Emily in France 🇫🇷 ... Back in Italy!

My top 12 bites from Rome

Hello from the air! I’m currently on my way back to Paris after a total whirlwind of a long weekend in Rome.

I’d been to the Eternal City twice before, which meant I got to enjoy it in my favorite way: Undeterred by the shoulds echoing in my brain, this trip was spent mainly walking across the city (and by across the city, I truly mean across the city – my shoes broke somewhere around step 127,000).

I had the chance to develop a temporary morning routine, enjoying my daily reading, journaling, writing ritual at the bar downstairs from our apartment in the rough-round-the-edges neighborhood of Garbatella. The barista quickly recognized me sitting in the exact same chair each morning, delivering an espresso while I people-watched before beginning the exploration of the day.

We wandered a vast variety of neighborhoods, from Testaccio to Trastevere, from the gardens of the Villa Borghese to the ancient Via Appia. We took your advice and explored the major monuments at nightfall, enjoying some of the most extraordinary views backlit by the dimming indigo sky.

But let’s be honest… it was a trip governed chiefly by eating.

(Exactly no one is surprised.)

I first intended to profile only my top five bites in this missive, then my top ten… but I couldn't manage to cut this list any lower than 12. And since I make the rules… here they are, the whole dozen.

12. Fried baccala from Filetti di Baccalà

This was one of a few bites enjoyed on a consequential food tour with Devour Tours. I always make a point of doing a food tour in a new city, preferably on one of the first few days, to best reap the benefits of the guide’s knowledge. Fernanda was an excellent resource and offered us a list of some of her favorite spots, including Otaleg, a gelateria in Trastevere that would prove to be one of my faves of the trip. (But more on that in a bit.)

One of the tastes we enjoyed on the tour was fried baccala, aka salt cod, from a small spot that’s been serving this perfect bite – and almost exclusively this perfect bite – for over a century. Enjoyed hot out of the fryer with a glass of white wine, it was the perfect street food snack.

11. Puntarella with anchovy sauce at Da Buccatino

Traveling often leaves me craving a vegetable (or several), but in Rome, there were more than I would have expected on offer – and not the kind that seem like an afterthought. While Rome is certainly famous for its artichokes, it was other veg that impressed me more, namely this puntarella served with a simple anchovy sauce. It was bitter and briny in all the right ways, and I’m already drumming up ideas for how to recreate it at home.

10. Porchetta sandwich from Antica Porchetteria Granieri 1916

This was another bite from the food tour – a bite-sized portion of what are typically far more consequential sandwiches. I tried several different porchette over the course of this trip (two of which were given freely by their purveyors, and one of which – a consequential panino that could have easily fed two – may have been a bribe to get us to leave a bar early… unclear). But this one was my favorite, with the crispy fat soaking into the otherwise unremarkable bread and an herb layer redolent with rosemary. Delicious.

9. Salted pistachio gelato with raspberry sorbet at Otaleg

That something sweet made it onto this list at all is kind of incredible, but seeing as we enjoyed gelato at least once a day while in Italy, I did end up with a few favorites. This pairing of salted pistachio gelato and one of the freshest raspberry sorbets studded with bitter seeds was my favorite combo…

8. Vecchia Roma gelato from Gelateria del Teatro

…but the Vecchia Roma gelato from Gelateria del Teatro ultimately proved my favorite individual flavor. It was made with a combination of sheep's milk ricotta, sour cherries (aka visicola), and shortbread crumble. It would have been a total standout on its own, but it wasn't half-bad paired it with yet another raspberry sorbet either.

7. Pizza with green peppers at Mastro Donato

Our lunches were usually made up of a series of small bites (all the better for trying even more foods…) and pizza al taglio proved one of the ideal choices. This Roman style of pizza is sold by weight, and this slice was the first one we tried at a small pizza place on the outskirts of the Testaccio neighborhood, not too far from the Circus Maximus (where choices were far more dire…)

This slice, one of two we sampled alongside a nice classic margherita, was topped with sweet peppers and had one of the loveliest, chewiest sourdough bases. As someone who generally firmly believes that dough topped with things has no business calling itself a pizza without tomato sauce, even I have to admit… it conquered my heart.

