Food or beverage, Rome

2 more images

We love checking the local markets in every city and in Rome the most popular is Campo de Fiori which was great to visit. It is full of colorful fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers with many visitors, locals and tourists. They also have many seeds, herbs, some cheese and many other useful and tasty things for a great lunch at home although if you staying in a hotel wont really need anything. We spent some time enjoying the perfumes but we also bought some fruits for the road

The square took its name (field of flowers) in middle ages when it was a meadow! There are cafes facing the market where you can sit and enjoy the people passing by.

“Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already.”
— Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180)

Moriondo & Gariglio is the oldest chocolate shop in Rome. It began business operations in 1850 when the first shop was founded in Turin as the chocolatier to the House of Savoy, Italy’s royal family. When Vittorio Emmanuel and his Court and family moved to Rome following the country’s unification Moriondo & Gariglio followed, opening a branch in the new capital.

Its recipes have been handed down for generations over the company’s 100+ year history. The chocolates are hand made on the premises.

We visited this old-world shop, with its red walls, dark wood trim and glass shelves lining the wall, at day’s end; the shop was empty of customers. We could take our time with our selections; samples were even offered. Nothing is prepackaged; anything you want will be boxed by hand by the sweet, non-English-speaking staff. But do not worry: this is chocolate, a universal language! Chocolates are not the only confections for sale; those made from almonds, chestnuts, and other nuts are also very good.

1 more image

Since we decided to rent an apartment while vacationing in Rome, we wanted to find a supermarket where the locals shop for groceries, fresh fruit and veggies, etc.
Di per Di was the place that served this purpose while we were in town. It is very popular with locals and you will not find too many tourists here. The store is not very big (nothing is big in Rome), but it carries a large variety of meat and meat produce, dairy, veggies and fruit, bread and baked goods, juices, house cleaners, deodorants, etc. We got very tasty fruit from here, several natural juices (sugar free and no preservatives in them), excellent cheese (a variety of them that were fresh and tasted extraordinary) and excellent panettone (chocolate filled ones, with dried fruit, etc).
There are several locations in Rome, but we shopped at the one located close to the Pantheon, few steps away from Via del Gesu.

What to buy: groceries, local sweets and breads, local cheese and local salamis

According to a legend, the name of this square derives from Flora; a woman loved by Pompeo, or maybe because there was a field of flowers in XV century in this area. Campo de' Fiori (in Romanesque dialect) means literally field of flowers.

This is a nice square with some cafes, restaurants and shops. Every morning, until 1.30 p.m. a food market is held here. There are also clothes on sale.

The big statue you see in the center of the square represents Giordano Bruno. He was a philosopher burnt at stake for heresy in the 1600.

What to buy: Food and other things.

1 more image

A few years ago, as a student, I was in Rome with my backpack and a tent, it was really budget trip. Now, when I live here I can see that you can eat good and cheap while in Rome.
First of all, make your own grocery shopping in a local NEGOZIO DI ALIMENTARI (Grocery shop). You can buy great bread, cheese, prosciutto - ham , tomatoes for 10 Euro and have a nice picnic for at least 4 people. There are 1000 of amazing places to sit and make a picnic. Go to Villa Borghese or Piazza Farnese. (Just bring with you a knife, a small table cloth etc.)

You can buy also for lunch a slice of pizza in PIZZA al TAGLIO for 3Euro per person.
Try to buy sandwiches not in a bar (at least 3-4 Euro) but in PANETTERIA 2Euro (a bread store).
If you feel like going to restaurant, go for a tourist menu, I've seen prices 8-10 Euro close to Pantheon, Borgo Pio area.
Or go to TAVOLA CALDA , kind of Italian fast food, but very tasty. Everything is pre made and you can choose what you like, prices 5 Euro per dish. Lot's of bars, have a section of Tavola Calda.

Right now if I were on a budget trip to Rome I could live on 10 Euro per day, but to have a treat from time to time better count 20Euro.

You do not have to buy water it's potable from the fountains.

Remember, if you sit in a bar everything is more expensive.
The same for elegant restaurants if you sit outside you can pay more, better ask before.
The service is usually included, 1-2Euro per person, so most often you do not have to leave extra tip.

What's important, Gelato - Italian ice-cream cost 2Euro and you can not miss it!!!!

Do you remember this quote from the 5th Element? It was from the beginning of the movie. An archeologist is about to discover the secrets of the hieroglyphs. Then a priest comes and he offers a toast for his discovery. This is the scene I first heard the name of Grappa.
This is a sweet and strong alcoholic beverage. I waited to taste it until my travel to Italy because I couldn’t find it in Turkey.
You can buy grappa in any market. I bought mine from a market on the highway.

Where to buy wine in Rome? Trimani

Trimani is one of the most amazing shops i have ever seen with so many different varierties and plenty of different vintages to choose from the same producer.

As we all know we cannot carry on liquids on the plane, so mention at the store that and they will sell you relatively cheap foam boxes, which are perfect for storing wines in the suitcase (and you will be able to reuse those boxes in the future).

One more tip: if you buy wines non taxable you will have to claim that money in the airport and of course we did not even think about it and checked everything in and once inside the gate we could not claim out money for the tax. So we found out you can actually claim before you check in, there is a kiosk outside where to show them the product.

What to buy: This it the place to stock up on excellent Italian wines. The customer service there is ok (just like anywhere in Italy) so you must come prepared! Do some research on Italian wines, best years and recommended wine makers, because it's very overwhelming which one to choose once you are there.

What to pay: well it can range from 10 - 1000 euros (probably more)

This place will make you feel differently about biscotti and cookies in general. The location is a bit tough to find (with the way things are numbered in Rome), it's hidden in one of the alleys and it does not even look like something nice and fancy outside. Once inside it just looks like you entered a big kitchen and you tell the cashier which cookies you want.

What to buy: We ended up buying a mix of everything, 2 of each, so we could try everything in the store.
Originally we bought it to bring some back to USA, but they were so good and fresh, we ended up eating them on the way back to hotel and the next day on the plane