Top Oz Tours offers a great range of Rome tours and experiences. You can browse the options here.
With direct flights from Australia to Rome now in operation, there’s never been a better time to help yourself to a generous slice of la dolce vita in the Italian capital.
Rome has long been recognised by travellers as one of the most spellbinding cities in the world, and with good reason. It’s a destination steeped in history, and which truly offers something to interest everyone. Admire the ancient monuments, delve into centuries of cultural heritage at the city’s many museums and galleries, soak up the atmosphere of the bustling piazzas and squares, or get behind hometown heroes Roma and Lazio at a football (soccer) match at Stadio Olimpico.
And last, but by no means least, let’s talk about the tucker! From its paninoteche and pizzerias, to trattorias and tavole calde, Rome offers foodie’s a dream holiday. But forget cheesy crusts and cliched spag bol (which is never served locally with spaghetti!). In Italy the flavours are sharper, the ingredients are farm fresh, and the attitude to food is sacred!
One word of warning: like all big cities, Rome has its share of overpriced tourist restaurants. The best way to start your culinary journey of discovery is by booking an amazing Rome food tour. You’ll taste test your way around town and pick up plenty of tips from your local guide for great places to eat for the remainder of your stay.
Here’s a handful of must-do food tours, and tips for where to eat and drink in Rome.
Trastevere Food Tour
The only reason most visitors to Rome venture across the Tiber River from the old centre is to visit the Vatican. Foodies should also make a point of exploring the picturesque neighbourhood of Trastevere (which translates to ‘beyond the Tiber’). Cupped by a crook in the river, this maze of small streets lined with ochre-coloured buildings harbours hundreds of memorable places to eat.
Secret Food Tours’ Trastevere Food Tour is a great way to get your culinary bearings. Tour guests get to enjoy a glass of local prosecco at a quaint wine bar, try traditional Jewish-Roman bites at the legendary Da Enzos trattoria, and sample traditional porchetta — pieces of wood-fired roast pork, served on pizza flatbread.
The tour also includes the opportunity to indulge in a selection of Roman cheeses and try an amari (an Italian herbal digestive liqueur). Leave room for an artisanal pastry to wrap things up!
Old Centre Food Tour
Rome’s old centre may be tourist central, but even here there are plenty of places to get an authentic taste of city life. Secret Food Tours’ Historical Centre Food Tour reveals all and is best done early in your stay.
You’ll begin by caffeinating at one of the oldest coffee shops in the city, then try three different styles of artisanal pizza. Note the thin, biscuit-like crust and fresh, flavoursome ingredients.
From there, it’s off to a local market to sample delicious cheeses, cured meats, and one of the city’s best cannoli. Later on, guests get to try two styles of homemade pasta, before indulging in a generous serving of gelato! Go hungry!
Rome Wine Tour
Good food generally goes hand in hand with fine wine, and that’s certainly the case in Italy. While names like pinot grigio, prosecco, sangiovese, and lambrusco will be recognisable to most Australian wine drinkers, there are many other styles of Italian wine that will be far less familiar. Wine is produced right across the country (and has been for some 4,000 years!), and the Lazio region around Rome is best known for its whites (trebbiano and malvasia).
To learn more about Italy’s wider wine scene, consider doing a Rome Wine Tour with Secret Food Tours. You’ll walk the cobbled streets near the Forum and Colosseum, and visit a number of wine bars for tastings. Styles of wine on offer include prosecco, nebbiolo, nero d’avola, and rosé, and each tasting is accompanied by an explanation from a local sommelier of the story behind that particular drop.
This tour is a great way to get the basics of choosing Italian wine under your belt, and will set you up for ordering wine with meals for the rest of the trip. Rome is home to sights and attractions that top many travellers’ bucket lists, but don’t be surprised to find that the cuisine is one of the most memorable aspects of your holiday. Buon appetito!
This post was published thanks to Secret Food Tours.
Browse our range of Rome tours and experiences here.
Do you have any tips for where to eat and drink in Rome? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of Top Oz Tours & Travel Ideas, and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger, and photographer. He has travelled extensively through Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, and the Middle East. Adam worked as a travel consultant for a number of years with Flight Centre before taking up the opportunity to travel the world himself as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten. He loves to experience everything a new destination has to offer and is equally at home in a five-star Palazzo in Pisa or a home-stay in Hanoi.
