A Roman Food Tour with Katie Parla

Travel is wonderful because it expands your horizons and makes you look at the world in a completely different way. On our recent trip to Italy we were lucky enough to go on a food tour with Katie Parla. She is a badass and we learned so much about Roman culture through food: why Italians eat pizza on the go and why espresso is an afternoon drink and cappuccino is only for the morning (a rule I will continue to break).

This is pretty much why I adore being a part of the restaurant industry. Because food and the way we eat encapsulates a piece of the human experience. I think it is important to remember that you don’t need to go across the world to find these experiences! You can start by being a tourist wherever you are and experiencing the world around you with a sense of wonder.

Now let me tell you about Katie Parla and our incredible Roman food tour. A friend recommended Katie to us just a few weeks before our trip. As a serendipitous bout of luck would have it, she was available for an afternoon during our few days in Rome. Ah, Roma. Of all the Italian cities, you can’t really compete with the history, the architecture, the romance…the food. And Katie’s expert tour helped us understand appreciate all of these aspects.

We did a walking tour of Prati and Trionfale. Katie told us that this tour is her favorite because the neighborhoods are very off the beaten path and provide the opportunity to visit food shops, delis, cafés and a market (the largest in town) where locals shop, eat and drink. They are also home to the so called Michelangelo of Bread and Pizza, Gabriele Bonci, who has his only two shops in Rome in these areas (Panificio Bonci and Pizzarium). The truly authentically Roman feel you get in these areas is the reason she especially loves this tour.

This is an excerpt from Katie’s website: “the neighborhood just north of the Vatican is pleasantly tourist free and residential, making for a truly local experience as residents shop for their groceries. Its food shops and covered market, a modern construction that is one of the largest in Rome, are sensational and the area is home to the world’s best pizza by the slice. This walking tour will explore this overlooked district and focus on its delis, bakeries, market, cafes and gelato shops. Visitors who have already explored the historic center or are looking for a more authentic culinary experience will come away with an understanding of how Roman residents eat and shop in their own neighborhoods.”

If Katie is unavailable when you visit Rome, I suggest perusing through her website to see descriptions of the various tours she offers. You can do your own walking tour of Rome following her guidance. However, if you can get a private tour with Katie, her expertise and depth of knowledge on Italian history and culture were truly priceless to us.

This video of Katie Parla’s Rome: Trionfale District gives you some insight on what you will see on the tour.