Food destinations within easy reach of Rome, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of Rome. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for: Porchetta slow-roasted with herbs
Ariccia in Rome's Castelli Romani hills is the home of porchetta: slow-roasted herb-stuffed pork, served as a sandwich with rosetta bread and salt. The Sagra della Porchetta runs each September.
Famous for: Frascati DOC white wine, regional cuisine
Frascati in Rome's Castelli Romani is the historic Frascati DOC white wine town, with cantine like Castel de Paolis and Fontana Candida open for cellar tours and lunch at trattorie Cacciani.
Famous for: Castagnaccio, lamb, Sabine olive oil
Tivoli in Rome's Sabine hills is the Villa d'Este town with the Sabine farmhouse cuisine: castagnaccio (chestnut cake), pasta carbonara, lamb dishes and the Sabina DOP olive oil cooperatives.
Famous for: Umbria pasta, Orvieto DOC white wine, truffles
Orvieto in Umbria, 1 hour 20 minutes from Rome by train, is the medieval hill town with the Orvieto DOC white wine, umbrichelli al tartufo and the underground Etruscan caves of Pozzo della Cava.
Famous for: Nocciola Romana hazelnuts, acquacotta soup
Viterbo in Lazio's Tuscia region is the hazelnut-and-acquacotta capital, with the Nocciola Romana DOP and the medieval acquacotta tomato-and-bread soup served at Vecchia Tuscia and La Loggia.
Famous for: Tyrrhenian seafood, fresh anchovies
Sperlonga on Lazio's Tyrrhenian coast 1.5 hours from Rome is the white-house fishing town with the day's catch at trattorie like Gli Archi, fresh anchovies and the Tiberio Imperial villa.
Famous for: Tuscia hilltop cucina, lamb, olive oil
Civita di Bagnoregio in Lazio's Tuscia region is the medieval volcanic-tuff hilltop town reached by footbridge, with Tuscia hilltop cucina including lamb, fresh pasta and the local Aleatico wine.
Peak food season in Rome is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Rome rewards trust.