Food
Four stops, one neighbourhood, and nobody checking the time.
Trastevere is the part of Rome that most visitors know and few visitors eat well in. The streets near the main square are full of tables set for people who will never come back. A block or two away, the same recipes are cooked for the neighbourhood by people who will see you at the bakery tomorrow.
We walk it at the pace Romans eat, which is slowly. Four stops, each chosen because the cooking is honest and the owner will not rush you, with enough time between them to walk, talk and make room.
18:00
We meet on the piazza and start with something cold and local, the kind of drink Romans have before dinner, with a small plate of salumi and cheese.
18:50
A short walk to a small counter where the fried things come out in paper cones: supplì, fiori di zucca in season, baccalà. Your guide explains the Roman habit of eating standing up.
19:40
A trattoria with a handwritten menu. You eat one of the four classic Roman pastas, and your guide tells you which is which, and why you should not ask for cream in the carbonara.
20:30
A different kitchen for the main plate, and a different style: something slow-cooked, or the vegetable dish of the season, with a glass of the house wine.
21:15
We finish with a dessert or a gelato on the walk down to the river. You are back at the bridge by about 21:30, in time to see the Tiber lit up.
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, by the fountain
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere, 00153 RomaWe meet at the fountain in front of the church. Your guide holds a small wooden sign with the Primo Lume oculus.
Open in mapsYes. Tell us when you enquire and we will tell the kitchens before you arrive. Roman cooking has plenty of vegetable dishes, so vegetarians eat well.
Children over 8 who like to try things are welcome. Please let us know their ages when you enquire.
A lot. Come hungry and skip lunch. Portions are small at each stop, but there are four.
Walks
from€79per personClimb the Gianicolo before Rome wakes, watch the haze lift off the domes, then walk down into Trastevere for breakfast at the counter.
Food
from€149per personStart at the covered market in Testaccio with a local cook, buy your own ingredients, then learn to make cacio e pepe, supplì and a classic Roman dessert in a home kitchen.
