Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FOOD TOUR
Food Tours Italy
(
www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com
; tours €65; daily) is run by American expat Kenny Dunn
and offers informative four-hour tours around Testaccio, with chances to taste delicacies, such as
prosciutto
,
along the way, before finishing up with some of Rome's best pizza. There are a maximum of 12 people to a tour.
SPRING
Spring is prime time for lamb, perfect roasted with potatoes -
agnello al forno con patate
. Sometimes it's described as
abbacchio
(Roman dialect for lamb)
scottadito
('hot enough
to burn fingers').
March to April is the finest season for
carciofo alla giudia
(Jewish-style artichoke),
when the big, round artichokes from Cerveteri appear on the table (smaller varieties are
from Sardinia).
May and June are favourable fishing months, and thus good for cuttlefish and octopus,
as well as other seafood.
Grass-green
fave
(broad beans) are eaten after a meal (especially on 1 May), accompan-
ied by some salty
pecorino
.
It's also time to tuck into
risotto con asparagi di bosco
(rice with woodland asparagus),
as asparagus comes into its prime.
You'll see two types of courgette on Roman market stalls; the familiar dark-green kind,
and the lighter green, fluted
zucchine romanesche
(Roman courgette), usually with the
flowers still attached - these orange petals, deep-fried, are a delectable feature of Roman
cooking.
This is the time to visit Nemi in the Castelli Romani to eat its famous wild strawberries.
SUMMER
Tonno
(tuna) comes fresh from the seas around Sardinia;
linguine ai frutti di mare
and
risotto alla pescatora
are good light summer dishes.
Summertime is
melanzane
(aubergine or eggplant) time: tuck into them grilled as anti-
pasti or fried and layered with rich tomato sauce in
melanzane alla parmagiana,
or try
melanzane e peperoni stufati
(stuffed aubergine and peppers).
Summer is the season for leafy greens, and Rome even has its own lettuce, the sturdy,
flavourful
lattuga romana
.
Tomatoes are at their full-bodied finest - it's the ideal moment for a light
spaghetti al
pomodoro
(with fresh tomatoes and basil).