6. Rigatoni all’amatriciana at Ristoro degli Angeli

Amatriciana may well be my favorite pasta in the world – so much so that despite only having three restaurant meals in the entire time we were in Rome, I dug into it twice. The version at Ristoro degli Angeli in Garbatella, just a quick walk from our flat, was luscious and richly flavored with tomato.

5. Spaghetti alla carbonara at Osteria del Pegno

The spaghetti alla carbonara turned up in nearly every review of Osteria del Pegno I found, so you know I had to order it. This quaint little restaurant down a quiet side street improbably just steps from Piazza Navona was kind of perfect, with a low-lit dining room embellished with flickering candles. While it was definitely rife with non-Italian-speakers, the food was definitely not tourist trap material. The carbonara was rich and creamy, and the guanciale was ultra crispy and salty. (The cicoria here was also excellent, the tiramisu lovely, and the wine list nothing to turn your nose up at.)

4. Pizza with fiore de zucca, anchovies, and stracchino cheese at Bona

Pizza scoring above pasta? Stranger things have happened, and this slice of pizza from Bona more than deserved it. A fluffy base with an ultra-crispy bottom was topped with zucchini flowers, anchovies, and stracchino cheese, an unfamiliar one to me that almost tasted like gorgonzola sans blue. (I will be seeking it out in Paris as soon as I can!) The only downside of this slice was that unlike at other spots, we weren't able to decide how large we wanted our piece to be, and the slices here are nothing if not consequential. As a result, this was the only topping combo we were able to sample here… But the others looked incredible too!

3. Cicoria at Ristoro degli Angeli

Twice cicoria popped up on contorni menus, and twice we ordered it. This bitter green tasted a bit like what I’d imagine the improbable lovechild of kale, arugula, and spinach to be. Sautéed with garlic, oil, and a hint of chile, it was the ideal side to all of those rich pastas.

2. Oxtail suppli at Il Suppli

Suppli are the Roman answer to arancini, and I ate more than my fair share of these deep-fried rice balls over the course of my time in Rome. My favorite, though, was one I didn't even order: After asking for the amatriciana-stuffed iteration at Il Suppli, I realized only after taking my first bite I'd been mistakenly given the braised oxtail version instead. To which I say… bully for me. It was excellent.

1. Bucatini all’amatriciana at Da Bucatino

And as for my top bite… the bucatini all’amatriciana at Da Bucatino took the cake. (And also granted me my very own bucatini-eatin’ bib, which I will likely be breaking out to enjoy any and all tomato-based pasta sauces henceforth.) We were definitely not the only tourists there, and there was a bit of kitsch factor to this spot (see the bib anecdote…), but we had some of the loveliest service from our genial waiter, and the hubbub was super fun on a Saturday night.

As for the pasta… It was one of the richest-flavored amatriciana sauces I’ve ever had, and the guanciale absolutely fell apart the moment I bit into it. In a word… heaven.

And for the non-foodies among you (…why are you here?), my top three non-food-related experiences were…

Seeing the major Roman monuments at nightfall. This was an experience a handful of friends recommended, and seeing as rain was predicted for a few of the days we were in the city, we decided to do it on the first night, a clear one, to avoid disappointment. Our feet were burning after what would turn out to ultimately be a 40k-step day, but turning a corner and seeing the Pantheon looming in all of its beautiful anachronistic glory was an unparalleled experience.

After all those steps, discovering Rome sitting down seemed like a good idea, and an hour-long boat tour up the river in the gorgeous sunshine was the perfect way to make that happen.

Quaint Trastevere proved to be home not only to Otaleg (aka one of my top two gelaterie of the trip) but also to beautiful hidden churches, more reasonably populated piazze, and the shop where I bought my sole souvenir: a notebook emblazoned with the Pantheon. Wandering its beautiful streets, sipping coffee at its cafés, and nosing in its souvenir shops was one of my favorite experiences of all.

