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The Roman Countryside. The right place to experience an authentic Italian life experience.

Today I want to tell to you about a special place, which I would like to recommend you: the Roman Countryside . This is an area situated  in the south-east part of Rome, only a few  kilometers away. Set between the Eternal City and Ciociaria, the Roman countryside is practically unknown to large tourism operators. And I can not explain why.

What does the Roman countryside offer? What the real traveler wants more: experiences of Italian real life.

It does so almost naturally because, unlike many other places where everything is organized for tourists, in the countryside of Rome is the tourist to do what is normally organized for the locals.

But what can you do in the Roman countryside? I can not list everything in one article.  Please settle for the list of things I liked the most. This is my Tour of the Roman Countryside!

Cooking Class in the Roman Countryside

If you decide to spend a few days in the Roman countryside, forget the usual cooking class. Here the “maritozzi”, the “pizza” and the “spaghetti” are not eaten, as I have seen in other places in Rome.

The maritozzo is not a typical product of the Roman Countryside. Spaghetti and Pizza are typical of Naples and have nothing to do with the Roman countryside.

If you want to experience real life, leave  all these stereotypes and let yourself be guided by the locals. Exquisite people, kind and helpful, that puts coffee under your nose at all hours.

Take part in a cooking class in Rome, or better in his countryside, means spending a few hours in the company of an authentic housewife who teaches how to prepare “fettuccine” and “gnocchi“, two types of pasta different in shape and especially for the use or not of eggs in the dough.

About the ingredients, the cooking class in the countryside involves the use of “hens” eggs and stone-ground flours. If they offered the usual commercial flour and eggs bought at the supermarket you would not be able to make the pasta as it should be.

In addition to pasta you can learn how to make bread cooked in wood, or biscuits, up to more elaborate meat dishes for which, however, you would need to stay a few more days and organize everything with the housewife.

Cheese Making in the Roman Countryside

In the same way as the cooking class, if you would like to take part  in the preparation of good roman countryside cheese, you have to know that you will be dealing with a true shepherd intent on turning with a wooden stick of sheep’s milk put to heat in a cauldron.

In this experience you will learn to make “cacio” and “ricotta“, two typical local cheeses.

The Cheese Making in the Roman countryside consists of doing a whole series of operations, guided by the example of the shepherd: mixing the milk, making it thicken, extracting the soft dough, working it and making the so-called “shapes”. At the end, a tasting with cheese accompanied by meat products, jams and local honey.

And about jams and honey, here you can also learn how to prepare them. I guarantee you that there are two other incredibly exciting experiences.

By combining the various experiences, that of cooking class, cheese making, jams and honey, it is possible to give life to the fantastic “culinary tour of the Roman countryside“. A real and exciting culinary tour, different from the classic activities organized to entertain the tourist.

The Food Shopping Tour

Another really exciting experience is the shopping tour around historic shops and farms. You go shopping like any other Italian, but buying only genuine and organic things. For example everything necessary for the cooking class.

So flour, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, meats, jams and everything else you will need. Then you will come back home start preparing lunch. Like the ladies of the countries living in this area.

What else to say? The Roman countryside is still little known by the people. Taking advantage of the presence of very few tourists and an environment not yet prepared to welcome visitors with impossible prices and souvenirs, can be a good idea. Indeed it is the winning idea to enjoy a slice of authentic Italian life for a few days and fall in love with these kind and hospitable people.

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