Rome travel guide
Truffle Season in Rome: Carbonara, Puntarelle, and a Day Trip to Positano
We landed in Rome right in the middle of truffle season, which meant everything on every menu had truffle shaved over it, so we let that decide most of the trip: pasta, pizza, a public-market porchetta sandwich, and a day trip out to Sorrento and Positano.
Where we ate.
Mercato Centrale
Near Termini stationFood hall, multiple Italian vendors
Get: Truffle carbonara, truffle pasta, and a Roman-style pizza
A food-court-style market packed with vendor stalls, including a whole Chinese dumpling counter we were too full to try. The truffle carbonara felt like our ideal dish: al dente pasta, a burst of umami from freshly shaved black truffle, and a sauce pooled at the bottom so you could control how much you wanted per bite. Good pasta with truffle here ran about 20 euros; we guessed that same plate would run $30+ at home.
Luna
Near Termini stationSpecialty coffee
Get: Eggs with freshly shaved parmesan
A coffee spot that felt more American than most, in the best way, with real specialty coffee drinks. We were running on zero sleep after a red-eye and this breakfast, eggs blanketed in shaved parm, fixed that fast.
A porchetta stand at a Rome public market
RomePorchetta sandwich, public market stall
Get: Porchetta sandwich with pecorino
A little out of the way from the main tourist track, but worth the detour: thinly sliced, crispy pork jowl with pecorino cheese, still hot, chewy and creamy at once. Simple, cheap, and one of the best bites of the trip.
A Rome trattoria
RomeTraditional Roman dinner
Get: Cacio e pepe with truffle, puntarelle salad, and tiramisu
Our reservation-only dinner and worth planning around: puntarelle, a bitter Roman chicory only in season starting in November, dressed simply in olive oil, plus a truffle-and-tomato pasta and a full sirloin steak. The whole meal for two, wine, two mains, a salad, and dessert, ran 52 euros. We also learned Italians never mix olive oil and vinegar the way Americans do; the vinegar is meant to stand on its own.
Sorrento and Positano day trip
Amalfi CoastDay trip, lemon granita and pizza
Get: Lemon granita from Lemon Bazaar and a pizza diavola
The off-season quiet made Sorrento feel almost too calm, half the shops were closed, but the lemon granita cut through the winter chill perfectly. Positano reminded us of Busan's cliffside houses, if a little less colorful, and the famous photo spot looked exactly as touristy in person as it does on Instagram.
Good to know before you go
- We stayed at a hotel right next to Termini station, a 35-minute train ride from the airport, which we'd recommend for early risers who want the breakfast buffet and gym before a flight.
- This was reportedly the first trip of ours that didn't involve a single Asian meal.