When in Rome, third time’s a charm

Come on in and enjoy some of our delicious “authentic” Italian food the greeter said. The menu looked fine, and as newbie travellers we ignored many of the warning signs of a major tourist trap. What proceeded was the worst Italian meal I’ve probably ever had (much worse than East Side Mario’s) complete with soggy pasta and some ball that was overpowered by the taste of anchovies. This was ten years ago, my first time visiting Italy, and as I set out to plan my third trip there, I was determined to avoid the tourist traps and mistakes I made on the first two trips.

Before our big adventure Debbie had never been to Italy, nor had my parents, and since we wanted to meet them somewhere in Europe, Italy seemed like a good choice. This time around though, I was determined to try to seek out those coveted authentic local experiences that many travellers are looking for. By this I mean those rare moments on a trip where a local gives you a true taste of their culture, or you find a hidden gem of a restaurant where you’re the only foreigner, or you stumble across a site that’s “off the beaten path”. Or perhaps even more important, just avoiding the giant lineups and overpriced attractions as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I am a tourist, not an elitist snob, and will gladly hit up many of the tourist spots as well, but I’ve found that if I only see those tourist destinations on a trip it feels like I’ve missed out on the real culture of the destination, and my memories are a series of postcard photos rather than memorable experiences.

So with that in mind, as we planned out our Italy itinerary we made a number of changes from my past trips. In Rome, we stayed in the Trastevere neighbourhood, which is just across the Tiber river, and walking distance to the core of the city. Unlike the heart of Rome where I stayed in past trips, Trastevere has more locals than tourists, restaurants where you can find great food at a decent price, and the chance to see the daily life of ordinary Romans. Most of the restaurants we tried in Trastevere were better than in the core; our favourite – a small take out shop called Suppli serving delicious pizza and pasta for 5 Euros a meal. Dinner in the neighbourhood at Grazia & Graziella was notable for its delicious roasted vegetable salads and the free prosecco we got for waiting in line for 10 minutes; Toronto restaurants take heed.

Next on the itinerary was Tuscany. My past two trips to Tuscany centred on Florence, so again we mixed it up this time. We picked up a rental car in Rome and made the drive to our new base in Tuscany, a converted farm house with views of vineyards and olive groves, just outside of a town called Badia A Passigano (half way between Florence and Siena). On the way we stopped in a sleepy town called Orvieto that had a remarkable duomo, which in my opinion rivals “The Duomo” in Florence. Over the next few days we took day trips throughout Tuscany with my parents, often getting late starts intentionally, or sometimes unintentionally, after enjoying breakfast on our patio. Quick summary of our day trips below:

Siena – Over rated in Debbie and my opinion. Has a more local feel than Florence but nothing very notable that cannot be found elsewhere. I know others disagree.

San Gimignano – Beautiful UNESCO world heritage site town, with large towers throughout. Shout out to Paul for the recommendation

Florence – No explanation required.

Cinque Terre – it’s as good as people say, but probably requires two days, or a full 12 hour day to explore all five towns. We made it to three but didn’t arrive there until 1:00.

In addition to ordinary sites, we did have two “real” experiences. On our last day in Tuscany we booked an Olive Oil tasting at a grove that was owned by the Machiavelli family a few hundred years ago. As most authentic experiences go, I had no idea this Olive Oil tasting tour would turn out to be amazing. When I found the estate, Fattoria di Bagnolo di Marco Bartolini Baldelli, a man answered the phone and agreed to give us a tasting two hours later, so I expected this would be one of those spots where buses of tourists arrive, constantly get churned through olive oil tasting like cattle, buy their bottle and leave. When we pulled up to the estate though, we were the only car in the lot and were greeted by the owner Marco. Marco gave us a private tour of the estate that had been in his family for generations. The newest building on the property was constructed in the 18th century, and many of the historical relics such as old wine cellars and olive oil machinery were well-preserved. Marco could speak to you about olive oil for hours – it’s production, the history of the craft, it’s linkage to Italian culture, the varieties, how to taste it, how to distinguish pure virgin olive oil from the junk in supermarket shelves and so on. It was this passion, that gave us a peek into Marco’s world and made this experience so memorable.

The second experience we had, was a pasta-making class in a Florence restaurant, that we signed up for through Airbnb experiences. Granted this experience was organized and paid for, so it was by no means spontaneous, but once again we had a passionate master craftsman, teach us the in’s and outs of tagliatelle, ravioli, al dente, and the different ways to make dough. Making pasta with an expert guiding you is surprisingly easy, so much so, that Debbie and I are definitely making homemade Pasta when we get home. After we made the noodles, the restaurant cooked them for us and added different sauces to make an enjoyable meal. This was by far our best experience in Italy because we actually did something and learned something useful.

All said and done, this visit to Italy had a distinctly different feel than my earlier trips; definitely more local, definitely more authentic feeling. So as we plan the rest of our trip we’ll continue to stay in local neighbourhoods rather than the tourist hubs, seek out authentic experiences with locals, and embrace our wanderlust.