Travel Tips

Posts Tagged ‘Rome markets’

Rome is filled with open-air markets to please palates and sights and the famous Testaccio Market is not to be missed. Found in the well-liked area of Testaccio, between the Pyramid and the Tiber brook, this area is often overlooked by tourists but well-frequented by locals for its restaurants, clubs and cafs. The area hosts the city’s previous slaughterhouse and that’s why dishes such as ( oxtail ), and ‘trippa ‘ ( tripe ) were introduced in the local cuisine. In reality slaughterhouse employees lived around here and were partially paid with what the Romans call the quinto quarto, or 5th quarter – the hide, tail and innards left over after carcasses are quartered.
Take the bus to Testaccio and step off on through Marmorata. Ramble into any side street and you can reach piazza Testaccio. Can not find it? Just follow the smells of fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers and pony beef and the stream of locals heading towards the ingredients of their next meal. Head right into the covered market and stroll thru the various stalls selling fish, beef, cheese, fruit and vegetables. The variety and the amount of fresh items will make your mouth water…
This market, like any market in Rome, is an one-stop shop for eating good food n a restricted budget. Walk up to a cheese and salami counter and choose your favourite. Buy some bread and you have got yourself a cheap lunch ( or dinner ). The vegan selection is unending with ripe artichokes stacked high, chicory, fennel, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, while the colours of the fresh fruit will make you purchase some just for the fun it – apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, and pears.
If you have aAccommodation in Rome with cooking facilities, then buy some fish or beef from one of the stalls. One fish stall in particular is not to be missed : the Mastroianni siblings claim to be kin of the great actor Marcello Mastroianni, proved by photos of unknown origins. Nonetheless, their fish selection is kind of inspiring with weird fish, molluscs, shellfish, crustaceans and others I’m not very sure of what they are.
Once you have purchased your goodies, and before you head back to your Rome Accommodation , head towards the famous and traditional Monte Testaccio – a synthetic mound in Rome composed almost entirely of ‘testae ‘, pieces of damaged amphorae dating from the time of the Roman Empire. Monte Testaccio was employed as a place of recreation when Stendhal visited in 1827. Eating good Italian food amidst history, now that’s’s an extraordinary Roman memory.

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