Artichokes in the Testaccio market. The Coliseum at night.
ICE President Rick Smilow recently spent several days in Rome. As always, he had a few food adventures on his journey (regular readers will remember his trips to Mississipi and Chicago). In this account of his food tour through Rome’s Testaccio neighborhood, he shares how he did as the Romans do and ended up eating very well.
I’m a big fan of history, food and touring. So on our recent holiday trip to Rome, it was easy to get excited about our planned, Eating Italy Food Tour in Rome.
Philadelphia native Kenny Dunn started Eating Italy Food Tours in early 2011. Ken and his wife Ana moved to Rome in 2009 when she took a position as an economist for the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization. At present, he runs one incredibly enjoyable and delicious tour of Rome’s Testaccio neighborhood. Throughout history, Testaccio has played a key role in Rome’s food culture. During the Roman Empire, the area had docks on the Tiber River where barges delivered food. Later, in 1890, a slaughterhouse that was once the largest in Europe was built there. Now, there is a covered stall, local food market there, open from 7:30am to 1:00pm, that is Rome’s largest such market. Our Testaccio tour included seven stops on a sunny but brisk December Tuesday. It was scheduled as a group tour, but on this particular day, my family was the only group. More…