Trattoria Vecchia Roma

Roman cuisine is so much more than the ordinary pasta and pizza that everyone assumes at first instance. Being highly influenced by the 'poor person's' concept of cooking, our cuisine is filled with traditional historic recipes, which have been handed down through several generations and transformed over the course of time. With hundreds of restaurants all serving their own versions of classics and innovative dishes, you will have a culinary experience that will exceed your expectations. Having said this, Rome can be a very confusing and overwhelming city to visit. With so many restaurants, bars and food establishments in general to choose from, it's very easy to fall into tourist traps. This is my guide with all my favourite food and beverage spots that you must visit when in Rome!

Fascinating places in Rome - a little bit of this, a little bit of that, mixing classics with some unpopular, hidden gems! Where to eat/drink (including a bunch of beautiful rooftops), where to shop (outlets, bespoke & made in Italy - brands you rarely find outside this country) and what to visit around (gorgeous sights included, so be sure to check them out and take lots of pictures). Highlights: 🛵 Vespa - is an Italian luxury brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. An Italian icon since 1946. You’ll see many of these all over the city. 🍕 Roman style Pizza - we encounter "pizza al taglio," which means "by the cut". The scizzas, which are a type of scissors, are used to cut this pizza into square-shaped slices. This helps to maintain the structure of both the toppings and the crust. There is also “pizza bassa”, with a thin base. Roman pizza is practically the opposite to Neapolitan pizza: it is crispy and they are not afraid of toppings. A classic on all menus in Rome is the Capricciosa: topped with ham, mushrooms, olives, artichoke, an egg and tomato. Oil is added to the dough and there is much less water than the Naples version. 🥯 The maritozzo - is a classic sweet pastry, traditionally packed full of whipped cream, which has satisfied Romans for centuries. The dough-based bun is typically eaten in Rome for breakfast but can also be eaten as a hefty snack, or dessert, throughout the day. ☕️ Ristretto - is Italian for "short shots", and that's exactly what this shot of espresso brings to the table. Its main difference is that it takes a shorter extraction time, and uses less water therefore the flavor is rich and bold, and very intense. 🍧 La Grattachecca Romana - a favourite icy drink with fruity flavor; for the Romans, the grattachecca is sacred - strictly prepared by hand in the historical kiosks of the Rioni Trastevere, Testaccio and Prati, in the lively Ponte Milvio area and Trieste and Trionfale districts. Grattachecca derives, in fact, from the action with which the “ghiacciata" (ice) is produced: with a special tool, the ice is scraped off a block, called the "checca" in Roman dialect. 🛍️ When it comes to shopping, Rome can be quite the haven for designer brands, but there is no other fashion house more Roman than Valentino Garavani. The brand’s design (its famous studs) has its origins in the Renaissance architecture of Rome - the “bugnato” technique of the ancient Roman buildings. The largest Valentino store (in the world) lies here, in Rome, on the famous Piazza di Spagna site.

THE DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO A PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO ROME 🇮🇹 I've been fortunate enough to visit Rome multiple times and even more fortunate to have been guided by true Italian friends. Here I take all that I've learned from those travels and distill it into one perfect 3-day introduction. This itinerary is perfect for someone visiting Rome for the first time and then continuing on to other parts of Italy for the rest of your trip. You'll visit all the truly must-see sights like the Colosseum and the Vatican, but you’ll do so at a pace that won’t make you exhausted and miserable. Generally I recommend that people spend even longer in Rome (because there’s just *so much* to see here), but I know the stats say 3 days is really typical. I completely understand. Europe is expensive and you want to make the most of your trip. But, I think you'll find that these 3 days barely scratch the surface of the Eternal City, and you'll be itching to come back to see (and eat) everything Rome has to offer!