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 ➔

Food tours in Rome

piadina+pastrami sandwich

When I guide culinary tours, my clients often say, "You have the best job in the world."

I couldn't agree more.

I get to walk around one of the world's most beautiful historical and fascinating cities...

...tasting delicious food, meeting interesting people, engaging in conversations on topics I am passionate about...

...and introducing wonderful chefs, wine merchants, cheesemongers, butchers, greengrocers, and artisans to my clients.

I like that Orazio, the fresh pasta guy, lets me take clients in the back of his shop to show how he makes tagliatelle casarecce. I love it when the workers at the bread baker see me walk in, they say, "Eccola!" – here she is, like they were expecting me. I like that if the group is in the mood, we can stop for a glass of wine at an enoteca. I'm happy there is no strict itinerary, and instead a fair amount of improvisation. Mostly, I like the smiles.

You can learn more about the food tours I lead by visiting the website of my co-owned company Casa Mia Italy Food & Wine.

Food shops in Rome

I'm in list mode.

I've shared the contents of my pantry, logged Italy's favorite cheeses, assembled a salumi primer and itemized popular pasta types. I recently wrote a post on where to find raw milk, listed covert croissant dealers, and provided a full index of Rome's neighborhood and farmer's markets.

As part of my alimentary-obsessed research, I have now compiled a list of Rome's best specialty stores and local foodie shrines, divided by the items on which they focus.Continue Reading...