Rome Food & Wine Overview

Savor the ultimate food experiences in Rome

Some say the Eternal City is stubbornly nostalgic, revisiting the same trattoria because its carbonara is cooked like nonna made it. Classic cucina povera still dominates many of the city's menus that boast seasonal, fresh and traditional offerings, like gnocchi on Thursdays and puntarelle only in winter. But change is slowly infiltrating this living museum, and some of the greatest innovators today are reinventing the past, such as Gabriele Bonci's use of ancient Roman spelt (wheat) or the appearance of quinto quarto (offal) in unusual places.

While for years Rome resisted the march of global gentrification, now, for the first time U.S.-style gourmet burger joints are popping up, as are vintage chic wine-bar-cum-bookshops. You can still dig into the world's best carbonara or cacio e pepe from ivy-clad osteria and knock back Peroni in a cobbled courtyard by night, but there is also a welcome breath of fresh air blowing through this storied culinary culture.