome twice before, so I\u2019ve already experienced much of the city\u2019s treasure trove of sights\u2014though seeing mind-blowing ancient structures like the Colosseum never gets old. But for my third visit, I was determined to experience Rome like a local. My goal was to literally live out the classic phrase \u201cwhen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[101,8],"class_list":["post-1806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rome","tag-food","tag-live-like-a-local"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Eat and Drink Like a Local in Rome - USTOA Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore Rome's rich culinary scene with AFAR Ambassador Tanveer Badal as he joins Perillo\u2019s Learning Journeys\u2019 \u201cLive Like a Roman\u201d tour.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/eat-and-drink-like-a-local-in-rome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Eat and Drink Like a Local in Rome - 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