La Tradizione gourmet deli in Rome

It all started with a passion. Two competent and adventurous young Umbrians, Renzo Fantucci and Valentino Belli, joined forces in 1980 to take over an old Rome delicatessen not far from the Vatican with the objective to pioneer a mission: provide the eternal city with prime quality and forgotten products. Passion drove them to start the business and passion is the leitmotif that is at the core of their store, "La Tradizione" which literally means 'tradition'.

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Gargani gourmet deli in Rome

My memories of Gargani go way back, and are – like most impacting childhood recollections – powerfully connected to sensorial stimuli.

Walking in, the smell of cured meats, cheese and fresh pasta was overwhelming. I remember how back then, Gargani seemed like an enormous cathedral. Obviously in the eyes of a child it did appear spacious, when in fact this salumeria (a shop selling culinary delicacies) is a long and narrow shop, surely not a large one. One particularly busy shopping day around Christmas time, when my mom and I were there for last minute grocery grabbing, I remember briefly "getting lost" amidst ladies with furs and pirouetting salespersons, in the bustling space occupied by the customers.

From that day on, hand firmly clasped in my mother's, I negotiated the cue at Gargani with the utmost respect (and a residual smidgen of terror). Continue Reading ➔