Cheese of the Week

We ate our fair share of cheese atop pizza, in focaccia, and sprinkled on pasta, but the heat kept us from digging into too many stand-alone cheeses. Still, I'm keeping Italian cheeses on my mind, specifically this Losa from Beppino Occelli. Made with a combo of goat or cow's milk depending on the season, this semi-soft cheese is buttery and rich with a lovely cellary note near the rind.

To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.

What I'm Eating

The tasting menu at Il Carpaccio is designed by Chefs Oliver Piras and Alessandra Del Favero, who took over in 2021. Both natives of Italy – he from Sardinia, she from Venetia; he previously of Noma, both previously of Da Vittorio and their own Aga, this power couple has loads of starred experience under their belt, and the lack of novelty in such a luxe locale might be what makes their current project so convivial and playful. This Michelin-starred restaurant within the Royal Monceau hotel refuses to take itself too seriously but still hews to authentic values that are palpable throughout the dining experience. More on the blog.

Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france and on the blog.

What I’m Doing

June 26 to 30, my friend and fellow writer Anna Polonyi and I will be launching the very first iteration of the Nantes Writers’ Workshop.

During the five-day workshop, you'll take full advantage of morning generative writing sessions with me and afternoon craft and feedback workshops with Anna, an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad and teacher based in Nantes. In the evenings, convene with us for craft talks over an apéritif.

Check out our website and Instagram for more information, and snag your spot before it’s too late!

After a first successful TERRE/MER long weekend, we're at it again! There are still a few questions up in the air: Will we opt for a shared house configuration or independent lodging? Will the weather allow for hikes along the calanques, or will we get cozy with cake and tea with local honey? But the most important is of course the big W: When. And to answer that, we need your help!

If you're interested in joining us for four days of ceramics, cheese tastings, and conviviality in southern La Ciotat, please consider filling out this poll to help us choose our next dates.

Where I’m Going

Home to Paris, to eat vegetables for at least a week and soak my feet.

What I'm Writing

1. Mexican cuisine is rich and varied, as exemplified by the sheer number of different taco fillings, moles, and more you'll find across the country. But despite boasting just as varied a selection of cheeses, most experts agree that Mexican queso is phenomenally misunderstood abroad. I got help from many of them in creating this ultimate guide to Mexican cheese for Mashed.

2. One Chicago physical therapist turned chile oil evangelist shared how his in-demand Chilee Oil pays tribute to Chi-town and his nonagenarian grandfather. For InsideHook.

3. This pollo alla brasa is the last roast chicken recipe you'll ever need. For InsideHook.

What I'm Saying

If the self-help section of Barnes and Noble is to be believed, French women parent better, dress better, have sex better, cook better, lose weight better… and all with no effort at all! It's a mindset that has given Anglo-American readers almost impossible ideals to live up to, but it also has negative repercussions on teen girls growing up in an environment where it’s not cool to try… or even to care. This week on Navigating the French, I’m joined by real-life Française Iris Goldsztajn, a journalist who took Twitter by storm with her critique of this mindset to discuss how harmful the “French Girl Aesthetic" can be on teens growing up in such a context.

What I'm Reading

1. "It’s hard to study one of van Gogh’s motifs without misrepresenting him. He wasn’t really obsessed with cypresses or irises or sunflowers; he was obsessed with the world and burned through it, one object at a time." In the New Yorker.

2. Before I moved to France, majored in journalism, and got a very-lucrative Master’s degree in 19th century French literature, I was a Linguistics major. And while I don’t get to use my training much, I do still love to nerd out over language. John McWhorter’s newsletter isn’t always linguistics-adjacent (he writes a lot about musical theater, too), but when he goes full language nerd, as in this essay about why verbs are so much more important than nouns, my little nerd heart is filled with glee. In the New York Times.

3. This is surely one of the strangest obituaries – and stories – I’ve ever read, encompassing flippant fraud, pizza royalty, and mistaken identities a-go-go. In short, a New York life. In the New York Times.

A bientôt !