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What Rome Can Teach Us About Eating and Drinking for the Sheer Pleasure of It

From quality produce to aperitivo hour, we could learn a thing or two from the Romans

Charlie Brown
Rooted
7 min readDec 23, 2024

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Image courtesy of author

I don’t know many people who don’t love Italian food.

The pizza. The pasta. And the produce — just ask anyone who has visited an Italian market to describe what they saw there and watch them get all misty-eyed about bitter greens and parmesan. It’s a sight to see — both the markets and people’s reactions to them.

I recently took my fourth trip to Rome. This is a city that grabbed me by the stomach during my first visit in 2008 and has never let go.

It sounds like a cliché but Romans know how to eat and drink very well. It’s what keeps me coming back more than anything else. You can lead this horse to the Colosseum or the Vatican if you must, but I will only drink from the well of Roman food and drink culture.

30,000 steps a day around the city gave me ample time to reflect on how Rome just gets food and drink right. It’s a pleasure here, not a chore. It’s a way of life, not an inconvenience.

And we could learn a thing or two from that.

Start the day in a café, those quintessential third spaces Italy holds so dear.

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Rooted
Rooted

Published in Rooted

Deep journeys through food and drink culture. A boostable publication

Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown

Written by Charlie Brown

Food, wine & culture writer. 12+ years in hospitality. Editor of Rooted, a Medium food & drink pub. thesaucemag.substack.com

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