One of the highlights of our trip to Rome in April 2014 was the Twilight Trastevere Food Tour we did with Eating Italy (part of the Eating Europe Tours). Our tour guide Val could not have been friendlier or more knowledgable, and even had a surprise stop for us along the way.
The tour began at a meeting point in Trastevere where at Val introduced himself and allowed us time to introduce ourselves to each other in the small group that would partake in this culinary adventure. We were each given a map, highlighting the places we would go and the food we would be trying along the way. In all, we would visit 10 different places for either wine or food tastings, culminating in a stop at a fantastic gelateria serving up some of the best-tasting gourmet gelato we had during our entire trip to Italy!
Gourmet gelato at Fatamorgana in Trastevere
Over the four hour tour, we were able to meet with many of the owners of these fine establishments, whose stories were worth the price of admission alone. After stopping at the iconic trattoria Da Enzo al 29 where we were treated to a glass of wine and a fried artichoke, we were whisked away over the cobblestone streets to Spirito di Vino — a wine cellar owned and operated by a former Nobel Prize winning team member — which had its own story to tell as it was 150 years older than the Colosseum itself. I will not spoil what was found in the cellar long ago, but it put a smile on my wife's face whose love of art meant she knew exactly what treasure had laid dormant in the cellar.
After these first two stops, we leisurely walked on to 8 more establishments, each with either a food or wine tasting that brought a flavor and taste to our time in Rome that we may not have had otherwise.
From a stop at one of the finest meat and cheese delicatessen...
... to a visit to a cookie factory with one of the sweetest people you will ever meet ...
... to one of Italy's most well-known bakeries, in which we were given a behind-the-scenes tour of their ovens, and tasted the bread that they serve at many a fine restaurant across Rome or the pizza by the inch that they serve their customers daily.
Along the way, we got to know the people in our group, share our stories about our time in Rome, and take in the culture of the neighborhood of Trastevere while eating, drinking, and being merry.
Cheers!