Honeymoon Day 11: Eating Italy

After yesterday’s long day in Vatican City, I decided that it was time to crank up the romance on our honeymoon. As a special treat, I took Ann Taylor to the Testaccio neighborhood in Rome to visit a graveyard, a slaughterhouse and to eat lunch in the middle of a 2,000 year-old garbage dump. Actually, perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Back in November, a few friends and I took a food tasting tour of Chelsea Market in New York. Given Ann Taylor’s love of food, I looked for something similar in Rome, and I was thrilled to find Eating Italy Food Tours. Knowing that we would be tasting quite a few Italian specialties today, we went light on the hotel’s breakfast buffet, leaving around 9:45am. After a fifty minute walk, we arrived in Testaccio, a neighborhood in the southwest section of Rome, and met Domenico, our guide for the next four hours. Along with twelve other “foodies”, we started our tour at Mercato Testaccio, a closed-roof market with vendors that have passed the family business down for four or more generations. Our first tasting was Buffalo mozzarella at Lina and Enzo’s deli, and it was some of the best cheese that we have eaten during the entire trip. The experience at Inn Bufalito in Sorrento had somewhat soured us on Buffalo mozzarella, but Lina and Enzo brought our love right back. Next, we moved to a tomato stand, and tried five different varieties, although Carmelo, “The Tomato Poet”, sells forty others. I am generally not a big fan of eating tomato on its own, but they were all quite good, and I especially enjoyed a small, yellow variety.

Next, we left Mercato Testaccio and walked a few blocks to Volpetti, a much more upscale deli that had a wide selection of cheese and prosciutto. There, we tried two kinds of Italian cheese — including one with truffles — prosciutto and salami. All were tasty, although I was particularly fond of the salami. With a few salty foods on our tongue, it was time to satisfy our sweet tooth, and we made our way to Barberini, a bakery, for cornettos — an Italian croissant that was less buttery, but covered in honey — and tiramisu served in small chocolate cups. Both were outstanding! The next two stops were those that I had mentioned at the beginning, starting with the “Protestant Cemetery”. While not a destination for food tasting, the cemetery was beautiful and gave the group time for our food to digest. We also saw the graves of the poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose death helped to inspire his wife, Mary, to author “Frankenstein”. After the cemetery, we walked to Flavio al Velavevodetto, a restaurant built into Monte Testaccio, the structure that inspired the neighborhood’s name. Monte Testaccio was formed over a few hundred years, starting with the 1st century BC, with the remains of broken ceramic containers used to transport food to Rome. Centuries later, the air circulation between the broken pieces proved a natural cooling system, and wine cellars were carved into the mound. Today, one of those wine cellars was transformed into Flavio al Velavevodetto, where we tried three types of pasta, including the second-ranked pasta alla carbonara in Rome. Everyone in the group agreed that the restaurant had earned its reputation.

Our next stop was a site that was the largest slaughterhouse in Europe until the mid-70s, and now houses (among other things) Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Again, not exactly a stop for food tasting, but it was really neat to see how such an industrial site had been remarkably transformed. Continuing to 00100 Pizza, we then tried suppli, a risotto ball mixed with mozzarella and raw egg before being deep-fried. Somehow, Ann Taylor and I continued to find room for food, and, after trying the suppli, we were glad that we had. As with everything else that we tasted, it was delicious. During the entire tour, Domenico told stories about the neighborhood, the markets and the mom-and-pop shops and restaurants that continue to thrive today. We have been really fortunate to have been led by such entertaining and informative tour guides in Rome. The final stop on the tour was Giolitti Caffe and Gelateria, and it should be no surprise that we concluded our four-hour meal with gelato. Having learned the art of gelato-making just last week, we certainly appreciated another opportunity to learn more about a local gelateria. After four hours, we were full, but not stuffed, and I think that the second food tour was even better than my first. Of course, it certainly helps when all of the food is Italian!

Now, back at the hotel, we are getting ready for another Italian cultural tradition: a night at the opera. Tonight, we have tickets to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Teatro dell’Opera, the largest opera house in Rome. Fortunately, the opera house is only a few minutes walk from the hotel, and, fortunately, we should not need to stop for dinner beforehand. Ann Taylor knows the play very well, while I am going to try to crank through the Wikipedia summary before we head over. I had actually started to read the play on my Kindle while in Sorrento, but then realized that my ability to interpret Shakespeare expired when I graduated high school. No matter what, it should be a fun night on the town. And, after visiting a graveyard, a slaughterhouse and eating lunch in a garbage dump, I think that Ann Taylor probably deserves a fun night out.

Take care,
– Dan