Rome Guided Food Experience w/Private Option

Meet your guide and group of no more than six in the early evening. Your tour coincides with aperitivo time, when locals enjoy pre-dinner drinks and snacks. Hear about this tradition from your sommelier-guide and begin your stroll to discover the city’s culinary highlights. Venues may vary, but your route includes stops with tastings equivalent to a 5-course lunch or dinner with drinks. Start at a welcoming bar and enjoy a glass of Prosecco and finger food. Then, head into Rome’s former Jewish ghetto, one of the world’s oldest still-lived-in Jewish quarters. Stroll through piazzas and lanes as your guide details Jewish cuisine, and how it provided the foundation of Roman gastronomy. Visit an eatery to sample the Roman-Jewish staples of artichoke alla giudia (deep-fried artichoke) and fiori di zucca (fried, stuffed zucchini flowers) teamed with more Prosecco. As the Italian adage ‘l'appetito vien mangiando’ – ‘appetite comes with eating’ goes, feel your hunger build, and then continue into Rome’s historical center. While you walk and talk, pass some famous landmarks, and hear about their history and connections with Roman food. Learn how Rome’s Street food obsession grew during the 1960s and ‘70s, and sample pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice). Savor the authentic flavors, and learn about pinza, Rome’s lighter version of pizza, and the difference between thick and thin pizzas. Then, head inside one of Rome's most glamorous restaurants, overlooking the 2nd-century Pantheon. Savor homemade pasta with local wine as you admire the floodlit building and learn about Roman pasta and the significance of your dish. Next, visit a popular gelateria (ice cream parlor) where the ice cream is made with season-fresh ingredients, and enjoy some of Rome’s most acclaimed gelato. Your tour then finishes in central Rome.