Testaccio: Off the Beaten Track in Rome.

If you are a foodie you cannot miss the Testaccio food market and try at least once the Panino con la trippa (tripe sandwich). The Testaccio  in Rome is a residential area where most  tourists would not adventure but if you want to explore the real local food it is the place to go. Testaccio is a short bus ride from  the Colosseum  and central Rome. It has  lots of local produce including fresh vegetables, fresh and cured  meats, and also it has a good variety of street food served from the market stalls daily except on Mondays. The tripe sandwich is particularly indicated if you want to try something really Roman beside the usual pasta and pizza. We recommend to  try  Mordi e Vai for the panino con la trippa. Also around there other stalls offering delicious fried artichokes, and sandwiches  with the bollito (boiled meats).

 

Traditional Osteria in Rome — Lo Scopettaro Lungotevere.

Lo Scopettaro (literally the broom seller  in the roman dialect) is a traditional osteria in Roma Lungotevere off the tourist track worth trying because of the care taken to prepare the dishes on offer. We particularly appreciated the pasta courses. Of course we could not miss to try  rigatoni alla carbonara, and  tonnarelli  cacio e pepe which are freshly made spaghetti (alla chitarra) and a very simple sauce made with pecorino romano (cacio) and black pepper that it is skillfully blended with the pasta cooking water in order to obtain this creamy and tasty sauce.

You should pay at least a visit to  Eataly in Rome.

Eataly in Rome is 3rd food mall opened by the company of Mr Farinetti. After the success of Turin and New York, now it is time for Rome. Again a little off the beaten track, you will find Eataly Rome at the Piramide metro stop, not far from the city center. Farinnetti the food entrepreneur this time used a disused railway building to open this mega food mall that has on sale many Italian food items from every possible corner of the country. Foodies will also find restaurants and street food outlets serving anything from fish carpaccio, to piadina to pizza fritta (see picture below).